5 Things I learned from WrestleMania III (1987)

#3 That would have been a perfect send-off for Piper

Piper’s first retirement was his best

Piper might have been one of the best heels in WWE history. Simply look at my reviews of WrestleMania 1 and 2 to see how hated he was. But this match was the opposite. He was loved.

This was billed as Piper’s retirement match.

It was a hair vs. hair match with Adrian Adonis. The crowd absolutely loved everything Piper did in the seven-minute match and his work was among his very best. You could see how much he loved it as he left the ring.

It might have been a perfect send-off for any wrestler. The hated heel becoming beloved in a final match in front of 93,000 screaming fans. Piper would come back for some other memorable matches years later but this was likely his best chance to retire.