Should Columbus, Ohio Build a ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage Statue?

It’s been nearly five years since wrestling icon “Macho Man” Randy Savage died, and in that time, he’s been immortalized by the WWE Hall of Fame, Slim Jim manufacturer ConAgra Foods and, uh, Black Ops 3.

Now, one fan says it’s time Savage’s hometown of Columbus, Ohio does the same thing – with a statue.

Earlier this week, a man named Joe Chapman launched a Change.org petition, asking Columbus mayor Andrew Ginther to honor the city’s native son – “an incredible athlete, performer and cultural icon” ­– by placing a statue of him in downtown Columbus.

“‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage is known the world over as one of the best professional wrestlers of all time,” Chapman writes. “During Savage’s 32 year career, he held over 20 championships…and is a WWE Hall of Famer. Randy Savage also wrestled in what most consider the best match of all time, in front of 93,000 fans at ‘WrestleMania III.'”

Savage was born Randy Mario Poffo in Columbus in 1952, the son of pro wrestler and world situp champion Angelo Poffo. A standout high school baseball player, Randy was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals and spent time in several other teams’ minor league systems before turning his attention to pro wrestling in the Seventies. By the end of the Eighties, now christened “Macho Man” Randy Savage, he was one of the biggest stars in the WWF, and would go on to wrestle for WCW. His younger brother, Lanny Poffo, was also an established wrestler of the era.

Savage died in May 2011 after suffering a heart attack while driving.

At the moment, Chapman’s petition has 397 signatures – but his goal is to get 500. And before you roll your eyes, consider that Columbus is already home to an Arnold Schwarzenegger statue, unveiled in 2012 “in recognition of what Arnold has done in this community,” most notably, his long-running Arnold Sports Festival, held in the city every year since 1989.