Eric Bischoff says WCW pulled off one hell of a deal when it signed Randy Savage—and the “Macho Man” basically paid for himself before he even stepped into the ring.
During a conversation with Inside the Ropes, Bischoff revealed that Savage’s move to WCW came with a Slim Jim sponsorship worth the exact same amount as his annual contract. The deal started taking shape after Hulk Hogan joined WCW. Bischoff viewed Hogan as the first major domino who could attract more top stars and make the company look like a serious threat.
“I went to Bill Shaw one day and said, ‘What if we could bring Hulk Hogan in? Because that would be the big domino. If we could get that domino, there would be other dominoes that would fall along the way.’”
That is exactly what happened. Once Hogan was in, Savage followed—and Slim Jim came right behind him. Savage had already become one of the most recognizable faces tied to Slim Jim through his famous commercials. When WCW signed him, that business relationship came with him.
“Once Hulk came in, guess who followed in his footsteps? Oh, yeah. Snap into a little Randy Savage, brother.”
“Randy Savage was a spokesperson for Slim Jim for a long time. Randy Savage came in, and Slim Jim came in right behind him.”
Then Bischoff revealed the numbers. Savage signed for $750,000 per year. Slim Jim’s sponsorship was also worth $750,000 per year, meaning the sponsor money covered the entire cost of Savage’s deal.
“Randy Savage’s contract was $750,000 a year. That’s what I signed Randy for. The Slim Jim sponsorship was $750,000 a year.”
“I got Randy for free, and I got a deal on Slim Jims.”
WCW didn’t just land another massive wrestling name. The company added a proven main-event star, a major television personality and a sponsor that wiped out the price of his contract on paper. Savage went on to become one of WCW’s biggest stars, but the business behind his signing may have been just as impressive as anything he did in the ring.
Was Randy Savage’s Slim Jim deal the smartest signing WCW ever made? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
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