WWF Wrestlemania III Review

WWF Wrestlemania III Review
March 7, 2012 (edited July 17, 2024)
By Ryan Porzl

Event: Wrestlemania III
Tagline: Bigger! Better! Badder!
Date: March 29, 1987
Location: Pontiac, Michigan
Liveor Tape: Live
Arena: Pontiac Silverdome
Attendance: 93,173
Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura
Interviewers: “Mean”Gene Okerlund, Vince McMahon, and Mary Hart
Other: Aretha Franklin (America the Beautiful) Bob Uecker (Guest Ring Announcer & Commentator), Mary Hart (Guest Timekeeper, Commentator, & Interviewer), Alice Cooper (Cornerman), and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan (Guest Commentator)
Broadcast: Pay-Per-View

We open up with Vince McMahon in the ring welcoming everyone to Wrestlemania III and Aretha Franklin sings America the Beautiful. She does good although with Alice Cooper there, I wouldn't have minded him doing it especially since he had the bad ass Kane Roberts on guitar at the time.

Monsoon and Ventura welcome us from broadcasting booth with Bob Uecker and Mary Hart. Uecker was a former Baseball player and actor. He was originally known for as a baseball player in the 1960s for various teams during which time, he jokingly became known as “Mr. Baseball” by Johnny Carson. After retiring, he became the Milwaukee Brewers' longtime announcer and an actor as was co-starring on the TV show Mr. Belvedere at the time of Wrestlemania III while later working on the Major League movies and commercials for Miller Lite which resulted in the nosebleed sections in arenas to be called “The Uecker Seats”. Hart was a television personality and the long time co-host of Entertainment Tonight from 1982-2011. She also was Miss South Dakota in 1970 and a semifinalist in the 1971 Miss America.

The Can-Am Connection vs. Magnificent Muraco & Bob Orton (w/Mr. Fuji)- The Can-Ams were Rick Martel & Tom Zenk who were Canadian and American respectively hence the name. After being a corner man in the first two Wrestlemanias, Orton finally competes in one AND he doesn't have his cast anymore. This was during a brief period where Muraco and Orton were teaming up after their feud with Piper and brief alliance with Adonis ended. The team is mostly known for being the opponents of The British Bulldogs on December 13, 1986 when Dynamite suffered his back injury.

Muraco and Martel start off with some tie ups with Muraco shoving Martel off. Tie up with Martel getting a side headlock, Muraco whips him to the ropes, and Martel comes off the ropes with a shoulder block. Muraco sends Martel to the corner and hits some knees. Martel gets whipped into another corner but dodges Muraco's charge with an up and over and gets a hip toss. Martel gets a monkey flip pin for 2. Tag to Zenk as Muraco has Martel in a side headlock. Martel whips Muraco to the ropes, drops down to the canvas, Muraco jumps over, Zenk leapfrogs Muraco, and the Can-Ams catch Muraco with a double monkey flip to a pop. Orton comes in but the Can-Ams get him with a double hip toss to a pop. Muraco and Orton bail to regroup. Orton tags in and gets a side headlock. Zenk whips him to the ropes but Orton comes off the ropes with a shoulder block. Orton comes off the ropes but Zenk catches him with a bodyslam.

Orton accidentally heads to the Can-Am corner and Martel gets a punch. Zenk gets an arm drag and works the arm. Orton tries to ram Zenk into the turnbuckle but Zenk blocks and rams Orton instead. Zenk hits another arm drag and goes back to the arm. Orton gets up, knees the stomach, gets a full nelson but Zenk reverses for his own. Orton reverses as Muraco comes in but accidentally forearms Orton. Zenk pins for 2. Tag to Martel who comes off the second turnbuckle with an elbow to the arm. Martel gets an arm wringer, Orton pulls him down with the hair, and tries to tag but Martel holds on. Tag to Zenk and Muraco with Zenk hitting a bodyslam. Zenk gets an arm wringer. Muraco whips Zenk to the ropes, drops down to the canvas, Zenk jumps over, and Orton knees him coming off the ropes. Tag to Orton as Muraco gets a swinging neck breaker and Orton hits a second turnbuckle chop for 2. Orton hits a bionic elbow and gets a side headlock.

Zenk whips Orton to the ropes, drops down, Orton jumps over, comes off the ropes, both collide into each other and both are down. Tags to Muraco and Martel with Martel whipping Muraco into the corner but Muraco flair flips off the turnbuckles and to the apron. All four are in as Zenk slingshots Muraco back in while Martel hits Orton with shoulder blocks in the corner. Muraco and Orton gain control in their corners but the Can-Ams reverse the whips and Muraco accidentally back body drops Orton. The Can-Ams double dropkick Muraco. Orton gets dropkicked out of the ring by Zenk. Muraco reverses a whip to the ropes, Zenk drops down, Martel jumps over, comes off the ropes, and gets a crossbody with Muraco falling over Zenk for the win at 5:37 to a good pop.

Thoughts: **1/2 Very solid opener which was mostly used to showcase the Can-Ams since the WWF had big plans for them and it succeeded as they looked good and the fans were into their stuff. Muraco and Orton had some good moments during the few times they were on offense. I also liked the miscommunication stuff from Muraco and Orton since it would eventually lead to a fallen out between them down the road. Sadly this proved to be the peak for the Can-Ams as Zenk left the WWF a few months later right before they were scheduled to win the Tag Titles.

Recap of the Haynes/Hercules feud

"Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews Bobby "The Brain" Heenan & Hercules. Heenan insists Haynes' name is “Billy Jerk Haynes”. Hercules says it's the same old story and it's just like thousands of years ago when he took his chains and pulled down the pillars of Rome. He says just like how he made Atlas and Samson cower at his feet, he tells Haynes he'll feel the fear and his wrath as they find out who is the true master of the full nelson is at the pontiac silverdome. Heenan tells Okerlund to get it right that it's “Billy Jerk Haynes” but Okerlund says for the record it's “Billy Jack Haynes”. Pretty good promo from Hercules though he needed to brush up on his mythology as Hercules was Greek not Roman. Heenan was funny.

Billy Jack Haynes vs. Hercules (w/Bobby "The Brain" Heenan)- These two have been feuding since the Big Event back in August 1986 but by this point the feud was about who had the better Full Nelson.

Staredown to start and the two tie up to but break. Another tie up with Haynes muscling Herc to the corner but Hercules hits several knees to take control after referee Dave Hebner tries to break them up. Herc hits a knee lift. Herc works over Haynes in the corner and whips him to another but misses a charging elbow. Haynes hits a few chops and a press slam. Haynes attempts the full nelson but Hercules escapes. Haynes blocks a kick and continues with chops and right hands. Hercules gets whipped into the turnbuckles but rebounds out with a clothesline. Hercules stomps away at Haynes. Herc whips Haynes to the ropes and catches him with a back body drop. Hercules whips Haynes nto the turnbuckles hard. Hercules whips Haynes hard into the corner again. Herc hits a suplex and goes for the pin but lifts Haynes up at 2. Haynes attempts a comeback but his back gives out during a suplex attempt.

