WWE Recap: Wrestlemania III (March 1987)

It's time, once again, for the biggest even in professional wrestling. Wrestlemania III comes to us from the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan. We open with Vince McMahon in the ring. He introduces Aretha Franklin, who sings "America the Beautiful". Next, we go to Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse "The Body" Ventura, who are with Mary Hart and Bob Eucker. They take us to the first match.


Can-Am Connection vs Don Muraco and Cowboy Bob Orton w/ Mr Fuji

Tom Zenk and Muraco start things off, and Zenk knocks down his bigger opponent with a shoulder block. Muraco tries to muscle his way to control, but he misses Zenk in the corner and takes a two count after a takedown. Rick Martel tags in and they hit double-team moves on both Muraco and Orton. The heels regroup outside the ring, then Orton tags in. Orton gets put into an armlock, but the announcers tout his technical abilities, and Monsoon says he has "excellence in execution" which is interesting. Zenk puts Orton in a Full Nelson, which Orton reverses. Muraco comes in to take a shot at Zenk while he's being held, but hits his own partner when Zenk moves. They get a two count. Orton manages to tag in Muraco, who walks into a scoop slam, but when Martel bounces into the rope, Orton gives him a knee in the back. Now Martel kicks out at two. Martel and Orton collide in the middle of the ring, leaving both men down. Muraco tags in, but Martel reaches Zenk too. All four men come into the ring, until Muraco eats a double dropkick. Orton gets tossed out, and Muraco is one-on-two. He whips Martel to the ropes while Zenk gets down on all fours behind him. Martel flies in with a cross body. Muraco trips over Zenk and Martel gets the pin. Winners: Can-Am Connection

That was a decent opening. A couple of spots were awkward, and it was obvious someone was a tick slow in getting to where they were supposed to be. The crowd was pretty into it, though, and the face team getting a win got them fired up.





Full Nelson Challenge: Billy Jack Haynes vs Hercules w/ Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

Hercules strikes first, landing a knee and some forearms to the back of the neck. Billy Jack bounces back, though, and presses Hercules over his head in impressive fashion for a big slam. He goes for the Full Nelson, but Hercules moves for the ropes quickly. Haynes chops at the chest of Hercules, then tosses him to the turnbuckle, but takes a massive clothesline as Hercules bounces out of it. Now Hercules lands some big punches, then a back drop. Billy Jack takes a hard ride into the turnbuckle and is in trouble. He tries to get back ahead, but his now-hurting back won't allow him to complete the suplex, and Hercules regains control. After a bodyslam, he goes for the Full Nelson, but can't get his fingers locked together. Haynes struggles, but does break the hold. A trip to the ropes results in a double clothesline, and both men are down. As they rise, Billy Jack hits an inverted atomic drop. Now, it's a clothesline, and a fist between the eyes from the second rope, then he locks in the Full Nelson, and he does have it on completely. He manages to get to the ropes, and both men spill onto the floor. Outside the ring, Haynes puts the Full Nelson on again, as both men get counted out. Winner: Double count-out

After the bell, Heenan kicks Haynes in the back, and Billy Jack gives chase. He goes into the ring, and is attacked from behind by Hercules, who hits him with his giant chain. The match wasn't as bad as I expected, but I don't really care about either wrestler either. Hercules got some nice heat for beating Haynes with the chain. Also, I'm not sure why this was called a Full Nelson Challenge. I mean, they used Full Nelsons, but they used suplexes too. There was no special circumstances involving the Full Nelson.





King Kong Bundy, Lord Littlebrook, and Kid Tokyo vs Hillbilly Jim, Haiti Kid, and Little Beaver

This is stupid, and I'm not going to type out a play-by-play for it. Eventually, Bundy elbow drops Little Beaver, which earns him a disqualification. He wants to splash him, but all of the other little people defend him and he runs away. Winners: Hillbilly Jim, Haiti Kid, and Little Beaver

This was a waste of time. I'm sorry they dragged Bob Eucker into this.





"King" Harley Race w/ Bobby "The Brain" Heenan vs Junkyard Dog

These two had been battling for months, and the stipulation here is that the loser must bow to the winner. The crowd loves JYD. Heenan immediately interferes by grabbing JYD's ankle, and he jumps down to chase the heel manager. As he comes back into the ring, he's met by Race. They trade blows, but Harley tosses him outside the ring. He kicks him to the floor, but misses a headbutt from the apron. JYD brings him back into the ring with a forearm to the neck, and then knocks him back out of the ring. A bodyslam and an abdominal stretch follow. Race breaks from the stretch move with a hip toss, but tries a falling headbutt and hurts himself when he lands it. He hits a series of headbutts from his hands and knees to which we get this commentary from Gorilla Monsoon "The Dog on all fours, his favorite position!" Well ok then. Heenan climbs onto the apron. JYD is a moron. Race hits a belly to belly suplex for the win. I hate 80s bookers. Winner: Harley Race

As a result of the loss, JYD must bow to Race. He gives him a sort-of bow, and then, when Race stands up, JYD grabs the chair and hits him over the head. The Dog puts on the robe to the roar of the crowd. This was yet another garbage finish where the good guy falls for such a dumb distraction. Apparently all face wrestlers are complete morons. I hate it, and can't wait til managers are obsolete.


