Wrestling Legend “The Genius” Lanny Poffo Passes Away at 68

The wrestling world has suffered another loss today as “The Genius” Lanny Poffo, brother of the late “Macho Man” Randy Savage, passed away at 68. Poffo’s cause of death is unknown, but his passing was announced by former colleague “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan:

With a very, very heavy heart, I’ve been asked to let everyone know about the passing of our friend and colleague Lanny Poffo, The Genius.

RIP Lanny pic.twitter.com/4ve4J2HSHT

— Hacksaw Jim Duggan (@RealHacksawJim) February 2, 2023

Well before his most well-known run as “The Genius” in WWF, Lanny Poffo had a lengthy pro wrestling career that began in 1974. Alongside his also-famous father, Angelo Poffo, Lanny worked in various territories against legendary names. Many forget that Poffo was part of the WWF well before “The Genius,” as “Leaping” Lanny Poffo reading one of his famous poems was a staple on TV throughout the 80s.

Maybe of the most amazing things to look back on is that hardly anyone realized that Randy Savage and Lanny Poffo were brothers as it was never acknowledged on WWF TV. To think that things could be kept under wraps at least to fans was truly a sign of a different time.

Even up until recent years, Lanny Poffo was still active in the ring, he also appeared at the WWE Hall of Fame to finally induct his brother in 2015. Lanny himself was a unique character at the time who was able to reinvent himself and take part in main event matches in the early 90s. Now we can all hope that he is reunited with his father Angelo, brother Randy, as well as their mother Judy.