Hercules comes back with a backbreaker and works over Haynes. Herc hits a press slam. Full Nelson is locked and Haynes nearly fallen unconscious but gets keeps his arm up on the third check. Haynes starts to get out but Herc lets go and nails him with a forearm from behind. Hercules whips Haynes to the ropes and both clothesline each other. Haynes blocks a punch, hits his own, and hits an inverted atomic drop to a pop. Haynes hits a running clothesline. Haynes whips Herc to the ropes, catches him with a kick to the stomach, another punch, and another clothesline. Haynes comes off the ropes with a leg drop. Haynes drops a fist and then comes off the second turnbuckle with fist drop. Haynes attempts the Full Nelson but both fall out of the ring. Haynes locks the Full Nelson outside and both are counted out at 7:44. After the match, Heenan attacks Haynes and Haynes stalks him around ringside until getting in the ring. Fans chant “Weasel” as Hercules comes in, wraps the chain around his fist, and nails Haynes with it. Herc gets a few more shots to boos and locks in the full nelson before he and Heenan leave. Haynes bleeds well.

Thoughts: *** Good match and a huge improvement over The Big Event match with some good moves from two hosses, both bumped well, and Haynes sold the back well. The crowd was also into this one much more as The Big Event match had a quiet crowd. The finish was weird but I guess the thought is you have to save some feuds post Wrestlemania. The aftermath was good especially since it continued the feud and set up some chain matches for the house shows.

Okerlund interviews King Kong Bundy, Little Tokyo, and Lord Littlebrook. Okerlund tells Bundy he hears big trouble comes in little packages but Bundy tells him he needs to be corrected cause big trouble comes in 450 pound packages like King Kong Bundy. He tells Hillbilly Jim that he wants him most of all but if the those two midgets get in the way then he'll squash all three in the middle of the ring. He says they'll have to pick the three up with a platter. Short and to the point

Okerlund then interviews Hillbilly Jim, Haiti Kid, and Little Beaver. Okerlund says Jim, Haiti, and Beaver will take on Bundy and Company. Jim says they sure are but he admits he's worried not of himself cause he believes he can take Bundy but he's worried about his little buddies here and says he'll do his doggiest to make sure everything is fine with them. Another short and to the point.

Hillbilly Jim, Haiti Kid, and Little Beaver vs. King Kong Bundy, Little Tokyo, and Lord Littlebrook- This a mixed tag as Bundy and Jim can only face each other while the minis face each other. I'm not an expert on mini wrestlers but from what I gathered Beaver, Tokyo, and Littlebrook were legends in wrestling and enjoyed runs as NWA World Midget Champion while Haiti had a long career in his own right. Uecker joins for commentary.

Haiti and Tokyo start with Haiti getting an armdrag. Tokyo comes back with a headlock, Haiti picks him up, and Tokyo gets a side headlock takedown. They get up with Haiti whipping Tokyo off and to the ropes with the two criss crossing. All four Minis criss cross until Littlebrook and Tokyo accidentally run into each other. Beaver and Haiti do the rowboat. Haiti gets an atomic drop and a front facelock. Tag to Beaver who gets a side headlock but Tokyo muscles Beaver to the ropes and gets punch to the stomach. Tokyo gets a side headlock with a punch but Beaver comes back with a slaps. Tag to Littlebrook who ties up until he and Beaver go into the ropes. Littlebrook gets a side headlock and sends him to the heel corner where Tokyo chokes Beaver for a bit until Beaver hits Tokyo and Bundy before escaping. They tie up again until Beaver hits Littlebrook. Tag to Bundy who towers over Beaver. Beaver dodges Bundy by crawling between his legs and tries a dropkick which obviously had no effect.

Tag to Jim and the crowd pops. Bundy works over Jim with some forearms, whips him to the ropes, misses a clothesline, and Jim comes off the ropes with a clothesline. Jim drops an elbow and all three try to pin Bundy but get 2. Bundy comes back with a kick to the stomach and an elbow to the back of the head. Bundy whips Jim to the ropes and catches him with an elbow. Bundy applies a front facelock until Beaver comes in to try to break the hold. Bundy chases Beaver away and hits the Avalanche on Jim. Bundy works over Jim in the corner until Beaver comes in again but Bundy catches him and bodyslams him. Bundy drops an elbow and is disqualified at 4:12. After the match, Bundy tries to splash Beaver but the other minis get Beaver out of the way while Jim clotheslines Bundy out of the ring.

Thoughts: 1/2* Not much to say about this match. It probably was used as a popcorn match but not much else. Nobody did anything special. Also, kind of hard to feel sorry for Beaver when he kept instigating Bundy and eventually got caught. Sadly, Bundy accidentally injured Beaver's back for real which forced Beaver to retire.

Mary Hart tries to talk with Miss Elizabeth, says it's her honor, and asks Elizabeth if she's feeling a bit trepidatious but Randy Savage comes in and won't let her talk taking the interview for himself. Savage says trepidatious is the word and says Mary Hart must be fascinated about him. Mary tries to tell him she wanted to talk with Elizabeth but Savage brings up he's the Intercontinental Champion. Mary asks is it always this way and Savage says fascinating is the word of the day and enthusiasm is where he goes before telling Elizabeth to go down the aisle. Mary says she wants to talk with Elizabeth but Savage says his number is the back of his license plate and she says he's a real charm. Useless segment. Savage was a great talker in his day but this formula of him interrupting Elizabeth was REALLY old by this point.

Recap of the Harley Race/Junkyard Dog feud

Okerlund interviews "King" Harley Race, Bobby Heenan, & Fabulous Moolah as he claims there can be a new King of Wrestling in The Junkyard Dog or there could be a reincarnation of the current king Harley Race. Race says Okerlund has it right with reincarnation and keep it that way. Moolah says it will be her pleasure crown the current king Harley Race and have Junkyard Dog bow to the king as he's supposed to. Heenan gives Moolah the crown and tells her to take care of it well and place it on the king's head afterwards as she is the queen. Nothing special.

Okerlund interviews Junkyard Dog and asks if he feels he'll be wearing the crown. JYD says just as he's black and the day's sunny, he'll be wearing that crown. He says Race has been sitting on the throne too long and it's time to move over and let the dog sit all alone on the throne with that crown upon his head. Short but good promo.

Harley Race (w/Bobby "The Brain" Heenan & The Fabulous Moolah) vs. Junkyard Dog- Uecker leaves the announce table to go after Moolah. The stipulations of this match is the loser has to bow to the winner. These two had history as Race wanted everyone to bow to him since he was the King while JYD took exception. The two wrestled at SNME IX in January which JYD won by DQ and Race and Heenan tried to make JYD bow afterwards.

