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WWE WrestleMania III (Revisited)- March 29, 1987

by Scrooge McSuck

Just like I've done with WrestleMania The 1st and WrestleMania 2, a deep-dive into the WWF in the weeks/months leading up to their super-show means it's time for one last re-visit, a show that was covered here so long ago, I'm embarrassed to even read some of the dumb stuff I probably wrote (like saying Steamboat/Savage is overrated. That feels like a mid-2000's thing for me to say). We have plenty of versions to choose from, but we're going with the original Pay-Per-View broadcast, that way I can enjoy all the licensed music.

Presented LIVE on Pay-Per-View (and closed circuit locations) on Sunday, March 29th, 1987 from the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, MI with an announced crowd of 93,173 (a number that has been disputed for years by people with no lives. At this point, believe the number you want to believe, or be a normal person and not give a second thought). Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse "The Body" Ventura are calling all the action, unless otherwise noted.

Vince McMahon welcomes everyone to WrestleMania III and throws it to Aretha Franklin, who performs "America the Beautiful." I don't know the sources, but the word at the time was that Franklin was difficult to work with (and for whatever reason was running late and didn't arrive early enough to do a test run with the equipment), so they went out of their way to bury her on commentary on WWF programming in the weeks that followed this show. Still a heck of a performance, though I'll always stick with Ray Charles at WrestleMania 2 as my favorite.

The Can-Am Connection vs. The Magnificent Muraco & "Cowboy" Bob Orton (w/ Mr. Fuji):

Muraco gets the honors of opening back-to-back WrestleMania's, and Bob Orton actually gets to be an official participant of a match instead of being Roddy Piper's second at ringside. The Can-Am Connection, Rick Martel and Tom Zenk, debuted towards the end of 1986 and are clearly being groomed to be the next big babyface challengers to the Tag Team Titles, while Muraco and Orton have quickly lost momentum after being plugged into Adrian Adonis' spot as Piper's house show opponent and bombing at the gate, resulting in Vince and company crawling back to Adonis (who was terminated in mid-late September) at the request of Piper to salvage the program.

Martel and Muraco lockup and Muraco clearly has the strength advantage. Martel with a side headlock and shoulder block. Muraco with knees to the midsection and a whip to the corner, but Martel avoids the charge and takes Muraco down with a body-scissors. The Can-Ams with a double monkey flip to Muraco, and Orton runs into a double hip toss. Zenk catches Orton off the ropes with a slam and goes to work on the arm. Orton escapes with a knee to the midsection, but can't hold on with a full nelson. We get heel miscommunication but Orton is able to kick out at two. The Can-Ams continue working the arm, cutting the ring in half. Muraco manages to reach in for the tag and a shot from the apron finally has the Can-Ams in trouble. Swinging neck breaker from Muraco and Orton drops a forearm from the middle rope for a two-count. Crisscross sequence and they smack heads for a double-down. Martel with the hot tag, running wild on Muraco with a flurry of strikes. Muraco takes the big bump over the top rope as heck breaks loose with all four men in the ring. Orton is sent to the floor and Muraco gets tripped up on a cross body press, allowing the Can-Ams to get the three-count at 5:38. Rushed match without much of a heat segment on the babyfaces, but it was all action and the crowd was hot for it. **½

Billy Jack Haynes vs. Hercules (w/ Bobby Heenan):

It's the "Battle of the Full Nelson!" These two probably crossed paths on WWF TV the most considering neither were title holders or one of the top feuds at the time. We get a quick recap of their rivalry, where Hercules called out Billy Jack and put a beating on him in predictable fashion. These two ended up working together a bunch in 1987, and split the matches pretty evenly, possibly leaning a little bit in favor of Hercules.

