Five-Star Match of the Week: Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat vs. 'Macho Man' Randy Savage - Intercontinental Championship Match, WrestleMania III
Every Wednesday, WWEClassics.com and Greatest Matches team up with your favorite Superstars to bring you the Five-Star Match of the Week, presented by Wrangler. We ask a Superstar in the WWE locker room to select one of the greatest wrestling matches of all time, and WWE.com brings you that full-length match, uncut.
Historians and fans often argue back and forth about the best event, the best wrestler or the best match ever. But when discussing the finest bouts of all time, there’s one particular contest that is always part of the conversation. It’s no surprise one of WWE’s most intelligent Superstars picked it as his selection for Five-Star Match of the Week.
“I’m going to go with WrestleMania III, Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat vs. ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage,” David Otunga told WWEClassics.com.
The match featured two outstanding competitors who would both go on to create many more memorable moments and become true Legends. Of course, the acclaimed WrestleMania III event was not short on Legends.
“The headliner of that show was Hulk Hogan against Andre the Giant,” Otunga explained. “But I have to be honest, the most entertaining match, the one I came away thinking about was ‘Macho Man’ and ‘The Dragon.’ It really stole the show.”
Watch WrestleMania III highlights
The Harvard Law graduate is not alone in his sentiments. In front of more than 93,000 screaming fans, Savage and Steamboat rose to the occasion and accomplished the impossible: upstaging Hogan and Andre.
As much of a technical marvel as the match was, some WWE fans forget the merciless hostility that led to the bout in the first place. The rivalry began nearly six months prior when “Macho Man,” the reigning Intercontinental Champion, badly injured Steamboat’s larynx with the ring bell. But “The Dragon” was able to gain retribution by winning the title on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
There was also an additional layer of intrigue with George “The Animal” Steele in Steamboat’s corner. Steele had harbored a longtime crush on Savage’s valet, Miss Elizabeth, and played a pivotal role in the outcome of the matchup.
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“That definitely added something,” the bowtie-wearing brainiac recalled. “George ‘The Animal’ Steele is actually my mom’s favorite wrestler.”
Mrs. Otunga may have rooted for “The Animal,” but who was the coffee connoisseur cheering on?
“I liked ‘Macho Man,’ but truthfully, I was a fan of Ricky ‘The Dragon,’” Otunga told WWEClassics.com.
For once, we can’t disagree with him.
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