Tie up to start with JYD blocking Races punches and gets one of his own. Heenan grabs JYD's leg and gets chased as a result. Heenan runs into the ring and Race jumps JYD as he runs in. Race works over JYD but JYD comes back with punches and a headbutt to a pop. Race comes back with a headbutt to the stomach and throws JYD out of the ring. Race stomps at JYD and attempts to drop a headbutt off the apron but misses. Heenan helps Race to the apron but JYD clotheslines him back in the ring to a good pop. JYD gets a scissor stomp and Race goes over and out again. Heenan helps Race to the apron again but JYD bodyslams Race back in. JYD hooks an abdominal stretch but Race hip tosses out of it. Race drops a headbutt but hurts himself. JYD whips Race into the corner and sends Race flying out of the ring again. Back in the ring, JYD hits the four legged headbutts but Heenan jumps on the apron to distract JYD which allows Race to hit a Belly-to-Belly Suplex to win at 4:22. Afterwards, JYD reluctantly bows and then smashes Race with a chair and takes his cape with him while “Great Gates of Kiev” plays.

Thoughts: **1/2 Really solid match and much better than I remember. Race was the highlight bumping all over the place. It's not easy getting much out of JYD in 1987 but he was fine here. Then again, I would hope everyone had their working boots on for this event. Though I haven't watched much Mid-South, this has to be one of JYD's better matches at least post Mid-South.

Vince McMahon interviews Hulk Hogan with Vince saying the heavyweight champion of the world just one hour away from his moment of destiny. Hogan says they said it was his last ride and yesterday when he went hanging and banging, as he jumped on his harley, as he went through the intersection, and as he headed to the mountains, the non believers in the gym said “see you later Hulkster, this is your last ride”. He said it ate him alive but he felt the fury, and as he ripped this shirt and as the sun beamed off gold in his eyes, he realized that sooner or later, you got to live and die and face the truth. Hogan tells Andre that it's time to face the truth because when he thinks about what he and Andre have do and what he has to do is nothing as all he has to do is face a 7'4, 500 pound giant. He tells Andre he has to face the truth in the purest form and to beat Hogan, he has to beat every single one of those Hulkmaniacs and Hulkamania will beat him because it's the purest form of the truth there is. Hogan says he can't wait to see Andre go down in front of 90,000 plus in the Silverdome before asking Andre what's he going to do when the real truth, the 24 inch pythons, and Hulkamania runs wild on him. Very good promo from Hogan and Vince's facial reactions were funny.

Okerlund interviews The Dream Team, Luscious Johnny V, and Dino Bravo and asks Johnny why does The Dream Team need an extra man in Dino Bravo in their corner. Johnny says The Dream Team will make The Rougeaus into scrambled eggs or something. Bravo speaks French. Not good but as I've said many times, Johnny doesn't do it for me and I don't speak French so I don't know what Bravo was saying.

The Dream Team (w/"Luscious" Johnny V & Dino Bravo) vs. The Rougeau Brothers- This feud began in the Summer of 1986 when the Rougeaus upset the Dream Team at the Big Event. Another story going on was the addition of Bravo to Johnny V's crew and dissension within The Dream Team.

Raymond and Beefcake start with Beefcake getting an arm wringer into a hammerlock but Raymond escapes with a backflip and hits an atomic drop. Tag to Jacques with the Rougeaus double team whipping Beefcake to the ropes and catches him with a double dropkick. Tags Valentine who gets several knees and the two trade blows until Jacques tags Raymond. Jacques whips Valentine to the ropes, both Rougeaus leap frog, and Raymond comes off the ropes with a crossbody for 2. Tag to Jacques with Raymond whipping Valentine to the ropes and Jacques hits a jumping back elbow for 2. Valentine whips Jacques into the corner and Jacques tries to rebound with a crossbody off the second turnbuckle but misses. Valentine drops a few elbows and nails a bodyslam. Tag to Beefcake with a few stomps and gets 2. Tag to Valentine who hits an ax handle off the top while Beefcake holds Jacques and then hits a backbreaker.

Bobby Heenan joins at the announce booth. Heenan claims he's two for two with Race's win and claims Hercules won cause Haynes knew he couldn't beat him but Monsoon corrects him claiming he's 1-3 with Hercules' double countout and Bundy losing. Valentine hooks in a figure four leglock but Jacques reaches the ropes. Valentine hits a cheap shot to Raymond and comes off the second rope with a stomp. Valentine tries a piledriver but Jacques backdrops out, Valentine then attempts a sunset flip but Jacques fights out. Hot tag to Raymond who cleans house. Raymond whips Valentine to the ropes and gets a back body drop. Raymond applies a sleeper but lets go when Beefcake attempts a double ax handle off the second turnbuckle accidentally hitting Valentine. Raymond whips Valentine into a Jacques forearm. The Rougeaus hit La Bombe de Rougeau and Raymond jackknife pins Valentine but the ref is distracted by Jacques and Beefcake allowing Bravo to come in and come off with a second turnbuckle elbow drop on Raymond and puts Valentine on top for the win at 4:03. After the match, Beefcake starts arguing with Valentine, Bravo, and Johnny who leave him behind, thus breaking the Dream Team up.

Thoughts: ** Decent match but sadly not as good as The Big Event match though to be fair that can be blamed on the lack of time as this match didn't get anywhere near the time. While the action was good, it's sad they couldn't get more time as these two teams had great chemistry. The biggest complaint I have is the finish. While I like the Dream Team, what was the point in having them win when they were going to break up? Even worse is they had the finish right there with Beefcake accidentally hitting Valentine and The Rougeau's hitting their finish. Having The Dream Team win and then break up is just screwed up booking and it didn't help the Rougeau's either. Being a Rougeau Brothers fan was quite frustrating as this was the story of their WWF careers as they were talented but always lost or went to draws when they needed the win.

Recap of the Roddy Piper/Adrian Adonis feud

Okerlund interviews Adrian Adonis and Jimmy Hart. Okerlund tells Hart somebody is going to get a haircut and it could be his man Adrian Adonis. Hart says you spell wrestling A-D-O-N-I-S. Adonis says this is the adorable one or maybe clipper claw. He ask Piper how he likes it. He asks if he wants a baboon's behind or a D.A. or a Princeton or an Oxford before saying Piper will like it with wrestling and Irene. He says she doesn't have high heels or sneakers, just python like arms and so is the trimmers. Entertaining promo.

Hair Match: Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis (w/Jimmy Hart)- The feud here is Piper took a leave of absence in the summer of 1986 (I believe he was filming the movie Body Slam) which allowed Adonis to have his own talk show The Flower Shop which replaced Piper's Pit. Upon Piper's return, he turned babyface and brought his show back thus canceling the Flower Shop which resulted in Adonis, Orton, and Muraco attacking Piper. From there, they destroyed each other's sets, Piper injured Adonis with a crutch on SNME VII, and Adonis beat Piper by count out at SNME IX. This match is a hair match with the loser losing their hair and Adonis brings out hedge clippers and a mirror. The match was also billed as Piper's retirement match as he was hoping to break into Hollywood and gets a big pop from the crowd.