They seem heated before the bell, butting heads like two coked up mutants. Lockup into the ropes and Hercules throws a knee as Hebner tries to get between them. Whip across the ring, Hercules misses an elbow and Haynes sends him crashing to the canvas with a press slam. Haynes goes for the Full Nelson, but Hercules dives into the ropes for safety. Haynes continues to unload on Hercules with chops and right hands. Whip to the corner and Hercules pops out with a clothesline. STRONG STYLE! Whip to the ropes and Hercules with a back body-drop. Haynes is repeatedly sent into the corner and Hercules follows with a suplex. He opts to pull up Haynes for the sake of putting him away with the Full Nelson. Haynes teases a comeback, but the back gives out. More punishment for the back, with Hercules hitting a back breaker and press slam of his own. He has the Full Nelson applied, BUT THE FINGERS AREN'T LOCKED. Haynes escapes the hold and we get a clothesline double-down. Haynes' comeback is for real this time, slowing down Hercules with an inverted atomic drop and a pair of clotheslines. Haynes has the Full Nelson on, but Hercules uses the ropes to pull them both out of the ring. They continue fighting on the floor, and it's a Double Count-Out at 7:53. Post-match, the action continues, with Hercules blasting Haynes with the chain, busting him open in the process, and putting him down with the Full Nelson. This was OK, but the crowd didn't seem too into the heat segment, and we had our first lame finish of the night. **

Hillbilly Jim, Little Beaver, and The Haiti Kid vs. King Kong Bundy, Lord Littlebrook, and Little Tokyo:

King Kong Bundy went from working opposite Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 2 to one of the least important matches of WrestleMania III, with the unique gimmick saving it from being the very bottom. Hillbilly Jim feels like a prelim stand-by guy once the family fizzled out, and even then, the broken leg he suffered that put them in a position to introduce Uncle Elmer and the Cousins permanently derailed his momentum as anything more than a special attraction to pad the card. There's no TV angle to explain this, just a match that was announced and hyped with a few pre-tapes. I never really looked much into the careers of the little people, but Lord Littlebrook is pushing 60 and Little Beaver is a spry 53. Based on a quick search, looks like the Haiti Kid (still rocking the Mr. T haircut forced on him from Piper and Orton to hype up Mania 2) is the lone little person still with us in 2025.

Bob Uecker has joined Gorilla and Ventura on commentary. Jim and Bundy can only mix it up with each other, and not with the little guys. Haiti takes down Tokyo to start. Tokyo with a side headlock and it quickly turns into a little comedy sequence with all the little guys running the ropes and the babyface side of things doing the row-boat routine. Tokyo blasts Beaver in the bread basket and gets smacked in retaliation. Beaver gets caught in the corner and pops Bundy in the boiler. Bundy tags in, looking for some revenge. Beaver throws a dropkick and quickly scurries to his corner, bringing in big Jim. Bundy unloads with rights, but Jim ducks a clothesline and hits his own. Jim drops an elbow and a dog pile is only good enough for a two-count. Beaver continues to poke the bear, smacking Bundy with his shoe. Bundy catches Beaver trying more shenanigans, plants him with a slam and drops an elbow for the Disqualification at 4:24. Post-match, Bundy measures up for more, but the other little guys pull him to safety, and Jim carries Beaver from the ring like he's a small child he fell asleep at the park. A match made for the sake of the one spot at the end. It was a short showcase of some little people comedy and that's pretty much it. ½*

The Junkyard Dog vs. "The King" Harley Race (w/ Bobby Heenan and Fabulous Moolah):

Another match with a little recap to explain the history, which boils down to Race demanding JYD show him respect as the King, and JYD refusing because he bows down to nobody (except the good lord, of course). Rumors at the same suggested Samantha Fox was intended for the spot with Harley Race, so THE FABULOUS MOOLAH ending up on the show instead is quite the reach. Even as someone who watched all the TV in the first quarter of 1987, I don't think I've seen Moolah ONCE, but here she is, like she's part of Race's presentation all along.

