The Reason Randy Savage Almost Wasn't The Voice Of Slim Jim

If you were wrestling fan in the '80s or '90s, you loved to hate (or hated to love) Macho Man Randy Savage, the manliest man ever to rock sequins and velvet. Even if you were too young to see him in his prime (or at all — sadly, he passed away in 2011), you may be familiar with him as a recurring character on NBC's new sitcom Young Rock.

Savage (the man, not the character), had some interesting gigs outside of the squared circle, as well. Although his hopes for an MLB career were cut short due to an injury while he was still in the St. Louis Cardinals' farm system, things worked out okay for him when he followed his dad and brother into the family business (his dad was Angelo "Masked Miser"/"Carpet Bagger" Poffo, while his brother was Lanny "The Genius" Poffo). 

From time to time, though, the future Hall of Famer would still branch out into other areas, as with the rap album he released in 2003 and the acting and voice roles he took on after retiring from the ring (via IMDb). There was also a time — most of the '90s, in fact — where Savage served as spokesman for a now-iconic meat product that he helped put on the snack map: Slim Jim.

While Slim Jim may not be the healthiest food out there, they've got that bold, in-your-face taste, and who better to serve as mascot than the Macho Man himself? Even though Savage was the product's pitchman for just seven years (via The Takeout), he will forever be associated with Slim Jim's most memorable catchphrase: "Snap Into a Slim Jim!" 

Oddly enough, when the Slim Jim marketing team first dreamed up the slogan in 1988, they didn't immediately think of Savage as the one who would be uttering it. Instead, The Takeout says they wanted the late comedian Sam Kinison. But it turned out he was unavailable because his lawyers advised against it. Their second choice involved using a WWF wrestler, but again, Savage didn't get the call. Instead, the gig went to the Ultimate Warrior.

Why the torch eventually passed from Warrior to Macho Man is long forgotten by anyone involved, and Warrior himself is no longer with us, but by now Savage is as much a part of Slim Jim's legacy as is the sort-of late Mr. Peanut with Planters. In fact, in 2019 Slim Jim even came out with a super-sized snack named for (and bearing the image of) this larger-than-life-sized wrestling legend: the Savage Slim Jim. Now that's a Tower of Power. Oooh Yeah!!