Macho Man versus The Dragon

By Paulie Knep
Love of Sports Correspondent

WrestleMania III was the apex of the World Wrestling Federations’ boom in popularity during the 1980s. Over 90,000 people attended the event at the Pontiac Silverdome on March 29th, 1987, and millions more watched on pay-per-view TV.

The evening’s main event was a highly anticipated title bout between WWF Champion, Hulk Hogan, and his envious old friend, Andre the Giant. It was a rivalry built on envy and animosity, and for all intents and purposes, should’ve been the match that fans left the arena talking about.

While the “biggest main event in sports entertainment” did live up to enormous expectations, it was the classic battle between Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and the “Macho Man” Randy Savage, that stole the show.

The Steamboat-Savage match had it all. Its compelling storyline was rife with vengeance, a beautiful love interest, engaging characters, suspense, phenomenal in-ring artistry and to top it off, the Intercontinental Championship belt was on the line.

The “Macho Man” joined the WWF in 1985 and quickly became a major player, thanks in part to a combination of passion in the ring, flashy attire, a distinctly intense interview persona and his beautiful manager, Miss Elizabeth. He won the Intercontinental Championship from Tito Santana in early 1986.

Steamboat was another up-and-comer in the increasingly popular WWF, and the two squared off for the Intercontinental belt in September 1986. Savage cheap-shotted Steamboat outside the ring and rammed his throat into the ringside bell, injuring Steamboat’s larynx. The end-result was a hospitalization for Steamboat, as well as a few wrestle-free months.

What ensued was a bitter feud between the two wrestlers, which culminated in their title fight at WrestleMania III.

Steamboat hyped the match by talking about seeking revenge for his throat injury.

During the bout at WrestleMania, Steamboat had George “The Animal” Steele in his corner. Steele also had an ongoing feud with Savage, which stemmed from his affection for Miss Elizabeth. Steele would play a crucial role in the match, shoving Savage off balance when he tried to lunge at Steamboat from the top rope with the ringside bell.

The tension in the crowd was palpable as Steamboat and Savage approached the ring. “Macho Man” added to the drama by entering to the song “Pomp and Circumstance,” as was his custom.

Fans expected a war, and that’s what they got.  In contrast to the less mobile, Hogan and Andre, Steamboat and Savage provided an athletic display of wrestling artistry, which included flying cross-bodies off the top-rope, scoop slams and leg drops.

It was an extraordinarily long match that saw momentum change on several different occasions. There were multiple times when Steamboat had Savage down for two seconds and appeared to have the match won, only for Savage to kick out at the last possible instant. The crowd grew more anxious with every passing two count.

After enduring nearly 15 minutes of brutal punishment, Savage appeared to have Steamboat in trouble. He attempted to finish off the Dragon with a scoop slam, but Steamboat was able to reverse it and pinned Savage to win the match and become the new WWF Intercontinental Champ.

The showdown between Hogan and Andre carried greater historical significance for professional wrestling, as it featured the WWF’s signature moment, when the Hulkster body slammed the 540 pound giant.

However, there’s no question as to what the best fight of the night was. The Steamboat-Savage battle became an instant classic among wrestling fans and was named the 1987 Match of the Year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer.

Twenty-one years later, it’s still considered one of the greatest WWF/WWE matches ever, and that’s why we’re giving some Old School Love to the epic championship bout between the “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat.