| 1 | Hulk Hogan vs. André the Giant — The Greatest Betrayal in Wrestling History Main Event — WWF World Heavyweight Championship Feud The main event programme for WrestleMania III began in a deceptively gentle fashion. On an episode of Piper's Pit, WWF President Jack Tunney presented Hulk Hogan with a trophy celebrating three continuous years as WWF World Heavyweight Champion. André the Giant — Hogan's longtime friend and the most beloved giant in wrestling history — came out to congratulate his friend, but made a cryptic comment: 'Three years to be a champion, it's a long time.' The remark seemed ambiguous but was followed by André storming out when Hogan received all the attention. The following weeks on WWF television were filled with Jesse Ventura's hints that he knew something about André, building genuine intrigue. On the February 7, 1987 edition of Wrestling Challenge, the moment came: André walked out to Piper's Pit alongside Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan — Hogan's most bitter enemy. Heenan announced he was André's new manager. André then physically attacked Hogan — ripping his t-shirt from his body and tearing the crucifix necklace from his neck — and issued the WrestleMania III challenge. The imagery of the crucifix being ripped away was particularly loaded symbolism for the messianic Hogan character. André was building to the match with deteriorating health — his back condition had become severe, and he had competed in only two singles matches in 1987. The match needed to be booked around his physical limitations while still delivering maximum drama. Vince McMahon's solution was the bodyslam challenge — could Hogan slam the biggest man alive? The question carried the entire promotional campaign from February through March 29. | Hulk Hogan vs. André the Giant | Bobby Heenan | Severe back condition — only two singles matches in all o... | February 7, 1987 — Wrestling Challenge, Piper's Pit segment |
| 2 | Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat — The Ring Bell Attack and Six Months of Revenge WWF Intercontinental Championship — Match of the Year Feud The secondary feud of WrestleMania III is widely considered the greater of the two major programmes — and perhaps the most perfectly constructed rivalry in WWF history. The origin was a televised match between Savage (IC Champion) and Steamboat on WWF Superstars of Wrestling in October 1986. Steamboat was at ringside greeting fans when Savage attacked him without warning, shoving him over the security railing. Then came the defining moment: Savage climbed to the top rope and dropped the metal ring bell directly onto Steamboat's exposed throat, driving it into the canvas with the full weight of the impact. Steamboat was rushed to hospital with a reported crushed larynx. WWF television played out his recovery in vivid detail — vignettes of Steamboat at the doctor, unable to speak, learning to communicate again, with his wife and infant son at his bedside. The human story was genuinely moving and served to make the eventual WrestleMania III revenge match feel consequential in a way that went beyond standard sports entertainment. Randy Savage's scouting process was meticulous — he had specifically identified Steamboat as his ideal opponent and scripted the WrestleMania match down to 22 near-falls in advance, working through the choreography with Steamboat in detail. Steamboat would later credit Savage's preparation as a major reason the match achieved its legendary status. The WrestleMania III confrontation also featured George Steele — who had developed a legitimate crush on Miss Elizabeth in the storyline — in Steamboat's corner, adding an ongoing subplot about love and jealousy to the athletic rivalry. | Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat | — | — | — |
| 3 | Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis — The Farewell of the Hot Rod Hair vs. Hair — Piper's Retirement Match Roddy Piper had announced WrestleMania III would be his final match before pursuing a Hollywood acting career. The storyline built to his retirement was centred on Adrian Adonis having taken over Piper's Pit — the most famous interview segment in WWF history — and renaming it the Flower Shop. The professional insult of having his creative territory co-opted was sufficient narrative motivation for Piper, who vowed to reclaim his honour in one final contest. The Hair vs. Hair stipulation gave the match spectacular finality. Adonis, whose flamboyant 'Adorable' character had been one of the WWF's most effective heel acts of 1986-87, was a perfect villain for Piper's emotional farewell. Jimmy Hart's interference and Beefcake's pivotal intervention — reviving Piper with smelling salts mid-match — added layers to the story and served as the catalyst for Beefcake's own babyface turn. | Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis | — | — | — |
| 4 | Hart Foundation and Danny Davis vs. British Bulldogs and Tito Santana — The Corrupt Referee Storyline Six-Man Tag Match — Multi-Month Crooked Referee Build The Danny Davis storyline was one of WWF's most creatively layered of the era. Davis was a WWF referee who had been secretly aligning himself with heel managers — counting fast for heels, counting slow for babyfaces, and making decisions that systematically helped villains win. His crimes included officiating the match where Randy Savage cheated to defeat Tito Santana for the IC title, and most importantly, the January 26, 1987 match where the Bulldogs lost the Tag Titles to the Hart Foundation — a match where Davis knocked out Dynamite Kid with a megaphone. When WWF President Jack Tunney banned Davis from refereeing permanently, Hart Foundation manager Jimmy Hart immediately hired Davis as a wrestler, giving him protected status as a competitor. The WrestleMania III six-man match was the collected revenge of everyone Davis had wronged — Bulldogs and Santana united against the corrupt official and his protectors. | British Bulldogs and Tito Santana vs. Hart Foundation and... | — | — | — |
| 5 | Jake Roberts vs. Honky Tonk Man — The Guitar Shot That Nearly Ended a Career Singles Match Build — Snake Pit Incident Jake Roberts and Honky Tonk Man's WrestleMania III programme began on an episode of The Snake Pit — Roberts' interview segment — where Honky appeared as a guest and without warning picked up an acoustic guitar and smashed it over Roberts' head and back. The brutality of the assault immediately turned Roberts babyface, as fans rallied to his side. The backstage reality was more troubling: the guitar shot caused legitimate nerve damage to Roberts' neck and spine. Roberts wrestled the WrestleMania III match in genuine pain with real physical limitations. Despite this, he competed and the match advanced his character arc significantly. The programme was also notable for accelerating the Honky Tonk Man's own character development as one of the WWF's most effective cowardly heels. | Jake Roberts vs. Honky Tonk Man | — | — | — |