411s Countdown to WrestleMania 23: The WrestleMania III Roundtable Review
Posted by Larry Csonka on 03.13.2007
The countdown moves to WrestleMania III and the biggest match in the history of our sport as well as a WrestleMania classic!
Introduction~!
WrestleMania was a success. WrestleMania II's concept was considered disastrous by many; but the promotion's leader Vince McMahon was behind the concept and the company built to WrestleMania III. The location would be the Pontiac Silver Dome, a huge venue and the company was determined to fill it up. To do so they would have to headline the event with a match almost bigger than the company and business itself. They would build to an epic battle of the "undefeated" Andre The Giant, who was one of the two biggest draws of the 70's and current champion Hulk Hogan. A reported 93, 173 filled the Dome to see the battle, let's meet the staff and discuss the event.
Our analysts today are
Christmas bonus winner Stuart Carapola!
The master of Ask 411 Steve Cook!
The man in court battle with David Letterman over gimmick infringement Julian Williams!
And finally 411's most beloved writer Double M!
WrestleMania III~!:
The Can-Am Connection defeated Don Muraco and Cowboy Bob Orton via pin @ 5:38
Stuart Carapola: For those of you familiar with Strike Force (Rick Martel & Tito Santana), you know that they went on to win the WWF Tag Team Title from the Hart Foundation later this year. Thing is, the Can-Am (Martel & Tom Zenk) were the ones who were supposed to get that push, but Martel and Zenk were constantly at each other's throats, and eventually Zenk flaked out and left the WWF, so Martel got Santana instead and the rest is history. Too bad, because the Can-Ams worked well as a team, and looked really good against the veteran duo of Muraco and Orton. Muraco was looking pretty flabby by this time, and this was the last hurrah for Orton in the WWF, so it made sense for them to do the job here.
Steve Cook: The ill-fated team of Tom Zenk & Rick Martel looked pretty good here against two of the WWF's more tenured heels in Muraco & Orton, but was ultimately doomed by the fact that they hated each other. These things happen. It was a good little opener that seemed to get the fans into the show, which can be a tough thing to do when you're working in front of a huge crowd. And no, I'm not going to start a debate over how many people actually attended this event, I wasn't at the entrance counting people.
Julian Williams: The crowd looks absolutely massive and they are hot for this match from the start. The Can-Am Connection consisted of Rick Martel and Tom Zenk, in case you were wondering. This was a pretty back and forth contest that was rather short, with the Can-Am Connection picking up the victory in the end when Rick Martel hit a high cross body on Muraco. Pretty decent opener that got the crowd excited.
Match Rating: C+
Double M: Before we get on, a word of explanation: being a wrestling fan for all of four years at this point and being the ripe old age of 13 this show was the be-all and end-all of the wrestling world at this point. Even though I preferred the NWA over WWE, even at that age, this was it. 90,000 people were looking to pack Detroit to see THE biggest event EVER and that's just the way it was. There were several matches that were highly anticipated (which I'll all get to as they come up)...but this wasn't one of them. This was a showcase for Martel and Zenk and the essential swan song for "Cowboy" Bob Orton. (No, I wasn't "smart" at all back then; it just seemed that Orton was winding down his time there since he was losing to everything that moved.) The Can-Ams were a damn good team and were just too much for both Orton and Muraco. The "new age" of wrestling had made itself heard once again at their expense, and WrestleMania III opened with that statement a theme that would repeat itself throughout the night.
Billy Jack Haynes and Hercules fought to a double count out @ 7:53
Stuart Carapola: This match was entirely built around the question of which of these two men was stronger. They both used the full nelson as their signature hold, but this mostly turned into one of the famous 80s WWF plod fests. The high spot of the match came when Haynes had Hercules in the full nelson, but both tumbled through the ropes and got counted out. After the match, Hernandez busted Haynes up with the chain and made him bleed, so I guess this puts them ahead of anything Nikolai Volkoff ever did.
