9. The Slam Heard 'Round The World - WrestleMania III, 1988
If WrestleMania I established the WWE as the wrestling industry's "next big thing", WrestleMania III turned it into the all-encompassing titan we all watch today. It is officially the highest-attended event in WWE history, boasting a gobsmacking (if disputed) figure of 93,173, and drew several million more viewers on Pay Per View. The event also made an estimated $10,300,000 in PPV revenues, a record at the time, and transformed the promotion from the biggest company in its field to a legitimate household name. Much of this success can be put down to the rabidly-awaited main event between Hulk Hogan (the most well-recognised figure in wrestling since his cameo appearance in Rocky 3) and Andre The Giant. Although actually a lacklustre match, one heavily overshadowed by the classic Ricky Steamboat vs Randy Savage encounter earlier in the show, Hogan vs Andre captured the imagination of a whole new fanbase thanks to its classic 'David vs Goliath' structure and many months of hype - revolving around Andre's betrayal of Hogan and alignment with Bobby Heenan. Of course, all wrestling fans know what happened in the match; the incredible visual of Hogan scooping up his gargantuan opponent for a bodyslam is still looked back upon with reverence today. To prove WrestleMania III's influential role in the history of wrestling, Hogan and Andre's highly anticipated rematch drew 33,000,000 viewers on NBC - making it the most viewed North American pro wrestling bout in history.
