WWE Backstage (May 12th, 2020) - 5 Takeaways from this week's episode
CM Punk returned to the panel by trolling the fans as if he were the SmackDown hacker. Punk joined Renee Young, Booker T, and Christian to discuss Money in the Bank, WrestleMania 3, and other topics. Ricky Steamboat and Otis joined the show as special guests. When the panel discussed the ladder matches, Edge popped in to surprise everyone.
Hulk Hogan looked back briefly on the match with Andre the Giant and revealed that he didn't know much of the plan for the match beforehand. Steamboat also reflected on the historic bout he had while Punk tried out the new WWE ice cream bars and wasn't impressed.
Becky Lynch's earth-shattering announcement of being pregnant was also briefly discussed as was how Lynch's departure would shake up the women's division. One of the biggest pieces of the show was the announcement that a tournament to crown a new Intercontinental Champion would start on SmackDown. Here are five takeaways from WWE Backstage from May 12th, 2020.
#5 The impact of WrestleMania 3
Prior to Backstage airing, WM 3 was replayed. It was at that PPV where Hulk Hogan body-slammed Andre the Giant. It was also the site of the legendary match between Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat and Randy Savage. Of the event, Booker T claimed that "I got into the business in 1990. It definitely made me feel a certain way about watching professional wrestling exactly like Steamboat and Savage." Booker also revealed that he and his brother, Stevie Ray "tried to duplicate that match. I was Steamboat of course and he was Savage."
Punk remembered "seeing the results of WM 3 broadcast on a local Chicago news station" and saying as a kid "is this real? Is this not real? And they're reporting on the news." He also claimed that the Intercontinental title bout was "the quintessential wrestling match. The bar that we all strive to be like is Savage vs. Steamboat."
Christian claimed that it "was kind of the first WM that we got the feel of the Super Bowl level spectacle that it would become." Booker ended by saying "I encourage these young guys to watch this match because when those two individuals walked to the ring, it felt real. They went out there and raised the bar to a level that so many guys are trying to reach even today."