Steve Cook: Yay, a feud over the full nelson that ends with a double count out. Can you feel the excitement? Haynes left the WWF pretty soon after this show after he refused to do a job in his hometown of Portland. The high point of this match took place after it, when Hercules wrapped his chain around his fist and blasted Haynes right in the mush. I have nothing more to say about this that is either relevant or true.
Julian Williams: The back story behind this match was that Hercules "stole" Billy Jack's finisher, the full nelson, and both men were claiming to be the master of it so they had to have this match to SETTLE THE SCORE. This was a basic power match with both men trying to lock in the full nelson. Haynes was finally able to apply the full nelson, but Hercules was able to slip out to the floor where Haynes kept the full nelson locked in. Neither man made it back to the ring on time so it resulted in a double count out. Blah.
Match Rating: D
Double M: This was a match I was looking forward to, as the "mythical" Hercules and the "down-home" Haynes would go at it simply to see who was stronger. AT the time, I loved seeing two big bruisers go at it, but little did we know that this would play out such that this feud must continue~! The match itself was decent, but what sticks out in my mind was the ending wherein Haynes caught a chain-assisted beat down from Hercules and drew what I think was the first incidence of blood at a WrestleMania a moment intense enough to convince me that this wasn't your ordinary wrestling show
Hillbilly Jim, Little Beaver and The Hati Kid defeated King Kong Bundy, Lord Little Brook and Little Tokyo via DQ @ 4:22
Stuart Carapola: I believe this marks one of the only two times midgets competed at WrestleMania, and we weren't missing out the other twenty shows. Even Bobby Heenan distanced himself from this match despite being Bundy's manager. Heenan didn't even come to ringside. The midgets took turns pissing Bundy off until he grabbed one of them, slammed him, and dropped an elbow on him to draw the DQ. This would seem to stem from the long-standing "midgets can only face other midgets" rules that rendered most mixed tag matches pointless, but it was a really cool visual and made Bundy look like a real dick.
Steve Cook: This certainly wasn't booked to be a work rate classic, but it provided us with one of the most memorable moments in WrestleMania history. King Kong Bundy slamming Little Beaver and dropping the big elbow on him was a "WRESTLEMANIA MOMENT" before Jim Ross started yelling that phrase during every WrestleMania match. As a mark watching the show for the first time, I thought Little Beaver had gotten killed on that one. Considering he was about 94 years old when this match took place, it's kinda surprising that he wasn't killed. Could you imagine what Vince Russo would have done with Little Beaver during the Attitude Era? Alas, Little Beaver died in 1996, so we missed out on such greatness.
Julian Williams: Ohh look, it's midgets. Imagine my joy. This was a crap match with the only enjoyable part coming at the end when Bundy said to himself, "Fuck these midgets" and decided body slam Little Beaver and drop an elbow. That was glorious and the only reason this match doesn't get an F. Anyhow, Bundy's team got DQ'd since apparently Bundy wasn't allowed to beat up the midgets. Stupid rules.
Match Rating: D-
Double M: I never cared for midgets. Not as people, mind you, but as wrestlers. Even then, while I understood the "comedy" aspect of their presence, I never got it. Still don't. Even with that in mind, I remember vividly seeing Bundy squash Little Beaver and thinking, "That evil son of a bitch!" I couldn't believe they went there, but the intended effect was to make Bundy look like more of an ass than he ever did and it worked to perfection. Remember kids: next time you need some heel heat, splatter a little person. Works every time.
Harley Race defeated The Junkyard Dog via pin @ 3:23 in a "Loser must kneel" match
Stuart Carapola: When I found out years later who Harley Race had been before coming to the WWF, I said "Wait, the guy in the bowing match with JYD at WrestleMania 3?" I was pretty shocked that a guy with such a goofy gimmick was actually a serious wrestler, World Champion, and all around badass back in the day. Likewise, I could never wrap my head around the fact that JYD was a huge draw in Mid-South, but I mostly thought that because he was a really shitty wrestler. But anyway, Race squashed him in about four minutes and JYD bowed, then beat him up. Way to utilize that talent, Vince.
