Lanny Poffo Biography

Lanny Poffo was born on December 28, 1954, in Calgary, a city located in the western Canadian province of Alberta. His father, Angelo John Poffo, was a professional wrestler and wrestling promoter, known by his ring names, Masked Miser and The Carpet Bagger.

His mother, Judy Poffo, taught physical education for the Chicago Park District. Born the younger of his parents’ two children, he had an elder brother named Randy Poffo, a reputed professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and commentator, popular by his ring names, Randy Savage and Macho Man.

Because of their father’s profession, the boys spent their early childhood in various places, moving several times a year before settling down in Downers Grove, a village in DuPage County, Illinois. To stick to a standard curriculum, they had their early education in various parochial schools.

On April 16, 1974, Lanny Poffo made his wrestling debut with the opening match of All-South Wrestling Alliance, appearing against Wayne Cowan. Although he lost this match he remained with the promotion for few more months, defeating Cowan in a rematch on April 23 and Great Fuji on May14.

In 1975, concurrently with appearing with his father, Lanny began to appear in solo matches, defeating wrestlers like Ron Martinelli, Denny Alberts, and Dario Romero. In May, the Poffos won the NWA World Tag Team Title and in July, the three Poffos appeared together to win ‘Four On Three Handicap Elimination’.

In January 2005, he once more returned to professional wrestling, taking part in Wrestle Reunion. Thereafter, he continued to wrestle off and on. He later appeared as a commentator on ROH telecasts, announcing the actions in the ring.

Poffo was an anti-smoking activist and a motivational speaker. He also self-published two poetry books entitled ‘Wrestling with Rhyme’ (1988) and 'Limericks from the Heart (and Lungs!)' (2013). In 2018, he released a biographical comic, titled ‘The Genius Lanny Poffo’.

He passed away on February 2, 2023, due to heart failure.

Lanny Poffo, also known as "The Genius," was not only a professional wrestler but also a talented poet who published several works of poetry.

Poffo held the unique distinction of being the only wrestler to win a match at WrestleMania by reciting a poem before his victory.

In addition to his wrestling career, Poffo was a skilled magician and had incorporated magic tricks into his performances in the ring.

Poffo came from a family of wrestlers, including his father Angelo Poffo, and his brother Randy Savage, both of whom are WWE Hall of Famers.

Outside of wrestling, Poffo was involved in various charitable endeavors, including raising awareness for mental health issues and supporting children's literacy programs.