WtestleMania 3

WrestleMania III was the third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event was held on March 29, 1987, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. 

Date: 29 March 1987

Theme song(s): "Who's Zoomin' Who?" by Aretha Franklin

Venue: Silverdome

Location: Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan, United States

Promotion: WWE

Attendance: 93,173

10. WWE Restricted PPV Access In The State Of Michigan

Hey, McMahon had a Silverdome to fill. With Hulk vs. Andre for the WWE Championship looming large, WrestleMania 3 was the hottest ticket around, whether you watched from home, or you attended that day in Pontiac. In fact, if you were anywhere approximate to Pontiac, and you wanted to see the show, buying a ticket was your only avenue.

That's because McMahon took the liberty of blacking out the pay-per-view throughout all of The Great Lakes State. It's not exactly a new idea; the Indianapolis 500 would black out the televised race in Indiana to try and ensure a sellout.

McMahon's plan seemed to work, as traffic was gridlocked as far as the eye could see, jam-packed with cars full of revelers desperate to see if The Hulkster could vanquish "The Eighth Wonder of the World."

9. Aretha Franklin Was Stuck In Traffic Just Before The Event Went Live

There's an urban legend claiming that Mean Gene Okerlund's rushed rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner at WrestleMania I was done as a substitution, that a well-known (but unnamed) singer backed out, as Okerlund would say, "at the eleventh hour." The world was pretty close to Mean Gene performing an encore out of necessity two years later.

That's because Franklin found herself arriving late to the venue, owing to the torrent of fan-filled automobiles blocking her path to the Silverdome. "The Queen of Soul" made it in the nick of time, and performed America the Beautiful without a soundcheck.

Naturally, she hit it out of the park, making it perhaps the best WrestleMania rendition next to Ray Charles' spirited offering one year earlier.

8. McMahon Tried To Get Arnold Schwarzenegger For The Event

Long before governing states, hosting reality game shows, and hawking Mobile Strike ("Dun-load it noww, free frahm da app sto-uh!"), Arnold Schwarzenegger was the king of Hollywood, churning out one action-packed mega hit after another. They weren't all classics, but who cares? Arnold's quiet charisma, imposing frame, and penchant for dryly-spat catchphrases fast-tracked him to superstardom in no time. On the Mt. Rushmore of eighties iconography, Arnold jostles with Michael Jackson for prime position.

It's no surprise that McMahon would want the T-800's human form taking part in his biggest extravaganza to date. Long-time McMahon confidante Basil DeVito recalls Vince, NBC executive Dick Ebersol, and Arnold's Predator co-star Jesse Ventura flying to a movie set to appeal to the box office kingpin directly, trying to convince him to appear in some capacity at the Silverdome.

For reasons unclear, Schwarzenegger passed.

7. King Kong Bundy Wasn't Supposed To Elbow Drop Little Beaver

Worked or not, a 450-pound mound of upright mass slamming around a 50-year-old midget wrestler is going to be at least somewhat grueling. In the comedic six man tag that took place early on the WrestleMania 3 card, King Kong Bundy was supposed to draw a disqualification by bodyslamming the undersized Little Beaver, thereby violating the "Pick On Someone Your Own Size" edict of the match.

After the high-angled slam that planted Beaver onto the canvas, Bundy motioned for a follow-up elbow drop. He wasn't supposed to go through with it, but, according to Bundy, the other midget wrestlers were late in stepping in to shield Beaver. Instead of stalling, which would've exposed the work, Bundy carried on dropping the elbow on a man one-eighth of his body weight. Reportedly, the improvised move was a career-ender for Little Beaver, who did indeed retire in 1987.

6. Roddy Piper Electrocuted Himself 13 Days Before WrestleMania

After working a star-studded eight-man elimination match in Los Angeles thirteen days before WrestleMania 3, Piper cleaned up in the showers of the Sports Arena's locker room. He was chatting with Harley Race when Piper slipped on a puddle of water and, per his recollection, his fingers went into an empty light-bulb socket in his vicinity. The supercharge apparently sent Piper flying backward several feet, and left him in a nauseous and confused state for some time after.

