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Lanny Poffo Talks WWE, WCW, Greatest Match, Future Appearances And More

Posted: Sep 14th 2009 By: CMBurnham

Lanny Poffo was born in Calgary, Canada on December 28th, 1954. He hales from a family of professional wrestlers and has always been fond of poetry. He was the Poet Laureate of the WWF (World Wrestling Federation, now the WWE or World Wrestling Entertainment from 1985-1989. In his wrestling career, he would compose and recite an original poem before each bout.

At first, he was known as ?Leaping Lanny? (a good guy) and published a book of wrestling poetry entitled Leaping Lanny: Wrestling with Rhyme. ?Leaping Lanny? later transformed into a pseudo-intellectual villain called ?The Genius? and made appearances dressed in a cap and gown. From 1989 to 1993, ?The Genius? character continually antagonized his audiences. He wrestled Hulk Hogan on the TV show Saturday Night?s Main Event and gave a performance that is still considered by many to be the most hilarious wrestling spectacle ever.

Force Of Wrestling is thankful to Lanny Poffo for taking time out of his schedule to answer your questions that you sent in. Once you conclude the interview be sure to visit www.lannypoffo.com.

1. Upon arriving in WWE, you were under the gimmick ?Leaping? Lanny and would recite poems and throw frisbees out to the crowd. Whose idea was it and how did you feel about the gimmick?

I didn?t do the poetry at first. I surprised Vince McMahon with a poem on TNT Tuesday Night Titans. During the comercial break, he told me that he liked it and I was to read a poem before every match from now on. Since I wrote every poem myself, it was NOT a gimmick, any more than Andre being a giant was a gimmick. Some things are real. Cheif Jay Strongbow was a gimmick Indian. His real name is Joe Scarpa. He?s an Italian with an Indian gimmick. Being a Genius was a gimmick. Being a poet was NOT.

2. What was the deal with the full knight armor during some of the Bunkhouse Battle Royals in the mid-late 80?s?

I had bought a theatrical suit of armor as a GIMMICK and used it when I was working for Jerry Jarret. I wore the armor on TNT when I did the poem. Vince liked the poem but not the armor. Later when they were doing Bunkhouse Battle Royals, they asked me to wear the armor. It was ruined during the 20 Royals and I woulnd up giveing the armor to a silent charity auction for Children?s Cancer.

3. In 1989, you made the switch to The Genius, which I believed was your most successful gimmick. Did you like the change to heel and what did you think of the gimmick?

I LOVED the gimmick. It was so easy to write poems to get ?cheap heat? usually by insulting the cities baseball, football and basketball teams. I was almost lynched when I insulted the Cornhuskers while wrestling in Omaha.

4. As The Genius, you began to transition yourself into more of a managerial role, where you in favor of this and do you think it affected your legacy and persona in a positive or negative light?

I?m not interested in legacy or persona. I was LUCKY to be in the WWF. I was there to serve in any manner they chose. I did the best I could and I don?t regret any of it.

5. Did you prefer being a heel or face and which do you feel you were most successful at?

If I could work with the Funks, Harley Race, Bob Orton Jr, Jake Roberts and Kamala, there would be no reason to change from babyface. They were so great that it was a pleasure. As a heel, I could work with ALMOST anybody because my gimmick was so hillarious.

6. What do you feel was your greatest match?

Hulk Hogan on NBC. That was my one brief shining moment, followed by an appearance on Regis.

7. Who was your favorite opponent to step into the ring with?

Hulk Hogan.

8. Who do you feel was the best overall worker you worked with during your long career?

Bob Orton, Jr.

9. You worked closely with Curt ?Mr. Perfect? Hennig during your WWE career. Many consider him to be one of the best workers of all-time, what kind of relationship did you guys have and what kind of guy was he?

He was an excellent person. He was fun in the locker room. Everybody loved him. I never knew he had a drug problem. I was shocked by his toxicology report.

10. There has been a lot of speculation about exactly what happened with you in WCW. I have heard things from you taking on the character of Wildcat Willie to you taking on the persona of the Gorgeous George gimmick owned by Randy Savage. What really went on?

The Wildcat Willie rumor was a rumor. The Gorgeous George gimmick was a fact. I bleached my hair blonde and bought many outfits, waiting for a phone call that never came.


11. Do you watch the current product, be it WWE or TNA, if so, what are your thoughts on it?

I don?t watch TV.

12. Many people know you as being the brother of the infamous ?Macho Man? Randy Savage, what kind of relationship do you guys have and what has he been up to lately?

I never answer questions about Randy.

13. There is a supposed well-known rift between your brother and Vince McMahon. It might be one of the biggest mysteries in the wrestling business, perhaps the reason he has yet to be inducted into WWE?s Hall Of Fame. Do you have any idea what the problem is between them and what kind of relationship/feelings do you have with/about WWE and Vince McMahon.

See answer #13

14. What do you feel was your biggest accomplishment as a pro wrestler and what do you want people to remember most about you and your legacy?

With all the wrestlers who have died before 30, 40 and 50, I?d like to be known as a wrestler who lived to be 100. I have about 45 years to go.

Lanny Poffo would also like to to remind you to:

Go on www.lannypoffo.com and follow my contact information. In the next 6 months I?ll be going to England, Germany, Poland and France. I will have wrestled in 5 decades. I appreciate every booking that I get and I love to travel.

Tags: Lanny Poffo, The Genius, WWF, WWE, Andre the Giant, Jay Strongbow, Jake Roberts, Kamala