Steve Cook: You know, it really surprised me that Race felt honored with the "King" gimmick in the WWF because I was sure that it was just an excuse to make the former 8 time NWA World Champion who had feuded with the WWF for years look ridiculous in a stupid crown and purple cape. I don't know what I was thinking, certainly Vince McMahon would never do anything like that. In any event, Race did have a whole lot of awful matches with JYD in the WWF, and this was just another one of them.
Julian Williams: The stipulation in this match was that if JYD lost, he'd have to bow to Race. This was a really short match that saw Race pick up the win after a belly-to-belly suplex. After the match JYD refused to bow to Race and instead beat him down and stole his cape and crown. That's what I'm talking about, fuck THE MAN!
Match Rating: D-
Double M: This was another match I wasn't that interested in, because I could care less who the "king" was. Wrestling over a crown seemed a little silly to me, even then. That and I had a feeling that, no matter who lost, no one was really going to kneel. Both Race and JYD had too much pride for that. After what was damn near a stinker of a match, JYD (RIP) proved me right by losing the match but winning the war as he chose to humiliate Race rather than vice-versa. I still wonder, when I see stuff like this, what the message to kids was supposed to be...
The Dream Team defeated The Rougeau Brothers via pin @ 4:05
Stuart Carapola: Ah, it's the return of the most inappropriately named tag team of the 80s! No, not the Rougeau Bros. The Refugee's did a lot of cool double team moves here that were really ahead of their time, but the Dream Team picks up the win when Dino Bravo interferes. Afterward, Valentine and Bravo inexplicably left Beefcake in the ring and dumped him altogether, going on to form the New Dream Team. Yes, as crappy a team as the first Dream Team was, the New Dream Team was even worse.
Steve Cook: You gotta wonder in whose eyes was Brutus Beefcake & Greg Valentine a Dream Team. Maybe a Nightmare Team, but my dreams certainly don't involve Beefcake or Valentine. Or Dino Bravo, for that matter. This match was important only for splitting up Beefcake & Valentine and setting up Beefcake's appearance later on.
Julian Williams: The Dream Team is accompanied by Johnny V and Dino Bravo and I have no idea what these two teams were fighting over. This was another really short match (which happened a lot during the early years of WrestleMania) and the end came when Bravo interfered and attacked Raymond behind the ref's back which allowed The Hammer to pick up the win. Then there is some dissention between Beefcake and the rest of his crew after the match, which signaled the beginning of a face turn for Brutus. Pretty blah.
Match Rating: D
Double M: The Rougeau's were new on the scene and hadn't quite caught my eye yet. Sure, they were good wrestlers and brought some neat stuff to the table, but they were too white bread. Beefcake and Valentine, meanwhile, were getting old and little did we know, that the higher-ups realized that as well. I don't remember a damn thing about the match itself, I'll be honest; I just remember that Valentine, Bravo, Valiant, et al. walked out on Beefcake (after some miscommunication over a previous Adrian Adonis fuck-up) in what would be a pivotal set-up to our next encounter...
Roddy Piper defeated Adrian Adonis in a hair vs. hair match via submission @ 6:45
Stuart Carapola: This was Roddy Piper's retirement match, and he would stay retired, except for his comebacks in 1989 and every year from 1994 on. Across the ring from him was everybody's favorite ambiguously gay burial victim, Adrian Adonis. Let's cut a long story short: Piper's cart was broken, so he walked to the ring. Adonis was fat and almost beat Piper, but let him out of his sleeper hold for some reason, Beefcake came back in the ring and woke Piper up, Piper put him out with a sleeper hold, and then Piper cut Adonis's hair. Adonis was dead a couple of months later after a car accident. Meanwhile, Beefcake used the Adonis haircut as the basis for his entire Barber gimmick that he ran with until leaving the WWF in 1993.
Steve Cook: Adonis would lose his hair after this match, and next year he would lose his head. He was a great worker, especially for a man of his size, but his run in the WWF as "Adorable" Adrian didn't showcase the talent he showed while teaming with Jesse Ventura and Dick Murdoch. He ballooned up to 400 lbs. and was eventually released, after which he died in 1988 in an automobile accident. To be fair to Piper, his retirement of just over two years was pretty lengthy by wrestling standards.