We're informed the loser must bow to the winner, and also, Bob Uecker geeks out for Moolah and dips off. I'm shocked someone (likely Uecker) remembered that for WrestleMania IV. Lockup into the ropes, JYD blocks a cheap shot and fires back. Heenan picks the ankle, bringing the Dog to the floor for a quick game of chase the Weasel. Back inside, JYD regains control, but is quickly dumped out of the ring. Race misses a headbutt from the apron to the floor, quite a high spot for a man his age and for 1987. Back inside, JYD jams Race up between his knees and Race takes a backwards tumble over the ropes. Hey, former enhancement talent Jack Kruger is working as a referee! JYD brings Race back in the ring and slaps on an abdominal stretch. Race counters and drops a headbutt, hurting himself more with that move. Whip to the corner, and Race takes his signature bump to the floor. Heenan with another distraction, allowing Race to hit the belly-to-belly suplex for three at 3:22. Nice of JYD to kick out at 2.99. JYD honors the stipulations and clears Race out of the ring to get his heat back. This was meant to be JYD's last match, but a bunch of injuries and drug-related suspensions forced Vince to bring him back later in the Spring to add some star power to the house show lineups. This was Race doing all his signature stuff and JYD being JYD, where a broomstick could probably put out the same quality performance. *

The Rougeau Brothers vs. The Dream Team (w/ Johnny Valiant & Dino Bravo):

While there's not much of a reason for this match directly, there has been some teased tension between not just the Rougeau Brothers and Dino Bravo, but some issues between Brutus Beefcake and the rest of his squad, dating back to when he had his hair cut "accidentally" but Adrian Adonis during a Six-Man Tag on Superstars. I want to say Bravo is debuting his bleach-blonde look at this show, but the memory is already slipping.

Raymond and Beefcake start. Brutus goes for the arm, but Raymond flips over the back and connects with an atomic drop. Whip to the ropes and the Rougeaus with a double dropkick. Valentine gets caught by surprise with a body press from Raymond for two. Whip to the ropes and Jacques with a diving back elbow for two. Double reversal into the corner and Jacques misses a twisting body press. Valentine drops a pair of elbows and plants Jacques with a slam. Beefcake with a press slam into a knee drop as Bobby Heenan jumps in on commentary, hyping up the success of his men tonight. Meanwhile, Valentine has the Figure-Four applied, but Jacques gets to the ropes to force the break. Jacques counters a piledriver attempt and gets to his corner, bringing in Raymond. He runs wild on Valentine and slaps on a sleeper. Beefcake accidentally smacks his partner trying to make the save. Rougeau Bomb connects, but Bravo sneaks in to drop a forearm across the chest of Raymond and puts Valentine on top for three at 4:06. Post-match, Valentine, Bravo and Valiant leave together, waving off Beefcake as the relationship is finally broken. Another "this was fine for what it was" matches, really short and to the point. **

Hair vs. Hair Match: "Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs. "Adorable" Adrian Adonis (w/ Jimmy Hart):

With Roddy Piper having announced this to be his "retirement" from professional wrestling, and with the stakes involved, it only makes sense for this to be the pre-intermission Main Event spot. When Piper took time off from the WWF following WrestleMania 2 (to film "Body Slam" IIRC), Adrian Adonis' Flower Shop took the slot previously occupied by Piper's Pit, and eventually recruited former Piper ally Bob Orton as his personal muscle. When Piper returned, looking to reclaim his show, Adonis wasn't willingly going to give that up, and along with Muraco, put a whooping on Piper. In response to the assault, Piper destroyed the set of the Flower Shop and took out Adonis, who was terminated from the company and replaced on the houses with Muraco or Orton, which failed so spectacularly that Adonis was brought back in about a month later to salvage things. Adonis promised Piper a going away present for his Hollywood career, a bald head, leading to it becoming an official stipulation. We're either having a bald Scot or Humpty Dumpty.

