Canadian-American Lanny Mark Poffo was a professional wrestler, motivational speaker, poet, and actor who used the ring aliases “Leaping” Lanny Poffo and The Genius.
In Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Poffo was born to an Italian American Catholic father, Angelo Poffo, and a Jewish American mother, Judy Poffo. The real-life sibling of ‘Macho Man’, Randy Savage, was the younger sibling. As a child, Poffo lived in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, Illinois.
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Discovering the cause of his untimely death
Lanny Poffo’s loved ones were shocked to hear of his death. Numerous former colleagues expressed their grief over his loss on social media. No cause of death has been discovered for Poffo.
Former WWE wrestler Virgil said on Twitter: “Lanny Poffo. The genius. Man. I’m so sorry, brother. Love you and Randy more than you’ll ever know.
Lanny Poffo. The genius. Man. I’m so sorry brother. Love you and Randy more than you’ll ever know. REST IN PEACE pic.twitter.com/hAJozrZ5ck
— Virgil (@TheRealVirgil) February 2, 2023
Who was Lanny Poffo?
Canadian-American Lanny Poffo was a professional wrestler who went by the ring name “Leaping” Lanny Poffo. He entered this world December 28, 1954, and he left this world on February 2, 2023, at the age of 68. The wrestler debuted in 1974 with the All-South Wrestling Alliance.
More than a decade later, in 1985, he joined the World Wrestling Federation and adopted the nickname “Leaping Lanny Poffo”. He became known as “The Genius” among wrestling fans after donning a cap and dress to fight rivals.
RIP The genius, Lanny Poffo
My first memory of him, at SummerSlam 92, 30 years ago pic.twitter.com/hJfpjYD508
— On This Day in WWE (@OTD_in_WWE) February 2, 2023
from Lanny Poffo Professional wrestling career
On April 16, 1974, Lanny Poffo wrestled for the first time, losing to Wayne Cowan in the opening match of an All-South Wrestling Alliance show in Atlanta, Georgia. Poffo battled for the promotion for a long time, winning a rematch against Cowan and defeating The Great Fuji.
In their first fight as a team, against the seasoned Royal Kangaroos, he and his father Angelo Poffo won on a card in Atlanta on July 9, 1974. After taking a six-year hiatus from professional wrestling, Poffo competed at Wrestle Reunion in Tampa, Florida from January 28–30, 2005, winning a match against “The Royal Stud” Adam Windsor.
As part of the Supershow, which evolved into Great North Wrestling and visited Ottawa, Pembroke and Hawkesbury, Ontario in 2007 and 2008, he also wrestled in Canada. A year later, in 2009, Great North began operations in Thunder Bay and expanded to New Brunswick in the fall of 2010. Poffo and The Honky Tonk Man occasionally teamed up to battle Hannibal.
Poffo has wrestled on Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia as part of UCW’s East Coast Canadian tour. Poffo continued his wrestling career after the tour with appearances in England, Poland and Florida.
On September 3, 2011 in Hawkesbury, Ontario, Poffo defeated 25 contestants to claim the vacant Great North Wrestling Canadian Championship. Three weeks later in Perth-Andover, New Brunswick, he relinquished his title to Jeremy Prophet.
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At Rumblemania 8 on May 6, 2012, Poffo and JD Smooth lost in Reading, PA via disqualification to “Pretty Ugly”. Poffo made a surprise comeback to WWE on March 28, 2015 to induct his late brother Randy Savage into the WWE Hall of Fame.
In this lecture, Poffo reflected on his brother’s life through poetry. At WrestleMania 31, Poffo represented his brother in addition to the other 2015 Hall of Fame honorees.
As “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal successfully defended the ROH World Championship against Flip Gordon at All In on September 1, 2018, Poffo was there to support him. Lanny also appeared on ROH broadcasts, announcing games and providing ringside commentary using the same extensive lexicon that made him famous during his time as Leaping Lanny.
On January 19, 2020, at SCW Up In Your Face in Rensselaer, New York, Poffo wrestled in his final fight. His team won a 6 tag match.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Lanny Poffo?
He was a Canadian-American professional wrestler, motivational.
When was Lanny Poffo born?
He was born on December 28, 1954.
What was Lanny Poffo’s net worth?
His net worth was $800 thousand.