Slugfest to start until Piper grabs his belt and starts whipping Adonis with it to a big pop. Hart jumps on the apron and gets choked to a huge pop until Adonis makes the save. Hart tosses Piper's belt to Adonis and he starts whipping Piper. Piper whips Adonis into the corner with Adonis doing a flair flip and falls to the floor. Tug-o-war results in Hart and Adonis getting dragged back in the ring. Double noggin knocker and Harts gets whipped into Adonis with the two going over the top rope and on the floor. Crowd is going crazy. Back in the ring, Piper works over Adonis in the corner and whips him to another corner. Hart climbs the turnbuckles but Piper throws him on top of Adonis. Piper gets a side headlock, Adonis whips him to the ropes, and Hart trips Piper as he tries to come off the ropes. Adonis comes back with chest and back rakes. Adonis whips Piper to the ropes and catches him with a clothesline.
Adonis continues hammering Piper. 

They go to the outside where Adonis rams Piper on the timekeeper's table. Hart hits Piper with the atomizer behind the referee. Adonis continues to work over Piper until the ref separates them. Piper calls for Adonis who continues to work him over and then distracts the ref allowing Hart to spray the atomizer into Piper. Adonis hooks the Good Night Irene Sleeper. Piper tries to escape with takedown but Adonis holds on. They get up and Piper repeatedly rams Adonis back first into the corner but Adonis still holds on. The referee checks Piper's arm but Adonis let's go too early and starts celebrating allowing Brutus Beefcake to sneak in to revive Piper. Beefcake and Adonis had history with Adonis accidentally cutting some of Beefcake's hair on TV. Piper comes back by nailing Hart. Adonis tries to hit Piper with the hedge clippers but they bounce off the ropes and hit him. Piper hooks the Sleeper and Adonis goes out at 6:54 to a huge pop. Afterwards, Beefcake shaves Adonis's hair while Piper holds Hart down. Piper then shows Adonis Beefcake's work with the mirror but Adonis hits the mirror and eventually runs to the back with Hart covering his head. Piper then kisses Fink on the head and in a funny bit, celebrates with a fan before security take the fan down. Piper then says farewell to Pat Patterson, Arnold Skaaland, and Blackjack Lanza before riding off in the cart.

Thoughts: *** Fun match from everyone involved including Hart with Hart and Adonis bumping well. I also liked the way Piper and Adonis came off as you felt they didn't love each other. Beefcake's involvement made sense as it solidified his babyface turn and he had history with Adonis accidentally cutting he's hair weeks earlier. The crowd was also very hot which was great. This match debuted Beefcake's Barber gimmick he became famous for years afterwards. A feud between Beefcake and Adonis began after this event but was canceled after few matches when Adonis was abruptly fired by the WWF a month later for unknown reasons. Adonis would spend the remainder of his career as a journeyman working the AWA, New Japan, and the indie circuit all the while shedding the Adorable gimmick and getting in better shape until he was sadly killed in a car accident on July 4, 1988. Piper's retirement lasted only 2 years with his big highlight being starring in “They Live” before he returned at Wrestlemania V.

We get a merchandise plug as Wrestlemania III merchandise is available at stands or by mail. The Wrestlemania program filled with brand new color photos is only $5.00. A Unique Baseball style cap is $10.00 and T-Shirts are $12.00. Man, Monsoon wasn't kidding, this was a message of important interest to anyone.

We go to intermission with Monsoon, Mary Hart, and Bob Uecker welcoming us back

Ring Announcer Howard Finkel introduces Ventura to the crowd and he shakes the hands of Bret, Neidhart, Hart, and Davis.

Okerlund interviews Jimmy Hart, The Hart Foundation, and Danny Davis with Okerlund telling Hart many think he's running out of time. Hart says the whole world knows that The Hart Foundation are the world tag team champions and the greatest team in professional wrestling before introducing Danny Davis. He tells Santana if he wants a war, he's got a war while calling The British Bulldogs the biggest crybabies he's ever seen in his life. Hart tells them to hold their heads up because when they're through with them, they'll be nothing left. Good and entertaining promo from Hart.

The Hart Foundation & Danny Davis (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. The British Bulldogs & Tito Santana- The feud here is Davis was the referee in the match where Santana lost the Intercontinental Title to Randy Savage back on February 8, 1986 but failed to see Savage cheat to win. Then two months before this show on the February 7, 1987 edition of Superstars of Wrestling, Davis (by this point playing a corrupt referee) was paid off by Jimmy Hart to favor the Hart Foundation in their match over the British Bulldogs which resulted in The Harts winning the Tag Team Titles (The title change was necessary because of Dynamite's famous back injury which forced him to retire years later). The end result was Davis being suspended for "Life plus 10 years" as a referee (he would return to reffing 2 years later). Monsoon, Hart, and Uecker are doing commentary for this match.

Prior to the match, Matilda, The Bulldogs' mascot, goes after Hart while all six go at it. Santana and Smith whip The Harts into each other on the outside. Back in, The Bulldogs toss Davis out to a big pop.

Bret and Santana start with Santana winning the exchange. Santana works over Bret into a corner. Santana whips Bret into another corner with Bret trying an up and over but Santana catches the legs and drops Bret face first on the canvas. Santana rams Bret into The Bulldogs' boots. Tags to Smith and Neidhart as Smith gets a side headlock. Neidhart whips Smith to the ropes, drops down, Smith jumps over, Bret tries to hit him, but Smith blocks. Neidhart comes over but Smith grabs him and hits a noggin knocker on the Harts to a good pop. Tag to Dynamite and The Bulldogs both headbutt Neidhart. Tag to Santana who works the arm until Neidhart gets him into the corner allowing Bret to choke Santana. Santana gets whipped into the ropes but leapfrogs Neidhart and tags Smith who works over Neidhart. Smith whips Neidhart to the ropes and hits a back body drop. Smith gets distracted by Bret coming in and Neidhart takes advantage with a cheapshot.

Tag to Bret as Neidhart gets a bodyslam but Bret misses an elbow drop from the second turnbuckle. Tag to Dynamite who slams Bret with his hair. Bret gets whipped into the corner and takes it chest first. Dynamite hits a clothesline and drops a headbutt but Neidhart breaks the pin. Bret comes back and works over Dynamite in the corner with his usual nice punches. Bret reaches for the tag but Dynamite comes back with a punch to the stomach and attempts a suplex but Neidhart breaks it up by going for Dynamite's injured back. Neidhart comes in behind the refs back in an illegal switch and goes for a steiner recliner. Tag to Bret and they hit the Demolition Decapitation. Tag to Davis who gets a few stomps in and tags to Bret. Bret works over Dyanmite and then tags Neidhart who continues to hammer away at Dynamite. Tag to Bret who gets a headbutt. Tag to Davis who gets a few bicycle kicks in and tags out to Bret who once again continues to hammer away. Tag to Davis as the Hart try to slingshot him on top but Dynamite gets the knees up and tags to Santana who whips Davis' ass for a bit. Santana whips Davis to the ropes and catches him with a back body drop. Santana knocks the Harts off the apron, whips Davis to the ropes, and comes off the other side with the flying forearm but doesn't want to pin him. Santana tries for the figure four leglock but Neidhart breaks it up with a clothesline. Tag to Smith who gets his licks in then whips Davis to the ropes and catches him with a clothesline. Smith rams Davis into Dynamite's skull as the fans are loving it. Tombstone piledriver and a suplex follow. Smith hits the Running Powerslam and goes for the pin but Neidhart breaks it up. Pier six brawl erupts and during the chaos, Davis hits Smith with Hart's megaphone and gets the pin 8:52.

