WrestleMania 3 is the most famous wrestling show of all time, so overrated in history that it’s probably underrated in quality. If you’re a lifelong fan you’ve probably seen it, and if you want to know what’s so great about the WWF you have to watch it. Everything they always seem to be going for was kind of perfected on the last Sunday of March 1987: an enormous crowd, classic commentary duo, the spoils of a stacked roster of characters, a WrestleMania Moment or five, promo bumpers in between matches that are short and to the point, and actually quality celebrity guests.
The big thing here is the crowd: the intro of the show is iconic, a fade-in during broad daylight to an absolute ocean of humanity broken up only by a wrestling ring. There are a bunch of rows of seats on the first floor, but the way this is filmed it seems like the people in the stands are endlessly stacked on top of each other and showcased more than even modern WWF stadium shows. These folks are absolutely packed in and the whole thing just feels like the biggest thing there is.
Everybody is working for the massive Pontiac Silverdome too, just flailing their arms all over when selling or moving extra big when throwing knees so the folks in the cheap seats can enjoy themselves. Wrestling needs movement and these jacked up WWF guys knew how to move.
Plus, most of the fellows were transported to the ring by motorized mini wrestling rings. Just take that sentence in.
Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura talk you through the show with a brilliant mix of wrestling knowledge, entertaining lines, and ability to speak plainly and get something over to anybody even if they’re both pro wrestlers wearing sunglasses.
Rowdy Roddy Piper, King Harley Race, The British Bulldogs, The Hart Foundation, Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Hulk Hogan, and Andre the Giant are all here in addition to something like fifty other legendary acts.
By the end of the night, the WrestleMania brand cemented itself with The Moments: King Kong Bundy bodyslams a midget, Rowdy Roddy Piper says goodbye, Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat have a classic match, and Hulk Hogan bodyslams Andre the Giant. There were also a lot of other low key great Mania moments like Brutus Beefcake becoming The Barber, Jake the Snake and Alice Cooper sticking Damien on Jimmy Hart, and the entrance of Koko B. Ware in that motorized wrestling ring with his parrot Frankie.
Entertainment Tonight’s Mary Hart and “Mr. Baseball” Bob Uecker are the celebrity guests and CRUSH IT, as Uecker feels like he’s been in the wrestling business for years while Hart is SO poised and plays along like a champion. She actually reminds me of Alexa Bliss a little bit, a mix of beauty and someone who just gets it.
Vince McMahon stands all grand in the middle of the ring to introduce the show, as if anybody else could: “Ladies and gentleman, welcome… to the magnificent Silverdome. And welcome… to WRESTLEMANIA THREE!” He throws to Aretha Franklin for America the Beautiful with the delivery of the promoter he is: “The QUEEN of Soul… Mrs. ARETHA! FRANKLIN!!!”
1. The Can-Am Connection vs. Magnificent Muraco & Cowboy Bob Orton w/ Mr. Fuji
The WWF seems to embrace the NWA for their opener here, with rope-running and heels bumbling around and babyfaces with their dukes up and doing armdrags. The big huge crowd boos and cheers along with every single thing until a well-timed spot where Martel does a crossbody on Muraco that causes him to trip over Zenk. SO solid. ***
In Hercules’ promo before the match, he seems to believe that he is actually Hercules.
2. Billy Jack Haynes vs. Hercules w/ Bobby Heenan
I hated this match the first time I saw it. Just felt so boring. I take that back. I’ve seen boring. This ain’t it. Both guys move around big early on, selling huge for each other before an incredible shot of Billy Jack picking up big Herc for a press slam with EASE in front of scores of screaming fans. They also establish the psychology of a Full Nelson on a major stage, for better or worse – there’s a lot of time spent locking those fingertips, and Haynes’ power up is SO unbelievably over. Billy Jack on the comeback isn’t pretty but it’s also unbelievably over. He gets a Full Nelson on, they spill to the floor together, he keeps it on, and it’s a double countout. A chain shot from Herc after the match draws blood. Haynes still stinks but this is good. ***1/4
Hillbilly Jim is kind of condescending to his little buddies, while Bundy is upfront with what he wants to do: he wants someone going SPLAT.