Piper is only 1 of 2 men to walk to the ring while everyone else uses the ring carts (he kayfabed for years that his cart malfunctioned and he chose to walk, which I find unbelievably unnecessary, him walking out made him stand out, with or without the story). It's a slugfest to start. Piper has his belt tucked into the back of his trunks and lashes Adonis across the back. Hart with a distraction, allowing Adonis to gain possession of the belt and return fire. Piper reverses a whip to the corner, sending Adonis out of the ring. Adonis and Hart both get pulled into the ring and it's time for a DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER. Piper tosses Hart into Adonis and both men tumble over the top rope. Jimmy continues getting involved, being launched off the top rope. Hart picks the ankle of Piper, allowing Adonis to take over. Whip to the ropes and he clobbers Piper with a clothesline. Piper goes to the eyes but Adonis shrugs it off and knocks Piper to the floor. Hart blinds Piper with the perfume and Adonis hooks Goodnight Irene. He gives up the hold and prematurely celebrates. Meanwhile, BRUTUS BEEFCAKE runs out to help revive Piper. Adonis accidentally smacks himself in the face with the clippers and Piper hooks his sleeper to a monstrous pop, putting Adonis to sleep for the victory at 6:56. As promised, Adonis gets his hair cut then flips out when he sees the results, and we get the memorable moment of a fan jumping in the ring to give Piper a hug before security takes care of him. A great payoff to their feud and your perfect smoke and mirrors match that relies more on schtick and shenanigans. Piper would not return to the WWF until WrestleMania V, and would not resume his in-ring career for the company until that Fall. Adonis and Beefcake was the intended feud to come out of WrestleMania III, but Adonis' tenure with the company was already on borrowed time. ***½

The British Bulldogs & Tito Santana vs. The Hart Foundation & "Dangerous" Danny Davis (w/ Jimmy Hart):

Thank goodness for intermission with Jimmy Hart at ringside for back-to-back high-profile matches. The Hart Foundation are the reigning Tag Team Champions, having won them from the Bulldogs thanks to the crooked chicanery of Danny Davis (and Dynamite Kid's career-threatening injury that has kept him out of the ring for all but one match since mid-December 1986). Lost in history is the fact that Davis was trouble for a ton of babyfaces, and Tito Santana's loss of the Intercontinental Title more than a year earlier conveniently featured Davis as the referee. Jesse Ventura is in the ring for his random introduction while Gorilla Monsoon is joined by Mary Hart and Bob Uecker in the broadcast booth.

Matilda goes after Jimmy Hart while the Bulldogs and Tito waste no time in bringing the fight to the Foundation and Davis. Tito drops Bret face-first to the canvas as we see Ventura is carted away from the ring with Matilda. Huh. Random. Davey Boy avoids a cheap shot from the apron and nails the Foundation with a DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER. Dynamite gets a headbutt and immediately tags out to Santana. He gets caught on the wrong side of the ring but slips free and brings Davey back in. He unloads on Neidhart and takes him over with a back body-drop. Bret with a distraction to help out the Anvil, but they can't string anything together. Dynamite sends Bret chest-first into the turnbuckle, lays him out with a clothesline and drops a headbutt. Neidhart with a shot from behind, allowing Bret to take control. Dynamite teases a snap suplex but gets whacked across the back. If you couldn't tell Dynamite wasn't ready, he takes a very careful decapitation elbow and it's all punch/kick. Davis tags in, gets in a few blows, and tags out. Dynamite takes a flat back bump to set up Davis meeting the knees on a splash attempt. Tito in, unloading on Davis to get the crowd in a frenzy. Whip to the ropes and BAAAAAAACK body-drop, followed by the flying forearm. Tito goes for the Figure-Four, but Neidhart saves. Davey Boy with a running clothesline and murders him with a jumping Tombstone piledriver. He scoops Davis off the canvas and connects with the delayed suplex and running powerslam. Heck breaks loose, Davey gets smacked with the mega phone, and Davis covers for three at 8:52. I'm sure there's always been some hubbub over that finish, but they were setting Davis up to be a house show attraction based on this, and the story was more about the wronged getting revenge, so they didn't NEED to win... I think they could have handled the finish better, however. Davis getting MDK'ed and then just popping up and knocking out Davey with the mega phone didn't have proper time to breathe. **¾

