Lanny Poffo

With a heavy heart, we say goodbye to our beloved friend, Lanny Poffo, known to wrestling fans as "The Genius" and "Leaping Lanny."

A fitting final night out, for he loved the Arts and his Broadway shows. He shared how happy he was to see his daughter and grandsons that day. [Killer Kowalski](https://prowrestlingstories.com/pro-wrestling-stories/killer-kowalski-tribute/), [Tiger Khan](https://prowrestlingstories.com/pro-wrestling-stories/remembering-tiger-khan/), and Bryan Walsh as we promoted Jeff’s Theatre in a Squared Circle book featuring a chapter on Lanny. In this fog of sadness, it’s positive to know he had the chance to see them only five days before his death. A kind-hearted man who listened intently and made you feel seen, he had that rare trait I wish there was more of in this world. “He was also the first to wish us well after the birth of our daughter last year. My phone was connected to the car’s Bluetooth, so everyone conversed with Lanny on speaker as we drove down the autobahn. But he told me after the sit-down, "Evan, he looks too healthy." [The Wrestler](https://prowrestlingstories.com/pro-wrestling-stories/the-wrestler-movie/), I brought Lanny in for a reading with director Darren Aronofsky. Instead, he wanted to pay homage to the ailing elderly promoter who had showcased his family. He paid his dues and "saw the world on their dime." With a heavy heart, we say goodbye to our beloved friend, Lanny Poffo, who sadly passed away on February 2nd, 2023, at the age of 68.

On the latest "Hall Of Fame" podcast, WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T commented on the passing of Lanny Poffo: "I want to pay my respects to Lanny Poffo.

Linked forever to his famous brother, Randy Savage, and trailblazing father, Angelo Poffo, Lanny carved out a unique legacy of his own.

He blogs, vlogs, and podcasts at his Substack, [Oliver Bateman Does the Work](https://oliverbatemandoesthework.substack.com/). In this capacity—which expanded after the death of his father and the untimely passing of his brother a year later—he became the historian responsible for the Poffo legacy, giving countless interviews about the contributions of his more famous relatives and, to a lesser extent, his own. [to write his comic-book autobiography](https://inversepress.com/products/the-genius-lanny-poffo), said that was exactly how the unassuming Genius wanted it. He self-published a book of poetry, Wrestling With Rhyme, in 1988; the book is now extremely hard to find and [can fetch upward of $290 whenever it appears on a site like Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Leaping-Lanny-Wrestling-Rhyme-Poffo/dp/0961916907). Lanny sported a gown and mortarboard, much like Angelo had in the 1970s, and amplified all his irritating mannerisms, developing a style of performance that was a cross between perfume-spritzing villain Eventually, [Stephanie Bellars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephanie_Bellars), who would serve as Randy’s valet in WCW, was dubbed Gorgeous George instead of Lanny. Additional touches, including frequently “skinning the cat,” or sliding out of the ring to work math problems and sketch battle plans intended to help him win the match, turned the Genius into a magnet for crowd heat. On the first episode of SNME, he recited a poem at the enormous Uncle Elmer’s raucous real-life country wedding, even working in a reference to the “Holy Spirit” for the enormous television-viewing audience. [Great Muta](https://www.theringer.com/2023/1/22/23566293/keiji-muto-great-muta-pro-wrestling-legacy)’s version of the move). [the Sheik’s Big Time Wrestling](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDE-Yx3IjbU) promotion in Detroit, where he and Angelo—Angelo came to the ring in a graduation cap and gown similar to what Lanny would later don in WWE—won the Detroit version of the NWA World Tag Team Championships from pioneering Black wrestler [Bobo Brazil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobo_Brazil) and “Flying” Fred Curry, son of hardcore legend [“Wild Bull” Curry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_Curry). Ten shows later, at a battle royal held in the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit in 1987, he helped put over future Hulk Hogan opponent Andre the Giant as a convincing bad guy by surreptitiously using a razor blade to slash his forehead, “getting color” on national television and making André’s headbutt—which sent him toppling out of the ring—look like a dangerous weapon. Angelo and Randy passed in 2010 and 2011, respectively, so Lanny had spent the better part of the past decade honoring their legacy at the various wrestling events he attended.