ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – One of the all-time pro wrestling greats has passed away.

Lanny Poffo, best known to wrestling world as “The Genius” in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), has died at age 68. A cause of death has yet to be released. Poffo, who wrote and recited custom poems to thousands of fans in arenas across the world, rose to fame in the 1980’s. Known as the smartest man in wrestling, Poffo was considered one of the greatest high-flyers in the ring.

On WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event in 1989, Poffo defeated Hulk Hogan on a national stage. Hogan was the company’s biggest start at that time. It was a victory Poffo considers a true hallmark of his career.

The Poffo family is also considered one of the greatest family names in the industry. Father Angelo Poffo owned International Championship Wrestling (ICW) in the 1970’s and broke both of his son’s into the business.

Lanny’s brother, the late-great WWE Hall of Famer “Macho Man” Randy Savage, is revered as one of the greatest legends of wrestling. Savage passed away in 2011 from a car accident in Florida.

Poffo was the guest of honor at Northern Tier Wrestling in Towanda in 2017. An event that 18 Sports had the privilege of guest ring announcing Poffo. That night, Poffo also shared some of his greatest memories of the industry and graciously gave his time to those willing to learn more.

You can watch the full interview with Poffo here, courtesy of WrestlingINC.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSR16AYxtW0&t=65s

We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the Poffo family. Lanny will never be forgotten.