Reliving the Past – Wrestlemania III – Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat vs. Randy “Macho Man” Savage

Wrestlemania III – Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat w/George “the Animal” Steele vs. “Macho Man” Savage w/Miss Elizabeth – Intercontinental Championship
3/29/1987
Pontiac Silverdome
Attendance: 93,173

Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse “the Body” Ventura

This match is the direct result of Savage crushing Steamboat’s larynx over the guard rail with a double axe handle and a belt shot to the throat. Steamboat made his heroic return and the IC title added even more intrigue. George Steele is involved in the match because he “rescued” Miss Elizabeth…he was infatuated really. Oh, and he and Savage wrestled at Wrestlemania II. Wrestlemania III features the very cool mini-ring carts that shuttle the wrestlers, except for Hogan of course, to and from the ring…mainly for time reasons.

Savage rides out to a chorus of boo’s as “Pomp and Circumstance” plays. Miss Elizabeth always looked good. The Allen Parsons Project’s “Sirius” (think the Chicago Bulls entrance music) hits the loudspeakers and Steamboat enters the dome. He has his karate gi on. Savage and Steamboat point fingers at one another. The bell rings and the men circle eachother. They feel eachother out with a tie up; no dice. They tie up again and Savage goes behind Steamboat who wisely drops to his knees and hip throws Savage over. Both stand up and face off; Steamboat in a fighters pose, Savage in a minor look of concern.

Savage stalls a bit by jumping to the outside and pulling Elizabeth away form the freakishly weird Steele. Savage climbs back in and ties up with Steamboat. He hits a knee to the mid section and attempts to Irish whip Steamboat. Steamboat reverses and hits an arm drag #1. Mind you, Steamboat gives the most beautiful arm drags in wresting history so they are a beauty to watch everytime. Savage quickly pops up, Steamboats backs into the rope and slides between Savage’s legs just as Savage was going for a punch, and when Savage turns around, Steamboat hits arm drag #2. He then hoists Savage up in the air with a double hand choke and holds him there. He then lets Savage fall to the mat. Savage, dazed, rolls to the outside to the comfort of Elizabeth.

Savage circles the ring and Steamboat, foolishly, follows. Savage sneaks in and as Steamboat climbs in, Savage hits a double axe handle to the back of Steamboats head. Savage kicks Steamboat in the ribs for good measure and then pulls Steamboat over to the ropes and drapes his neck over the top rope. He digs in. Good psychology only 4 min. into the match. He then slingshots Steamboat off the top rope. Savage goes for the pin and gets a 1 count. Steamboat gets up and Savage elbows him in the head, backs him into the corner, and rakes the eyes. Dave Hebner has to break it up at the 4 count. He reprimands Savage who blows him off. The crowd starts to chant “Steamboat.” Savage runs towards Steamboat, who’s still in the corner, but misses him and rams into the corner…hard. Steamboat seizes the opportunity and arm wringers/wrist locks Savage, lifts him up with the arm and drops him. He olds onto the arm and wrings it again. He drapes Savage’s arm over the top rope and jumps to the outside while holding onto it. Which in real life does absolutely nothing, but Savage sells like he lost his arm in ‘Nam or something. Steamboat continues to attack the arm with a punch, an arm wringer, and a forearm to the wrist. He snaps the arm for added pressure.

Savage reverses the arm wring with a short Irish whip and catches Steamboat square in the jaw with a sharp elbow. Steamboat is on the ground writhing in pain and Savage is in the corner taking a breather. Both men are still selling their respective “injuries”; Savage is selling the arm, Steamboat the throat and face. Savage grabs Steamboat and runs with him into the corner and flings him into the turnbuckle, sending Steamboat to the outside. Steamboat is dead on the outside. Savage doesn’t let Steamboat get back into the ring; he kicks him in the face. Hebner yells at Savage, but he doesn’t care. Savage grabs Steamboat by the hair and turns Steamboat back to the rope, lays his neck and head over the top rope and drives an elbow square into the throat. Savage flails about on the apron and gasps for air. Savage keeps kicking Steamboat, you can see his body shake, and Steamboat falls limp to the outside.

Savage is STILL selling the arm! The beauty of Miss Elizabeth was that no matter how well Savage was doing, she always had that look on her face that fighting was wrong and she always felt sorry for whichever guy was getting hurt. She always looked concerned. Savage again pulls Steamboat up by his hair and snapmares him over the top rope to the inside. Another elbow to the head by Savage brings Steamboat down to his knees. Savage turns him over with an amateur wrestling move and gets a 2 count. Savage leaps and lands a knee to Steamboat’s throat. 2 count. Savage picks up Steamboat, but Steamboat reverses a turnbuckle ram with his boot and rams Savage into the turnbuckle instead. He hits him with 2 punches and a palm strike. Another punch and a knife edge chop gets Savage caught up in the ropes (the top and middle rope get wrapped around his arms; leaving him wide open). Steamboat takes advantage and gets in 4 good punches/palm strikes. Ventura admonishes Steamboat: “If Steamboat was the good sportsman that he says he is, he’d step back and let Hebner release him from those ropes.” Monsoon answers: “Well any time you take a guy who’d use a bell to terminate your career, you’d do whatever you had to do to get even with him.”

