It's the...
[size=+2]All Grown Up[/size]
[size=+1]April 1, 2007
Detroit, MI[/size]
and the
20th Anniversary
[size=+2]Bigger. Better. Badder.[/size]
[size=+1]March 27, 1987
Pontiac, MI[/size]
[size=+2]Wrestling Topic[/size]
[size=+2]All Grown Up[/size]
[size=+1]April 1, 2007
Detroit, MI[/size]
and the
20th Anniversary
[size=+2]Bigger. Better. Badder.[/size]
[size=+1]March 27, 1987
Pontiac, MI[/size]
[size=+2]Wrestling Topic[/size]
Via Wikipedia:
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Wrestlemania 23 takes place April 1st, 2007. The buildup since last year's event has been an interesting one, as overall merchandise and house show sales have skyrocketed, while PPV buys have taken a downturn.
The card (at this writing) is as follows:
*World Heavyweight Championship: Batista (c) vs. The Undertaker
* WWE Championship: John Cena (c) vs. Shawn Michaels
* Hair vs. Hair match: Bobby Lashley (w/Donald Trump) vs. Umaga (w/Vince McMahon and Armando Alejandro Estrada) (w/Steve Austin as Special Guest Referee)
* Money in the Bank ladder match: Edge vs. CM Punk vs. King Booker vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Matt Hardy vs. Finlay vs. Randy Orton
* The ECW Originals (Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, The Sandman and Rob Van Dam) vs. The New Breed (Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Matt Striker and Kevin Thorn) (w/Ariel)
* WWE Women's Championship: Melina (c) vs. Ashley Massaro
* Kane vs. The Great Khali
* WWE United States Championship: Chris Benoit (c) vs. Montel Vontavious Porter
The two main events paint a similar overall picture, but have drastically different histories behind them. Both matches present an "Old Legend vs. New Hero" approach; however, the expected outcomes are not likely to match (I may have to eat my words on this one). John Cena has become a merchandising juggernaut and huge draw among younger kids, and won over some of his detractors over the past year with strong efforts in his major matches. Batista has seemingly fallen from grace, going from the most popular performer in the company to a slower, staler world champion. This doesn't necessarily indicate what the outcomes of the matches will be, but popular opinion seems to side with Cena retaining, and Undertaker taking the title from Batista. Of special note here is The Undertaker's winning streak. If he defeats Batista, he will be 15-0 at the event, a record that will likely never be surpassed.
The most unique match (and the match grabbing the most public interest) is the Umaga vs. Bobby Lashley encounter. If Umaga loses, Vince McMahon will have his head shaved. If Lashley loses, the same will happen to Donald Trump. Stone Cold Steve Austin threatens to "steal the show" as the referee.
The annual Money In The Bank match has received a bump in participants this year, and will now include 8 people. This match will surely feature the most amazing stunts of the night. Like the world championship match, there is an undefeated Wrestlemania streak on the line here as well: Edge's. However, a loss in an 8 way match may be downplayed by the company as not a "real loss" if he does not come out the winner.
The ECW Originals vs. ECW New Breed match should paint a telling picture of what the future of that troubled brand will be.
Melina vs. Ashley Massaro does not fill most fans with hope for an outstanding contest. It may be used to "take the crowd down" after a major match like one of the main events or the Money In The Bank contest.
Kane vs. Great Khali...well, they look cool standing next to each other. This could be an entertaining weapons-filled match.
MVP vs. Chris Benoit for the U.S. Title will likely open the show, and could be an entertaining contest if MVP is on top of his game and they are given more than 8 minutes.
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Wrestlemania III took place in March of 1987 and featured two of the most noteworthy matches of the 80's, both for very different reasons - Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant, and Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. The event also set an indoor attendance record of 93,173 people.
The card was as follows:
*The Can-Am Connection (Rick Martel and Tom Zenk) defeated Cowboy Bob Orton and The Magnificent Muraco (w/Mr. Fuji) (5:37)
*Billy Jack Haynes fought Hercules (w/Bobby Heenan) to a double countout (7:44)
*Hillbilly Jim, The Haiti Kid and Little Beaver defeated King Kong Bundy, Little Tokyo and Lord Littlebrook in a Mixed Tag Team match (3:23)
*Harley Race (w/Bobby Heenan and The Fabulous Moolah) defeated The Junkyard Dog in a "Loser Must Bow" match (4:22)
*Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake (w/Johnny Valiant and Dino Bravo) defeated The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques and Raymond) (4:03)
*Roddy Piper defeated Adrian Adonis (w/Jimmy Hart) in a Hair vs. Hair Match (6:54)
*The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) and Danny Davis (w/Jimmy Hart) defeated The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) and Tito Santana (8:52)
*Butch Reed (w/Slick) defeated Koko B. Ware (3:39)
*Ricky Steamboat (w/George Steele) defeated Randy Savage (w/Miss Elizabeth) to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship (14:35)
*The Honky Tonk Man (w/Jimmy Hart) defeated Jake Roberts (w/Alice Cooper) (7:04)
*The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff (w/Slick) defeated The Killer Bees (Brian Blair and Jim Brunzell) (5:44)
*Hulk Hogan defeated André the Giant (w/Bobby Heenan) to retain the WWF Championship (12:01)
Despite not being a technical classic and not truly being the "passing of the torch" match that Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan made it out to be (Hogan was already clearly the man in the company at the time and Andre was semi-retired), Hogan vs. Andre was still the biggest main event in the company's history up to that point. It solidified Hogan as the most well-known wrestler in North America, if not the world. Hogan's bodyslam of Andre has become arguably the most iconic moment in the company's history.
On the other hand, the Savage-Steamboat Intercontinental Title match was perhaps the greatest WWF match of all time up until that point. The fantastic build-up to the match featured Savage crushing Steamboat's throat with the ring bell, "retiring" him for good. When Steamboat came back for revenge, the match was set. Both men went all out, and the speed of the two during the match, even by today's standards, was almost incredible. After well over 20 pin attempts by both, Steamboat emerged as the winner with a bodyslam reversal into a small package as the crowd went berzerk.
The Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis match was billed as Piper's "retirement" match and had the hair vs. hair stipulation as well. Piper defeated Adonis in a short, fun match with his signature sleeperhold. After Piper and the newly-turned face Brutus Beefcake shaved Adrian's head, Piper was left alone in the ring to say goodbye to the fans and receive an amazing sendoff. In fact, as Piper was about to exit, an overjoyed fan jumped in the ring and hugged Piper...Piper even hugged him back and shook his hand just before security tackled him to the ground. It's difficult to fathom just how over Roddy Piper was, both as a face and heel during his original WWF run if you were not a fan at the time, but it was one of the more genuinely emotional moments I can recall in the WWF.
The attendenace of the event was announced as 93,173 people. This number has been disputed over the years, most notably by Zane Bresloff (who worked for the WWF/Titan at the time), who claimed it was closer to the 78,000 range. THIS number is disputed as well, with people claiming that 78,000 is what the stadium holds for Lions football games, and the addition of all the floor seats added several thousand to that number. Whatever the true number is, it was an awesome sight to behold.
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On a personal note, WM3 was the first event I ever attended. I was only 7 years old at the time, and whenever the crowd popped I would cover my ears for about the first hour since the noise was so overwhelming to me. I was seated right next to the aisle and got to hi-five Rick Martel as he came down for the opening contest. I was terrified of the heels at first, and I sat in scared silence as Orton, Muraco, and Fuji walked right by me. My dad had to reassure me that they weren't going to come over and beat me up.
Thank you for your useful and insightful post.
