Royal beating

Royal beating

At the 1991 Royal Rumble, WWE Champion The Ultimate Warrior was the type of hero America needed as it went to war in the Middle East. Clad in red, white and blue, the champion from Parts Unknown charged into the Miami Arena to defend his title against patriot-turned-Iraqi sympathizer Sgt. Slaughter. However, it was "Macho King" Randy Savage who would decide the match's outcome, when he struck the Warrior with his scepter.

Costing the WWE Champion the match and putting the title into the hands of an American traitor, Savage's scepter earns the No. 7 spot on WWE.com's list of "Unlikely Weapons That Impacted WWE History."

Adopting the "Macho King" moniker after defeating "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan for the King of the Ring crown in 1989, Savage (with Queen Sherri by his side) was seldom seen without his scepter, gifted to him by "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase during a lavish coronation ceremony. After The Ultimate Warrior denied the "King of WWE" a WWE Championship opportunity should he defeat Slaughter at the Royal Rumble, an irate Savage ambushed the Warrior, smashing his scepter over the titleholder's head, thereby allowing Slaughter to score the pinfall.

"This is an outrage!" exclaimed iconic announcer and WWE Hall of Famer Gorilla Monsoon as the Miami Arena erupted in a deafening chorus of boos. Following the attack, Savage ran to the locker room and was unseen for the rest of the night, even though he was scheduled to compete in the Royal Rumble Match.

Savage's assault set the stage for a WWE Title Match at WrestleMania VII between Slaughter and Royal Rumble winner Hulk Hogan, who would defeat the controversial champion with his signature legdrop. More importantly for Savage, his brash actions led to a Retirement Match between himself and an enraged Warrior on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Though Savage lost and was forced to end his in-ring career (albeit temporarily), his defeat led to a tear-jerking WrestleMania reunion with his former love, Miss Elizabeth, whom he married later that year at SummerSlam.

Savage's brutal scepter attack on The Ultimate Warrior lasted mere seconds, but it nevertheless inspired several of the most exciting moments ever witnessed by the WWE Universe.

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