Steamboat goes to the well 1 too many times and Savage manages to kick Steamboat in the gut as Hebner came by and untied him. Irish whip is reversed by Steamboat, which is then reversed by Savage, but Steamboat hits a flying cross body off the ropes for a 2 count. The pace quickens as Steamboat hits arm drag #3, holds the arm, but Savage grabs some hair, and Steamboat charges off the rope with a hard shoulder block, and gets a 2 count on Savage. Both men get up and Steamboat hits another quick shoulder block for a 2 count. Steamboat charges again off the rope, but Savage side steps him, and as Steamboat goes into the rope chest first, Savage hits a high knee to the upper back of Steamboat, stopping him dead in his tracks. Ventura “You know what that was? Steamboat went to the well once too often.” Savage grabs Steamboats head and nonchalantly throws him over the tope rope. Steamboat wisely skins-the-cat, but Savage smartens up, turns around, and just as Steamboat was poised to attack, Savage clotheslines him back to the outside. Steele attempts to help Steamboat up. Ventura: “There’s ‘the Animal,’ the Rhodes’ scholar that he is, giving Steamboat some good advice.” Monsoon: “Well he always spoke well of you Jess”. Ventura: “He can’t even speak how can he do it Gorilla?”

Savage goes through the middle rope and goes up behind Steamboat and high knees him, OVER the announce table and guardrail and to the crowd area! Hebner gets all up in the face of Savage and Ventura wigs out that he not counting Steamboat out. Steele helps pull Steamboat to his feet. Steele helps get Steamboat in the ring, but as he turns away, Savage simply grabs Steamboat by the hair and chucks him over the top rope on the other side of the ring and to the floor. Savage goes to the top rope, pauses, and hits a nice double axe handle on a staggered Steamboat. Steamboat is lights out cold. Savage rolls in and rests. Savage rolls Steamboat in, hits another top rope double axe handle, and with Steamboat dazed and wobbly, hits a running elbow. 2 count. Savage leaps over the top rope with Steamboat head in his hands, snaps his throat over the rope, and as Steamboat falls onto his back, Savage quickly runs in and gets another 2 count. Atomic drop on Steamboat gets another 2 count. Great looking suplex…that kind that don’t look fake (fake being- when you can see the person taking the suplex is simply jumping forward and flipping [women’s wrestling suplexes])…gets another 2 count. Standing elbow to the head is given to Steamboat, but he punches back, chops Savage, but Savage is too strong and he rakes the eyes.

Gutwrench suplex on Steamboat gets another 2 count. Steamboat gets frustrated and starts to punch to the midsection. Savage shrugs it off and attempts a back suplex, but Steamboat back flips out of it, and lights Savage up with some chops and palm strikes. He Irish whips Savage, but put hit head down too early and gets kick in the chest He scoots back just a bit and as Savage runs off the ropes, he back body drops Savage right over the rope and to the outside. The crowd erupts and both announcers “Ohhh!” at the same time. Great visual too. Steamboat falls to his need in a much needed rest. Steamboat paces around the ring and goes outside, he rams Savage’s head onto the apron and climbs up top. He jumps OVER Hebner and hits a flying fist. It sounds like he gets a 3 count, but Savage has hit foot on the rope. The crowd is deafening now. Ventura: “His foot was on the rope. Good call by Hebner. His first good call of the match!” Steamboat whips Savage into the ropes and hits a double chop as he bounced back for a 2 count. He drops 2 chops to the face, and 1 to the back of the head. Savage gets knocked to the outside. Savage goes around the corner of the ring and Steamboat follows. Savage goes in the ring, but this time Steamboat learned his lesson and rams his shoulder into Savage’s midsection, and hits a sunset flip, after Savage fought to hold on, over the top rope for 2. Savage swings wildly, but misses, so Steamboat rolls him up for 2. Steamboat takes Savage down with a single leg, and hits a bridging pin for 2. Small package by Steamboat gets another 2. Ventura: “This is one of the greatest matches I’ve ever seen!”

Steamboat body slams Savages and then connects with the most unrealistic move in wrestling: the catapult. Savage hits the ring post and is rolled up again…only for 2. Savage blindly swings as Hebner…who ducks in fear. ANOTHER roll up by Steamboat is reversed at the 1 count by Savage, who was grabbing the trunks, and he gets a 2 count on Steamboat. Hebner is dead tired. He’s sucking major wind. Steamboat stands over a nearly toppled Savage and connects with some punches. Savage grabs Steamboat’s trunks and pulls him into the ring post…shoulder first. Steamboat is literally hung up in the ropes. The 2 combatants dosey-do with short Irish whips and Steamboat is thrown, inadvertently, into Dave Hebner, who is then crushed between Steamboat and the turn buckle. He flops all over the place. Savage throws Steamboat into the ropes and hits a flying, short-arm clothesline. Both men are down. With Hebner down, Savage hits the flying elbow drop, but there’s no ref. Savage would’ve easily won right there. Frustrated, Savage goes tot he outside and yanks the timekeeper’s bell. He attempts to go up top with it, but Steele takes it away. Savage gets pissed and pops Steele in the back of the head with his boot and grabs it back. He then gets up top, and just as he’s about to leap with it, Steele shoves him off. Savage lands hard on his back, Monsoon says he hit the bell, he didn’t.

Savage grabs his back, signifying it was hurt…which means it’ll come into play at the end of the match. He tries to bodyslam Steamboat, but Savage’s back gives (I told you) and Steamboat is able to roll him up for the 3 count and the IC title! The crowd goes apeshit. *****

The 411: Wrestlemania III was built around Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant. That was the smart booking and may very well be the biggest match history. This match, however, literally stole the show. Up until 1989, when Flair and Steamboat tangled, this match was considered to be the greatest match of all time. It is still the greatest IC title match IMO. The match was full of psychology, tension, drama, sports entertainment, and a hot crowd. That match is classic in every sense of the word and, in all actuality, showed how the then WWF style of match pacing really could make a wrestling match more dramtic, intense, and satisfying. You’re not a wrestling fan, at all, until you see this match.

Final Score:  10.0   [ Virtually Perfect ]