Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant’s Wrestling Match: VIDEO

With the death of wrestling legend Hulk Hogan at age 71, fans are looking back on the towering moments that defined his career. Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, left behind a legacy full of iconic showdowns—but none more historic than his primetime clash with Andre the Giant in 1988.
While most fans remember their unforgettable face-off at “WrestleMania III,” it was their rematch nearly a year later that broke records—and still holds the title of most-watched wrestling match in American television history.

Hulk vs The Giant: The Most-Watched Wrestling Match of All Time

On February 5, 1988, NBC aired a special episode of “The Main Event” featuring a high-stakes WWF World Title match between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. At the time, prime-time wrestling on network television was considered a risk—but it paid off in a huge way.

The match drew 33 million viewers and a 15.2 Nielsen rating, making it the most-watched pro wrestling match in U.S. history—a record that still stands to this day. To put that into perspective, WWE’s “Raw” in July 2025 drew just over 2.5 million global viewers in its first week.

Andre the Giant technically walked away with the win, but not without controversy. Despite Hogan kicking out after a two-count, one of the two referees assigned to the match ruled it a three-count and declared Andre the new champion. The disputed outcome set the stage for the “WrestleMania IV” tournament, where Hogan and Andre would eliminate each other—leaving Randy Savage to win the title.

Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant’s Feud Turned Into Friendship

Hogan and Andre’s feud was the stuff of legend—but it wasn’t all showbiz. Off-camera, things were tense, especially early in their relationship.

“Andre the Giant beat me up every day for the first eight years,” Hogan once said, according to Pro Wrestling Stories. “I was so nervous I used to puke on the way to the building.”

But over time, their animosity turned into mutual respect. “Then, after eight years, we became friends. He even started to like me,” Hogan added. “Once you got to know him, he was a very gracious person with a kind heart. But… he didn’t put up with any B.S.”

Fans continue to debate the technical quality of their 1988 showdown in 2025, but the match’s entertainment value and cultural impact are undeniable.

“This is an iconic match,” one fan wrote on Cagematch.com. “Technically speaking, it was a horrible match due to Andre’s limitations, but from an entertainment standpoint, it is possibly the greatest of all time.”