WWE Secrets: How The ‘Macho Man’ Was Almost The ‘Nacho Man’

We all remember Pastamania, the craze that swept the nation in 1995 when Hulk Hogan opened his own Italian/self-themed restaurant. At the time, Hogan believed the venture was primed for success, and was even quoted as saying, “Well, let me tell you something, brother: My new Pastamania ™ joint is as authentic as it gets. When I dig into a bowl of Beef Hoganoff, I feel like I’m back in my native land of Italy, where you can pluck the mozzarella right off the trees.” What many people didn’t realize, however, was that the decision to open Pastamania was actually a calculated attempt to undercut the other half of the Mega Powers: “Macho Man” Randy Savage. That’s right, folks, we’re back with more never-before-heard stories from wrestling history (the last round being Totally Mundane Stories About Andre the Giant).

It All Started with Slim Jims

Before the first Pastamania opened, The Macho Man was planning his second foray into the culinary world (his first, of course, being Slim Jims). According to sources, Savage enjoyed promoting the salty meat sticks, but ultimately felt unfulfilled. At one point, Savage even pitched pairing Slim Jims with Slim Fast for the first ever Macho Meat-Shake ™. Fortunately, an unpaid intern noticed that macho rhymes with nacho, and thus, the “Nacho Man” concept was born.

The Main Course: The Nacho Man!

The idea was simple. Send “Macho Man” Randy Savage to malls around America donning a sombrero filled with zesty queso and crunchy tortilla chips. Then, charge children $10 a pop for a picture with “The Nacho Man.” It’s worth noting that in 1995, $10 was the equivalent of roughly $1200 by today’s standards. On the surface, the idea seemed like an easy way to make some fast cash …

However, during the initial test run, The Macho Man’s head got scalded by boiling hot cheese due to a sombrero prototype malfunction. This was a near-disastrous event that almost ended the Macho Man’s career. Further complications occurred when Macho Man realized that he was physically too strong to dip a chip without snapping it in half. “First they tell me I’m supposed to SNAP into a Slim Jim, then they tell me to STOP SNAPPING chips in half. Which one is it?! Snap or don’t snap?! Oh, yeah!” he yelled to a terrified production assistant. The incidents resulted in him scrapping the “Nacho Man” idea entirely.

Dessert: Legacy. Oh, Yeah!

While the “Nacho Man” never came to fruition, the story has since become a staple of modern wrestling lore. Meanwhile, Pastamania was relegated to the annals of wrestling history alongside the Gobbledy Gooker and that thing on Jillian Hall’s face.

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