WrestleMania III was the third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event from the World Wrestling Federation. The event was held in the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan on March 29, 1987.
It is particularly notable for being reported as setting an attendance record of 93,173, the largest North American indoor crowd to witness a live sporting event and largest paid crowd in the history of professional wrestling. It held the overall indoor attendance record until a visit by Pope John Paul II broke the record. The actual attendance of WrestleMania III was later revealed, by the events promoter Zane Bresloff, as being 78,000 with 75,500 paid. Regardless, it is widely considered to be the pinnacle of the 1980s wrestling boom.
Match results
The Can-Am Connection (Rick Martel and Tom Zenk) vs. Cowboy Bob Orton and The Magnificent Muraco
Martel picked up the win for his team after he hit Muraco with a top rope crossbody.
Billy Jack Haynes vs. Hercules (w/Bobby Heenan)
Haynes and Hercules fought to a double count-out.
Hillbilly Jim, Haiti Kid and Little Beaver vs. King Kong Bundy, Little Tokyo and Lord Littlebrook
Bundys side was disqualified when he attacked the Haiti Kid. The referee ruled it was unfair for Bundy to attack a man so much smaller than him, even though it was the Haiti Kid who had challenged Bundy to a fight.
The King Harley Race (w/Bobby Heenan and The Fabulous Moolah) vs. Junk Yard Dog
The loser of this match had to bow and kneel in front of the winner. Race defeated JYD with a belly-to-belly suplex. After the match, JYD refused to bow down to Race and attacked him.
Greg The Hammer Valentine and Brutus Beefcake (w/Johnny Valiant and Dino Bravo) vs. The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques and Raymond)
Valentine and Beefcake defeated The Fabulous Rougeaus.
Hair vs. Hair Match: Rowdy Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis
Piper defeated Adonis by sleeper hold submission. After the match, Brutus Beefcake came out and shaved Adonis head.
The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) and Danny Davis (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) and Tito Santana
Danny Davis picked up the win for his team when he hit the Dynamite Kid with Jimmy Harts megaphone.
Butch Reed (w/Slick) vs. Koko B. Ware
Reed defeated Koko by rollup while holding his tights.
For the WWF Intercontinental Championship: Macho Man Randy Savage (w/Miss Elizabeth) (c) vs. Ricky Steamboat (w/George The Animal Steele)
The match included George The Animal Steele pushing Savage off the top rope, just as Savage was about to leap onto Steamboat and crush his throat with the ring bell. Steamboat defeated Savage with a rollup to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
The Honky Tonk Man (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Jake The Snake Roberts (w/Alice Cooper)
Honky Tonk Man defeated Roberts by pinfall while holding onto the ropes for leverage.
Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff (w/Slick) vs. The Killer Bees (B. Brian Blair and Jim Brunzell)
Sheik and Volkoff won the match by disqualification when Hacksaw Jim Duggan, having enough of Sheik and Volkoffs cheating, came out hit Sheik with a two-by-four.
For the WWF World Heavyweight Championship: Hulk Hogan (c) vs. André the Giant (w/Bobby Heenan)
Hulk Hogan defeated André the Giant by pinfall after Hogan famously dropped him with a body slam and followed it by a leg drop. Hulk Hogan retained the WWF World Heavyweight Championship.
Trivia
The announcing team for WrestleMania III were Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura.
The show also featured Aretha Franklins performance of America the Beautiful, and appearances by Bob Uecker and Mary Hart.