Koko B. Ware vs. "The Natural" Butch Reed (w/ Slick):

Not the ideal spot to be when we know what match is following, but WWE has always been about those cool-down matches, and this is the most cool-down match left on the lineup. I was surprised to see these two getting some TV time on syndication to explain this match, but we've already moved on to setting up Santana vs Reed for the Post-Mania house show run. Koko is still using Morris Day's "The Bird" for entrance music. Ventura gets two Buckwheat jokes in before the bell rings. Lockup to the ropes and Reed whiffs with a right hand. Reed complains about some hair-pulling as we discuss all the taped hands we've seen tonight. Koko can't get the roll-up but a dropkick sends Reed to the floor. Whip to the ropes and Reed clubs Koko across the back of the head as he sets for a back body-drop. Koko reverses a whip to the corner and takes Reed over with a hip toss. Koko with a series of jabs and a dropkick for two. Small package for two. Reed rolls through a body press and hooks the tights to secure the three-count at 3:40. Post-match, Koko wants to get going and Slick whacks him with his cane. Here comes Tito Santana to save, tearing away at Slick's gear, which I bet was a rib considering he needed to come out for another match. Not much here, just too short to mean anything, and Reed seemed especially lazy. *

WWF Intercontinental Championship Match:
"Macho Man" Randy Savage (c) (w/ Elizabeth) vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (w/ George "The Animal" Steele):

We get a decent recap of this rivalry, which started back in November of 1986 when Savage injured Steamboat's throat by smashing it over the guardrail and with the ring bell, putting him out of action for about two-months. Steamboat has a permanent thorn in the side of Savage, George Steele, in his corner, which seems like stacking the odds against the Champion, but we'll let it slide, since we're probably telling the story that Savage's antics will be kept in check and this will be a fair one-on-one match. The only thing better than getting to watch this match again is watching it with Steamboat coming out to The Alan Parsons Project's "Sirius" and not that garbage in-house replacement music they started using in 2004.

Lockup, Savage grabs a waist-lock and Steamboat quickly throws him off, sending him to the floor to think things over. Steamboat with a pair of his signature arm drags and a double choke-lift, holding Savage up for a long count from Hebner. Savage leads Steamboat on a chase around the ring and gets the jump as he re-enters the ring. Gorilla Monsoon puts Savage over as hard as a babyface can put over a heel in 1987 for his run as Intercontinental Champion. Macho misses an elbow into the corner and Steamboat starts going to work on the arm. Whip to the ropes, Savage with an elbow on the chin before tossing Steamboat over the top rope. Savage drives an elbow across the throat, keeping Steamboat on the outside of the ring. Steamboat is brought back in with a snap mare and Savage drops a knee across the chest for a two-count. Steamboat blocks being sent to the turnbuckle and unloads with rights, trapping Savage in the ropes. He ignores the referee's count, continuing to dish it out until Savage cuts him off with a boot to the midsection. Double reversal and Steamboat with a cross body press for two. Steamboat with a pair of shoulder blocks for two counts. Savage avoids it a third time and drives a knee into the back. Steamboat gets knocked over the ropes and a high knee sends him crashing over the guardrail. George Steele comes over to help him, which Ventura rightfully points out is bullsh*t.

Savage quickly dumps Steamboat over the top rope again and follows him out with a double axe-handle. Back inside and Savage with another axe-handle, followed by a running elbow for two. Savage with near falls hanging Steamboat up across the top rope and an atomic drop. Steamboat throws some chops but Savage rakes the eyes and takes him over with a gut-wrench suplex for two. Steamboat flips out of another atomic drop attempt and sends Savage flying over the top rope. Back inside, Steamboat leaps over the referee, hitting Savage across the top of the head with a chop for a 2.99. Whip to the ropes and a double chop for two as the crowd is roaring with excitement. Savage escapes to the apron and Steamboat gives chase again, getting back in the ring with a sunset flip for two. Savage misses a wild right hand and gets rolled up for two. Steamboat sweeps the legs and rolls over with a bridge for two. Small package for two. Ventura: "This is the greatest match I have ever seen!"