Thoughts: **1/2 Really decent match with good wrestling from the Harts, Bulldogs, and Santana but the highlight was obviously the faces beating the crap out of Davis. The story was well told and built up really well with the Harts doing the work, then Davis comes in to get his licks in to build heat, and then his eventual ass whipping. The crowd was into the match especially the Davis beating. The finish was fine too.

Okerlund interviews Bobby Heenan and Andre the Giant. Okerlund calls Andre “The most extraordinary athlete of all time” and brings up how he had not elected until this date to challenge Hogan for the heavyweight championship. Heenan says Andre is going to be doing just that and become the heavyweight champion of the world and tells us why. He says Andre is undefeated in over fifteen years as a professional athlete and how Hogan has never met a man bigger than him, taller than him, that weighs more than him, and a with a burning will inside more than Andre The Giant. He tells Hogan, that in a few short hours that clock is ticking and it's ticking in their direction not Hogan's. He says Hulkamania is over, Hulkamania is dead, and the history books will close on Hulk Hogan once and for all. He says there's going to be a new heavyweight champion of the world and the odds on favorite in Las Vegas and all over the wrestling world, they're picking Andre The Giant. He says nobody can defeat this man and nobody can come close to defeating this man. He tells Hogan, he knows what Hogan's going through because he's going through it and that the butterflies are in his stomach, the adrenaline is flowing through his veins, and he's getting ready because he's about to manage the heavyweight champion of the world. He then tells Hogan he had three good years and nothing to look back on but it's over as Andre The Giant is the new heavyweight champion of the world. Great promo from Heenan to continue building to the eventual showdown. Andre didn't say anything but he didn't have to.

Butch Reed (w/Slick) vs. Koko B. Ware- Ventura is back on commentary and on an interesting note mentions how his friend Barry Blaustein was looking forward to this match. Blaustein became known in the wrestling business 12 years later for directing the Beyond the Mat documentary. These two had a minor history as Koko eliminated Reed from a battle royal at SNME X weeks earlier.

Tie up to start and Reed misses a forearm. Another tie up with Koko muscling Reed to the ropes and Reed complains about hair pulling. Another tie up with Reed muscling Koko the ropes and Reed starts hammering away on Koko. Reed whips Koko to the ropes, misses an elbow, Koko comes off the ropes, Reed tries to catch him, Koko gets out, and attempts an O'Connor roll but Reed holds on to the ropes. Reed taunts but Koko catches him turning around with a dropkick that sends Reed over and out to a pop. Back in, Koko whips Reed to the ropes and catches him with a punch to the stomach. Koko hits another punch which drops Reed and he begs. Koko whips Reed to the ropes but lowers his head too early and Reed comes off with a forearm to the back. Reed gets a side headlock and hides a thumb to the throat from the referee. Reed works over Koko and rams him into the top turnbuckle. Koko comes back by reversing a whip to the corner and catches Reed coming out with a hip toss. Punches and a dropkick follow for 2. Reed tries to come back with an eye rake but Koko gets a small package gets 2. Koko gets his own side headlock and thumb to the throat. Reed reverses a whip to the ropes, misses a clothesline, Koko comes off the ropes with a crossbody but Reed reverses and pins Koko with a handful of tights to win at 3:39. After the match, Koko attacks Reed but gets jumped by Slick who uses his cane until Tito Santana comes in to make the save by grabbing Slick and ripping some of his clothes off before Slick bails. Santana and Koko then hit Reed with a double dropkick. Apparently like Eddie Guerrero, Santana also had Latino Heat but for him it was for skinny black men.

Thoughts: 1/2* Not much to say though I guess the story was fine as it was power vs. speed but this felt like a popcorn match.

Recap of the Ricky Steamboat/Randy Savage feud

Randy Savage cuts a promo saying he was in a state of shock when Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat came back but this time in front of the largest audience in the world, he will not only embarrass Steamboat and put him away with the 1,2,3 count but he's going to end his career for good. He says he is the lord and master of the ring and Steamboat's going to find that out one athlete to another right now and history beckons The Macho Man. Good promo.

Okerlund interviews Ricky Steamboat and says this could be Steamboat's last opportunity at Savage and the IC Title. Steamboat says the day has finally come, the minutes, the seconds, they have reached their moment. He says as he and Savage climb in the ring, they'll clash like two titans but there will be only one winner. Steamboat says this dragon is breathing fire, will scorch his back, come away with the championship belt, and see new horizons. Another good promo.

WWF Intercontinental Championship: Randy Savage (c) (w/Miss Elizabeth) vs. Ricky Steamboat (w/ George "The Animal" Steele)- The feud here is Steamboat challenged Savage for the IC title on the November 22, 1986 edition of Superstars of Wrestling but the match ended when Savage crushed Steamboat's larynx on the guardrail and then with the timekeeper's bell. Steele is in Steamboat's corner and had a long painful to watch history with Savage over Miss Elizabeth where Steamboat had several confrontations with Savage during Savage's matches with Steele at the recent SNMEs.

Tie up to start goes no where. Savage tries a waistlock but Steamboat escapes. Savage bails and gets Elizabeth away from Steele. Another tie up and Savage knees Steamboat. Savage whips Steamboat to the ropes, misses the elbow, and Steamboat gets an armdrag. Steamboat comes off the ropes, slides underneath Savage's legs, and hits another armdrag. Steamboat gets a throat toss. Savage bails and Steamboat chases after him allowing Savage to drop a double ax handle on Steamboat back in the ring. Savage kicks the stomach, chokes Steamboat on the rope, and then clotheslines him with the ropes for 2. Fans chant “Steamboat” as Savage misses the charge in the corner and Steamboat comes back by lifting Savage in the air by his wrist and drops him to the canvas. Steamboat drops the arm on the ropes and continues to work over the arm. Savage whips Steamboat in the ropes and hits an elbow. Savage tosses Steamboat out of the ring.

