WrestleMania History

Steamboat - Savage rule WrestleMania 3

By JOHN POWELL -- SLAM! Wrestling
WrestleMania. It is the most distinguished event in pro wrestling. Simply put, it is the show of shows. The brainchild of Vince McMahon Jr., the first WrestleMania, broadcast in 1985, expanded the pay-per-view market (along with closed circuit TV) and added a whole new dimension to the industry as a whole. So influential was McMahon's venture that the business of pro-wrestling now is almost entirely built around pay-per-view broadcasts.

If you're like us at SLAM! Wrestling, every year you like to refresh your memory and once again experience those WrestleMania moments that are an essential part of why you remain a devout wrestling fan. You dust off those tapes, DVDs or that Best Of WrestleMania tape you dubbed on your own and distributed to the other members of the office staff, slam them into the player and transport yourself back in time. To help guide you along your journey and celebrate the history of WrestleMania, SLAM! Wrestling will be publishing a WrestleMania review each and every day (Monday to Friday) leading up to the big show. We invite you to come along for the ride and share in your favourite moments too. The events are rated as Poor, Average, Good and Excellent.

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Steamboat - Savage rule WrestleMania 3

History Of WrestleMania

Date: March 29, 1987.
Place: The Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan.

Macho Man and Steamboat put on a legendary match.

A masterwork in every sense of the word. Fourteen years later, a large majority of fans still consider this the best WrestleMania ever produced by the World Wrestling Federation. In large part this is due to the classic match Steamboat and Savage had for the Intercontinental Title. The word "awesome" barely comes close to describing the thrilling, see-saw battle that unfolded. If you recall, this bitter feud started when Steamboat made a play for the Intercontinental title. In a furious Pearl Harbour job, Macho attacked Steamboat as he greeted fans at ringside. Putting his throat over the security rail, Savage dropped a flying elbow on Steamboat's throat sending him to the hospital. Their match at WrestleMania 3 was the pinnacle of a ingeniously scripted feud.

The Macho - Steamboat bout overshadowed a mammoth main event which saw Hulk Hogan (Yep, he's still the champ. Sigh.) go one-on-one with his former best friend, Andre The Giant. With a long-standing grudge against Hogan, Heenan whispered the right words in Andre's ear convincing him to turn on Hogan. Though Hogan and Andre has battled before -- with Hogan as the heel and Andre as the face -- the WWF portrayed it as the two grappling legends had never sparred before. The rivalry didn't end at WrestleMania 3. Hogan and Andre continued mixing it up all the way to WrestleMania 4.

Favourite Moments: The entire Steamboat - Savage match. King Kong Bundy splashes a midget. The Bulldogs take it to Danny Davis. Hercules takes a chain to Billy Jack Haynes' head busting him open. The look and feel of the domed stadium.

Least Favourite Moments: Master technician, Harley Race, battered around by the Junkyard Dog. The slow-paced main event.

Rating: Excellent.

WrestleMania 3 Results

Match	Winner(s)
1. The Can-Am Connection (Rick Martel / Tom Zenk) vs The Magnificent Muraco / Cowboy Bob Orton	The Can-Am Connection.
2. Billy Jack Haynes vs Hercules	Double Countout.
3. Hillbilly Jim / Little Beaver / Haiti Kid vs King Kong Bundy / Little Tokyo / Lord Littlebrook	Hillbilly Jim / Little Beaver / Haiti Kid.
4. King Harley Race vs Junkyard Dog	King Harley Race.
5. The Dream Team (Brutus Beefcake / Greg Valentine) vs The Rougeau Brothers	The Dream Team.
6. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs "Adorable" Adrian Adonis	"Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
7. The Hart Foundation / "Dangerous" Danny Davis vs The British Bulldogs / Tito Santana	The Hart Foundation / "Dangerous" Danny Davis.
8. "The Natural" Butch Reed vs Koko B. Ware	"The Natural" Butch Reed.
9. Randy Machoman Savage vs Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (Intercontinental Title)	Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.
10. The Honky Tonk Man vs Jake "The Snake" Roberts	The Honky Tonk Man.
11. Nikolai Volkoff / The Iron Sheik vs The Killer Bees	Nikolai Volkoff / The Iron Sheik.
12. Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant (World Title)	Hulk Hogan.