Chris Flackett
WrestleMania III is a show that’s many things to many people, but one thing we can all agree on is that WrestleMania III is one of the most historic, important shows in professional wrestling. Building on the previous three years of the WWF tackling the territories and positioning the its product into the mainstream, WrestleMania III was the grand payoff and things were never the same for the WWF and pro wrestling again.
‘Rock and Wrestling’ and the previous two WrestleManias had laid the groundwork. WrestleMania III ultimately confirmed that, having found the right characters and story, pro wrestling could expand and become a national rather than a regional attraction. It proved Vince’s desire right that wrestling could be presented as ‘Sports Entertainment’ rather than plain old ‘rasslin’ and that ‘Sports Entertainment’ could attract and reach a much wider audience if done right.
With an estimated 78,000 people in attendance (as opposed to the 93,173 touted by WWE), close to a million fans watching on closed circuit, and over several million PPV buys, WrestleMania III sealed wrestling’s place in the pop culture zeitgeist. Things would never be the same for the WWF/WWE or for pro wrestling.
Let’s get into the show!
Please note: this review is based on the version of the show originally broadcast on PPV that we have been lucky enough to be able to view, therefore it may refer to moments on the show that have subsequently been edited out of the WWE Network edition.
“Welcome to WrestleMania!”
We open with Mean Gene in the empty Pontiac Silverdome, looking gigantic and impressive, 24 hours before the event—I say empty, but Gene makes a point of pointing out how many technicians and staff are working around the arena to get the show set up, calling it “the calm before the storm”.
We’re taken to “T-minus 2 hours” before the show, with masses of people and cars around, and then to Gorilla Monsoon and Lord Alfred Monsoon in the arena, where they talk about the work involved in the previous WrestleManias and put over the Hulk-Andre match. The opening video, primitive by modern standards, shows the WrestleMania III logo zoom into the screen, soundtracked by some very 80s-sounding jazzy tune—well, it was the 80s!
Vince McMahon is in the ring and it might be me, but Vince looks slightly overwhelmed as he welcomes the crowd to WrestleMania. Apparently, he felt the spirit of his father talking to him as he stood there. Vince sends us to Aretha Franklin to sing America the Beautiful, and it is perhaps the best rendition of the song at a wrestling event (I’m biased; I love me some 60s/70s soul music).
Up at the commentary booth, Gorilla introduces Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura and guest commentators baseball legend Bob Uecker and Mary Hart, star of Entertainment Tonight. Bob Uecker would also appear at the next WrestleMania and is a fun guest, especially in his comedic segments with Andre. Mary Hart, meanwhile comes out with an impressive innuendo for a WWF event in 1987 when she tells Jesse “I can tell you’re pumped up, Jesse, standing this close, you can tell a lot of things”! Madam, you’re making me blush!
The Can-Am Connection (Rick Martel & Tom Zenk) vs. ‘Cowboy Bob Orton & ‘Magnificent’ Muraco (w/Mr Fuji)
‘The Can-Am Connection’ were Rick Martel and Tom Zenk, who joined the WWF in October 1986, and were a precursor to the ‘Strike Force’ team of Martel and Tito Santana. The story goes that Martel and Zenk were going to be pushed as a top team and would win the tag team titles, but Tom Zenk wasn’t happy about the money end of things and left. Martel won tag gold with Santana instead, while Zenk had a decent, gold-winning run with WCW.
Zenk uses his speed early on to frustrate Muraco before the heels are nailed with some crisp double-team offence. Zenk shows he’s no slouch in the strength department either, shoulder-blocking Muraco and scoop-slamming Orton and Muraco. There’s a nice spot where Muraco tries to hit Zenk from behind as he Full Nelson’s Orton, only for Zenk to turn around so Muraco clocks the ‘Cowboy’.
The heels take advantage with a sneaky knee from the apron, only for Zenk and Orton to then smash heads. A double tag sees all four men in the ring; the heels try to whip Zenk and Martel into each other, but the faces reverse it and Orton backdrops Muraco in a good spot. Martel hits a crossbody, tripping Muraco over Zenk who is lying on the mat, for the pin and the victory.