Steamboat tries to return to the ring but gets kneed. Savage pulls Steamboat on the apron, elbows the larynx, and stomps him out of the ring. Steamboat gets snapmared back in the ring, Savage hits a bionic elbow and goes for the pin but Steamboat kicks out for 2. Knee drop gets 2. Savage attempts to ram Steamboat into the turnbuckle but Steamboat blocks and rams Savage. Savage gets tangled in the ropes allowing Steamboat to gets some shots until Savage kicks Steamboat off. Steamboat reverses a whip but Savage comes off with a whip of his own and Steamboat comes off the ropes with a high crossbody for 2. Steamboat follows with an armdrag. Savage whips Steamboat to the ropes but Steamboat comes off with a shoulder block for 2. Steamboat comes off the ropes with another shoulder block for 2. Savage comes back by whipping Steamboat chest first into the ropes and comes off the other side with a jumping knee to the back.

Savage tosses Steamboat out but Steamboat skins the cat back in but Savage clotheslines Steamboat out. Savage follows out and knees Steamboat into the timekeeper's table and over the guardrail. Steele helps Steamboat back in the ring. Savage tosses Steamboat out again and follows with a diving double ax handle. Savage goes back in and then back out to toss Steamboat back in. Back in the ring, Savage gets another diving double ax handle and comes off with a bionic elbow for 2. Savage gets a hangman on Steamboat and gets another two. Atomic drop gets 2. Suplex gets 2. Steamboat makes the come back Savage goes to the eyes. Gutwrench Suplex gets 2. Savage picks Steamboat up but Steamboat backflips out and starts to come back. Steamboat whips Savage to the ropes but lowers his head too early and Savage comes off with a kick. Savage charges but takes a big back body drop out of the ring to a big pop.

Steamboat heads out and rams Savage into the apron before throwing him back in. Back in the ring, Steamboat hits a diving chop and covers but Savage gets his foot on the rope at 2 as the fans pop thinking the match is over. Steamboat whips Savage to the ropes and catches him with a chop. Steamboat drops two chops and Savage heads to the apron but Steamboat knocks him off with another chop as the crowd is loud. Steamboat follows out as Savage gets back in the ring. Steamboat gets to the apron, hits a shoulder block, and a slingshot sunset flip back in for 2. Schoolboy gets 2. Jackknife pin gets 2. Small package gets 2. Steamboat with a Bodyslam, a slingshot, and another roll up for 2. Steamboat gets an O'Connor roll for 2 as Savage grabs the tights to reverse for 2. Savage pulls Steamboat's tights sending him to the post. Irish whip reverses until Savage accidentally whips Steamboat into referee Dave Hebner. Savage whips Steamboat to the ropes and catches him with a clothesline. Savage climbs the top turnbuckle and comes off with the Diving Elbow Drop but Hebner is still out. Savage tries to revive Hebner but then goes outside to get the bell. Savage makes it to the apron but Steele takes the bell away. Savage stomps him, gets it back, and climbs to the top turnbuckle with the bell but Steele pushes him off. Savage goes for a bodyslam but Steamboat grabs the leg on the way down and reverses into a small package for the 3 and the title at 14:35 to a huge pop. Beautiful.

Thoughts: ***** Believe the hype, one of the all time great matches. The type that make you proud to be a wrestling fan. This had great back and forth action, good counters, a good crowd, and I loved how they made simple moves look more brutal like shoulder blocks off the ropes or throwing the opponent over the top and to the floor. I also liked the jumping knee sending Steamboat crashing over the timekeeper's table and to the crowd. I was a bit mixed on the finish as Savage was a bit protected having had the match won but no ref though it did set up the bell spot. The ending was good as Savage probably could've still won the match but was obsessed with injuring Steamboat that it haunted him as Steele would've likely left him alone if he didn't try it. It also made sense since, sadly, we had one more Savage/Steele match to suffer through on the May SNME. The only real negative wasn't the match but the commentary. I get Savage is Ventura's guy but he got very annoying for half of this match with his complaining. Originally intended to be a long term champion, Steamboat's title reign only lasted 2 1/2 months when he requested time off to be with his pregnant wife which didn't please the WWF. Steamboat would lose the title to the Honky Tonk Man in June and his stock nosedived from there.

Okerlund interviews Jake Roberts & Alice Cooper. Okerlund brings up Honky blasting Roberts with the guitar with Roberts asking Okerlund if he doesn't think Roberts remembers it. Roberts says he doesn't think Jimmy Hart has the man to take care of him in Honky Tonk. He then says he believes Hart planted the seed because Honky doesn't have the guts to take a shot at him. Roberts tells Honky when you take a shot at a man like Roberts that you better make it count but he didn't as he's still walking and all he needs is to get him in the ring and have his way with Honky. Okerlunds says to Alice that he'll be keeping tabs on Jimmy Hart with Alice saying he'll be watching him all the way as this will be his nightmare and this is his hometown and the hometown of Heavy Metal. Typical good Roberts promo. Not as amazing as the Wrestlemania VI or VIII promos but still good.

Okerlund interviews Honky Tonk Man & Jimmy Hart. Okerlund brings up Roberts in the ring and understands Betty Lou is at ringside before Honky corrects him and says Peggy Sue. Honky says 90,000 people out there want to see The Honky Tonk Man sing, dance, and hear the number one hit single in America today which is That's Alright Honky Tonk Mama and they'll get to hear it. He says they won't listen to some nightmare song from Alice Cooper and tells Cooper if he thinks he'll get his hands on the Colonel, he'll never get the chance because The Honky Tonk Man is going to take care of Jake “The Snake”. Honky says he's going to sing and dance for everybody out there that's supported him 100%. Good promo from Honky.

The Honky Tonk Man (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Jake Roberts (w/Alice Cooper)- The feud here was Honky was a guest on Roberts' Snake Pit talk show on the February 22, 1987 Wrestling Challenge which resulted in Roberts mocking Honky and refusing to let him sing. Honky responded by nailing Roberts with his guitar turning Roberts babyface. Nothing against Aretha Franklin but they had Alice Cooper there, why didn't he sing America the Beautiful? Alice on vocals and Kane Roberts on guitar, you can't go wrong. Honky still has "That's Alright, Honky Tonk Mama" as his theme which is a catchy theme. Shame he didn't use it longer then he did as it was better than “Cool, Cocky, and Bad”.

Roberts jumps Honky while Honky is on the apron and snapmares him into the ring. Roberts gets a few jabs which drop Honky. Honky reverses a whip to the ropes but drops his head too early and Roberts comes off the ropes with a knee lift which sends Honky bailing. Roberts follows and jabs some more as Honky tries to get out of his Elvis jumpsuit. Honky gets thrown in the ring but bails out again with Roberts following and Roberts gets a bodyslam. Back in the ring, Roberts knocks Honky in the corner with a punch and whips him to another corner. Roberts charges but Honky gets the knee up and Honky takes over by working over Roberts. Roberts comes back by ducking a punch and hits a short arm clothesline. Roberts signals for the DDT and the fans chant “DDT” but Honky blocks and bails out. Roberts follows and gets a jab. Roberts stalks Hart and Honky tries to sneak up Roberts jabs him again. Honky reverses a whip into the ring post and Roberts falls to the guardrail. Alice helps Roberts up and Roberts tries to get back in the ring but gets kneed off the apron and to the guardrail.