Piper managed to work WrestleMania 3 with little to no ill effects, though he would later sue the Los Angeles Sports Arena for unsafe conditions. Piper looked to be done with the business following a planned retirement after WrestleMania, but he would return to wrestling in 1989. He did so after legally settling with the Sports Arena that February.

5. The Six Man Tag Was Meant To Take Pressure Off Of Dynamite Kid

Conspicuous by its absence from the WrestleMania 3 card was a Tag Team Championship bout (as opposed to today, where a lack of such a match is as commonplace as the ring ropes). Champions The Hart Foundation would have presumably put the gold on the line against the team they screwed over for them, The British Bulldogs. It seemed like a logical bout, but Dynamite Kid's health was a concern.

The real-life Tom Billington suffered a horrific back injury in December 1986, necessitating the title switch, and what about looked like the probable end of Dynamite's career. Bret Hart later asserted that the six man, tacking on conniving official Danny Davis with the Harts, and Tito Santana (whom Davis had also done dirty) with the Bulldogs, would prevent the need for Dynamite to throw himself around with reckless abandon, as was his norm.

4. Randy Savage Faxed A "Script" Of His Match To Ricky Steamboat

The method to Randy Savage's "Macho" Madness was careful preparation. One of the reasons so many performers had the matches of their lives with The Macho Man is that Savage would meticulously plan out the body of the match. In an era where wrestlers were a little more prone to calling it in the ring, Savage preferred a concrete plan.

Steamboat was one of those veterans used to free-forming it between the ropes, so he was a little taken aback when Savage literally faxed him the bullet points for how their Intercontinental Championship clash would go. Assuming Savage's plan was followed to the letter, who would argue with the result?

Savage and Steamboat put together the best WWE match of the 1980s, and ushered in a faster-paced, false finish-laden style that would become standard in later years.

3. Jimmy Hart Injured Himself During The Damian Sequence

Jake Roberts and Honky Tonk Man had their work cut out for them trying to follow the Savage/Steamboat all-timer, but they managed to cobble together an enjoyable midcard bout. The presence of macabre rocker Alice Cooper in Roberts' corner added some zest to the affair, and he did indeed insinuate himself into the post-match gaga.

Roberts firmly held Jimmy Hart (Honky's manager) in place while Cooper menaced Hart with Roberts' trademark python, Damian. Turns out that Hart has a legitimate fear of snakes. When Hart frantically kicks his legs in the direction of a snake-wielding Cooper, it's very real fear powering the flailing. In the course of the torment, Hart strained his neck (Roberts held him with a full nelson grip) while trying to flee the scene.

2. Paul Orndorff Was Prepared To Step In For Andre The Giant Against Hulk Hogan

It took a ton of convincing for McMahon to get Andre the Giant to agree to the main event match at WrestleMania 3. Andre was 40 years old and in constant pain, his back and joints bearing weight that may as well have been as heavy as the world. Andre agreed to the plan ultimately, and underwent radical back surgery to try and get him to the massive payday McMahon had promised.

In the event that Andre was unable to perform that night, or if Andre ultimately backed out, WWE had commissioned long-time Hogan villain Paul Orndorff to wait in the wings as a possible stand-in. It wouldn't have been the same as what we got, but Orndorff would've have been as suitable a last resort as WWE could've possibly come up with.

1. Andre Drank 14 Bottles Of Wine Before His Match With Hogan

Andre drinking stories are wrestling's answer to Chuck Norris Facts and Saturday Night Live's Bill Brasky sketches. Except, well, they're probably real, albeit with some exaggeration. We've all heard the one about Andre drinking 116 12-ounce beers in one sitting (or is it 156?), so downing 14 bottles of wine before the most famous wrestling match in history probably doesn't raise too many eyebrows.

With a back brace tucked into the one-strap singlet that he wore for the first time ever, Andre was as prepared as he was going to be to pull himself through the showcase of his life. Everybody remembers the body slam, but not as many know what Andre put himself through just to get to that point.