Poffo made his in-ring debut with the All-South Wrestling Alliance in 1974 and joined a number of promotions affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance, where he won a Tag-Team Championship alongside his father, wrestling legend Angelo Poffo.
Poffo joined his brother Randy in the WWF in 1985. Though he could never match the popularity of Savage, one of the all-time greats of the business, Poffo did square off against many of the biggest names, including Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and The Ultimate Warrior.
His Genius gimmick caught on for a while in the late 1980s. Poffo himself wrote poetry and played that up in the spots.
He also inducted his brother Randy into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015, giving a memorable speech.
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“With a very, very heavy heart, I’ve been asked to let everyone know about the passing of our friend and colleague Lanny Poffo, The Genius,” Hacksaw said on Instagram.