Adam Graham and Tony Paul of The Detroit News recently published an article looking back at WrestleMania III.

Insane Clown Posse’s Violent J was interviewed as a part of this article. You can read the full article by CLICKING HERE.

Here is the Violent J excerpts from the article:

Violent J: WrestleMania III was the biggest deal going down. Of course, everybody remembers the epic build-up with Hogan and Andre, Andre ripping the crucifix off of Hogan’s neck. I remember in the paper there was a full double-page ad, Hogan staring at Andre, with an all black background. I remember opening the paper and seeing that big double spread, it was so epic. But by then it was already sold out.

Violent J: The plan was to go down and buy tickets off a scalper. Me and my friend, Noel, his Dad had a heavy Irish accent. We went down there in the afternoon, we were in a station wagon, and Noel’s Dad got out of the car and walked up to a scalper selling tickets. We could hear everything. We were watching, and I don’t remember how much the guy wanted, but I remember Noel’s Dad, in his Irish accent, saying ‘(expletive), hell no!’ And he got back in the car and started to take off. And I was just like, ‘Let me out! Let me out!’ And he was like, ‘No, I’m not leaving you out here!’ And I remember being salty the whole way back, I was so mad. Why wouldn’t he just leave me out there? So we got back to Noel’s house and I ran all the way to 9 (Mile) and Woodward and I jumped on the Woodward bus and went straight to downtown Pontiac. There, they were having free shuttles to the Silverdome. I jumped on that WrestleMania shuttle like crazy, and it took us right to the Silverdome. I had $60 saved up because I was a caddie. I was going to use that money toward a ticket, because I didn’t have any idea what a ticket would cost. My thoughts were, this isn’t going to be enough, but hopefully once the show had started, somebody’s got some extra tickets or something, I would be able to get in. But when I got down there, that wasn’t happening. People were asking like $150, $200! I was like, ‘This isn’t going to work.’

Violent J: I was gonna sneak in. At this point, I had already become a master of sneaking in to the shows down at Joe Louis. But the Silverdome was un-sneak-in-able. I’m walking all around it, it’s nothing like Joe Louis. There’s fences before you even get into the doors. And I remember, there were a bunch of us trying to get in, and this dude walked up with some form of bolt cutters, and he straight up clipped the fence open. And he bent the fence back and we all slipped in through there, and we ran up to a door, and it was open! We got in there. It was epic. But the show had already started, (“Rowdy” Roddy) Piper and (Adrian) Adonis was on. I remember calling (ICP member) Joey (Utsler) on a payphone, and I was like, ‘I’m in this (expletive), listen to the crowd!’

Violent J: I didn’t have a seat, so I just had to keep on moving. Every time I was standing in an aisle, ushers would be like, ‘You’ve gotta sit down,’ and I was like, ‘I’m just taking a look.’ But I ended up securing a spot where no one was messing with me. I went up, almost to the top, and there was nowhere to sit but there was no security guard up there so I just kind of sat on the steps and watched. The ocean of people was mesmerizing. In the song ‘Miracles,’ we say something about it. We say, ‘I’ve seen 85,000 people all in one room, together as equals,’ and that’s WrestleMania III I’m talking about. That’s what I felt.

Violent J: This was my thinking: 85,000 people, mostly blue-collar people, and we all know it’s fake, right? And two people in the ring are telling a story that we know is not real. But we’re all escaping reality. We just want a break, man, we just want to tap out of our life for a minute and get caught up in a legit passion. Jump up out of your seat, ‘Oh man, two-count!’ You’re not thinking it’s fake, that’s not even on your mind. You’re just tapping out of reality, because reality ain’t always fun. Two people in the ring captivating 85,000 people, and millions around the world. That’s pretty dope, right? No instruments needed, not even a microphone. Just physically captivating the crowd, rising and falling emotions: anger, happiness, celebration, fear, everything. That’s what wrestling is, and that’s what people fail to see is the beauty in that. I remember thinking that, even as a little kid, and being mesmerized by that. We’re all enjoying ourselves, having the best time, and it don’t matter if it’s legit. These guys are killing it. It was an epic moment in my life, it really, honestly was.

Violent J: I saw the epicness of Macho Man and Ricky Steamboat. The false finishes, the false finishes, the false finishes, the epic, historical match.

Violent J: Both of them were in their prime. That match was just something else

Violent J: I remember the building getting darker as the sun went down, because the sun was hitting the roof and it was lighting up the building. I remember the excitement building as the sun went down, because everything’s more exciting in a dark arena.

Violent J: WrestleMania III, the night Hogan slammed Andre. Even though they had wrestled a billion other times and nobody knew it, that doesn’t matter. That’s the night they wrestled. It’s just the way it was done. Saying Andre has never been beaten and these two have never wrestled. This was the time everyone was watching, and this is the one that counted. It’s like at the end of ‘Radio Flyer’ when he says, ‘History is all in the mind of the teller, and truth is all in the telling.’ That’s all that matters. Who cares to discredit the story when it’s more enjoyable the way it was presented?

 

Websites:

• Larger than life: An oral history of WrestleMania III