20 Things You Didn't Know About WrestleMania (1985-1994)

16. WrestleMania III - Steamboat Hated Savage's Preparation

To expound on the WrestleMania III classic, for years Ricky Steamboat did not like talking about his famous match with the Macho Man because he was not a fan of Savage's style of preparation. Randy was clearly a pioneer as he was one of the first talents to think about the actual in-ring match and how it would develop ahead of time. Savage could visualize the match and see it play out in his head so well that he began to lay out the spots ahead of time, writing them down and memorizing them, then asking Steamboat to do the same. The Dragon was not a fan of the style of match-making and has gone on record stating how annoyed he would get with Savage, clearly not seeing the benefit and opportunities this forward way of thinking and deeper planning could provide. Savage would later go on to lay out and practice additional high-profile matches, including his match against The Ultimate Warrior in 1991. Unlike Steamboat in '87, Warrior was appreciative of the hard work put in by Savage and, prior to Warrior's passing in 2014, he named Randy Savage as his favorite opponent due to the intensity, commitment and drive he brought to his character. Steamboat seems to have grown fonder over the years of Macho's game-changing approach, but it's interesting to note that in 1987 and for several years after that, the historical WrestleMania III match did not evoke happy memories for The Dragon.