Savage kisses the post on a slingshot and Steamboat rolls him up for two. Savage takes a swipe at the referee as we get more near-falls. Savage with a handful of tights, throwing Steamboat shoulder-first into the post. Another double reversal on an Irish whip wipes out the referee. Savage takes out Steamboat with his signature clothesline and comes off the top with the flying elbow, but there's no referee to count the pin. Savage fetches the ring bell, but Steele rips it out of his hands. Savage with a kick to the back of the head of the Animal, regaining possession of the bell. Steele returned to his feet, shoving Savage off the top rope (with Monsoon implying that Savage's head made contact with the bell on impact). Savage scoops Steamboat up for a slam but Steamboat counters with a small package for the three-count to win the Intercontinental Championship at 14:48. Just a masterpiece of professional wrestling that had a full stadium of fans on the edge of their seat with every near-fall, Steamboat tapping into his p*ssed-off babyface formula, Savage trying to use every trick he knew to escape defeat, and even George Steele paying off his year-plus of frustration by preventing Savage from trying to re-injure Steamboat and helping put an end to his reign as Champion. *****

Jake "The Snake" Roberts (w/ Alice Cooper) vs. The Honkytonk Man (w/ Jimmy Hart):

Believe it or not, this was the LAST match announced for WrestleMania III, as Jake's babyface turn was completed with Honky's assault of him on the set of the Snake Pit (the infamous attack where the gimmicked guitar didn't seem to be gimmicked at all, and Roberts was legit messed up by it). Why is Alice Cooper with Jake Roberts? Well... uh.. he answered the phone? (Editor's Note: Cooper was sorta' promoting his latest album, "Constrictor", which featured him wrapped up by a big snake. So "Two Dudes Who Like Snakes" would be the common denominator)

Jake attacks Honky before the bell, throwing him into the ring and unloading with jabs. Whip to the ropes and Jake sends Honky out of the ring with a knee lift. Poor Honky is still in his jumpsuit as Roberts continues dishing out the punishment. Honky tries to get some distance but Roberts stays on him, planting him at ringside with a slam. Back inside, Roberts meets a knee in the corner to turn things to Honky's favor. Jake catches Honky off guard with the short-clothesline, but Honky is able to powder to avoid the DDT. Jake brings the fight to the floor again and is sent to the post for his troubles. Honky plants Jake with a slam and comes off the middle rope with a fist drop. Honky sets up for the Shake Rattle ‘n' Roll, but Roberts counters with a back body-drop. Roberts throws his signature left jabs and a right hook, putting Honky in position to beg for mercy. Whip and Roberts with a back body-drop. Jake signals for the DDT but Jimmy picks the ankle to get him to let go. Honky takes advantage of the distraction, rolling Roberts up and hooking the ropes to secure the three-count at 7:04. Post-match, Jimmy Hart isn't able to escape the wrath of Roberts and Cooper and gets the Damian treatment. They were putting in the effort, though watching Honky on offense for too long is never recommended. **½

"Mean" Gene Okerlund announces the new attendance record of 93,173.

The Killer Bees (w/ "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan) vs. The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff (w/ Slick):

There's nothing to the match on paper, but Jim Duggan was given a lot of time on Superstars to establish his character, playing opposite Sheik and Volkoff, so his involvement in this match, even as just an outside guy, makes it mean more than some other matches on the card because you can tell they have some plans for the guy. You could argue that the Bees are the lowliest geeks involved on this show, and I say that knowing we watched Little Beaver and the Haiti Kid earlier on the card.

