Review of WWE: Wrestlemania III - Championship Edition (2 Discs)

Introduction

The fact that Wrestlemania III`s indoor attendance record of 93,173 is actually exaggerated by around 15,000, should never take away from the fact that it is perhaps the greatest wrestling event in the sport`s history. It was American wrestling`s cultural peak, when it was popular with more than just the regular wrestling fans.

The main reason for this popularity was the fact that Wrestlemania III (held at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit, Michigan on 29th March 1987) was headlined by a main event of Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant. Hogan was the star of the 1980s, the all-American hero, and Andre was the most famous wrestler of the 1970s, known for his incredible size, which included size 22 shoes.

In storyline terms, Hogan and Andre had been friends for years, the latter even helping to celebrate Hogan`s WWF (now WWE) title win in January 1984. But a title shot was never forthcoming for the man from Grenoble, France, and thus he sought the advice of much-hated manager Bobby Heenan, in order to obtain one. This culminated in Andre symbolically ripping Hogan`s crucifix from his chest, and throwing it to the floor on an edition of Roddy Piper`s "Piper`s Pit".

Away from the historic main event, Wrestlemania III also featured noteworthy matches in Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, and Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis.

These matches, and more, are brought together here as a "Championship Edition", with special features including a second look at the event, with pop-up factoids. There are also several bouts included here, which were integral in the build-up to Wrestlemania.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 fullscreen PAL, and is excellent for a DVD of this genre, and of this age. 1987 may not sound like a long time ago, but in terms of professional wrestling, it is a lifetime. This event looks tremendous, and the master tape has evidently been kept in pristine surroundings for all these years. In many ways, wrestling fans are lucky because the WWE library has always been well looked after, as has the NWA/WCW archive, which for years was maintained in Ted Turner`s vaults.

Getting back to this event, a combination of the NTSC original recording and the show`s age means that this looks a little soft by today`s standards, but there are no video errors of any kind, and the transfer here shows no digital problems.

This looks as good as anyone could possibly have expected.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, and is also very good. As we have come to expect from more recent events, everything is well-mixed, allowing the viewer to hear entrance music, in-ring action, and commentary easily over one another. The commentary is entertainingly provided by Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse "The Body" Ventura, with guest announcing by the likes of "Mr Baseball" Bob Uecker and Mary Hart.

Copyright issues mean that at least one entrance theme has been replaced here, but the editing is tidy enough that it is relatively un-noticeable, unless you are looking for it.

Features

There are quite a number of extras available here, spanning over both discs. On Disc One, things begin with an Intercontinental Title defence by Randy Savage, as he faces George "The Animal" Steele, from the 3rd January 1987 Saturday Night`s Main Event show. With Steele involved, this was far from a classic match, but it did help to set up Savage`s bout with Ricky Steamboat at Wrestlemania. From there, there are four different interview segments with Steamboat, and two with Savage, the latter being by far the more entertaining.

The main feature on Disc Two is a reprise of the entire Wrestlemania III event, this time with Pop-Up Video style trivia notes, and video inserts from various interviews with the likes of Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan, and Hulk Hogan. The video inserts are often interesting, though the pop-ups are less so. Furthermore, the extra information doesn`t appear as often as I would like, often with a gap of several minutes in between. Still, it is a different way in which to view this historic event.

Furthermore on Disc Two, there is yet another interview segment with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, closely followed by one involving Hulk Hogan. There is a look at the classic Hogan/Andre contract signing from the Wrestling Challenge television show, and a 20-man Battle Royal from the 27th February 1987 edition of Saturday Night`s Main Event. To finish things off, there is an interview with Andre The Giant, or rather, with his manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

Conclusion

Wrestlemania III opened famously with Aretha Franklin`s live rendition of "America The Beautiful", but the first match of this historic card saw The Can-Am Connection (Rick Martel and Tom Zenk) face "Cowboy" Bob Orton and "The Magnificent" Don Muraco. This was a fun, though rather dated opener, which was still leagues better than the next encounter, in which Billy Jack Haynes battled Hercules.

These days, the only place in which to see midget wrestling is in Mexico, where it remains a popular pastime. So in a way, it was fun to see the midgets (is this politically correct?!) again, as Hillbilly Jim teamed with The Haiti Kid and Little Beaver, to face King Kong Bundy, Little Tokyo, and Lord Littlebrook. This was a short match which was mostly about comedy.

One of the most popular wrestlers of the 1980s, The Junkyard Dog, was up next, as he faced "King" Harley Race, in a bout which stipulated that the loser had to bow to the victor. By this point, former NWA champion Race was far past his prime, and Dog was not the man to carry him to a great match.

A tag team match then occurred, as The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers faced The Dream Team (Greg "The Hammer" Valentine and Brutus Beefcake). This was a short match, more notable for the beginnings of Beefcake`s babyface turn.

The retirement of "Rowdy" Roddy Piper was next on the agenda, as he was set to move to Hollywood to become an actor, after his bout with Adrian Adonis. This was a hair vs. hair match, with the stipulation that the loser who have his hair cut. The crowd was into this match more than almost any other on the show. Piper would return to full-time wrestling just two years later.

It was rather disappointing that two of the greatest tag teams of the era, The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) and The Hart Foundation (Bret "Hitman" Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart) did not get to engage in a tag team title match here, but rather they had to saddle up with respective partners Tito Santana and Danny Davis. This is still a good match, but it could have been so much better.

After a nothing match in which "The Natural" Butch Reed faced Koko.B.Ware, the Intercontinental Title was on the line, as "Macho Man" Randy Savage defended against Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. This was a fabulous match, truly one of the best in Wrestlemania history. Today, it still stands the test of time, and involves some of the closest near-falls you are ever likely to see.

It`s rather odd to witness an interview segment in which rock star Alice Cooper is not the oddest personality on show, but that`s exactly what happened when he stood next to Jake "The Snake" Roberts, prior to the latter`s bout with The Honky Tonk Man. This was a basic match, which featured a terrible finish, something which could also be said for the proceeding bout, in which The Killer Bees faced The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff.

This left only the main event of Hogan vs. Andre, which in itself was far from a great bout. But the bout felt like the biggest match of that or any other year, and the crowd were on the edge of their seats throughout. The match was dramatic, and told a great story. It was an excellent way in which to finish such a landmark event.

Overall, Wrestlemania III was far from the greatest wrestling card in history, but there`s no denying its legacy. That legacy is well-preserved on this Championship Edition, which contains some very nice extras, which haven`t been seen on DVD before.

For anyone who remembers watching Wrestlemania III around the time that it occurred, this will likely be required nostalgic viewing. With wrestling so different in the modern era, others may struggle to find that appeal.