Julian Williams: This was a hair match where the loser would have their head shaven and it was also Piper's "retirement" match and we all know how long retirements last in the world of pro wrestling. This was another short match that Piper won after applying the sleeper to Adonis. Post match, Adonis gets his head shaved by Brutus Beefcake (to solidify his face turn) and Piper beats up poor Jimmy Hart. The crowd popped huge for Piper as they honestly thought this was going to be the last time they ever saw him competing in the ring.
Match Rating: C-
Double M: This was going to be one for the ages, as the legendary Piper was set to retire no matter how this turned out. To add insult to potential injury, the loser was leaving bald meaning that Piper's last WWE appearance (at the time) could be the biggest humiliation ever seen. The stage was set for an emotional match and both guys delivered, giving WMIII one of its first great moments. Piper put Adonis to sleep and left the WWE a winner before giving Brutus Beefcake the honors of shaving Adonis, thereby assuming a new nickname. Sadly, Adonis would never have the chance to get his proper revenge on Beefcake.
The Hart Foundation and Danny Davis defeated The British Bulldogs and Tito Santana via pin @ 8:52
Stuart Carapola: The story for this one was that Danny Davis was a crooked referee who cost Tito Santana the IC Title and cost the British Bulldogs the Tag Team Title, which was now held by the Hart Foundation. The Harts were the most awesome tag team around at this point, even better than the Bulldogs in my opinion. This was essentially a 3-on-2, because Davis would only tag in when one of the opponents was so down and out that he could come in, kick him a couple of times, and then tag back out and strut smugly out of the ring with this awesome smirk on his face. Of course the hot tag was finally made and they got Davis alone and just beat the crap out of him, but as the ring filled up at the end, Davis got a hold of Jimmy Hart's megaphone, nailed Davey Boy with it, and covered him for the win. Excellent ending to a good match, an ending that pissed fans off in the right way.
Steve Cook: So the Bulldogs & Foundation were having awesome matches all over 1986 and setting the world on fire...seems like a pretty good idea to match them up on the biggest show of the year, right? Wait a minute, we need something for Tito to do. Oh, and there's also some schmuck working a lame heel referee gimmick, let's throw him in the match too. Probably a good idea, since the combination of Harts vs. Bulldogs & Savage vs. Steamboat probably would have completely exposed the main event. And let's face it, the Bulldogs were heading south at this point since Dynamite Kid was having back problems and wasn't the wrestler he once was. At the end of the day, this wasn't a bad way to kill about nine minutes.
Julian Williams: The reason for this match was that Danny Davis was a crooked official who cost Tito Santana his Intercontinental title and The Bulldogs their tag titles, so this was a match to try to SETTLE THE SCORE. This was a very good match with some huge heat on Danny Davis and The Hart Foundation. The ending came when Davey Boy got cracked with Jimmy Hart's megaphone, which allowed Danny Davis to pin for the upset win. Very spiffy match.
Match Rating: B
Double M: This was another match I was all over, as the Hart Foundation, though dastardly bastards at the time, were my favorite team. There were quick, precise, vicious and could behead you without a second thought. Not only that, but as good as they were they had no qualms taking shortcuts. Just ask the British Bulldogs, whom the Harts took the Tag Team titles from by way of taking out Davey Boy Smith early and letting "crooked" referee Danny Davis (an angle unheard of at the time) let it go. All that set-up and you had all the makings of a hot 6-man grudge match. Through more chicanery, Davis would make his mark and win the match for his team, further angering the Bulldogs and Santana and making sure that one of the sneakily wildest storylines of the 80s would continue.
Butch Reed defeated Koko B. Ware via pin @ 3:39
Stuart Carapola: This was just filler. Butch Reed came in with bleached hair and called himself "The Natural", with the joke of course being that he was a black guy with blond hair. You laughing yet? Me neither. They couldn't call him Hacksaw like he was everywhere else because they already had Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Anyway, crappy match that ended when Reed reversed a cross body and held the tights for the win.
Steve Cook: This might have been a nice match to have opening a Monday night Memphis show, but it seems pretty out of place here and was ultimately forgettable. Much like Butch Reed's run in the WWF.
Julian Williams: Yessss! Koko B. Ware! He was one of my favorite wrestlers as a kid. Although now as a grown black man, I see that it was kind of degrading to have a grown ass black man dancing around with a bird, but I don't give a damn, Koko was still the man. This was another really short match that saw Reed pick up the W after he rolled through a high cross body by Koko. Decent, but way too short.
Match Rating: C-
Double M: After the last two historic matches, there was room for a snack match, and this was it. Butch Reed would have been better off fighting with Jim Duggan over the use of the name "Hacksaw"; as sill as it sounds, it could have meant a bigger impact for the arriving Butch Reed than this did. As it was, no one was that interested as we knew Reed would probably damn near kill Koko and he did. So be it; on a show like this, there's a little room for a trip to the concession stand.
Ricky Steamboat defeated Randy Savage via pin to become the NEW WWF Intercontinental Champion @ 14:25
Stuart Carapola:
Yes, this is that match. This drew almost universal praise as Match Of The Year for 1987, and a lot of people called it the best WWF match of the 80s. I'd probably agree with that assessment, but they didn't exactly have a lot of tough competition. Steamboat and Savage were basically the only two wrestlers the WWF had in the 80s who were worth a damn, and when you put them together, you couldn't expect them to do anything other than steal the spotlight from the most hyped main event in years, which is exactly what they did. That said, there was a lot of stuff in the NWA, most notably Steamboat's matches with Flair, and a lot of other Flair matches for that matter, that were better than this, but on the WWF side, this was definitely top of the heap. Anyway, this culminated the months-long storyline where Savage crushed Steamboat's larynx, and then Steamboat came back for revenge and won the IC Title along the way. Great moment because Savage had been champion for over a year and it was a bit of a shock when he lost
Steve Cook: What can I possibly say about this match that hasn't already been said? If it wasn't for Steamboat's amazing series with Ric Flair in 1989, this would definitely be my pick for Match of the Decade. The storyline behind this was top-notch, as Savage had crushed Steamboat's throat with the ring bell several months prior, and the Dragon was coming back for revenge. The match itself was a revelation to WWF fans that weren't used to seeing wrestling quite like that, and inspired guys like Chris Jericho to become wrestlers themselves. It might not have been the top draw on this evening, but you better believe they stole the show and wowed a huge crowd of people in the process.
Julian Williams: Here we go. This is a match that for a very long time was regarded as the greatest match in WWE history. The story behind this match is that Macho Man damn near crushed Steamboat's throat with a ring bell so Ricky was out for revenge. This match was the ultimate back and forth that featured more near falls than I think I've seen in any other wrestling match. The one thing that stands out to me in this match is the awesome visual of the crowd cheering as Steamboat back body dropped Savage over the top rope. The ending came when Savage went for a body slam, but Steamboat rolled through to pick up the win. This is wrestling 101 and mandatory viewing for anybody who calls themselves a wrestling fan.
Match Rating: A+
Double M: What can you say about this match that hasn't been said already? One of the best matches in WrestleMania history had its beginnings in the violent throat injury of Steamboat at the hands of Randy Savage. But another dimension was added to the mix in George "The Animal" Steele, who had pursued the Intercontinental Title and Elizabeth for over a year and still had a vested interest in her and Savage. All of this culminates in a match with so much on the line, but what made the match wasn't the angles or "soap-opera" back story, but rather the amazing match itself. This, above all, is the epitome of what WrestleMania should be amazing hype, wrestling action second-to-none, and a terrific emotional payoff.
The Honky Tonk Man defeated Jake Roberts via pin @ 7:04
Stuart Carapola: Everybody should have known something was up with Honky Tonk Man after this match. For those who have never seen him, Honky Tonk Man was one of those wrestlers who sucks balls and everybody knew it, but somehow he always won even though he should have gotten killed by half the guys he wound up in the ring with. Case in point, Jake Roberts. Roberts came out wanting to kill Honky, but Honky got a rollup and grabbed the ropes to get the win, and just missed getting his guitar smashed over his head by Roberts. Alice Cooper was at ringside, but we didn't get the teased fight between Cooper and Jimmy Hart. That's too bad, because I think Hart would have won.
