Mighty NorCal
SHALL WE BEGIN?
WrestleMania III was held on March 29, 1987, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. There were twelve matches, with the final event being WWF Championship Hulk Hogan successfully defending his title against André the Giant. It is the ultimate example of professional wrestling, and all it is supposed to be. It was a showdown of two unstoppable forces, that drew the eyes of millions and broke a record.
WrestleMania III is particularly notable for the WWF's claiming a record attendance of 93,173, the largest recorded attendance for a live indoor sporting event in North America. The event is considered to be the pinnacle of the 1980s wrestling boom. The record itself stood until February 14, 2010 when the 2010 NBA All-Star Game broke the indoor sporting event record with an attendance of 108,713 at Cowboys Stadium. The WWF generated $1.6 million in ticket sales. Almost one million fans watched the event at 160 closed circuit locations in North America. It has long been disputed by Dave Metlzer that the actual paid revenue was 78,000 seats, with a "papered" crowd of 93+. Well, whatever.
The number of people watching via pay-per-view was estimated at several million, and pay-per-view revenues were estimated at $10.3 million, setting a record for the time.
Vince McMahon claims that as he was about to announce "Welcome to WrestleMania III," he felt the spirit of his father Vincent J. McMahon, who had died three years earlier. After McMahon welcomed the audience, he introduced Aretha Franklin, who opened the show singing a rendition of "America the Beautiful."
One of the more anticipated matches that aired was Hercules (with Bobby Heenan in his corner) against Billy Jack Haynes in the "Full Nelson Challenge." Both men had laid claim to being the most powerful man in wrestling, and the masters of the full nelson. No, seriously. I am informed by old people that this build was actually hot shit. Ill take their word for it.
The most ballyhooed contest was a title match involving reigning WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) and Ricky Steamboat (with George Steele). It is known by many in the industry as one of the, if not the most flawless match in wrestling history, with perfectly smooth and belivable work throughout, as well as a fantastic pace...All in front of an indoor attendance record crowd. This match is considered by many to be one of the greatest matches in WWE history.
In what was billed as the "biggest main event in sports entertainment," the match pitted WWF Champion Hulk Hogan defending the title against André the Giant (with Bobby Heenan). The fans booed André heavily and pelted him and his manager Bobby Heenan with trash as they rode the cart to the ring. In contrast, Hogan, who walked to the ring, came out to a huge ovation, one of the loudest and wildest entrances ever seen. Approximately two minutes into the match, Hogan attempted to bodyslam André, but he was unable to lift The Giant and nearly lost the match when Andre fell on him and almost pinned him. After the match had battled back and forth, André gave Hogan an Irish whip to the far side of the ring and attempted a big boot on Hogan, but Hogan ducked it and came off the ropes to give André a clothesline to take him off his feet for the first time in the match. Hogan then "Hulked up" and scoop slammed the 520-pound Giant before hitting the ropes and executing his patented leg drop to get the win and retain the championship. The magic of this slam and the way it speaks to people even in the modern age is timeless.
00:55 to 1:50 is literally everything that professional wrestling is, was, ever will be, and should be. Nearly 100 thousand people firmly in the palm of their hand.
[YOUTUBE]?v=tdmNejtg-Hs[/YOUTUBE]
WrestleMania III is particularly notable for the WWF's claiming a record attendance of 93,173, the largest recorded attendance for a live indoor sporting event in North America. The event is considered to be the pinnacle of the 1980s wrestling boom. The record itself stood until February 14, 2010 when the 2010 NBA All-Star Game broke the indoor sporting event record with an attendance of 108,713 at Cowboys Stadium. The WWF generated $1.6 million in ticket sales. Almost one million fans watched the event at 160 closed circuit locations in North America. It has long been disputed by Dave Metlzer that the actual paid revenue was 78,000 seats, with a "papered" crowd of 93+. Well, whatever.
The number of people watching via pay-per-view was estimated at several million, and pay-per-view revenues were estimated at $10.3 million, setting a record for the time.
Vince McMahon claims that as he was about to announce "Welcome to WrestleMania III," he felt the spirit of his father Vincent J. McMahon, who had died three years earlier. After McMahon welcomed the audience, he introduced Aretha Franklin, who opened the show singing a rendition of "America the Beautiful."
One of the more anticipated matches that aired was Hercules (with Bobby Heenan in his corner) against Billy Jack Haynes in the "Full Nelson Challenge." Both men had laid claim to being the most powerful man in wrestling, and the masters of the full nelson. No, seriously. I am informed by old people that this build was actually hot shit. Ill take their word for it.
The most ballyhooed contest was a title match involving reigning WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) and Ricky Steamboat (with George Steele). It is known by many in the industry as one of the, if not the most flawless match in wrestling history, with perfectly smooth and belivable work throughout, as well as a fantastic pace...All in front of an indoor attendance record crowd. This match is considered by many to be one of the greatest matches in WWE history.
In what was billed as the "biggest main event in sports entertainment," the match pitted WWF Champion Hulk Hogan defending the title against André the Giant (with Bobby Heenan). The fans booed André heavily and pelted him and his manager Bobby Heenan with trash as they rode the cart to the ring. In contrast, Hogan, who walked to the ring, came out to a huge ovation, one of the loudest and wildest entrances ever seen. Approximately two minutes into the match, Hogan attempted to bodyslam André, but he was unable to lift The Giant and nearly lost the match when Andre fell on him and almost pinned him. After the match had battled back and forth, André gave Hogan an Irish whip to the far side of the ring and attempted a big boot on Hogan, but Hogan ducked it and came off the ropes to give André a clothesline to take him off his feet for the first time in the match. Hogan then "Hulked up" and scoop slammed the 520-pound Giant before hitting the ropes and executing his patented leg drop to get the win and retain the championship. The magic of this slam and the way it speaks to people even in the modern age is timeless.
00:55 to 1:50 is literally everything that professional wrestling is, was, ever will be, and should be. Nearly 100 thousand people firmly in the palm of their hand.
[YOUTUBE]?v=tdmNejtg-Hs[/YOUTUBE]