The Rougeau Brothers vs The Dream Team w/ Johnny Valiant

Dino Bravo also comes to ringside with the Dream Team. Raymond and Brutus Beefcake open the match. Beefcake goes for an atomic drop, but Raymond flips off of his shoulder and hits an atomic drop of his own. Jacques tags in and the Rougeaus his a double dropkick. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine tags in. Jacques hits a flying shoulder block and goes for the pin, but no dice. He then tries for a cross body from the middle turnbuckle, but misses. Now, Valentine drops a few elbows and tags in Beefcake. He stomps on Jacques, but his cover only gets a two count. Valentine is back in, and he locks on the Figure Four, but Jacques gets to the ropes to break it. The Hammer goes for a pile driver, but gets back dropped instead, and in comes Raymond. He comes in hot, and lands another back drop before locking on the sleeper hold. Beefcake jumps in to break things up, but accidentally hits Valentine instead. The Rougeaus hit a double team move on Valentine and go for the pin, but now the ref is distracted with Beefcake and one of the Rougeaus fighting. Dino Bravo attacks and rolls Valentine on top for the win. Winners: The Dream Team

After, Valentine, Bravo, and Valiant all yell at Beefcake and abandon him at ringside. It wasn't really an interesting match, and the post-match stuff with Beefcake was far more important.


Adorable Adrian Adonis w/ Jimmy Hart vs Rowdy Roddy Piper

The stipulation here is that the loser gets his head shaved. The crowd erupts for Piper as he hits the ring. They trade blows in the middle of the ring until Hot Rod takes off a belt and whips Adonis with it. He goes after Jimmy Hart, but gets hit from behind for doing so. Adonis gets the belt now, and repeatedly lashes Piper with it. He attempts to whip Piper to the corner, but it's reversed and Adonis takes a ride up and over. Then he's dragged back into the ring, with Hart in tow, holding onto him. Piper bangs their heads together, and then throws the Mouth of the South into Adonis and both men fall out of the ring again. As Adonis gets back in, Hart gets onto the apron. Piper picks up the manager and now throws him like a javelin into Adonis. Hart gets a measure of revenge, though, as he grabs Piper's ankle as he bounces off the ropes, and Adonis gets control. Piper eats a big clothesline and is down. Adonis takes him outside the ring and slams his face into a table, then Jimmy Hart takes a shot as well. Back in the ring again, Adonis lands some punches, then Hart sprays perfume into Piper's eyes. Adonis locks on a sleeper. Piper sinks to the mat, and the ref raises his arm once, twice, but on the third time, Piper holds up. Adonis, however, thinks he won. He and Hart begin to celebrate. Brutus Beefcake hits the ring, and pulls Piper up. Piper nails Hart. Adonis tries to hit Piper with his giant scissors, but misses and hurts himself instead. Now Piper locks on a sleeper hold. Beefcake chases Jimmy Hart around the ring, and the ref calls the match for Rowdy. Winner: Rowdy Roddy Piper

Beefcake presents the shears to Piper as the crowd roars. Beefcake has clippers and goes to work on Adonis' head. I'm not certain why Beefcake would interfere here. It was Johnny Valiant and crew who abandoned him, but it's fun anyway. Beefcake would parlay this into a whole new identity for a long time. Roddy stands and takes one last ovation from the crowd and retires...for a while.


The Hart Foundation and Dangerous Danny Davis w/ Jimmy Hart vs The British Bulldogs and Tito Santana

This whole Danny Davis thing is idiotic, and I hate six-man tag matches, so this is going to be painful. The Bulldogs hit the ring with Matilda, their mascot, and she immediately goes after Jimmy Hart. The face team clears the ring. Once the bell sounds, it's Tito Santana and Bret Hart going at it. Tito has the upper hand, and drops Bret on his face before whipping him into some boots in his team's corner. Jim Neidhart tags in, as does Davey Boy Smith. Smith rams Neidhart into his own teammate, then brings The Anvil back to his corner to tag in Dynamite Kid. Neidhard tries to gain the advantage by distracting the referee while his teammates double-team, but when he goes for a back drop, it goes awry. Davey Boy winds up tagging in and giving him a back drop instead. They go back and forth for a bit, but eventually the heel team beings to work on Dynamite Kid. After an extended pounding, Dynamite finally blocks a diving attack by Danny Davis, and tags in Santana. Now Santana explodes on Davis, hitting some impressive looking flying elbows. Davey Boy tags in and pile drives Davis, but won't try the pin. He picks him up and plants him with a running power slam. The Anvil breaks up the pin, and all six men hit the ring. Davis winds up hitting Davey Boy with the megaphone and gets the pin. Winners: The Hart Foundation and Dangerous Danny Davis

This was the second six-man tag match, and fourth tag match of any kind, already in this show. The last two ended the same way. They are exhausting.


