He appeared at the inaugural WrestleMania where he defeated Matt Borne in the third match on the card. On the September 14, 1985 edition of "Championship Wrestling", Steamboat defeated Mr. Fuji, but after his victory he was attacked by Fuji's protege Don Muraco, pitting Steamboat in a feud against Muraco and Fuji. During a televised episode of WWF Championship Wrestling, Steamboat and Muraco were scheduled for a match that never officially started after Muraco jumped Steamboat before the bell. Following the beat down, Muraco and Fuji then used Steamboat's karate black belt to hang him outside the ring from the top rope before Steamboat was finally saved by Tito Santana and the Junkyard Dog. On the November 2 "Saturday Night's Main Event III", he defeated Fuji in a kung fu challenge. On the January 4, 1986 "Saturday Night's Main Event IV", his intense feud with Muraco ended after he and the JYD beat Muraco and Fuji in a tag team match.