WWE WrestleMania III (1987)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Fresh and Exciting

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

For the first two Wrestlemania events, as well as the first half of this third production, the concept of Wrestlemania was very hit-and-miss (with probably more misses than hits, to be perfectly honest). However, once Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and "Macho Man" Randy Savage wage an epic battle for the Intercontinental Title, the formula really clicks into place.What really changes in Wrestlemania III is that the drama of the whole spectacle is finally allowed to be played out. Whereas other previous wrestling events relied too heavily on celebrity gimmicks or outrageous personalities, the halfway point of Wrestlemania III suddenly proves that the combination of athletic wrestling, fun characters, and dramatic backstories can carry each and every event (not just the main events).After Dragon/Macho, Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs. Honkytonk Man is another fun match, while of course the main Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant finale is one of the most revered matches in WWF history if only for the kind of buzz it generated for the business.A lot of credit also has to go to the amazing broadcast team of Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse "The Body" Ventura, who inject great humor (from an adult perspective) into the proceedings with their satire of each and every match. No announcing pairing every topped these two.So, although Wrestlemania III is just an "okay" event when looked at from beginning to end (hence the three-star rating), it marks the turning point for WWF pay-per-views...the event where they finally start to figure out the winning formula for creating blockbuster wrestling events.

March 29th 1987 - Pontiac, Michigan, Pontiac SilverdomeMatch #1 Rick Martel & Tom Zenk Vs "Magnificent" Don Muraco & "Cowboy" Bob Orton Winner: Martel & Zenk By PinfallMatch #2 Hercules Vs Billy Jack Haynes Winner: Haynes By CountoutMatch #3 Hillbilly Jim & Haiti Kid & Little Beaver Vs King Kong Bundy & Lord Littlebrook & Little Tokyo Winner: Jim, Kid & Beaver By DQMatch #4 Junk Yard Dog Vs "King" Harley Race Winner: Race By PinfallMatch #5 Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake Vs Raymond & Jacques Rougeau Winner: Valentine & Beefcake By PinfallMatch #6 Retirement Match "Rowdy" Roddy Piper Vs "Adorable" Adrian Adonis Winner: Piper By TKOMatch #7 Tito Santana & The British Bulldogs Vs "Dangerous" Danny Davis & The Hart Foundation Winner: Davis & Foundation By PinfallMatch #8 "The Natural" Butch Reed Vs Koko B. Ware Winner: Reed By PinfallMatch #9 Intercontinental Championship Champ: "Macho Man" Randy Savage Vs Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat Winner: Steamboat By Pinfall - New ChampionMatch #10 Honky Tonk Man Vs Jake "The Snake" Roberts Winner: Honky By PinfallMatch #11 B.Brian Blair & Jim Brunzell Vs Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff Winner: Sheik & Volkoff By DQMAIN EVENT WWF Championship Champ: Hulk Hogan Vs Andre The Giant Winner: Hulk By Pinfall

Wrestlemania III (1987) took place during the apex of Hulkamania. The card was held in the cavernous Silverdome. To see over 70,000 people packed into a stadium to watch wrestle is a site to behold. The people were screaming and cheering like crazy for the Hulkster who faced his biggest challenge yet to himself and Hulkamania. The Boss himself Andre the Giant challenged Hulk Hogan to a title shot. Like all of the Hulk's friends they grow jealous of his spotlight and they all want to take him out and grab his gold championship belt. Believe it or not this started out over the size of a trophy!!!The card is the most entertaining so far out of the first three Wrestlemanias. But the most talked about match on this card isn't the hyped match between Hogan and Andre but the show Macho Man and Ricky Steamboat put on in front of the fans. Some have called it one of the best ever. Rumor has it many people were upset about the two upstaging the two stars and poor Steamboat was punished for it. After another year in the W.W.F. he headed back for Jim Crockett Promotions where he and long time rival Ric Flair would put on some of the best displays of old school pro wrestling.All of the top stars are featured in this supercard. Titan Sports and the W.W.F. where at their peak of popularity and revenue generating. From this point on it seemed that Hulkamania would go on forever. But this was the begining of the end.A

What are you sitting here reading these reviews for? GET THE TAPE! WM3 was THE moment in WWF history that can never be forgotten. Andre/Hogan is still the biggest match of all time, despite sucking like very few matches could possibly do. Does it matter that the match is bad? No. It's still mark-out moment number 1 for all wrestling fans.Steamboat/Savage, regarded as the greatest wrestling match of all time until Steamboat/Flair in 1989, is still unbelievable to this day. Intense psychology and crowd interaction make for the WWF's first 5-star PPV classic.Sure the rest of the matches weren't very good, but who cares? It's Wrestlemania 3!This was wrestling at its peak. Nothing has come close since. Hulkamania was at its best and it was the Golden Age of Sports Entertainment. See the show, relive the excitement, and understand exactly why Andre/Hogan is the biggest match - ever.