Shining a Spotlight 3.01.07: Wrestlemania III

Also, could have done without the fawning over Al Gore and that needless speech on the Oscars “going green.” I’m somewhat liberal but I don’t buy into the “global warming is immanent threat to all life on Earth” argument. His talk on climate change doesn’t sell when the Midwest and East are seeing the worst winter in over a decade. My basic mentality is that if they can’t tell us with any certainty what the weather is going to be like next week, how are they able to predict it a century from now?

Okay, enough on Hollywood and politics. Let’s get to business.

93, 173.

Mention Wrestlemania III and that’s the first thing people think of. That massive crowd, which is still in the Guiness Book of World Records as the largest recorded attendance for an indoor sporting event in North America. A crowd wrestling in this country had never seen before and definitely not since. It remains an iconic night for the entire business, a true pinnacle of success.

It must be hard for newer fans to realize how huge a deal this was. The sight of tens of thousands of people surrounding a wrestling ring, from every part of the arena, with massive screens showing the action to the crowd. It was almost surreal, a sight more fitting for the Super Bowl than a wrestling show and yet here it was.

Now, I know there is disagreement on the actual attendance number. A lot of people believe that there really is no way the Pontiac Silverdome could hold that large a crowd. They think it was big all right but more along the lines of 80,000 or so, not that magical number above. True, the Apter mags, who normally would pounce on Vince McMahon fudging facts, continue to sell that as the true number. But most of the naysayers state that the mags knew how good this looked for the business and were thus ready to spin it.

Of course, one would think the Guiness people would want to make sure of something like this before they put it into their books so that casts the doubting…well, in doubt. But regardless of the number, this has to rank as an incredible achievement for the entire pro wrestling business.

Few thought it would work. While the first Wrestlemania had been a huge success, Wrestlemania 2 was marred by the decision to have it spread out, with four matches each in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. There was also a far too great reliance on celebrities, even on the mic and as bad as you think Alfred Hayes and Gorilla Monsoon on, they’re Gordon Solie compared to the likes of Elvira and Cathy Lee Crosby. There were also bad gimmick matches like Roddy Piper vs Mr. T in a boxing match and the football player battle royale. The matches were poor with the exception of the British Bulldogs winning the tag titles from Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake.

So you can understand how some had low expectations for the third show. But Vince was savvy enough to put it in Detroit, which was close to Canada, a place where WWF/E has always had major fan interest. WWF was at the height of its ‘80’s glory then with Hulk Hogan the ever-popular champion so they knew they’d get a big crowd. But Vince had to have a sellout. He knew there were only two men in wrestling who could guarantee a sellout crowd against Hogan. One was Ric Flair, who of course was unavailable. The other was in his homeland of France waiting to die.

One of the biggest traveling stars in the 1970’s and early ‘80’s had been Andre the Giant. The biggest big man of them all, Andre had been a sellout attraction and a highly popular worker. But by 1986, his condition had worsened the same birth defect that gave him his immense size also causing him massive pain and he had decided it was time to pack it all in. When Vince came to him, Andre demurred but as Vince laid out his plan, Andre realized this was a chance to get his biggest fame ever. Hogan and Andre had battled before, several times in the early ‘80’s. One TV show had Hogan being one of the first to lay Andre onto his back before taking a countout loss. This built to their famed Shea Stadium battle where Andre was victorious but Hogan got the rub from the veteran and helped earn more fame in the business. But as many fans then didn’t know of that past, the idea that this was “the first ever meeting” between the two would be prevalent and be a certain moneymaker.

It started in early January of 1987 when Andre was presented with a trophy as appreciation for his years of service. A week later, Andre was present when Hogan was given a much bigger trophy to mark three years as champion. A chill seemed to grow between the men, building up to an appearance on Piper’s Pit when Andre came out with Hogan’s eternal nemesis, Bobby Heenan and challenged a shocked Hogan to a title match. He ripped Hogan’s shirt and crucifix, cutting his chest. This may sound mild but for 1987, this was pretty heavy stuff.

They continued to build up to it with Andre eliminating Hogan from a battle royal. The contract signing on an SNME was a huge deal and they really did a job selling how big Andre was so a lot of people really wondered if they’d do the title switch. That led to massive interest and thus the huge crowd. I know it sounds a bit tough to buy now but look at the facts: Andre, unbeaten in over 15 years, never a world champion despite his fame and, despite his pain, still a powerful monster. Hogan, the defending champion, the most popular worker alive and at the height of his power in WWF. This is the very definition of a money match and dream match, two things you just don’t get enough of anymore.

Again, that they managed to get a crowd so big was still stunning but the fans definitely got their money’s worth. A smart move Vince made was to cut down on the celebrity involvement. There was Aretha Franklin singing “America the Beautiful,” Bob Eucker as a ring announcer for the main event, Mary Hart as a timekeeper and one more I’ll get to soon. Thus the wrestling was the feature without as many distractions.

It’s hard to describe how huge this was for us fans back then. I was 12 when the show occurred, a true WWF fan and this was just an overwhelming deal. It just felt like something you had to see by any means necessary. My family actually had to be out of town for a funeral that day but as soon as we got home, I called the old WWF hotline to get full results. By that point, the network newscasts actually reported the huge crowd as part of the big stories of the day and it was even in the papers. As soon as the show came on video (a process that took a bit longer back then), I rented to watch it in all its glory and was amazed at the sight of so many people showing up for a wrestling show. The reason Wrestlemania is still regarded as a big deal today? It’s because of this card and the feeling it gave out, that this was something truly unique and special that you had to enjoy year after year.

The size of the Silverdome meant there had to be some changes made to the arena area. The ring itself was placed on a special riser so the fans at ground level could see the action. Wrestlers were transported down the long aisle by ring-shaped carts, a pretty cool sight. The crowd was super-jacked. It wasn’t just the size, they were really hot for this crowd, all as hyped as I was to watch the events unfold and be part of this special day. And as noted, there were the massive screens set up to give everyone shots of the action.

And what action it was.

The first match was Bob Orton and Don Muraco versus the Can-Am Connection. The Connection was Rick Martel and Tom Zenk and they were being pushed as a good face team. However, the two couldn’t stand each other in real life so despite a win here, Zenk complained over more money and was let go. Martel would be paired with Tito Santana as Strike Force, getting a good reign as tag team champs themselves.

Billy Jack Haynes and Hercules were battling in an actually smart match. See, both used a full-nelson for a finisher so it was a fight to see which was better, with each trying to get the other into the move. They fought to a double countout, after which Hercules smashed Haynes with his chains. This was followed by an infamous six-man tag match where King Kong Bundy and midget wrestlers Little Tokyo and Lord Littlebrook took on Hillbilly Jim, Haiti Kid and Little Beaver. The match was not only bad but short, only three and a half minutes. It ended when Bundy squashed Beaver with a splash and was disqualified. Then Harley Race, who was doing a gimmick as “The King” faced Junkyard Dog with the stipulation that the loser would bow down to the winner. Race won with a belly-to-belly suplex at which point JYD showed a slight lack of sportsmanship by doing only a slight curtsey and then attacking Race, stealing his crown and cape.

The next two matches would be important further down the line for WWF. First, Beefcake and Valentine lost to the Fabulous Rogeaus, after which Valentine and manager Johnny Valient blamed Beefcake for the loss and left him behind. The next matchup was Adrian Adonis taking on Roddy Piper in a hair vs hair match, the culmination of their wild feud. See, while Piper was off filming a movie, Adonis (who had ballooned to about 300 pounds and was punished by being transformed from a tough biker to a cross-dresser) had gotten Piper’s old allies Orton and Muraco and created “The Flower Shop.” Piper returned to big cheers and the three attacked him, injuring his leg and putting lipstick on his face.

This, of course, meant war as Piper would spend a few weeks attacking people with a crutch and being even more gonzo than he normally was. One memorable bit had him using the crutch to demolish the Flower Shop and would soon feud with Adonis. Piper had announced this was going to be his retirement match and in a time when such statements were taken seriously, this led to a huge outpouring of emotion as Piper headed to the ring. He and Adonis had a good match, with Adonis putting Piper out with a sleeperhold. However, the referee had been knocked out so Adonis went to rouse him. Beefcake suddenly came in and woke up Piper, who got Adonis with a sleeper. The haircutting was rather poor as Beefcake had trouble with the razor and so Adonis only had some patches of hair shaved off. But it allowed Piper to go out on top, giving Howard Finkel a kiss on the forehead as many honestly believed this was the last time they’d see him in a ring. While the actual shaving didn’t go well, it did give Beefcake his “Barber” gimmick that he’d use for several years.