Honky gets Roberts back in, hits a bodyslam, and a second turnbuckle fist drop. Honky works over Roberts. Honky nails an ax handle, whips Roberts to the ropes, and catches him with an elbow. Honky drops another ax handle. Honky attempts Shake, Rattle, and Roll but Roberts back drops Honky off to a pop. Roberts staggers to the corner where Honky hits a shoulder block to the back. Honky does mounted punches in the corner as fans chant “DDT” but Roberts counters with an inverted atomic drop. Roberts works over Honky. Roberts whips Honky to the ropes and catches him with a back body drop. Honky gets trapped between the ropes and Roberts punches him resulting in a rocking chair effect where Roberts gets more punches in. Roberts attempts the DDT but Hart grabs his leg, distracting him long enough for Honky to get a schoolboy and grab the top rope for leverage for the win at 7:04. After the match, Roberts swings Honky's guitar but smashes it on the ring post which scares Honky away leaving Hart alone. Alice and Hart tease a fight but Roberts sneaks in which results in Alice and Roberts taunting Hart with Damien until Honky comes back to get Hart.

Thoughts: ** Decent midcard type match. Nothing special but it was fine. Honky winning makes sense as it gives him credibility which would be important in retrospect given the Steamboat title reign would end early leaving the door open for Honky to get it. Also, I think this feud was supposed to continue with Roberts even winning the IC belt but sadly, Roberts' suffered injuries and pill addictions from the guitar shots he took from Honky on TV resulting in the feud fizzling. The aftermath was a nice way to use Alice and give Roberts some revenge.

Okerlund is introduced to the crowd and announces Wrestlemania III broke the in-door attendance record with 93,173 fans in attendance. Obviously, there's been controversy over the decades regarding the attendance with some like Dave Meltzer insisting it was 78,000. I personally wouldn't be surprised if the attendance was inflated but I don't think by that much. I feel it's probably legit around 83,000 to 85,000.

The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff (w/Slick) vs. The Killer Bees- Volkoff attempts to sing the Soviet National Anthem but "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan runs out to stop him claiming he won't sing it cause this is the land of the free and the home of the brave. Gotta love the double standard, We're in the land of the free yet Volkoff doesn't have the freedom to sing the Soviet Anthem, I love America but still.

The Bees gets jumped and worked on in the corner but reverse irish whips and whip Sheik and Volkoff into the corners. The Bees work over Sheik and Volkoff in opposite corners. The Bees try to whip Sheik and Volkoff into each other but the two grab each for a do-si-do and attempt to counter but get caught by the Bees. Brunzell sends Volkoff out of the ring. Blair blocks a kick from Sheik, hits an atomic drop, and Brunzell catches Sheik hits an ear clap. Duggan encourages a “HO!” chant as Blair and Sheik are left in the ring until Blair tags Brunzell. The Bees double team whips Sheik to the ropes and catch him with a double team elbow. Brunzell gets an arm wringer. Tag to Blair who comes off the second turnbuckle with a bionic elbow on Sheik's arm. We get quick tags as the Bees work over Sheik's arm. Tag to Brunzell with the Bees double team whipping Sheik to the ropes and the Bees catch him with a double team hip toss.

Brunzell gets a scissors stomp to Sheik and tags Blair. Brunzell gets an arm wringer as Blair comes off the ropes with an elbow the arm. Tag to Brunzell as Blair whips Sheik to the ropes, drops down to the canvas, Sheik comes off, jumps over Blair, and Brunzell hits the dropkick on Sheik but Volkoff breaks up the pin and hammers Brunzell. Double team from Volkoff & Sheik and Volkoff comes in for an illegal switch. Fans chant “USA” as Volkoff whips Brunzell to the ropes and catches him with a knee to the stomach. Tag to Sheik who whips Brunzell to the ropes and catches him with an ax handle to the throat and gets 2. Brunzell gets rammed into Volkoff's boot. Tag to Volkoff who whips Brunzell to the ropes, misses a clothesline, but gets caught in a bearhug. but escapes with an ear clap. Tag to Sheik who nails a gutwrench suplex for 2. Suplex gets 2. Sheik whips Brunzell to the ropes but Brunzell comes off the ropes with a jumping knee.

We get a false tag spot as Brunzell tags Blair while the ref was distracted with Volkoff and doesn't allow it. I hate that spot especially when we had the heels do an illegal switch. Sheik and Volkoff double team whip Brunzell to the ropes and catch him with a double team elbow and Brunzell rolls out to the floor. Sheik climbs the second turnbuckle and taunts the crowd. Blair comes in but gets taken out and Sheik gets the camel clutch on Brunzell as he gets back in while Duggan chases Slick around ringside. He then follows Volkoff into the ring only to stop and hit Sheik with the 2x4 to a good pop but for the disqualification at 5:44. After the match, Slick, Sheik, and Volkoff leave while Duggan gets on the mic to trash talk and get a “USA” chant going.

Thoughts: 1/2* Lackluster and forgettable match that was clearly a popcorn match before the main event. Nothing special and they did the one thing that pisses me off in tag matches where Sheik and Volkoff illegally switch while doing a false tag spot with The Bees. The finish was flat too as it felt like they wanted Sheik and Volkoff to win but give the fans something to cheer for so they had Duggan nail Sheik since the fans would like that.

Okerlund interviews Andre the Giant and Bobby Heenan. Andre tells Okerlund you'll see it now and when he goes in the ring, it won't take him too long to come out with the world championship belt around his waist. Heenan says he can feel it and how Andre is going to make him famous as Andre is going to be the heavyweight champion of the world and he'll go down in the history books as the manager of the world champion. He says he's ready and Hogan better be ready. Short but good as Andre shows confidence while Heenan is counting his chickens before they are hatched.

Recap of the Hulk Hogan/Andre the Giant feud

Okerlund interviews Hulk Hogan. Hogan says he hopes all of Pontiac, Michigan recovers and he's glad he snuck in early last night. He says he didn't realize the interstate and the Pontiac Silverdome was in danger and it's not the 90,000+ on the inside but the 90,000+ on the outside that he's worried about. Hogan says when he gets his hands on that nasty giant, when he realizes the truth, and feels the wrath of Hulkamania, the day the Earth will shake. He says he's not worried about the people in the closed circuit or watching around the world because they'll see it. Hogan says but the intensity of Hulkamania, the way it's turned this state upside down and the way it's turned the world upside down, what are they going to think when the giant hits the ground, he feels the wrath of Hulkamania, and the whole world shakes at his feet? Short good promo.

