| 1 | Largest Indoor Crowd in North American Sporting History 93,173 — Record Held Until 2010 WrestleMania III's claimed attendance of 93,173 was the largest for any live indoor sporting event in North American history at the time. The record stood for 23 years until the 2010 NBA All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium drew 108,713. Even the revised estimate of approximately 78,000 would still have represented an extraordinary record for professional wrestling, dwarfing any previous wrestling attendance figures. | 93,173 (claimed) / ~78,000 (estimated) | Largest indoor North American sporting crowd | 2010 NBA All-Star Game |
| 2 | First WrestleMania Back to a Single Venue Format Reverse of WrestleMania 2's Three-City Experiment WrestleMania III's decision to return to a single venue — directly reversing WrestleMania 2's three-city experiment — was one of the most important strategic decisions in WWF history. By concentrating 93,000 fans in one arena, the event created an atmosphere and shared experience utterly impossible across three separate venues. The Pontiac Silverdome roaring at the bodyslam could not have happened in three places simultaneously. The lesson permanently established the single-venue template for every subsequent WrestleMania. | — | First single-venue WrestleMania after WM2's three-city fo... | — |
| 3 | First Hogan Bodyslam of André — Most Iconic WrestleMania Moment The Single Most Iconic Image in WrestleMania History Hulk Hogan's bodyslam of the billed 520-pound André the Giant at WrestleMania III remains the single most iconic image in WrestleMania history — and arguably the most famous single moment in professional wrestling's existence. The near-fall early in the match where Hogan failed to lift André made the eventual successful slam even more dramatic. When Hogan finally lifted the Giant and crashed him to the mat, 93,000 people experienced a simultaneous collective catharsis that has never been replicated. | — | Most iconic single moment in WrestleMania history | — |
| 4 | Savage vs. Steamboat — 1987 Match of the Year Voted Match of the Year by Both Wrestling Observer and PWI Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat was voted 1987 Match of the Year by both the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Pro Wrestling Illustrated — the two most respected publications in professional wrestling journalism at the time. The double award was unprecedented for a WWF match in the era, as WON's Dave Meltzer typically favoured Japanese wrestling. The match's 22 near-falls, 14:35 duration, and perfect storytelling created the benchmark for what a WrestleMania IC title match — and by extension, any WrestleMania mid-card match — could achieve. | — | 1987 Match of the Year — WON and PWI | — |
| 5 | Record Pay-Per-View Revenue for Professional Wrestling $10.3 Million in PPV Revenue WrestleMania III's estimated $10.3 million in pay-per-view revenue set a record for any professional wrestling event and established pay-per-view as the primary revenue model for the WWF's business going forward. The figure was a landmark in the broader entertainment industry's understanding of PPV as a viable premium content delivery mechanism. | $10.3 million | PPV revenue record for professional wrestling | — |
| 6 | Largest Professional Wrestling Crowd Ever Assembled at a Single Venue Single Venue Record — Still Stands for Indoor Wrestling Events Regardless of whether the 93,173 or the revised 78,000 figure is accepted, WrestleMania III assembled the largest indoor professional wrestling crowd in North American history at a single venue — a record that has never been surpassed for an indoor wrestling event in North America to this day. Outdoor events such as WrestleMania 32 at AT&T Stadium (101,763 in 2016) have since exceeded it, but the indoor record remains WrestleMania III's permanent legacy. | — | Largest indoor single-venue wrestling crowd in North Amer... | — |