3. Hillbilly Jim, Haiti Kid & Little Beaver vs. King Kong Bundy, Lord Littlebrook & Little Tokyo
As JR might tell you, this was a “let em up” WrestleMania match and one of the finest ones their is. Maybe the best “let em up” match there ever was, actually. Bob Uecker is on commentary LOVING Lord Littlebrook. The midgets do their spots before a great showdown between Jim and Bundy. Then Bundy just bodyslams the shit out of poor Little Beaver, and drops an elbow that gets a legitimately startled reaction from the crowd. The midgets then all turn on Bundy in solidarity. Tremendous stuff, and a great conclusion to Bundy’s phenomenal run at the first three Mania’s: record-breaking squash, Hogan main event, MIDGETS. **
4. Loser Must Bow: Junkyard Dog vs. King Harley Race w/ Bobby Heenan
This, if anything, is a great big performance from Harley Race: a diving headbutt into nothing on the floor, messy backflips over the ropes both into the ring and out to the floor, and the big bump in the corner that Flair made famous. After less than 5 minutes, Heenan interferes and Race hits JYD with a belly-to-belly suplex for 3. **3/4
Of all the classic Hulk Hogan promos, the one here is the most clear-eyed there is. Watcha gonna do when these 24-inch pythons run wild on you, Andre!?!?!?
5. The Rougeau Brothers vs. The Dream Team w/ Johnny V and Dino Bravo
An extra generic tag, notable for the first appearance of blonde Dino Bravo and a creative finish where Beefcake collides with Valentine to setup a pin for The Rougeau’s, but Bravo helps Valentine reverse the pin. **
6. Hair vs. Hair Retirement Match: Rowdy Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis w/ Jimmy Hart
Piper storms to the ring with confidence, smiling and playing with his hair and rejecting the use of some motorized miniature wrestling ring. The match is big and heated, non-stop punching and grabbing with the occasional crazy Adonis bump and a small bit of heat on Piper. Adonis and Hart do their classic spill over the top, and Piper responds by spreading his arms out to the thousands in attendance like a GOD. He does his own take on the Hulk Up by wildly swinging and fighting back as he’s up against the ropes and it’s as over as any Hogan comeback.
Jimmy Hart sprays perfume in Piper’s face to give Adonis the presumed win, but Brutus Beefcake of all people slaps Piper into it and Piper wins with a sleeper hold as thousands of people pump their fists. Nothing pretty, as they say, but a really fun big time match. ***1/2
Piper gets a little time to soak in the ovation and kisses Fink’s forehead before a fan JUMPS IN THE RING and Piper brings him close like he’s his son before security jumps in. What an exit. He’d be back.
I swear Jesse Ventura specifically requested getting an introduction on this show, as in between these matches Fink calls attention to him: “Now introducing the man who allegedly tells the truth… Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura!” BOOOOO. And that’s it.
7. The British Bulldogs & Tito Santana vs. The Hart Foundation & Danny Davis w/ Jimmy Hart
The Bulldogs vs. The Harts was the match, but between it being ran at house shows a bunch and Mania needing a gimmick we’ve got some extra guys here: villainous referee Danny Davis and all-around good guy Tito Santana. Matilda the bulldog goes after Jimmy Hart before the match, as she would. There’s a lot of quality sequences between the tag teams here before a Santana hot tag and flying forearm on Davis that is AMAZING. Davey drops Danny with a tombstone as revenge for costing them the tag titles, but Danny cheats to win soon after anyways. A brisk, fun match. ***1/2
8. Koko B. Ware vs. Butch Reed w/ Slick
This is one of the shorter and least memorable matches of the show, just some space in between the workrate. Frankie the Parrot is shown off to Detroit, and a few minutes later The Natural reverses a crossbody for 3. *
9. WWF Intercontinental Title: Macho Man Randy Savage [c] w/ Elizabeth vs. Ricky Steamboat w/ George “The Animal” Steele
Here’s the most game and fired up good guy Ricky Steamboat opposite the shittiest possible person in Macho Man Randy Savage. They bring a classic structure in a big stadium, with big intensity, with big conditioning, and with every move they make approaching things as if this were an actual competitive contest. Both guys are genius wrestlers here, with amazing timing by Savage who milks every movement and spot for all its’ worth. Steamboat is not just good at selling an ass-kicking but possibly the best to ever do it. He bumbles like somebody shot his ear off when Savage drops a double axehandle, and makes an atomic drop look like it snapped his back in half. The eventual comeback is the kind of art that’s real fun to watch.