Bob Uecker is introduced as the guest ring announcer and Mary Hart is introduced as the guest timekeeper

WWF Championship: Hulk Hogan (c) vs. Andre the Giant (w/Bobby "The Brain" Heenan)- To say the very least, this is the biggest match in the history of American Wrestling. Even after watching it many times, I feel the excitement. Story here was Hogan and Andre had been friends for years with Andre even being the first to congratulate Hogan when he won the WWF Championship years before only for a series of events to happen. First was Andre was suspended in April 1986 for missing a match which led to The Machines angle with Andre under a mask. However, when the suspension was lifted in November, Heenan was not only ok with it but neither he or Andre would explain what was happening. From there on the January 17, 1987 Superstars of Wrestling, Hogan got a trophy for being the WWF Champion for three years and then the following week on the January 24^th Superstars, Andre got a trophy for “being undefeated for fifteen years” but his trophy was notably smaller and he walked off when Hogan was giving a speech. Finally, on the February 7, 1987 Superstars of Wrestling, Andre with Heenan confronted Hogan on Piper's Pit to challenge him at Wrestlemania III before tearing his shirt and crucifix off thus turning heel. On the February 14^th Superstars of Wrestling, Piper confronted Hogan and asked if Hogan would accept Andre's challenge which he did. The two then met in March on SNME X in a battle royal which saw Andre eliminate Hogan. The intro is great with Andre and Heenan coming to the ring in the carts that were used for this show while Hogan walks to the ring. Don't know why it's looked great.

Staredown to begin and then shoving. Hogan gets some punches and attempts the bodyslam but Andre falls on top for a 2 count. Andre goes to work on Hogan's back. Andre hits a bodyslam. Another bodyslam and Andre walks on Hogan. Crowd is loud and, I believe, chanting for Hogan. Andre whips Hogan into the corner. Another whip into another corner and Andre shoulder blocks Hogan into the corner twice and crushes him with his ass. Andre hits a headbutt but misses a second and hits the turnbuckle to a big pop. Hogan begins to come back with punches and comes off the ropes with a punch. Hogan comes off the ropes with a bionic elbow. Hogan chops Andre in the corner and rams Andre into the turnbuckles as the crowd cheers. Hogan charges in the corner but Andre gets the boot up. Andre takes over with a bearhug. Hogan begins to fade and referee Joey Marella checks the arm but Hogan keeps it up on the third check and fights out to a good pop.

Hogan comes off the ropes with a shoulder blocks that knocks Andre to the ropes. Hogan comes off the ropes with a second that knocks Andre to the ropes. Hogan comes off the ropes a third time but Andre catches him with a chop. Andre whips Hogan to the ropes and boots him out of the ring. Andre follows and tries for a headbutt but hits the post. Hogan removes the mats and attempts a piledriver but Andre back drops out. Back in the ring, Andre whips Hogan into the ropes but misses the boot and Hogan comes off the ropes with a clothesline that knocks Andre down. The crowd's going nuts and Heenan is panicking. Hogan hulks up and then the biggest moment of the match as Hogan gets the bodyslam and comes off the ropes with the leg drop for the win to retain at 12:01 to a huge pop. After the match, Andre rolls out and argues with Hogan before he and Heenan leave. In a great visual, Hogan celebrates in the ring while Andre and Heenan take the cart back with Andre angry and yelling at Hogan while Heenan puts his head down like “what must I do to beat this guy?” or “who do I have to sic on him?”. Hogan eventually finishes celebrating and takes a cart back.

Thoughts: **** Great match and an amazing atmosphere. Your opinion may vary with mine as this has a slow pace and it wasn't a technical masterpiece but it was great in it's own way. The atmosphere is amazing as I've seen this match many times and I still feel the excitement every time. The beginning set the tone perfectly with Hogan attempting a bodyslam too early and it put him behind the eight ball from the get go as well as hurting his back with was a target for Andre to attack. We then got a very good “David vs. Goliath” story with Hogan having to fight the odds while Andre was able to turn the tables with just one move. The finish is legendary and the crowd was hot especially at the end. The only minor complaint was it was a bit slow but to be fair, given Andre's bad back and being past his prime, it's expected.

Monsoon and Ventura wraps things up from the broadcast booth

We finish with stills of Wrestlemania III with Aretha Franklin's "Who Zoomin' Who" playing

Final Thoughts and Verdict
There are very few events that are as magical as Wrestlemania III. The biggest match in American Wrestling history, one of the greatest matches of all time, and an amazing atmosphere. It doesn't matter if you don't like the WWF or 1980s wrestling or the wrestlers involved, anybody who considers themselves a wrestling fan needs to watch Wrestlemania III at least once in their life. Hogan/Andre and Savage/Steamboat would make this a thumbs up alone but you had some other fun stuff as the Harts/Davis/Bulldogs/Santana six man tag was very solid, Piper/Adonis was fun, Hercules/Haynes was good and a huge step up from The Big Event match, and Race/JYD was probably the best JYD match I've ever seen or at least up there. Even some of the midcard stuff was entertaining and other than the popcorn matches, there isn't any medicore or bad matches as everything else is at the decent level at least. Along with the matches, the event also had memorable stuff like the two big matches, the end of The Dream Team, the beginning of Brutus Beefcake's barber gimmick, and Piper's first retirement and last match for two years. The only negatives were The Rougeaus/Dream Team match was decent but could've been better with more time and a better finish. Also, like most of the Wrestlemania's during this time, the event does have a lot of matches. You probably could've trimmed the first six man tag, Koko/Reed, and Sheik/Volkoff/Bees matches. Still, Wrestlemania III has just about everything from legendary matches to legendary moments to a legendary atmosphere. Can't recommended enough.

Highest Recommendation

Wrestlemania III Facts-
First Wrestlemania to be held in a stadium

First Wrestlemania to not have a Tag Team Championship match. It would technically be the last until Wrestlemania 21 in 2005 (though Wrestlemania 12's Tag Title match was on the preshow).

First Wrestlemania to not have a Women's Championship match.

First Wrestlemania to have the wrestlers be carted to the ring. It would happen again at Wrestlemania VI.

First Wrestlemania to have a hair match

First Wrestlemania to have the stipulation of the loser bowing to the winner

Aretha Franklin would once again sing America, the Beautiful 20 years later at Wrestlemania 23 which was also held in Michigan.

First Wrestlemania to feature the Intercontinental Championship change hands.

Last Wrestlemania until Wrestlemania X to feature the WWF Championship successfully defended.

For the second year in a row, Hulk Hogan successfully defended the WWF Championship against a member of The Heenan Family

Roddy Piper wrestled his first retirement match at Wrestlemania III. It was his last match until 1989.

First of two straight Wrestlemanias to feature Bob Uecker

By winning the Intercontinental Championship, Ricky Steamboat won his first and only non NWA/WCW title of his career.

Both Wrestlemania III and Wrestlemania VI featured wrestlers coming to the ring with carts but both events would see two wrestlers walk out with Hogan always being one. In Wrestlemania III, the other was Roddy Piper while Wrestlemania VI was The Ultimate Warrior

Last Wrestlemania not to feature The Ultimate Warrior in any capacity till Wrestlemania IX

First Wrestlemania appearances of Rick Martel and Jim Duggan. Both would appear at every Wrestlemania until Wrestlemania IX