Some say arguably the most important Wrestlemania of all time. I agree in a way partly because of The Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant match. WWF expertly produced this match so that as you were a fan in those days (I was 1 in 1987, so I didn't know what a television was never mind wrestling) you felt that you had to see it. However WWF falsely claimed that Hogan had never body slammed Andre and that Andre was undefeated, both claims were false. The match will go down as a classic because of Hogan and Andre's drawing power in the 1980's but the match was the pits.
The best match on the card was the classic Ricky Steamboat vs Randy Savage confrontation for the Intercontinental Championship. Fast paced, expertly timed and tonnes of near finishes and pins this is still remembered today as being one of the greatest matches ever.
However there were terrible matches on the card, for instance who in their right frame of mind would want to see Koko B Ware vs Butch Reed? and The Iron Sheik and Nicolai Volkoff vs The Killer Bees? Not this reviewer. However it also features a memorable 6 man match featuring King Kong Bundy and Hill Bily Jim and four midgets (the sight of Bundy splashing Little Beaver (RIP little fellah) at the time was considered shocking), and it also featured another memorable match this time pitting Roddy piper vs Adrian Adonis in a hair vs hair match. Sadly Adonis died in 1988 in a car accident.
This Wrestlemania also featured Alice Cooper who looked terrible and the sight of Jimmy Hart terrified of Jake 'the snake' Roberts python Damien will have you laughing out loud.
Results from the show which was held at the Pontiac Silver Dome in Detroit, Michigan before a crowd of 78,000, not 93,000 as some fans think, the WWF said this to set a brand new attendance record apparently: The Cam Am Connection (Rick Martel and Tom Zenk) downed 'Cowboy' Bob Orton and Magnificent Muraco in a good opener.... Hercules defeated Billy Jack Hayes in a terrible match.... Hilly Billy Jim, Little Beaver and The Haiti Kid beat King Kong Bundy, Lord Littlebrook and Little Tokoyo via DQ in a memorable 6 man match.... Harley Race defeated Junk Yard Dog in a colossal bore.... The Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) defeated The Rougeou Brothers (Jaqcues and Raymond) in a good tag match.... Butch Reed defeated Koko B Ware in a an instantly forgettable collision.... Roddy Piper defeated Adrian Adonis in a hair vs hair match (Brutus Beefcake who turned face previously on the card, ran down to ringside and helped Piper cut of Adonis' hair).... The Hart Foundation (Jim 'the anvil' Neidhart and Bret 'hitman' Hart) and Danny David defeated Tito Santana and The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite kid) in a fine match.... Ricky Steamboat downed Randy Savage to win the Intercontinental Championship in a superb match.... The Honky Tonk Man downed Jake 'the snake' Roberts.... The Iron Sheik and Nicolai Volkoff defeated The Killer Bees (Jim Brunzell and B Brian Blair) via DQ when Jim Duggan hit Sheik with the 2 by 4.... Hulk Hogan pinned Andre the Giant to retain the Heavyweight Championship in a match which bombed, but is still remembered as a classic because of their drawing powers in the 1980's.
Many of you may not remember this but Ricky Steamboat did not have the belt for long. Here's the story, Steamboat asked for time off to be with his wife and young son after his match with Savage, the WWF complied but he had to drop the belt first. It was originally going to be Butch Reed (erm, why?) but Reed failed to show up to a house show and the decision was made to make The Honky tonk Man the champion and he shockingly defeated Steamboat for the gold. Honky still claims to be the greatest IC champ even to this day and that's not his character speaking either. If he generally believes this then perhaps he needs to continue to shake rattle and roll on the Indie Circuit where he occasional wrestles to this day.
Overall Grade - B