This was a nice choice for the opening bout, as the Can-Am Connection were fast and athletic enough to grab the crowd from the off, while Muraco and Orton, despite being in the latter part of their careers, were still a dependable pair of hands to put on a good match with. Good stuff.
Winners: The Can-Am Connection
Billy Jack Haynes vs. Hercules (w/Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan)
We get a video recap first, with Bobby Heenan having challenged Haynes to try and get out of Hercules’s full nelson, only for Herc to clothesline Haynes from behind and stomp him, and then lock in the full nelson. In fairness to Hercules, Haynes was trying to put his hands on Heenan first!
Gorilla sends us back to the “WrestleMania Inteview Centre”, a rather grand title for the typical backstage interview area of the time, with a backdrop that would have made 70s wallpaper look garish by comparison. Heenan insists to Mean Gene that their opponent’s name is “Billy Jerk Haynes.” Hercules claims to be thousands of years old and tore down the pillars of Rome. Now, that’s a man living his gimmick! He also says we will find out who the master of the Full Nelson is.
During the entrances, we get the first sight of the famous WrestleMania motorised cart shaped like a wrestling ring that drives opponents down to the ring. Such a cool little touch that adds to the spectacle of it all.
Haynes tries to lock the Full Nelson in early, only for Herc to scurry to the ropes in panic. From there, Hercules plays out his power moves, being slow and cocky, picking his moments but it’s not especially exciting. Finally, Herc goes for the Full Nelson but he can’t lock the fingers. This allows Haynes to power out and lock in a Full Nelson of his own. Herc grabs the ropes and pulls both men to the floor, where the hold is applied again and both men are counted out. Heenan takes a shot at Haynes and runs off, allowing Hercules to chain up his fist and wallop Haynes in the back of the head before busting him open and finally locking in his own Full Nelson.
Not a great match or a great ending, although at least it was quick. The post-match was entertaining though and the blood added a little bit of drama, even if colour was wasted by being used on Haynes of all people.
Winner: N/A (Double Count-Out)
King Kong Bundy, Lord Littlebrook & Little Tokyo vs. Hillybilly Jim, The Haiti Kid & Little Beaver
How times have changed, and thank god! So-called ‘midget’ wrestling had been used as a comedic segment in wrestling shows for years at this point although I can’t recall the WWF using it much before this match. I could be wrong—answers on a postcard, please! Still, such matches always felt (and usually were) exploitative.
Backstage pre-match, King Kong Bundy is straight to the point, telling Mean Gene that he’s going to squash Hillbilly Jim and his two ‘midgets’ and they’ll have to be scooped up for the mat. Hillbilly Jim meanwhile shows concern for his partners and says he’ll do everything he can to protect them.
The rules are that only ‘midgets’ can wrestle each other, and Bundy and Jim cannot touch them. You can see where this is going. Little Beaver keeps getting in and throwing sneaky jabs at Bundy, so Bundy loses his temper, bodyslams him and, in an admittedly good bit of heel heat, drops a big elbow to crush Little Beaver. The ref calls for the bell, so Bundy looks to hit a big splash, only stopped by the other ‘midgets’ rebelling and pulling Beaver out of the way.
What a long way for Bundy to fall—from main eventing WrestleMania II to this. Awful match and essentially pointless.
Winners (by Disqualification): Hillbilly Jim, The Haiti Kid and Little Beaver
Backstage, Mary Hart tries to interview Miss Elizabeth but Randy Savage interrupts and tells Mary Hart to ask him any question. Hart persists with trying to interview Elizabeth, so Savage announces “fascinating is the word of the day and enthusiasm is where I go”, before leading Elizabeth away. Apparently, Savage’s phone number is on the back of his licence plate. Crazy!
‘King’ Harley Race (w/Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan vs. Junkyard Dog
The video recap details the Race-JYD feud: basically, Harley Race wants Dog to bow to him, JYD won’t, and Race attacked the Dog for wearing Race’s crown and gown. A bizarre backstage interview sees Heenan present Race’s crown to The Fabulous Moolah as the ‘Queen of Wrestling’ so she can re-coronate Harley (trying hard not to corpse) when he wins. Meanwhile, JYD tells Mean Gene that “just as sure as I’m black and the day is sunny, Mean Gene, I’m gonna be wearing that crown.” More strength to you, Dog!
