WWE may have inflated the attendance figure and presented the "first time ever" main event with a wink and a nudge, but WrestleMania III provided conclusive proof that the work will always be more important than the shoot in pro wrestling anyway.
Ignoring the hard data, the fact remains that a f*cking load of people packed out the Silverdome for what they considered the biggest money match in all of wrestling. They were given what they were promised and then some, not least in the form of the iconic Intercontinental Title clash.
This was polished and purified Sports Entertainment conclusively proving itself as a draw and proving Vince McMahon's vision spot on. The Chairman would have persisted anyway, but having this in his back pocket for the rest of the decade opened even more doors and minds to his bizarre and brilliant one-ring circus.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett