Wrestlemania III Review

Most people look back upon the event with fond memories of their childhood as they watched their hero Hulk Hogan defeat the arch enemy, Andre The Giant. Wrestlemania III became iconic and is widely regarded by many as the greatest Wrestlemania event. It's difficult to deny as the storylines, superstars and impressive matches all make a strong argument. Legendary figures also featured in Michigan as the WWF set an all-time indoor attendance record with 93,000 crammed inside the Silverdome to watch third spectacle of McMahon's legendary, Wrestlemania.

The Can-Am Connection vs. “Cowboy” Bob Orton & The Magnificent Muraco (w. Mr. Fuji)

A good tag-team battle to open the contest. Don Muraco and Rick Martel opened the contest and set the crowd in motion brilliantly. A tight wrestling match soon followed with momentum swinging back and forth with the crowd in awe of what was going on. The Can-Am's teamwork was apparent with  quick tags and swiftly swapping partners. The crowd were also responding to the actions of Mr. Fuji who was ring-side during the match. A drop-kick to kick Orton over the top rope forced Muraco in the ring on his own. This resulted in a great tag-team display with a cross-body the finisher to the contest to give the Can-Am Connection the victory. 

Match Rating: 6/10

Billy Jack Haynes vs. Hercules (w. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan)

Typical Herucles match - far from exciting but all power. Well fortunately I am a lover of the powerhouse matches and this was certainly one. A bigger improvement on Wrestlemania II's match with "The Dragon", Hercules dominated the match with Heenan in his corner. His in-famous full nelson manouvre looked enough to defeat Billy Jack but under the crowd's chanting he managed to break out o Hercules' signature move. Momentum changed an atomic drop gave him the advantage and the tide was quickly turning. He managed to get Hernandez into a full nelson with the contest going ring-side before referee, Dave Hebner, counted both men out. Afterwards Hercules hit Billy Jack with his chain after being led to trouble by "The Brain". Not the most thrilling of contests but like-able.

Match Rating: 4.5/10

Little Tokyo, Lord Littlebrooke, & King Kong Bundy vs. Little Beaver, The Haiti Kid, & Hillbilly Jim

Awful, awful, awful. As one of Bundy's biggest fans it was horrendous to see him go from Main Event status to this within a year. He got disqualified for losing his temper and was attacked by his own team-mates. That is simply all to report from this match. Brutal. 

Match Rating: 1.5/10

Kings Crown Match: “King” Harley Race (w. The Fabulous Moolah & Bobby “The Brain” Heenan) vs. The Junkyard Dog

The loser of the match must kneel and bow before the victor. A sneak attack to begin with from Race following "The Weasel's" help in distracting the JYD. Despite the fast start from Race it was in-fact the JYD who gained momentum first and looked set for victory however this is Wrestlemania! A distraction from Heenan once again gave Race the advantage as he gathered the JYD in for a belly-to-belly suplex which  allowed Race to get the victory in what Gorilla Monsoon described as a 'Pearl Harbour Job'. It would be the JYD who would get the last word as he nailed Race with a chair when he was supposed to kneel instead.

Match Rating: 6/10

The Rougeau Brothers vs. The Dream Team (w. “Luscious” Johnny Valiant & Dino Bravo)

I have and never enjoyed either of these tag-teams, any of these wrestlers in particular let alone when they all came together. The whole concept was to set Beefcake up as a face and it done so just perfectly. A fore-arm smash allowed Valentine to get the pin over the Rougeau brothers but the domination came prodominately from the Canadians. An Okay match at best but definitely more of a card filler than a seat-filler. 

Match Rating: 5/10

Hair vs. Hair: “Adorable” Adrian Adonis (w. “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart) vs. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper

In the lead-up to the match-up it was billed as Roddy Piper's retirement match despite wrestling in WCW more than a decade later but anyway. The loser of the match would lose their hair much to their embarrassment. Adrian had attacked Piper in Piper's Pit after a confronted with  manager Jimmy Hart. Straight away Rowdy went for Hart before the adorable one gained the advantage. The crowd were loud and hot during the tie all adding to the entertainment. However a sleeper from Piper gave him the victory much to the crowd's approval. Beefcake soon came out with the sheers to help Piper cut Adrian's hair whilst the crowd went nuts.

Match Rating: 6/10

The Hart Foundation & Danny Davis (w. “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart) vs. The British Bulldogs & Tito Santana

Yeah it was okay, but it was the end of the match which is the most memorable part for me. You have the  Hart's and British Bulldogs in the ring with all four men on the verge of bursting onto the scene and pushing up the card. For me the Bulldogs were the more impressive of the two teams along with Tito Santana who was involved in the first ever Wrestlemania match. A great wrestling match with the crowd split down the middle as all six men involved gained a lot of admirers in the months leading up. The match ended when Davey-Boy drilled Danny Davis with a running power-slam to get the victor.

Match Rating: 7/10

”The Natural” Butch Reed (w. Slick) vs. Koko B. Ware

I enjoy gimmick acts like this as they do split the crowd from intense wrestling to a non-serious element of wrestling. They make Wrestlemania just as much as your main events and jobber matches for me and this is exactly what this was. Koko B.Ware with his famous bird-man tricks had gained a lot of fans but it would be Reed that would sneak the victory by grabbing of the tights. A three-minute match that filled a card but  proved to be a memorable one for me. 

Match Rating: 5/10

WWF Intercontinental Champion-Randy “Macho Man” Savage © (w. Miss Elizabeth) vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat (w. George “The Animal” Steele)

I don't think many would disagree that this match was the greatest match in Wrestlemania history. With Hulk and Andre expected to steal the limelight it was ultimately Steamboat and Savage that stole the show. From the start of the match to the end it was non-stop high speed wrestling action by two of the biggest and best guys in the industry, then and forever. Finishing moves, top rope action, intense story-line, title changes. Savage and Steamboat had the match of the 80's that night and their legacy is fondly remembered for the events that took place in Michigan. It's difficult to describe the match as it's a must see for any wrestling fan.

Match Rating: 9.5/10

Jake “The Snake” Roberts (w. Alice Cooper) vs. The Honky Tonk Man (w. “Colonel” Jimmy Hart)

The celebrity aspect of the PPV was starting to dwindle at this stage however random appearances still took show when Alice Cooper was in the corner of Jake "The Snake" when he took on the Honky Tonk Man. Despite the fan admiration for Roberts, it was Honky that gained the win in typical Honky fashion with a bundle of tights and a roll up after a distraction by Jimmy Hart. However afterwards this led to Damien and Jimmy Hart getting close and personal after Honky escaped punishment. Good match and very enjoyable. 

Match Rating: 6.5/10

Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik (w. Slick) vs. The Killer Bees

Rubbish ending to a decent match. Volkoff and Sheik pick up  a victory when outside interference caused The Bees to be disqualified. Personally I couldn't stand The Bees and remind me of everything bad about wrestling in the 1980s. Volkoff and Sheik had received a large amount of heat when Cold War tensions were still high. Average at best.

Match Rating: 5/10

WWF Championship: Andre The Giant (w. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan) vs. Hulk Hogan 

The biggest main-event in Wrestling history let alone Wrestlemania. It was the 'irresistible force meeting the immovable object' as famously described by Gorilla Monsoon. Andre was ultimately passing the torch to Hogan who was now almost bigger than wrestling itself and was now a main-stream figure. His personality and Andre's legacy classed when the giant came under the guidance of the Heenan family and challenged Hulk to a battle at 'Mania. It was certainly not a great wrestling spectacle but then again with Andre and Hulk you don't expect a classic in-ring but their persona's bring them through the  match. As Hogan was gaining momentum, he stunned everyone by body-slamming the Giant before dropping the leg-drop to pick up the win. Andre was billed as undefeated prior to the event whilst Hulk had felt betrayed by his friend turning heel on him. Nonetheless, the match helped establish Wrestlemania as the Super Bowl of wrestling and whilst some of the matches weren't great on this card, it still holds it's place as one of the greatest wrestling events of all-time. It was also the last Wrestlemania Hogan would successfully defend the WWF title.

Match Rating: 9.5/10

PPV Rating: 60%