Ten ‘WrestleMania’ Matches You May Have Forgotten
By Brian Waters, TheRinger.com
When it comes to pro wrestling pay-per-views, WrestleMania is the granddaddy of them all. The Super Bowl for wrestling fans. Simply put, it’s the closest thing pro wrestling has to a “holiday.” Wrestling fans do not think of March and April as springtime; it’s WrestleMania season, and as the days start to get longer, all wrestling fans can think about is the buildup to the biggest event in all of sports entertainment. WrestleMania is the event when the biggest stories climax, new stories begin, past stars make unexpected returns, future stars debut, and some of today’s stars may turn heel. It is simply the day (or, in recent years, days) wrestling fans look forward to every year.
Every year during WrestleMania season, like fans across the globe, I go back and watch some of my favorite matches. Sometimes, I may even watch the entire show. At a certain point, I started to notice that there are some very quality matches that have slipped through the WrestleMania cracks, for many reasons (most of them having to do with something outstanding that’s overshadowed the rest of the card). As we get closer to the Showcase of the Immortals, I want to take time to share 10 hidden WrestleMania gems.
Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis: WrestleMania 3, March 1987
WrestleMania 3 will forever be remembered for the moment Hulk Hogan slammed Andre the Giant. Everyone has their opinion on the actual match, but it was the slam heard round the world, and it led to the leg drop that allowed Hogan, the Irresistible Force, to take down Andre, the Immovable Object. In the semi-main event, Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat defeated “Macho Man” Randy Savage. For years Steamboat-Savage has been considered the greatest wrestling match at ’Mania ever. But if you decide there’s a match that’s out of the ordinary that you want to check out, I recommend watching “Rowdy” Roddy Piper taking on Adrian Adonis in a match in which the loser had to get their head shaved. This was also billed as Piper’s retirement match. If you are looking for a bunch of false finishes and high-flying action, then you already know to check out the semi–main event between Steamboat and Savage. But if you are looking for a fight that includes drama and weapons, then this is the one you’re looking for. The crowd went crazy when Adonis attempted to hit Piper with hedge clippers, only for them to bounce off the ropes and into Adonis’s face, allowing Piper to catch him with a sleeper hold for the win. Brutus Beefcake then assisted in cutting Adonis’s hair. (Fun fact: He would become Brutus “the Barber” Beefcake after this.) The post-match shenanigans were just as entertaining as the match. Even though this was billed as Piper’s retirement match, like every other major superstar, he would be in the ring again.
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