Before we get going, here's a fun fact: 1986 is the only year in WWF/WWE history to feature just one pay-per-view, that of course being WrestleMania 2. That means that this is the only time in the course f this journey that I go from one WrestleMania directly to another. That's probably a good thing too, since I'm certainly ready to move on from the stink of WrestleMania 2 to a show that actually has some redeeming qualities.
Certainly, no one can doubt the ambition of these early WrestleManias, even if the actual result tended to entirely miss the mark. After maxing out the budget on big name celebrity cameos at 1, and holding a three show simulcast across the entire nation at 2, Vince was now pressed to come up with a new hook for his third supershow. This time, however, the hook is very simple: put the two most popular and engaging personalities in the same ring and demand that people pay you to see it. Andre the Giant's heel turn on Piper's Pit remains one of the greatest of all time, ripping Hogan's shirt and challenging him to a 'Mania match mostly out of pure jealously and a desire to see the Hulkster get brought down a peg. The appeal of seeing these two genuine megastars collide in the main event was more than enough of a selling point for most, and even though the WWF's claim of an attendance of 93,173 is complete BS, this is still one of the most attended shows in the history of pro wrestling. With hype at fever pitch and an undercard headlined by what some still consider the greatest WrestleMania match ever, how does the legendary WrestleMania 3 hold up?
- Just to clarify, I will still be referring to each WrestleMania by the Hindu-Arabic numeral system, rather than by Roman numerals. I actually like the Roman numerals better, I think it helps the show stand out and feel more significant, but not everyone knows how to read them, so I don't want to confuse any of my readers. This probably isn't a big deal to most, but I just figured I would mention it in case anyone was wondering.
- We open proceedings with two stalwarts of these reviews, Bob Orton and Magnificent Muraco, as they team up to face the Can-Am Connection of Rick Martel and Tom Zenk. It's not a terrible opener, as the faces are over and have some solid high flying and double team offense. I would've preferred a bit more of an even match personally, as Orton and Muraco really don't get much offense in before Martel pins Muraco with a crossbody.
- After an underwhelming match last week, Hercules goes for redemption in his Full Nelson Challenge against Portland's own Billy Jack Haynes. This is a stinker, two big guys clubbing each other in a match that never approaches being too interesting. I thought Haynes in particular was awful, his strikes are extremely weak and Hercules doesn't help matters as he has no clue how to sell. The finish is the icing on the sh** cake, as both men brawl to a double count-out, before Hercules bludgeons Haynes with his chains, which at least looked somewhat vicious.
- I don't want to stay too long on this next match, as King Kong Bundy teams with Lord Littlebrook and Little Tokyo to face Hillbilly Jim, Little Beaver and the Haiti Kid. Littlebrook, Tokyo, Beaver and Kid are all little people, and the company is sure to let you know. It was extremely uncomfortable to see Jim treat these grown a** men who are established wrestlers in their own right like children, and the booking of the match wasn't any better, as it's obvious you aren't meant to take them seriously in any way. At least Bundy got to heel out by slamming and elbow dropping Beaver, and he did it very safely, a true professional. F*** you Vince.
- The loser must bow in the next contest, as "King" Harley Race faces the Junkyard Dog. Race, of course a true legend of the NWA, is in the twilight of his career by this point, and it certainly shows in this match. We've seen over these reviews that the Dog unfortunately isn't great in the ring, and the action is very slow and incredibly basic. At least Race can still bump and makes JYD look like a threat, before picking up a win off a distraction by Bobby Heenan. For as much as the match wasn't great, I did enjoy Junkyard wearing Race's cape as he rode off in the entrance cart, that was a fun moment.
- Another fairly nothing match up next, as the Dream Team are back again to face the Rougeau Brothers, Jacques and Raymond. The Rougeaus being faces is a little weird to me, as they seem so naturally heelish in their mannerisms and presentation. Beefcake accidentally hits Valentine with a double axe handle, but the Dream Team still manage to get the win thanks to help from new muscle Dino Bravo. Afterwards, manager Luscious Johnny Valiant, Valentine and Bravo walk out on Beefcake, officially ending this incarnation of the Dream Team.
- In his "retirement match", Roddy Piper is now a face and taking on Adrian Adonis in a match where the loser would get his head shaved. It's a fairly entertaining brawl greatly assisted by a molten hot crowd, as everything Piper does earns rapturous applause. I thought the opening attacks with Piper's belt looked great, and Adonis was protected well in a match like this. In a bit of a screwy finish, Adonis releases his sleeper hold early like an idiot, not realizing that he hasn't won the match yet, allowing the newly face Beefcake to rouse Piper and Roddy gets the win with a very terrible looking sleeper of his own. Afterward, Brutus cuts a few locks of Adrian's hair, as he had a really rough time with the hair clippers as all wrestlers tend to, but it's enough to Adonis running in embarrassment. But we're not done yet, as in a classic moment, a fan jumps the barricade to celebrate with Piper, who does a really good job handling the situation to his credit. Roddy walks up the ramp celebrating while security accosts and handcuffs the fan in the background, which is a hilarious visual and got a good chuckle from me.
- Six man tag team action up next, as the British Bulldogs and Tito Santana team up to face the Hart Foundation and the debuting Danny Davis, a corrupt official who helped Bret and the Anvil capture the tag titles back in January. I thought this match was booked really well, especially when it came to Davis' involvement, as he only tags in for brief moments of the match, hits Dynamite a few times and then tags out before he can take any damage, drawing great heat from the crowd. Davey Boy gets a huge pop for a damn Tombstone Piledriver to Davis and a big running powerslam, but Danny gets the win with by using Jimmy Hart's megaphone. This match could've easily been a trainwreck, but thanks to the crowd investment and some really smart booking, I absolutely loved it.
