10 Most Fascinating Stories In WrestleMania History

6. The Perfect Lie

Hogan, Andre, WrestleMania III
WWE.com

André The Giant had been lifted from his size 24 feet and slammed to the canvas years before WrestleMania III. Hulk Hogan himself had slammed André The Giant before.

But, pre-Internet, pro wrestling remained somewhat secure in the secrecy it once traded in. We were years removed from the formal death of kayfabe, and Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter enjoyed a healthy circulation - but the publication, nor its copycat online successors, hadn't irrevocably influenced the conversation.

On March 29, 1987, the WWF promoted WrestleMania III, a show on which everything was literally, impossibly large, not least of which the literal and figurative size of Hulk Hogan's great challenge, and the number of attendees. To subvert an idiom as proof of how untouchable the Federation was in its first zenith, everybody's sh*t stinks - but you couldn't smell Vince McMahon's bull. It was a different, unrecoverable time - guilty of fabrication, but so quintessentially perfect in its grasp of childhood magic incarnate as to be somehow innocent.

We can never go back. No aura can ever be as deftly protected as André's, no match can ever get away with the non-action of the headliner's first eight or so minutes of incredibly basic form.

In every respect - the lies, the smoke, the mirrors, the actual, magic illusion of pain and adversity - this was the manifested essence of what was once pro wrestling.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!