I know Harley Race was nearing the end of his in-ring career at this point, but I always thought it crazy how Race was booked in the WWF, considering he was a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion. See also: Dusty Rhodes.
The match starts with Race in charge, but quickly JYD treats Race like a bump machine; Harley misses a headbutt from the apron to the floor, connecting with nothing but the floor; he’s pulled back in and then sent back out over the ropes to the floor in a cool 360 flip; an Irish whip sends Harley flying over the post and to the floor. Race is working hard here to make JYD look good.
In the end, JYD gets on all fours for his special headbutts, but a Heenan distraction allows Race to hit the belly-to-belly suplex for the three-count (JYD noticeably kicking out on or just after three). Race is crowned, gowned and seated, JYD bows to Race as per the stipulation but then grabs the chair and cracks Race in the head with it. JYD puts the King’s robe on and leaves to mass cheers from the audience.
I liked this one! It was short and to the point, Race bumped like crazy for the Dog, and JYD displayed that massive charisma of his at the end to good affect.
Winner: Harley Race
Backstage, Vince McMahon interviews Hulk Hogan, who rips off his shirt and talks about how people have been telling him this is his ‘last ride’. Hogan tells Andre that he needs to face the truth: he’s not just going to have to beat him, but also all the little Hulksters and Hulkamaniacs, “everyone that plays it straight, all the ones that don’t take any shortcuts”. He can’t wait to see Andre go down at the feet of Hulkamania. Good, fired up promo. Side note: I don’t remember Vince doing any backstage interviews on these ‘Hulkamania’-era PPV’s. That says a lot about the importance of this show for him.
The Rougeau Brothers vs. The Dream Team (W/Johhny Valiant & Dino Bravo)
Johnny Valiant, with the Dream Team, tells Mean Gene that Dino Bravo is needed in the corner of The Dream Team because…I’m not actually sure, because Johnny Valiant is speaking that fast, I couldn’t make out what he was actually saying. And I watched it three times! If anyone wants to send me a transcript, be my guest!
The Rougeau Brothers are an underrated team in my opinion and could usually be counted on to put on a good match. They were better as heels, though. The Dream Team are, of course, Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake, who was about to leave the team, hence Dino Bravo being at ringside.
Much like the Can-Am Express, The Rougeaus use their speed to overwhelm The Dream Team. Valentine uses his smarts though as the wily veteran, ducking a Jacques crossbody attempt from the turnbuckles to turn the tide. Valentine locks in the figure four leglock, but Jacques gets to the ropes to break the hold.
Raymond eventually gets the hot tag and explodes with a big backdrop and a sleeper. Beefcake tries to break it up with a double axe handle from the ropes but hits Valentine by mistake. As the ref tries to get Beefcake out, Raymond rolls Valentine up but Dino Bravo nails a forearm from the second rope, and the ref turns around in time to count the three and gives The Dream Team the win. Afterwards, Valentine, Bravo and Valiant shout at Beefcake and leave him behind, sowing the seeds of the face turn that will occur shortly.
What we saw was fine, enjoyable even, but there wasn’t a lot of it. I know a lot of PPV matches in this era were short and usually for good reason, but this one could have been pretty good but with a bit more time. The face turn worked for what it was.
Winners: The Dream Team
‘Adorable’ Adrian Adonis vs. ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper
The video recap is great, with Adonis attacking Piper with a flowerpot on the set of Piper’s Pit and smashing Piper’s leg with a chair. Piper is then seen being attacked with his crutch and sprayed in the eyes with perfume, leading ‘Hot Rod’ to proclaim “NO RETREAT! NO SURRENDER”!
This is the first historic match of the evening, intended to be Piper’s retirement match as he moved into acting. He would return to the WWF at WrestleMania V. Adonis was also at the end of his run, having put on a substantial amount of weight since his prime, sadly passing away a little over a year later in July 1988.
Piper sneaks a belt out of the back of his trunks and lays in some hard shots, one looking like it might have cracked Adonis in the face. Jimmy Hart distracts and Adonis cuts Piper off, laying in some hard belt shots of his own before Piper throws Adonis over the corner to the floor, impressive considering Adonis’s size at the time. Piper nails Adonis and Hart with a double noggin-knocker and then sends Hart flying into Adonis, the haphazard crossbody sending both men back to the floor! Jimmy tries to sneak up the ropes to launch at Piper but is caught and, in a much-highlighted moment, Piper throws Hart at Adonis, who tumbles once more to the floor.
Adonis finally gets the advantage when Jimmy Hart trips Roddy. Piper gets an eye poke for a moment’s respite but Adonis fires back with an elbow, a shot into the timekeeper’s table, a Jimmy Hart cheap shot and a spray of perfume in the eyes from Hart. Adonis locks in the ‘Goodbye Irene’ sleeper, which Piper fights but eventually drops to the mat. Adonis is arrogant though, releasing the hold after only two drops of the arm as if he has already won. Brutus Beefcake appears and revives Piper, who sends Adonis into the ropes, forcing the ‘Adorable One’ to crack himself in the face with his own shears. One sleeper later and it’s goodnight Adrian.
The crowd is going absolutely apes**t as Piper and Beefcake clip Adonis’s hair. This got Beefcake so over that it decided his new babyface gimmick there and then. Piper throws hair out to the fans, Adonis wakes up and chases Piper around the ring before leaving with Jimmy Hart’s jacket over his head.
A brilliant match, which captured the sense of occasion and was a spirited brawl where the extra-curricular activities made sense and contributed to the fun. In a nice end, Piper kisses Howard Finkel on the head and then a fan runs in and hugs Piper, who looks pleased and slaps the guy’s hand. Unfortunately for the fan, security rushes the ring and you can just about see him being restrained as Piper leaves the ring. This is notably cut from the WWE Network version. They should leave it in—it was humorous.
A large sign in the crowd read “WE WILL MISS PIPER”.
We still do.
Winner: ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper
We then get a segment shilling WrestleMania III merchandise, following which is a 15-minute intermission. Imagine having an intermission in a PPV now—there’d be uproar!
Gorilla then welcomes us back to the second half of the PPV and throws us to Howard Finkel, who introduces Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura. There’s no real reason for Jesse to be there, as The Hart Foundation, Danny Davis and Jimmy Hart are already in the ring, and Finkel moves on to the match introductions. Perhaps, as Gorilla mentions the upcoming release of Predator, it was just an opportunity to get Ventura’s face out in front of the mass crowd. A bit odd, in any case.
The Hart Foundation & ‘Dangerous’ Danny Davis (w/Jimmy Hart vs. The British Bulldogs & Tito Santana
An earlier interview with Jimmy Hart, The Harts and Danny Davis sees Jimmy tell Tito he’s got a war, whilst The British Bulldogs are the biggest crybabies he’s ever seen in his life. Jimmy sounds like he’s helium, he’s that hysterical. The Bulldogs and Tito make their entrance, which of course includes Matilda the Bulldog chasing the heels out of the ring. Jimmy Hart sold that so well—he threw himself onto that mat!
Tito sends both Foundation members into the ring post on the outside to start, while Dynamite press slams Danny Davis over the ropes to the outside onto Bret and Neidhart. The bell rings and I like that they tease the ‘face in peril’ spot twice before actually going through with it—Tito quickly leapfrogs and runs around the Anvil to tag out; Davey Body quickly avoids a Bret Hart top rope elbow—which makes it that little bit more surprising when the heels finally take over on Dynamite when Neidhart breaks up a pin attempt.
Dynamite attempts a snap suplex but is unable to get to his corner. Danny Davis gets a lot of heat tags in and swaggers (after the Harts have ensured there’s no danger to him) but he gets even more heat when he just nails two kicks and swaggers back out again. He tags in again later only to hit another two kicks and tags back out to even more boos. It’s great because that crowd really hates his guts by this point. It makes it even better when Davis’s ego gets the better of him and The Foundation sling-shot him in for a splash, only for Dynamite to get the knees up. The crowd loves that.
Tito gets the hot tag and unloads on Davis before nailing the patented Flying Forearm. A Davey Boy clothesline nearly takes Davis’s damn head off, and the following Tombstone Piledriver looks brutal. A suplex and the running power slam follow, with Neidhart again running interference to break up the pin. This pays off nicely, as Tito runs off Neidhart, Dynamite fights Bret, and the ref is distracted by both, leaving Davis free to clout Dynamite with Jimmy Hart’s megaphone for the pinfall.
This was a really fun little match, with great use of Danny Davis. Tito and Davey Boy got some little moments to shine, but the heels get the win to carry on the feud.
Winners: The Hart Foundation & ‘Dangerous’ Danny Davis
Mean Gene speaks to Bobby Heenan, wearing that great, glitzy white suit he wears to the main event, and Andre the Giant. Heenan says that the history books are going to close on Hulkamania tonight and that he has butterflies as he’s about to manage the new Heavyweight Champion of the World. This was masterful. Andre didn’t say anything but he didn’t need to—he was completely imposing just by standing there. Meanwhile, Heenan was so passionate and hyperbolic that you couldn’t help but be drawn in.
‘The Natural’ Butch Reed (w/Slick) vs. Koko B. Ware
The crowd love Frankie the Parrott. Jesse does not, as he says that he thinks Frankie would make good soup! Personally, I don’t think there’s enough meat on the bones, but I digress…
Butch Reed had had a good run with Mid-South before this, but his WWF run ultimately didn’t lead to much. He would have much more success in WCW afterwards as a member of Doom with Ron Simmons.
That the most interesting part of this match is Ventura advertising the WrestleMania III t-shirt by posing and then admiring his arms says a lot about this one. Koko does let loose a nice dropkick that sends Reed to the outside, but Reed is in “clubbing blow” mode here and little else is on display. The end comes with a Koko crossbody that Reed rolls through and grabs the tights for the three.
Afterwards, Koko goes to grab Reed but Slick attacks him with the cane. This brings out Tito Santana, who makes the save and pulls the clothes off Slick before he and Koko hit a double dropkick on Reed.
Needless to say, the aftermath was better than the match itself. Worst match of the night to this point.
Winner: Butch Reed
WWF Intercontinental Champion ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage (w/Miss Elizabeth) vs. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat (w/George ‘The Animal’ Steele)
From the worst match of the night to the very best, and what else is there to say about this absolute classic that hasn’t already been said? Still, I’ll give it my best shot.
This was a hell of a feud, as the video recap shows. Fans really did care about Steamboat and were appalled by how Savage crushed his larynx with the guardrail and the ring bell. Savage was seen to have crossed a line by the fans; crushing Steamboat was like crushing a puppy—how can you do it?
Pre-match, Savage cuts a promo where he expresses surprise that Steamboat came back, but he will embarrass the Dragon now and put him out of wrestling forever. “History beckons the Macho Man, yeah!” And while Steamboat was never the strongest promo, he was passionate in his retort here, stating that “the dragon will scorch your back!”
I remember that this match was my first time seeing George ‘The Animal’ Steele and being really confused by him. Looking at him now, there’s something really creepy about his obsession with Miss Elizabeth, even though he’s supposed to be a face.
What really came through on this viewing was how forward-thinking this match was for its time. It can seem a little tame by today’s standards, but for the period, the speed at which the match progresses is astonishing, especially for the WWF, which outside of certain tag teams (The Bulldogs, Rougeaus, Can-Am Express) didn’t tend to put on matches of this pace. The same can be said for the number of near-falls featured—fans just weren’t used to them in a match then, and it showed the desperation of both competitors to come out the victor. That desperation fed through to the crowd, who erupted on a couple of different very near-falls. When Steamboat finally got the pinfall, the crowd were at fever pitch. Masterful work by the competitors.
Interestingly, there’s the implication that Savage was screwed a little as he hit the big elbow on Steamboat while the ref was knocked out and Steamboat was down for way over three seconds. Usually, it is the face who ends up in this situation, so it was intriguing to see them put the heel in it.
Steamboat of course won after George Steele pushed Macho, holding the ring bell, off the top turnbuckle and Steamboat got a roll-up. But really, we were all winners after this bout, one of the greatest of all time.
Winner: Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat
Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts vs. The Honky Tonk Man
Mean Gene manages a quick interview with ‘The Snake’, who says he hasn’t forgotten about being hit with a guitar on ‘The Snake Pit’ (was there anyone in mid-80s WWF who didn’t have their own talk show segment?) Alice Cooper looks bored but says this is his hometown but this is going to be Jimmy Hart’s nightmare. How did Cooper get picked to be Jake’s second? Perhaps he was ‘elected’ (there’s a joke there—see if you can spot it!) Gene then interviews Honky and Jimmy Hart, who says the audience wants to hear Honky sing “That’s Alright Honky Tonk Mama”. Unfortunately for Honky, he rambles so much that the producer just fades his segment out!
Jake attacks Honky before he can even get in the ring, battering him around ringside, pulling off his Elvis jumpsuit and bodyslamming Honky on the floor twice. Honky avoids the DDT and is able to send Jake into the ring post outside. Jake tries to get back in the ring, but Honky knees him off the apron into the guard rail. Honky signals for Shake, Rattle and Roll but when he finally goes for it, after several punches and kicks, Jake back-drops him to counter. More punches follow as Honky gets tangled in the ropes. Jake signals for the DDT but Jimmy Hart rolls in for the distraction, allowing Honky to roll Jake up and grab the top rope for the three.
Not bad but nothing special in any way. Afterwards, Jake smashed Honky’s guitar on the ring post and Alice Cooper squared off with Jimmy Hart in the ring, only for Jake to grab ‘The Mouth of the South’ for Alice to drape Damian all over him. Alice was as wooden out there as the guitar Jake smashed…
Winner: Honky Tonk Man
Howard Finkel brings out Mean Gene to make a ‘very special announcement’. Gene announces the record indoor attendance of 93,173. The crowd loves that, quite understandably. It’s a shame they felt the need to fabricate the number: the estimated 78,000 was still the highest attendance number for a wrestling show to that date. That’s still damn impressive.
A clip is shown of Craig DeGeorge (remember him?) interviewing Slick, Nikolai Volkoff and Sheiky Baby in the stands of the empty arena. Slick says sweetness is found with The Sheik and with Nikolai. I’m not entirely convinced…
The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff (w/Slick) vs. The Killer Bees
Ah, that old chestnut: the singing of a national anthem belonging to a country other than America getting interrupted by a patriotic face. Why couldn’t they have just interrupted it because Nikolai’s singing was awful? In any case, ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan, in his WrestleMania debut, runs out mid-anthem and empties the ring, clobbering Sheiky Baby with the 2×4 in the process. We know Mr Duggan is a patriot as not only does he get on the mic and call America the “land of the free and the home of the brave”, but he has a little Stars and Stripes attached to his length of wood. Cute.
Duggan sticks around at ringside as Sheik and Volkoff get the jump on the Bees. Not for long, though, as again, the speed and athleticism of the Bees dominate and lends itself to double-team manoeuvres and some beautiful dropkicks. I thought the Hulkamania period was only full of steroid-laden muscle heads? It never was quite 100% so.
The heels take over and the pace slows down, with Sheik locking in the Camel Clutch, but Duggan, who was chasing Volkoff around in and out of the ring, does a double take and then cracks The Sheik with the 2×4. Nice one, Hacksaw. I’m sure The Bees were thankful you cost them the match. Still, Duggan gets on the mic and leads a -U-S-A chant, thus covering up his mistake. The match, however, sadly couldn’t be covered up. Again, it wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t really anything.
Winners: The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff
Possibly to fill in time, we get another interview with Andre and Bobby, and this time Andre does speak. It won’t take him long to get back in front of this camera with the title belt around his waist. As calm as Andre is, Heenan is beside himself with excitement at the thought of managing the champion.
We then get a video recap of the Hogan-Andre feud, with Andre taking badly to Hogan’s constant attention-seeking and ripping the shirt and cross from Hogan. We get some clips of the WrestleMania III press conference, with Heenan and Oakland giving a hilarious performance in the guise of an interview (the journalists sound like they love it!) while Hogan comes out with a baseball bat, making Bobby Heenan jump, and gives a deadly serious speech about how he thought Andre was a giant but realises now he’s just a man, but it’s a shame it’s come to this. Really good stuff, and I don’t remember seeing the press conference stuff before.
Lastly, Gene gives Hogan another chance to speak and he’s even more ramped up than before! What are the thousands going to think when he slams Andre and the whole world shakes at his feet?
WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant (w/ Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan)
This is the big one, perhaps the most famous match in wrestling history, and the one that brought thousands to the Pontiac Silverdome. It’s certainly not the best match workrate-wise, of course not, but what’s fascinating watching this match now is how much of an aura both Hogan and Andre have and how into the match the crowd are. They completely bought into the larger-than-life characters Andre and especially Hogan presented, and they completely bought into the idea that Andre was the monster that perhaps Hogan wasn’t going to get past. To quote the cliche, you can cut the atmosphere with a knife and that’s what makes this match special. Just watch that initial stare-out and tell me you don’t get goose pimples.
What’s even more impressive is that Andre was in tremendous pain with his back, a worsening symptom of his gigantism. Hogan is far from a ring general, but he did well to work around Andre’s limitations here and still have the big man look like a legit threat, even though his mobility was minimal at this point (if Hogan is to be believed, he planned out the whole story of the match—but what do you believe when it comes to Hogan?)
The challenge for Hogan is not just whether he can he beat the Giant. In fact, it’s two-fold; can he withstand the Giant’s punishment; and can he get the Giant off his feet? Because if he can’t, then there’s no way he can pin the man. On the second point, Hogan clearly struggles. He fails the first body slam attempt early on, the Giant falling on top of him. He can’t knock Andre off his feet with punches or a clothesline. Even the desperation piledriver attempt on the outside sees Andre backdrop Hogan onto the exposed concrete. Andre seems uninterested in putting Hogan away, not while he can punish him. That gives Hogan a chance at coming back—but how to get the Giant off his feet?
In the end, it’s typical Hogan behaviour that brings the solution: he hulks up! This allows him to clothesline Andre to the mat, which panics Bobby Heenan. Then, finally, Hogan nails the bodyslam, the legdrop follows and that’s all she wrote. Hogan won out of sheer endurance and tenacity. The only problem with this is, when you think about it, Andre was beaten, simply, by a clothesline, bodyslam and legdrop. Surely it would take more than that to beat Andre? Realistically though, it was probably all Andre’s body could take. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter: the crowd erupts when Hogan wins, having slain the Giant in front of their eyes. The spectacle of the bodyslam caught the audience’s imagination and that excitement carries through to the modern-day viewer.
So: is it the best match ever? No. But is it one of the most important ones? Oh yes. It showed that two characters with larger-than-life auras that an audience bought into could tell a basic story (in this case, the David and Goliath tale) and bring the audience to the edges of their seats with excitement. ‘Rock and Wrestling’ might have proceeded it, but this is the true birth of Sports Entertainment.
Final Thoughts
WrestleMania III is a hard show to review, mainly because it is entertaining and important as an event rather than a wrestling show with great matches. Arguably, there are only two great matches on the entire show: Piper-Adonis and Savage-Steamboat. Hogan-Giant is its own spectacle and is recommended. There are at least three genuinely good matches in the Can-Am Connection-Orton and Muraco, Race-JYD and The Hart Foundation & Danny Davis vs. The British Bulldogs & Tito Santana. Jake-Honky is at least decent enough, as is The Rougous-Dream Team. But there are other matches that don’t really do anything; Hercules-Haynes; Koko-Reed; Killer Bees-Sheik and Volkoff; and the Bundy-Hillbilly Jim fiasco.
While there’s only one truly bad match (the Bundy match), it’s notable that there are at least three matches where the post-match shenanigans are more entertaining than the match itself, which isn’t an ideal situation for the viewer. At the very least, I will say that the lesser matches are short and to the point, as are all matches on the card (Savage-Steamboat is the longest). So if there’s something you don’t like, the show will move quickly on. That’s not a bad thing.
Regardless, WrestleMania III showed that wrestling could be a stadium event and draw many thousand paying fans. It showed you can draw fans with character and story and it can be just as worthwhile as work-rate wrestling if done well. It gave us Piper’s retirement, Steamboat’s IC title win, and ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan’s WrestleMania debut—hell, it gave us Aretha Franklin! People still talk about WrestleMania III because perhaps it is the first WrestleMania that is really worth talking about.
Your mileage may vary, but WrestleMania III is very much a recommended show and a must-see if you’re a student of the sport (entertainment).