Poor Slick comes out in his torn up gear. As expected, Duggan refuses to let Volkoff sing that awful communist Soviet Anthem, and vows to prevent him from ever singing it again. Sheik and Volkoff attack from behind, but the Bees turn it around, sending the former Champions into the corner and unloading with right hands. Blair with an atomic drop and Sheik has his bell rung by Brunzell. Whip to the ropes and a double elbow from the Bees, followed by a double hip toss. Brunzell with his signature dropkick but Volkoff saves and really puts the boots to the guy. Our Foreign Fanatics take turns beating up on Brunzell. Sheik with a gut-wrench suplex for a two-count. Whip and Brunzell nails Sheik on the chin with a high knee. The referee misses the tag to Blair. Sheik with the Camel Clutch but Duggan runs into the ring and whacks Sheik with the 2x4, triggering the Disqualification at 5:42. This felt like a match that belonged on Superstars, considering that finish. *½

WWF Championship Match:
Hulk Hogan (c) vs. Andre The Giant (w/ Bobby Heenan):

The Main Event and quite possibly the biggest attraction for professional wrestling. To give a deep rewind on how we got here, we go back to the Spring of 1986 when Andre was indefinitely suspended for missing a scheduled match against the Heenan Family, which begat the whole Machines gimmick that was dropped like a bad habit in the Fall. Andre's suspension was lifted at the end of the year, with people questioning why Bobby Heenan was present at the hearing. There seemed to be animosity between Andre and Hogan as they were both celebrated on Piper's Pit for their accomplishments; Hogan reigning as WWF Champion for three-years, and Andre being undefeated for 15-years (and Andre's trophy was considerably smaller). Tension reached a fever pitch when Jesse Ventura delivered Andre with Bobby Heenan by his side and Andre laid down the challenge for the title at WrestleMania III, sealing that challenge by ripping the shirt and cross off the chest of Hogan and leaving him in a bewildered state of disbelief. It's safe to say that, in kayfabe, no one was giving Hogan a chance, and a new belt that would fit around the waist of Andre was made weeks ahead of the event.

Bob Uecker does the guest ring introductions and Mary Hart is ringside to ring the bell. Jesse Ventura gives us the tale of the tape during the entrances and Andre is pelted with trash as the cart slowly approaches the ring. Heenan appears to be wearing his finest tuxedo for the occasion. We get the epic face-to-face as the flashbulbs go crazy. Hogan is getting himself psyched up immediately and unloads with right hands. Hogan goes for a slam, but Andre comes crashing down on him for a very close two-count. From referee Joey Marella's vantage point, I don't know how he saw Hogan's shoulder come off the canvas.

Andre methodically punishes the back and slams the Hulkster with ease. He shows zero respect for the Champion, casually stepping across the back and challenging him to get up. Hogan slips out of the corner as Andre rams his own head into the turnbuckle. Hulk tags the Giant with right hands and repeatedly rams him into the buckle, but the comeback is cut short as he meets a boot attempting to charge into the corner with a clothesline. Andre slows things down with a bearhug, and we stay in the hold for quite a while. The arm drops twice, but Hogan hangs on and lands a series of short rights to break the hold, with Hogan selling his hand to put over how much of a tank Andre is. Andre regains control with a big chop and boot, knocking Hogan to the floor. Andre winds up for a headbutt and hits the post. Hogan, for whatever dumb reason, attempts a PILEDRIVER on the concrete, and that goes poorly. Back in the ring, Hogan avoids a boot and knocks the Giant off his feet with a clothesline! The crowd goes wild as Hogan gets himself fired up. We get the money shot of Hogan slamming the Giant, and the leg drop puts an end to Andre's bid for the Championship at 12:02. Considering Andre's physical state, it's a minor miracle they were able to have much of a match to begin with, and you can see in the final few minutes that Andre's body was working against him. Still a hell of a story and one of the most memorable matches in the history of professional wrestling. ***

Final Thoughts: WrestleMania III has always been considered a top-tier WrestleMania, and it's hard to disagree with that. No, the card isn't filled with 5-star bangers, but we have quite possibly the most important Main Event and one of the greatest wrestling matches of all-time, as well as paying off some major storylines. Like a lot of the early WrestleMania's, there's definitely filler here worth skipping, but the bad matches are kept reasonably short, and watching the show straight through never feels dull, making it one of the easiest shows to give a strong recommendation.

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