The next match had a great backstory. Danny Davis had been set up through 1986 as an obviously crooked and biased referee. He was there when Tito Santana lost the Intercontinental title to Randy Savage and his bad officiating had also cost the Bulldogs the tag titles against the Hart Foundation. He was suspended for life from refereeing (for life being about two years) at which point, Jimmy Hart signed him up as a wrestler. Thus a six-man tag match was set with Santana and the Bulldogs versus Davis and the Harts. It was a pretty good match overall with the Harts and Bulldogs going at it hard (amazing considering the Dynamite Kid had been practically paralyzed only months earlier). The high point came when Davis was tagged in, did one kick at Kid and tagged back out, getting the fan heat on him big-time. Finally, Davis was tagged in, missed an dive and Santana and the Bulldogs beat the living hell out of him. At one point, Davey Boy Smith gave Davis a powerslam that lifted him literally a foot off the mat. Despite the fact Davis got the pin by hitting Smith with Jimmy Hart’s megaphone, the fans were still happy with some of the payback received.

The following one was a bit of a letdown with Koko B. Ware battling Butch Reed. Reed got a roll-up for the pin and in another after-the-bell moment, Ware ripped away Slick’s fine suit.

But the next match more than made up for it. A match that remains high on the list of the greatest Wrestlemania matches ever and the one everyone remembers when the show is mentioned.

In late 1986, Ricky Steamboat wanted some time off so he could start a family with his wife, Bonnie. On an episode of “Superstars,” Steamboat was fighting IC Champion Randy Savage. Savage brutally attacked Steamboat when the ref was down, draping him over the ring barrier and leaping off the top rope onto him. Steamboat was gasping and grabbing his throat, selling beautifully. Seeing the shocked reaction from the crowd, Savage decided to really give the fans their money’s worth by grabbing the ring bell, scaling the top rope and leaping off, jamming it into Steamboat’s throat. Steamboat’s selling as he was put onto a stretcher was so convincing that even a lot of smarts were convinced he really was injured. A neat twist occurred afterward when Bruno Sammartino interviewed Savage, who gloated over what he’d done. This drove Sammartino into a rage and he attacked Savage. This led to a series of matches between them which allowed Bruno to give the rub to Savage (all the matches were non-title, the story being that Bruno didn’t care about the belt but just wanted to teach Savage a lesson).

Steamboat made a dramatic return to face Savage at a “Saturday Night’s Main Event” in December of ’86. They spent the next few months at house shows battling, Steamboat usually disqualified for going nuts and attacking Savage. All this allowed them to work out the kinks and know how the other moved. The results speak for themselves. I may have problems with Scott Keith but I’ve always admired how the man’s the only guy on Earth who’s a bigger Steamboat mark than me. And his opinion is the last word on this bout: If you don’t like this match, you have no right to call yourself a wrestling fan.

This is one of those matches were a blow-by-blow just doesn’t do justice. It was pure action from the get go with each man bringing their A-game to the table and making sure to give the fans an awesome time to boot. Steamboat’s chops met Savage’s elbows. Steamboat leapt from the top to chop Savage’s head. Savage would leap from the top to drop an axehandle on Steamboat outside. Steamboat lifted Savage up with both hands to choke him. Savage kneed Steamboat in the back to send him over the top but Steamboat doing his patened skin-the-cat to get back in and attack. The flying body press against that infamous flying elbow. There were 18 two-counts, 11 by Steamboat as each man pulled out the stops and even Monsoon and Jesse Ventura were enthralled by the classic unfolding before them. Ventura, who backed the heels, gave props to Steamboat for standing up to such punishment while Monsoon had to credit Savage for such a spirited defense. There was the great psychology of Savage going for Steamboat’s injured throat (including a killer moment as he leaps out of the ring and slingshots Steamboat’s throat on the top rope) while Steamboat used Savage’s own anger against him. It built up to the ref knocked down in a collision so Savage once more grabbed the ring bell and climbed to the top rope. George “the Animal” Steele, in Steamboat’s corner, pushed Savage off. As the ref recovered, Savage tried to slam Steamboat, who rolled him into a small package to get the pin and end Savage’s 13-month IC title reign. The match was universally voted the Match of the Year for 1987 by just about everyone and is still considered by some the best WM match ever. It would have been the best match of the 1980’s if Steamboat hadn’t topped himself with the trinity of matches with Ric Flair in 1989.

