The granddaddy of them all, WrestleMania is just about a week away. The anticipation for the extravaganza is sky high among the WWE Universe. And since the pay-per-view is richer than Richie Rich when it comes to history, we have decided to take a look back at some of the best WrestleMania matches with this latest series.Over the last thirty years, WWE fans have witnessed some great WrestleMania matches. From the likes of Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon to Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin, some of the greatest matches in wrestling history happened at the event, and today, we look at one of the greatest wrestling matches to have taken place not just at WrestleMania, but in professional wrestling history.Going into WrestleMania 3, the hype surrounded the larger than life confrontation between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. But after the conclusion of the event, the fans went home talking about the match for the WWE Intercontinental championship between ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage and Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat, and years later, the match was seen as the turning point in both their careers.
#1 The Build up
The feud started well in advance, when Randy was scheduled to face Steamboat with the Intercontinental title on the line, but attacked him viciously when Steamboat was greeting his fans. Randy proceeded to injure Steamboat by dropping him throat – first on the guardrails, and delivered an elbow drop from the top rope.
Randy continued the attack and drilled the ring – bell into Steamboat’s larynx from the top rope, sending him to the hospital.
Both men were then engaged in a bitter rivalry, which finally culminated at WrestleMania 3, with Steamboat challenging Savage for the WWE Intercontinental championship. While Miss Elizabeth was in Randy’s corner, George “The Animal” Steele was in Steamboat’s corner, as he had developed a crush on Miss Elizabeth.
#2 The match
Sometimes, when all the stars align, you get to witness a true classic unfolding in front of your eyes. The fans at WrestleMania 3 became a part of history, when both men made their way out to the ring and proceeded to put on one of the best technical masterpieces the fans had ever witnessed. The match itself was hailed as a work of art and was said to be way ahead of its time and very few would argue with that statement.
The fast pace, high-octane bout saw both the superstars trying to one – up each other, as Savage tried to hurt Steamboat once again with the ring bell but was stopped by George Steele. After fifteen minutes of amazing counters and reversals, with unbelievable chain wrestling and storytelling,
Steamboat finally reversed a scoop slam into a small package to pin Randy Savage after a brief interference by The Animal, who pushed Savage off the turnbuckles, becoming the new WWE Intercontinental champion in the process. It was said that in days leading up to the event, both men meticulously worked together, putting the match together while concentrating even on the smallest bits.
As the fans stood up and cheered both men for putting on one of the greatest wrestling matches of all time, Steamboat finally got the upper hand by beating Randy Savage at WrestleMania. After the match, both wrestlers were greeted by their peers behind the curtains, as both men hugged the other superstars.
#3 The aftermath
While Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Pro Wrestling Illustrated named the bout 1987’s MOTY, and the bout was received tremendously well by the fans and critics, it is said that Vince was furious with their bout overshadowing the Hogan – Andre confrontation. Savage challenged Steamboat numerous times for the title afterwards, but Steamboat managed to get the better of Savage.
Steamboat later dropped the title to The Honky Tonk Man, as Savage turned face due to the strong reactions from the crowd and began challenging The Honky Tonk Man for the WWE Intercontinental title.
While Steamboat didn’t see much success in the WWE after their match, Savage became the new WWE champion at the next edition of WrestleMania and had an amazing career in the WWE. Steamboat later claimed that their bout at WrestleMania 3 was the turning point in his career and defined his tenure as a professional wrestler.
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