Humbled. Those who met the man know exactly what Lanny Poffo’s reaction would be of the talk and remembrances of the last several days. Completely humbled. The outpouring following the death of Mr. Poffo has been like that of what is usually reserved for a major star. Sadly, that’s something that the former “Poet Laureate of the WWF” (as deemed by Gorilla Monsoon) would not have listed himself as. Us fans knew better.
I had the pleasure of meeting “Leaping Lanny” several times. He always gave off the impression of being surprised that fans had so many great memories of his career. Yet we all did. Some fans remember his early days best in the Poffo family’s ICW promotion based out of Kentucky. Others remember him being a quintessential under-carder in the WWF. I wouldn’t quite deem him “enhancement talent” in the same way that I wouldn’t lump men such as Special Delivery Jones there, either. They were names that never quite made the mid-card level in the World Wrestling Federation. Yet, we all remember them fondly. Sometimes meaningless wins and losses overshadow what really made the classic wrestling memories – ability. Lanny Poffo sure had that.
Even as he was wowing fans in opening matches across the world, that wouldn’t be his biggest claim to fame. His unforgettable manager/wrestler character of The Genius is where Lanny will always shine brightest for most of us. Who can forget The Fink alerting us that we were about to hear a special poem from The Genius? How about the dastardly attack that he and Mr. Perfect unleashed on Hulk Hogan and the beloved “winged eagle” WWF Championship belt? Even as he returned a few years later to manage The Beverly Brothers, the trio had some fun six-man matches against The Legion of Doom and Paul Ellering. I still remember Sean Mooney pointing out how the question mark-filled wrestling gear of The Genius resembled Frank Gorshin’s Riddler costume. It did indeed!
Even with more merch than someone who wasn’t a star would have, it still didn’t go to Mr. Poffo’s head. Not only did he have a book of poetry (often authentically signed by BOTH Poffo brothers), trading cards, his ubiquitous Leaping Lanny Poffo frisbee (completely with poem) and, thanks to Jakks WWE Classic Superstars line, a two-in-one figure that was marketed as “Leaping” Lanny Poffo but came complete with the mortar board and gown of The Genius! His is a look that I would definitely love to see tackled by Mattel in the future if given the chance. Not only would a “Legends” figure entry be ideal, but he is a prime name for the retro line that is used by many collectors to “fill in the blanks” of the Hasbro WWF line in which he was a glaring omission.
I think, like his brother Randy, family is what meant most to Lanny Poffo. The brothers were raised right. The family is now reunited, much too soon.
I recently shared some of my memorabilia remembrances of Leaping Lanny on social media and I even came up with a little ditty that hopefully does him a wee bit of justice…
“Leaping Lanny, with glory and renown, left memories to lift us up when we are down.”
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