WrestleMania III was the third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event from the World Wrestling Federation. The event was held on March 29, 1987 from the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. Its tagline was "Bigger, Better, Badder".
| WrestleMania III | |||
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| Promotion | World Wrestling Federation | ||
| Date | March 29, 1987 | ||
| City | Pontiac, Michigan | ||
| Venue | Pontiac Silverdome | ||
| Attendance | 93,173 | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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The official theme song was Aretha Franklin's "Who's Zooming Who?" which was used during the end montage. A WWF produced theme was used during the opening ceremonies.
It is particularly notable for the reported attendance of 93,173: the largest recorded attendance for a live indoor sporting event in North America, and the largest paying crowd in the history of professional wrestling. Although this number is sometimes disputed, the event is still widely considered to be the pinnacle of the 1980s wrestling boom.
Results
- The Can-Am Connection (Rick Martel and Tom Zenk) defeated Bob Orton and The Magnificent Muraco (w/Mr. Fuji) (5:37)
- Martel pinned Muraco after a crossbody as Zenk schoolboy-tripped Muraco from behind.
- Billy Jack Haynes fought Hercules (w/Bobby Heenan) to a double countout (7:44)
- After the match, Hercules busted open Haynes with his chain.
- Hillbilly Jim, The Haiti Kid and Little Beaver defeated King Kong Bundy, Little Tokyo and Lord Littlebrook in a Mixed Tag Team match (3:23)
- Bundy's side was disqualified when he attacked Little Beaver. The referee ruled it was unfair for Bundy to attack a man so much smaller than him.
- Harley Race (w/Bobby Heenan and The Fabulous Moolah) defeated The Junkyard Dog in a "Loser Must Bow" match (4:22)
- Race pinned JYD after a belly-to-belly suplex. After the match, JYD bowed down to Race and then attacked Race and stole the King's Robe.
- The Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) (w/Johnny Valiant and Dino Bravo) defeated The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques and Raymond) (4:03)
- Valentine pinned Raymond with the help of Dino Bravo's interference. After the match Valentine, Bravo and Valiant left Beefcake behind.
- Roddy Piper defeated Adrian Adonis (w/Jimmy Hart) in a Hair vs. Hair Match (6:54)
- Piper defeated Adonis by sleeper hold after Adonis released his own sleeper prematurely and Piper was revived by Brutus Beefcake. This was also billed as Piper's retirement match.
- After the match, Beefcake shaved Adonis' head, leading to him henceforth becoming known as "The Barber".
- The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) and Danny Davis (w/Jimmy Hart) defeated The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) and Tito Santana (8:52)
- Davis pinned Smith after hitting him with Jimmy Hart's megaphone.
- Butch Reed (w/Slick) defeated Koko B. Ware (3:39)
- Reed pinned Ware with a roll-up.
- After the match, Tito Santana attacked Slick and ripped his clothes off.
- Ricky Steamboat (w/George Steele) defeated Randy Savage (w/Miss Elizabeth) to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship (14:35)
- Steamboat pinned Savage with a roll-up.
- The Honky Tonk Man (w/Jimmy Hart) defeated Jake Roberts (w/Alice Cooper) (7:04)
- Honky Tonk Man pinned Roberts while holding onto the ropes for leverage.
- After the match, Roberts and Cooper attacked Jimmy Hart with the python Damien.
- The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff (w/Slick) defeated The Killer Bees (Brian Blair and Jim Brunzell) (5:44)
- The Killer Bees were disqualified when Jim Duggan interfered and hit Sheik with a 2x4.
- Hulk Hogan defeated André the Giant (w/Bobby Heenan) to retain the WWF Championship (12:01)
- Hogan pinned André after a scoop slam and a leg drop.
Other on-screen talent
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Notes
This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. |
- Aretha Franklin sang a rendition of "America the Beautiful" before the show. She reprised that role at WrestleMania 23 at Ford Field.
- During the WrestleMania 2000 pre-show entitled WrestleMania All Day Long, which went through the history of all of the previous WrestleManias, Vince McMahon claimed 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.
- Celebrity guests in attendance for WrestleMania III included Bob Uecker, Mary Hart, Aretha Franklin, and Alice Cooper.
References