3. WrestleMania III
WrestleMania III was, and possibly still is, the biggest wrestling supercard of all time. No single wrestling match has carried the sheer magnitude or mainstream appeal of Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant.
There’s a consensus among internet wrestling fans (i.e. the harshest, most cynical critics in the business): when it comes to WrestleMania III, star ratings do not apply. WrestleMania III was like a perfect sampling of everything the WWF was in 1987, displayed on the grandest stage imaginable. The Pontiac Silverdome itself became one of the stars of the show. No wrestling venue before or since has looked so spectacular or enormous. Aside from the huge headliner, WM3 is most remembered for Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat for the I-C Title.
WWF fans in 1987 hadn’t seen any contest so crisp or athletic, with so many near-falls and reversals. It’s a match that still holds up as a transcendent in-ring display. Other ‘Mania III highlights include the Hart Foundation and Danny Davis vs. The British Bulldogs and Tito Santana, Hercules vs. Billy Jack Haynes, and Roddy Piper’s “retirement match” against Adrian Adonis.
WrestleMania III was for years the yardstick by which all major PPVs were judged, and its influence can be felt even now, 28 years later.