Steve Cook: Much like Steamboat in the previous match, Roberts was seeking revenge for an injury that Honky had caused. Unlike Steamboat's injury, Roberts' neck injury caused by Honky Tonk's non-gimmicked guitar was not planned. He didn't even get revenge either, as Honky Tonk rolled him up for the cheap win. Well, at least Jake got to party with Alice Cooper afterwards.
Julian Williams: Ohh joy, a Honky Tonk Man match. Well at least it has Jake Roberts in it. Jake is accompanied by Alice Cooper, who looks absolutely drugged out and freaky, and Tonk is accompanied by Jimmy Hart. This is a pretty crap match that Honky wins through NEFARIOUS MEANS when Jimmy Hart held onto Jake's leg which allowed Honky to roll him up with leverage on the ropes for a 3 count. After the match, Jake takes out his snake (that didn't sound right) and puts it on Jimmy Hart, much to the crowd's delight. Next.
Match Rating: D-
Double M: How can you top an Intercontinental match like that? You can't, really so they didn't really try. Still and all, I didn't care; I was a huge Jake Roberts mark (still am) and I hated the Honky Tonk Man. Many millions felt the same way, and that's all that was needed. Just to give us more, though, the wildly popular Jake Roberts brings out Alice Cooper to counter the Honky Tonk Man's manager, Jimmy Hart. The match was nothing special and only the beginning of the feud, but the sight of Alice Cooper chasing Hart with the snake was comedic enough to save the proceedings.
The Iron Sheik and Nikoli Volkoff defeated The Killer Bees @ 5:44 via DQ
Stuart Carapola: This match was total filler except that it was there to establish Hacksaw Jim Duggan as a proud American who was going to bust Sheik & Volkoff up for daring to speak ill of the USA, and especially was determined never to let them sing their evil national anthems. Sheik and Volkoff were about to win, but Duggan wound up in the ring and bashed Sheik with his 2X4, drawing the DQ. The fans were really behind the Duggan vs. Evil Foreigners angle, which probably would have done even better if Sheik and Duggan didn't get pulled over together and busted for drugs a few weeks later. Sheik lost his job and Duggan got suspended for a couple of months and the whole thing was dropped when he got back.
Steve Cook: Unfortunately for Sheiky (and fortunately for everybody that's ever seen this show), Hacksaw Jim Duggan's interference prevented him from humbling B. Brian Blair during this match.
Julian Williams: The Bees are Jim Brunzell and B. Brian Blair, in case you were wondering. Hacksaw Jim Duggan comes out to interrupt the foreigners trying to sing their national anthem and joins the corner of the Bees. The ending came when Sheik locked on the camel clutch to Brunzell, which prompted Duggan to come in and interfere, which caused a DQ for The Bees. Yeah, that was pretty dumb. But he says, "Hoooooooo" afterwards so all is forgiven.
Match Rating: C-
Double M: If the plan was to bring the crowd down a bit before the titanic main event, this was a great way to do it. The Killer Bees after all they'd done in WWE were essentially sacrificed to put over how much Hacksaw loves the USA. The match was good enough, but the ending was a prime example of how overboard WWE can go to make a point and to ensure the "good guys" always win. This was the one match on the show that reminded me why I preferred the NWA.
Stuart Carapola: WrestleMania 3 gets a lot of praise as being one of the best of the series, but it really was just a two match show. The first was Savage-Steamboat, and the other obviously being this one. Without hyperbole, this really was the biggest match the WWF ever promoted. No, the match itself was not a **** Flair vs. Broomstick affair, but it told a great story of Hogan being totally overwhelmed by Andre, but getting in a lucky clothesline at the end to knock Andre silly, then slam and leg drop him for the amazing win. The crowd heat was off the charts for this one, and even though the crowd was only around 78,000 instead of the claimed 93,173, it was still an impressive feat drawing 78,000 people to see WrestleMania. Forget everything else, Hogan slamming Andre was THE WrestleMania moment before all others, and Heenan hanging his head in frustration as he and Andre rode away from the ring in defeat was such a great visual. This really was one of the greatest matches of all time.