The Natural Butch Reed w/ Slick vs Koko B Ware

Does anybody care? Sigh. They start slow, then Reed starts to punch on Koko on the ropes. He gets dropkicked out of the ring, though, after he thinks he knocked Koko down. They go back and forth a bit, and suddenly it's over after Koko hits a cross body, but momentum carries him too far and Reed winds up on top. Winner: The Natural Butch Reed

Next.


Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs Randy "Macho Man" Savage w/ Elizabeth (Intercontinental Championship)

George "The Animal" Steele comes to the ring with Steamboat. They start fast with Steamboat taking Savage down with two arm drags, then lifting him up and slamming how by the neck. Savage takes a breather outside the ring. Savage gets control when he comes back in by using the top rope to clothesline The Dragon. Savage runs at Steamboat in the corner, but misses and then gets put in an armlock that Steamboat uses to lift Savage up and slam him down. He keeps working on the arm, but Savage grabs his hair to get loose and elbows Steamboat in the face. Now he whips The Dragon into and over the turnbuckes and down onto the floor. He drags Steamboat back up and drives an elbow to the throat. Back inside the ring, Savage hits another elbow, to the head this time and goes for the pin, but only gets two. A knee drop still gets two. Steamboat blocks an attempt to slam his head into the turnbuckle and lands some punches to Savage. Macho gets tangled in the ropes, and Steamboat stays aggressive, even then. He hits a cross body, then an arm drag. A couple of shoulder blocks follow, but then Savage manages a knee into his back. Savage then clotheslines The Dragon out of the ring. On the floor, Macho Man runs and jump kicks Steamboat over a table and into the crowd-area. The Animal helps Steamboat back into the ring, but Savage tosses him right back out the other side. Macho climbs to the top rope and delivers a fist to the back of Steamboat's head all the way down on the floor. He tosses Steamboat back into the ring, and goes back up top. Again he lands a shot to the back of The Dragon's head. He covers, but Steamboat kicks out at two. He tries an atomic drop, but again Steamboat kicks out. Now a suplex, and yet another kick out. Gutwrench suplex. Kick out. Macho runs at Steamboat, but now it's his turn to go flying out of the ring. He tosses Savage back in and then he climbs the ropes and hits a chop down from there. He covers, but Savage gets his foot on the ropes. The crowd thought he had it. He tosses Savage to the ropes and chops him down. Sunset flip, but another two count. Steamboat then rolls him up, but just a two count. Small package. No. Steamboat slingshots Savage into the turnbuckle and rolls him up again. Still just two. Savage grabs Steamboat's tights and pulls him into the turnbuckle, and both men are down. As they recover, Savage tries to whip Steamboat to the corner, but they wind up taking out the ref. Savage hits a clothesline and climbs to the top rope again. He hits the big elbow, but there's no referee to count. He climbs out and gets the bell and goes back up to the top rope again, but The Animal snatches it from him. Savage kicks Steele and takes back the bell. He goes up top, but Steele pushes him off and down into the ring. Savage gets up first, though, and picks up Steamboat for the bodyslam, but somehow, Steamboat holds onto him and reverses it into a small package. The referee counts three. We have a new champion. Winner: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

This is widely considered to be one of the greatest matches in WWE history, and for good reason. It had everything a fan could want. The action was quick, there were a ton of close calls, and Steamboat winds up getting his revenge, and a title. There were a few awkward looking spots, but this was a classic, no doubt.


Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart vs Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Alice Cooper comes to the ring with Roberts, because why not. As soon as Honky Tonk Man steps into the ring, The Snake attacks. He hits a knee lift, knocking Honky Tonk Man to the outside, where he's finally able to get his robe off. Roberts chases him out, and bodyslams him on the floor. He lands a couple of blows inside the ring, but he catches a knee when he tries to clothesline Honky Tonk in the corner. They trade punches, then Roberts tries to hit the DDT, but Honky Tonk Man gets away. Again, Roberts chases him out, but this time, Honky Tonk slams him into the ring post. Roberts finally gets back in, and he's bodyslammed, and punched from the second rope. Honky Tonk Man taunts Alice Cooper, then elbows Roberts back down to the mat. He finally goes for his Shake, Rattle, and Roll finisher, but it gets reversed into a back drop. Roberts hits an inverted atomic drop, then another back drop. The Snake signals for the DDT, but just as he starts to apply it, Jimmy Hart grabs his ankle. Roberts turns around and Honky Tonk Man rolls him up. He uses the ropes for leverage, but the ref doesn't see it. Winner: Honky Tonk Man

Sigh. This was extra stupid because Honky Tonk Man was pulling the rope for leverage, supposedly, but he was pulling down on the rope, which would have pulled himself upwards, actually making it easier to kick out. This could have been a very good match, but instead it was too short and had the standard idiotic finish. We do get to see Alice Cooper help cover Jimmy Hart with Damien after the match, so there's something.


