Hall Of Fame Induction Review: Randy Savage Vs. Ricky Steamboat
Posted by Daniel Johnson
on 10/23/2007
The following is an official review for the TWV Wrestling Hall Of Fame - Matches section.
This match took place on March 29, 1987 at WrestleMania III for the World Wrestling Federation and you can download this match for free from the TWV site by right-clicking here and selecting "Save Target As.."
For more information on the Hall Of Fame as well as directions to see all members and classes of the Hall Of Fame, just click here.
The record-breaking crowd in the Pontiac Silverdome was hot and on its feet following a brief skirmish between "The Natural" Butch Reed and Koko B. Ware. The bout in many ways was representative of Wrestlemania III up to that point as a whole, showcasing great storylines with no-so-great in-ring work. With the main event featuring an aging Andre the Giant going against the limited moveset of Hulk Hogan, a miracle was needed for Wrestlemania III's in-ring performance to standup to its storytelling—that miracle was "Macho Man" Randy Savage Vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.
Although the Savage/Steamboat rivalry peaked at Wrestlemania III, the story behind it began more than a year earlier. Building up steam since entering the then WWF in 1985, Savage quickly reached the next level toward main event status when he defeated Tito Santana for the WWF Intercontinental Championship in the historic Boston Garden arena. The victory not only propelled Savage up the card, but also garnered him a good deal of hate among fans as it took the use of a foreign object concealed in Savage's tights to pick up the victory.
Savage's disregard for wrestling's rules did not end there as it was not long before he set his sights on Steamboat. Easily one of the WWF's greatest ring technicians of all time, Steamboat like Savage also appeared to be a star just a few rungs below headlining top tier cards. It is not surprising then that in kayfabe Savage's character understood this threat and in the course of a matchup put Steamboat out of commission. Savage did this by crushing Steamboat's larynx with the assists of a ring bell.
Perhaps the only aspect of Savage's character that gained him more heat than his blatant disregard for the rules was his overly protective relationship with manager Miss Elizabeth. As a result of Savage's poor treatment of Elizabeth along with the Savage/Steamboat rivalry a side story emerged in which the Quasimodo-esque George "The Animal" Steele developed a crush on Elizabeth. Because of this story, come bell time while Elizabeth stood in Savage's corner, Steele backed up Steamboat.
On March 29, 1987 following months of buildup the rematch between the two was finally set. However, surprisingly it was not until interviewer "Mean" Gene Okerlund was backstage with Steamboat that the electricity revolving around the two would reach its greatest point of intensity. A highpoint that would last for nearly twenty minutes.
While Steamboat had many accomplishments up to that point in his career such as holding the mid-Atlantic version of what would become the NWA United States Title, a renowned speaker, Steamboat was not. Often looking dull in comparison to more charismatic personas of the day such as Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, and Savage himself, Steamboat nevertheless stunned audiences by cutting a concise, yet breathtaking promo.
As Okerlund remarked on the possibility that this was Steamboat's last chance to capture Intercontinental gold Steamboat fired back, "My last opportunity, Randy Savage the day has finally come. The minutes, the seconds, we have reached our moment. As you and I climb into the ring we clash like two titans. But there will only be one winner. One winner Savage. This dragon is breathing fire. This dragon will scorch your back. I will come away with the championship belt and see new horizons!"
The match itself did not disappoint. Savage began the match by playing chicken shit heel with perfection in that he consistently dodged Steamboat. Savage also reminded audiences of the Elizabeth/Steele storyline underscoring the match at one point leading Elizabeth to "safety" from the burly beast. However, the match quickly picked up when Steamboat scored two arm drags against Savage. This set in motion the momentum of the match with both participants knowing exactly when to hit their high impact spots and when to rest.
One highlight of the match saw Savage hitting Steamboat with a knee to the back on the outside. This allowed for Steele to take an active part in the match and help Steamboat back to the ring to avoid count-out. However, this instead worked against Steamboat as Savage immediately threw him back out of the ring. Savage then nailed Steamboat with a double-axe handle to the outside, a move that Savage had used months earlier on the assault that had crushed Steamboat's larynx.
The tide finally looked to turn when Steamboat hit Savage with a karate chop off the top rope. Subsequently this led to a series of two-counts consisting of all manners of small packages and rollups. Years later former WWE Champion Chris Jericho would fondly recall the feel that the variety and share number of two counts gave the match. These two counts would lead Jericho and a friend to re-enact the match time and again in his youth and help him make the decision to become a professional wrestler.
Despite Steamboat's efforts Savage's underhanded tactics were too much for him as Savage shot Steamboat into the referee and then hit his finisher, the flying elbow drop. However, Savage's cheating had a duel effect as this also left no referee to make the three count.
Sensing victory was near Savage decided to go for broke and wallop Steamboat with the ring bell, just as he had done months before. Luckily for Steamboat, at that moment the Savage/Steamboat and Elizabeth/Steele storylines collided as Steele was unable to sit back and watch Savage's abusive ways any more. After being shoved aside by Savage, Steele bounced back and knocked him off the top rope just as he was about to hit Steamboat. With the referee finally coming to, Savage was only dazed and decided to go for a slam. Unfortunately for Savage being dazed was all it took as in the course of the slam Steamboat hooked Savage's leg and got the victory.
The aftermath of the match was far less memorable. While both Savage and Steamboat would go onto compete in classic matches following the event, Steamboat ended up dropping the title to the technically inept Honky Tonk Man a little over two months after Wrestlemania III. As a result of getting on bad terms with Vince McMahon for wanting time off from the WWF to be with his wife and newborn son, the rest of Steamboat's time with the company was somewhat forgettable.
Although due to unfortunate circumstances Savage and Steamboat would have only one encounter that received proper buildup while the two were in their prime, the rivalry stands the test of time as to paraphrase Steamboat, the two had reached their moment.
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