Lanny Poffo has been in the center of the ring since 1974. With sixteen wrestling championship titles under his belt, it’s no wonder Poffo’s been featured as a commentator in countless wrestling documentaries.

Debuting in 1974, Poffo spent a year with the All-South Wrestling Alliance before he graduated to the National Wrestling Alliance, competing there for four years. His father, Angelo Poffo, and brother, Randy Savage, were also great fighters, and he often competed with them in NWA Tag-Team Championships. In fact, during his rookie year, Poffo and his father took home the world champion title. He and his brother were also named gulf coast champions.

Next, Poffo spent a year with Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling, fighting seven days a week and occasionally taking on some hosting duties. He had the honor of becoming the first AGPW International Heavyweight Champion in history.

His father then started his own affiliation: International Championship Wrestling. There, Poffo became the star. During his five years with the ICW, Poffo became the Southeastern Heavyweight Champion and three-time Heavyweight Champion. As for tag-team, he defended the US title four times.

Poffo spent seven years with the World Wrestling Federation. One of his most memorable fights was against Hulk Hogan, where Poffo broke Hogan’s winning streak of 21 months. This was also around the time Poffo reinvented himself from “Leaping Lanny” into his new nickname, “The Genius,” given he would wear a cap and gown while reciting a diss poem about his competitor before a fight, making the crowd go wild.

Outside of wrestling, Poffo cohosted his own weekly podcast, The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo, airing on ProWrestlingStories.com. Additionally, he’s performed ringside commentary for Ring of Honor telecasts, and he’s even penned three books, available on Amazon.