We are down to the final 2 and today is the one that set wrestling a blaze. Steamboat and Savage might have stole the show, but this was the moment that will last forever. WrestleMania 1 might of been a gamble, but WrestleMania 3 was going all in. In Pontiac Michigan more than 93,000 packed the Silverdome to witness the clash of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. And the gamble would turn out well for the WWE.
But let's see how we got here. In 1984 Hulk Hogan won the WWF Championship and would hold the title all the way into 1987 and WrestleMania 3. Along the way, Hulk would fight off challengers like Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff, and King Kong Bundy, to name a few. The other big name in wrestling at the same time was long-time friend Andre the Giant. However something started to irk Andre. Possibly the greed of gold, or the lack of recognition from the Champion Hogan. Either way Andre would align himself with evil mastermind Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, and turn on Hogan, by ripping the cross off his chest and challenging him for the Title.
The crowd in Pontiac were already on fire from the Intercontinental Title match earlier in the night. So when it was time for the main event, the crowd quickly got to their feet. The two historic figures of wrestling would stand nose to...chest. Andre would dominate early on with his size and height advantage. Hogan would try for a slam early, but had not worn his opponent down enough, and failed. After a while Hogan would muster up enough power to finally bring Andre down with multiple clotheslines. Hogan would feel the power and preform our Number 2 moment of WrestleMania history by slamming Andre. A feat once thought impossible. Hogan would hit the Leg drop as well and retain his Title.
I have realized that the top 3 moments are probably interchangeable, just depending on which moment you were either alive for or witnessed live or as it happened on TV. So I have this moment here because when you think of actual moments in wrestling, not just WrestleMania, you can always go back to this. This was WWF doing the impossible and taking over the wresting world until Eric Bischoff almost killed them off. But with all the history made in all 39 Manias, this moment alone is featured and remembered each and every year. This is the moment that made me feel as though I should list Moments over matches this year as this a match was nothing, but it's moment was monumental, therefore it lands number 2 on our list. Oh boy we have one left, can you guess what it is? It is another doozy and the cap off of our list, hope you have enjoyed so far. Stay Tuned!!
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