They bring the great WrestleMania spots too, like Steamboat’s huge chokebomb or Savage getting all tied up in the ropes or just those ARMDRAGS, those brilliant beautiful armdrags.
The near falls really do hold up, and feel less performative and more both guys desperately trying to stay in the match. Savage’s foot on the ropes escape out of one is incredible. The fever pitch of the crowd as Savage goes for his first elbow drop is unreal, and his delivery is legendary. Steele pushes Savage off the top as he goes for another and Steamboat gets his revenge. An extra special kind of match before everybody else could pull it off. *****
10. Jake Roberts w/ Alice Cooper vs. The Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart
Like Koko/Butch, this felt like another match sandwiched between other stuff and thus is one of the lesser matches of the show. Jake the Snake is over, Honky Tonk Man is obnoxious, but the chemistry wasn’t there. Honky steals the win, but all anyone cares about is Jake and Alice torturing poor Jimmy with the snake afterwards. *3/4
11. The Killer Bees vs. Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff w/ Slick
Before the match, newcomer Hacksaw Jim Duggan jumps in the ring and adorably tells Nikolai Volkoff that he can’t sing the Russian National Anthem because gosh dang it this is the land of the free and the home of the brave. Sheik and Volkoff attack before the bell, then get whipped into each other. The rest of the match is 5 minutes long and mostly Brunzell taking a beating before he gets locked in the camel clutch and Hacksaw clocks Sheik with his 2×4 for a rare deliberate babyface DQ. Then he gets the folks to chant for the United States of America. *1/4
12. WWF World Heavyweight Title: Hulk Hogan [c] vs. Andre the Giant w/ Bobby Heenan
“This is the biggest match in the history of professional wrestling,” Jesse Ventura says matter-of-factly and even if it isn’t it definitely feels like it.
Andre the Giant was not very mobile by 1987, but he’s an absolute icon and Hulk Hogan sells for him like he is experiencing the worst pain he has ever felt in his life. It’s not really over-the-top either, just classic great wrestling selling. An early bodyslam by Hogan fails, then Andre clubs away. Hogan tries a Hulk Up, gets cut off with a boot. Hogan powers out of a bearhug, gets cut off with a chop. Andre does some great selling too, eventually tired and stumbling but not wanting to admit it.
Hogan takes a wild bump to the floor off an Andre boot, then gets back body dropped on the concrete. When they re-enter the ring he’s able to duck a boot, then summons his training in Japan by responding with a big Axe Bomber that FINALLY knocks Andre down. Heenan rubs Andre’s shoulders as Hogan looks out at the crowd like, “Did you just SEE THAT? DID I JUST DO THAT?” When Andre gets to his feet Hogan is able to lift him for the illustrious bodyslam, and a leg drop gets the 3.
I like that Hogan didn’t do the usual Hulk Up, didn’t do a big boot – he just threw what he could manage and went for the close. A big simple legendary wrestling match, with iconic if not athletic performances. ****1/4
The aftermath of the match is so good, with trash hurled at Andre and Heenan as they’re carted off in that god damn motorized miniature ring. Heenan buries his face in his hands while Andre points in Hogan’s general direction.
Jesse Ventura does an incredible call at the end as Hogan poses: “There’s NOBODY leaving.”
Happy Thoughts: There are some finishes here that might make a modern man scratch their head, but it’s one of the only wrestling events that actually deserves its’ iconic framing. The in-ring content ranges from OK to great, but the show in general is just a textbook example of how to promote wrestling: huge crowd, legendary acts, charming celebrities, mainstream appeal.
They had 12 matches to complete in under 3 hours and nothing felt rushed. None of the DQ or countout finishes felt cheap either, as they made sure there was some kind of payoff for every segment. It’s a pretty perfect use of the large roster too, as outside of Paul Orndorff and Kamala they used everybody in an interesting position down to Dino Bravo and Hacksaw Duggan. It’s got two of the most famous wrestling matches ever and is a great sample of 1980s WWF greatness. 10/10