 Iron Sheik and Nikola Volkoff w/ Slick vs The Killer Bees

Volkoff attempts to sing the Soviet national anthem, but he's interrupted by Hacksaw Jim Duggan, who clears the ring with a 2x4. The heels attack right away. All four men rumble before finally settling down and getting to it. The Bees make several quick tags right away while working on the Sheik's arm. Jumping Jim Brunzell hits a dropkick and covers, but Volkoff breaks it up, and after a scrum with all four wrestlers, Volkoff has control. Sheik gets a two count with a double axe-handle off the ropes. Volkoff gets Brunzell in a bear hug, then Sheik gives him a gutwrench suplex. They still get just a two count. Brunzell hits a high knee, and makes a tag, but the referee doesn't see it, so B Brian Blair is forced back out. Duggan begins to chase Volkoff around the outside of the ring, while inside, Sheik puts on the Camel Clutch. Duggan chases Volkoff into the ring, and stops to slam the 2x4 across the Sheik's back, causing a DQ. Winners: Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff

This was tag team match number five, and it wasn't good either. I just don't understand the booking on this show. It's mostly been terrible.


Andre the Giant w/ Bobby "The Brain" Heenan vs Hulk Hogan (World Heavyweight Championship)

The two big men stare each other down in the middle of the ring, then Hogan immediately goes for a bodyslam, but Andre falls on him and he almost gets a three count. Andre then clubs Hogan's now-injured back. Hogan takes an Andre bodyslam, and I should say that Andre is doing a great job with his facial expressions. He looks like he simultaneously loathes Hogan, yet finds him beneath him. Hogan is on the mat, and Andre just steps on him like a stepping stone. Then he crushes him with his body weight in the corner. He tries a headbutt, but Hogan moves and Andre hits the turnbuckle. Now, Hogan lands some punches, staggering the Giant. The champ slams Andre's head into the turnbuckle over and over again. He goes for a clothesline in the corner, but Andre catches him with his foot. Andre locks Hogan into a bear hug, Hogan begins to slump, and the referee checks his arm. It falls twice, but Hogan isn't done yet. He punches his way out of the bear hug, and hits a shoulder block. He tries it again, but Andre chops him down. Hogan is then kicked out to the floor. Andre follows, but inadvertently headbutts the ringpost. Hogan pulls up the padding on the floor and tries to pile drive Andre but gets back dropped. Back inside, Andre tosses Hogan to the ropes and goes for a big boot, but the champ dodges and knocks the Giant to the mat. Now Hogan is fired up, as is the crowd. Andre gets up and Hogan bodyslams him. The crowd goes bonkers, and the announcers can't believe it. Now it's time for the leg drop and the cover. One. Two. Three. Winner: Hulk Hogan

The crowd was absolutely electric for this, and even though there was almost no wrestling, it was pretty special. I've been advocating for Hogan to have dropped the belt at one of these events, but this was the right call. It was a great moment that is still remembered by everyone to this day.


Overall Impressions

This show is remembered for the Hogan/Andre match and the Savage/Steamboat match, and for good reason. Those two matches were fantastic, while the rest was extremely forgettable. It was poorly booked overall, and boring for far too much of the show.

Winners: 
Steamboat and Savage: They put on a show, and that match is still considered one of the best ever.
Hulk Hogan: No wrestling fan alive, who watched this show as a kid, will ever forget him bodyslamming Andre.
Brutus Beefcake: His entire legacy was based on this show.

Losers:
Tag Team Wrestling: There were way too many on this card, and it lost all meaning.
Political Correctness: The partners of King Kong Bundy and Hillbilly Jim are insulted about a thousand different ways. 


Things I Would Have Changed

There were way too many tag team matches, and gimmick matches. They didn't have enough storylines developed to have individual matches, and just tried to cram as many people on the show a possible. Less is more.

Jesse Ventura could be really good at what he does. I love a good heel commentator. But it's at its best when they root for the bad guys and make jokes at the good guys. Far too often, though, The Body just comes off as a hypocrite. It becomes annoying pretty quickly. Heenan does a much better job of it later on, as do others.