- "The Natural" Butch Reed is in action up next, as he faces Koko B. Ware. I don't remember much about this match, as neither guy was particularly impressive to me. Reed gets a cheap win by grabbing the tights, leading to Tito running back in to attack Reed's manager Slick and rip some of his clothes off. Then he and Koko hit a double team dropkick on Reed, which I guess was supposed to be a big babyface moment for them but came across quite heelish.
- Well, ladies and gentleman, it's time for what you've all been waiting for, the Intercontinental Championship collision between champion Randy Savage and challenger Ricky Steamboat. I've seen a lot of good out of both of these guys so far during these reviews, but now I finally get to see what it looks like when both have an equal standing across from them. You'd be hard pressed to find a smoother, more well executed match in WWF/WWE history, as neither man really put a foot wrong for all 15 minutes. Everything looks good and connects well, and with the Detroit crowd incredibly invested in both guys, it's a roller coaster from start to finish. If I had one minor critique, it did get a little strike heavy in the middle of the match, as it seemed like both guys had the beginning and ending of the match well thought out, and just needed to fill some time to get from Point A to Point B. But even when the action slows down, it's still an incredibly engaging watch, as the time just flies by and my attention never wandered once. The final stretch is legendary, as Steamboat and Savage trade pin attempts, with the crowd biting on pretty much every one. I loved the callback to Savage's ringbell attack that started the feud, as after a ref bump, he attempts the move again, only to be stopped by George Steele. Steele gets his revenge for last year's loss, another booking masterstroke, allowing Steamboat to roll through a powerslam and win the title. A really well told, masterfully executed match that was really brought over the top by both men's selling, as they seemed completely spent by the ending, putting over the war that they had just been through. It's an obvious five star match and one of the greatest in WrestleMania history, and is certainly one that every wrestling fan needs to watch.
- That last match would certainly be tough to follow, but Jake Roberts and the Honky Tonk Man gave it a go, with legendary Detroit artist Alice Cooper in The Snake's corner. While I like both guys as characters and Roberts does have a couple great matches on his resume, this one is nothing special and was put in an absolute death spot following Steamboat-Savage. Honky Tonk steals a cheap win thanks to a trip from Jimmy Hart during a DDT from Roberts, but The Snake gets his revenge following the match, as Damian is let loose on the Mouth of the South. An entirely forgettable 10 minutes or so, which is a shame given the talent involved.
- Before the main event, we've got another tag match on the card, as the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff face the Killer Bees, a classic ludicrous 80s team. Jim Brunzell and B. Brian Blair have little to offer though I like their look, and Sheik gets to have some fun, hitting a couple nice suplexes. Jim Duggan, who stopped Volkoff from singing the Soviet anthem before the match, interferes to hit Sheik with his 2x4 for a DQ. Nothing much to see here.
- Main event time, as the Irresistible Force meets the Immovable Object, Hulk Hogan defending his WWF Championship against Andre the Giant. Let's get one thing out of the way, if you're expecting some great workrate main event, you won't find it here. Even though the first two 'Mania main events weren't anything special in the ring, for whatever reason, this one gets a ton of hate, completely undeserved in my opinion. If you know anything about Hogan and Andre, you knew exactly what you would be getting here, a slow basic match filled with pantomime selling to get the fans invested and solid story-telling. What a shock, that's exactly what this match is! I thought it was very enjoyable though did drag a bit at times, which isn't great considering it was 12 minutes long. Andre wears Hogan down, and Jesse Ventura and Gorilla Monsoon on commentary do a great job putting him over as the potential next champion. Hogan loses his damn mind and attempts to deliver a piledriver on the exposed concrete floor, and holy sh**, if he had actually hit that I don't think Detroit would still be standing. Hogan delivers a big clothesline to finally knock Andre down, a somewhat forgotten point in the match, before hitting the iconic powerslam as the crowd completely melts in joy. Leg drop, three count, and the Hulkster poses for about 5 minutes more than was necessary to see us out.
8/10
Wow, what a complete reversal of everything I've so far on these reviews. I'll admit to the possibility that I could be overrating this show, but when you've seen what I have, you would certainly understand. While this show is really only remembered for Steamboat-Savage and Hogan-Andre, though maybe not positively remembered for the latter, there's a lot of good elsewhere on the card. The six man tag is severely underrated, Adonis-Piper was entertaining and most of the other matches were at least serviceable. The crowd in the Silverdome really put the show over the top, but there's one more element of WrestleMania 3 that make it a significant upgrade over the first two: the commentary. Other than brief cameos from Bob Uecker, see you again next year Mr. Baseball, and Mary Hart, it's just Gorilla and Jesse all night, and they were incredible. A really good commentary team is a godsend when it comes to watching 3 straight hours of wrestling, and those two were brilliant, putting over pretty much every match and staying so engaged in the biggest and best moments. While not everything on this show was perfect, enough was good to great to earn a nod of approval from me.
Next time on Henry's Pay-Per-View Reviews: Survivor Series 1987, featuring just 4 matches, all of them traditional 5-on-5 elimination affairs, main evented by another clash between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant! See you soon.
- Henry
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