Given the unenviable task of following that classic were Jake Roberts and the Honky Tonk Man. Roberts had been a heel but had been getting more and more cheers. Meanwhile, HTM was intended to be a face but his cockiness got the wrong reaction so they had him be a heel. During a segment on Roberts’ “the Snake Pit,” HTM hit Roberts in the head with a guitar (actually hitting so hard that Roberts suffered a genuine concussion). Roberts was now a face and came to the ring with Alice Cooper, a pairing that makes sense if you think about it. Honky won the match by getting Roberts in a small package while holding the ropes for leverage. Ironically, Honky would use the exact same move when he beat Steamboat for the IC title a few months later. Roberts did get revenge by having Cooper hold Jimmy Hart while Roberts draped his python Damien onto him.

The penultimate match was the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff facing the Killer Bees. As usual, Volkoff started the match by announcing he would sing the Russian national anthem. Hacksaw Jim Duggan, a new arrival to WWF, came out with his 2×4, using the somewhat hypocritical speech that it wasn’t right for a Russian to sing his own anthem in America (gotta love old-style Cold War mentality). Duggan finally entered to attack Shiek and Volkoff with the board and the Bees were DQ’ed but still celebrated with Duggan.

Finally, the match that everyone came to see, the reason they were all here. Andre and Heenan came out in their cart, Heenan done up to the nines in an all-white glittery tuxedo. Andre wore oversized trunks with a strap along one shoulder to hide the back brace he was forced to wear. Hogan came out walking to one of the biggest pops he’d ever receive. The sight of the two standing in the ring, staring each other down as flashbulbs popped still gives me goose bumps. Hogan started right off by trying to slam Andre but his legs gave way and Andre landed on him. A quick count was made but Hogan managed to kick out although Andre insisted it was three.

From a technical standpoint, this may have been one of the worst major main events of all time. But that didn’t really matter. What mattered was the spectacle as these two giants went at it hard, each managing to sell well and carry the other to a match that ranged from decent to pretty good. Hogan really sold for the Giant, making him look like a monster while Andre held tough against Hogan’s attacks. While Andre’s moves were slow due to his condition, it looked like he was toying with Hogan, wanting to hurt him before getting the inevitable pin, making Hogan’s battle even more of a challenge. They actually managed to make a five minute bearhug into a dramatic event that had the crowd cheering wildly. They even did brawling outside with Hogan attempting to piledrive Andre on the floor but was backdropped onto the concrete. In the end, Andre went for a boot but Hogan ducked, bounced off the ropes and clotheslined Andre down. He then did his traditional “Hulk Up!” routine, which seemed more impressive than ever with so many cheering him on. He battered Andre with some punches and then the boot to stun him. Then, in something that was still incredible to watch today, Hogan picked up the seven-foot 550 pound Andre and slammed him to the mat, pushing the crowd into a mad frenzy. One legdrop later and Hogan was victorious.

Andre left via the ring cart, Heenan slumped next to him in despair. Inside the ring, Hogan celebrated, doing his posedown as the massive crowd cheered him on. They had come to see their hero win and had gotten that and far, far more. You could see the sheer joy Hogan had in that moment, not just in victory but of being able to entertain so many fans at once, an achievement most would kill for.

Wrestlemania III was not the biggest crowd in wrestling history. There are a few shows in Japan that managed crowds of over 100,000. And as I mentioned, it’s still debated just how many people were in the Silverdome that day after all. But it still is the biggest crowd WWF/E has ever managed, a crowd that will probably never be matched again. It’s a much different business today, with a different fanbase. And as shown above, it required a very special main event to draw so many to that spot.

But WM III must stand as one of the greatest achievements of Vince McMahon’s life. It put wrestling in the mainstream even more, as news of the massive crowd was huge then. More importantly, it gave WWF even more of a mainstream face which aided McMahon in his expansion and left lesser-known promotions like Crockett and the AWA in the dust. But for Vince McMahon, a man who thrives on beating the odds and proving his doubters wrong, it was a moment of immense satisfaction, that he’d managed to bring in the biggest payday wrestling had ever seen.

Twenty years later, Wrestlemania returns to Detroit. It won’t be the biggest crowd. It won’t be as huge a media event. It may not be as good a show. But it will follow in the footsteps of its most notable predecessor and continue to rise the business in the minds of fans for a long time to come.

Also around 411mania:

That Was Then continues to look at Randy Savage.

The Ripple Effect imagines ECW’s impact at Wrestlemania.

Julian counts down the 10 best big men in wrestling. What, no Giant Gonzales?

Daniel handles the Rated R Screwjob, which sounds like a bar drink.

Don’t forget Column of Honor, Triple Threat, 3 R’s, Ask 411, Fact or Fiction and the rest.