Source: Mike Mooneyham of The Post and Courier
Longtime pro wrestling star Angelo Poffo, the father of “Macho Man” Randy Savage (Randy Poffo) and “Leaping” Lanny Poffo, died in his sleep Thursday at his home in Sarasota, Fla., at the age of 84.
Poffo was known for many things during his wrestling career, but one of his most noted accomplishments occurred before he ever stepped into a ring. While serving in the U.S. Navy in 1945, he set a world’s record for sit-ups, completing 6,033 in four hours and 10 minutes. He had planned to stop at 6,000, but as a devout Roman Catholic who felt grateful he hadn’t died during the marathon, “I did an extra 33, one for each year of the Lord’s life.” In recent years, the mark has been bettered, but not by anyone using the old-fashioned, elbows-to-knee, locked-hands style, according to the wrestler.
The Illinois native broke into the business in 1949 and held a number of titles during his 35-year ring career. He was a major star in the ‘50s when he held the U.S. heavyweight title in Chicago and later in Cincinnati and Detroit.
Poffo also enjoyed success in tag-team circles, teaming up with Chris Markoff in Indianapolis during the mid-’60s as Bobby Heenan-managed Devil’s Duo, and in the early ‘70s with Ken Dillinger as The Graduates.
Poffo launched the IWA (International Wrestling Association) out of Lexington, Ky., in 1979, in opposition to the more established promotion run by Jerry Jarrett in Nashville. The result was a heated wrestling war between the two groups. Two of Poffo’s biggest stars were his sons, with Randy holding the promotion’s world title and Lanny his top rival, although the fact that they were real brothers was not revealed until late in their feud.
Poffo’s last official match was with Luis Martinez in 1991. He was inducted into the WCW Hall of Fame in 1995.
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