Steve Cook: Funk vs. Brisco, this wasn't. It was decent for what it was though, as you realistically couldn't expect Andre to have a great match with all the injuries he was suffering from at this point in his career. Hogan got even more over as a face than he already was, the fans threw garbage at Andre, Bobby Heenan wore a nice white suit, it was good times.
Julian Williams: This was the match that the 93,000 (allegedly) fans that filled the Silverdome came there that day for. As Gorilla Monsoon said, it was truly the Irresistible Force meeting the Immovable Object. The match itself was pretty much crap, but the electricity around the match made up for it. When Hogan picked up Andre for the body slam and dropped the big leg, the place went insane. Hogan was already a huge star, but this is the match that made him a legend. Classic stuff, not due to the in-ring work, but the aura that surrounded it.
Match Rating: B
Double M: Could this match have been better? With Andre's condition being what it was and Hogan unsure of whether or not Andre would "do business' until the very last minute, probably not. However, going back, this was THE match everyone wanted to see. Both of these guys could have not moved a muscle for ten minutes and we would have eaten it up like candy. Andre The Giant had been undefeated for 15 years and was Hogan's best friend. Hogan was WWE Champion for three years and never offered his friend a title shot. Andre, thinking that he was slighted at never being offered that opportunity, did the unthinkable in hiring Hogan's arch-nemesis, Bobby Heenan, as a manager to challenge for the title. It had all the makings of a classic storyline, and it was. The match itself kept that up, as Andre beat Hogan nearly to death. Goliath was finally slain once Hogan got him off his feet, and the record crowd was sent home happy, solidifying WrestleMania's place in history.
The Conclusion:
Stuart Carapola: As I said above, WrestleMania 3 was a two match show. Hogan vs. Andre and Savage vs. Steamboat are the only reasons to watch this show, but those matches are so legendary that the show gets elevated to top status even though most of the rest was a stinker. I mean, Haynes-Hercules? Piper-Adonis? Race-JYD? Reed-Koko? Please, if it weren't for those two top matches, I wouldn't even bother watching this dog on free TV. But those two matches are what makes the show totally worth it, for historical and sports entertainment purposes in the case of Hogan-Andre, and for the work rate freaks in the case of Savage-Steamboat. But was it one of the best WrestleManias ever? Definitely not.
Steve Cook: WrestleMania III was the WrestleMania that solidified its status as the biggest show on the wrestling calendar every year. You had one of the biggest drawing matches of all time, one of the best wrestling matches of all time, King Kong Bundy squashing a midget, and the North American wrestling attendance record that still stands to this day. Sure, there was a lot of crap on the show too, but the good easily outweighs the bad on this one. One of my favorite WrestleMania's for sure.
Julian Williams: Well the under card pretty much sucked ass, but you had a decent 6 man tag (Harts/Davis vs. Bulldogs/Santana), a classic match in Savage/Steamboat and an unforgettable encounter with Hogan/Andre. Those are really the only three matches to watch this show for, but it's good to watch the whole thing as it was still an entertaining show despite some of the crap matches involved.
Overall Show Rating: C+
Double M: Looking back on it now, several "smart" facts taint our memory of WrestleMania III. Jim Duggan and the Iron Sheik are arrested while traveling together despite the fact that they're "hated enemies". The Honky Tonk Man beat Steamboat for the Intercontinental in a match that was an absolute joke compared to this encounter. Danny Davis sucked as a wrestler and the angle ground to a dead halt. The main event isn't nearly as great of an actual match as we remember. Still and all, despite a few shortcomings, WrestleMania was THE biggest show of all time and, in terms of historical significance, build, and overall quality (be it of the wrestling or the angle payoffs), arguably still stands as that to this day. We can debate the merits of it today as "smart" fans all we want, but very few forget what they felt like back then as they completely "marked out" for the biggest spectacle ever.
