In WWE, there have been, and continue to be, countless rivalries. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns, John Cena vs. The Edge, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. The Rock, to name a few. Hulk Hogan, who passed away on July 24, was part of a few. One of the most memorable was with “Macho Man” Randy Savage. However, for many who watched wrestling in the 1980s, the rivalry between Hulk Hogan and André the Giant is hard to beat.
On February 5, 1988, 33 million people tuned in to watch the then-WWF’s “Main Event,” a record that remains unbroken to this day. Hulk Hogan defeated André the Giant for the first time, winning the Wrestlemania III Championship Match.
André the Giant Wanted Revenge When Hulk Hogan Became More Popular
As the match began, Hulk Hogan and his 6-foot-8-inch frame tried to look as imposing as possible against the seven-foot-five-inch André the Giant towering over him. Hogan’s weight was billed at 302 pounds, while André’s was 525 pounds.
Before WrestleMania III, Hogan and André had numerous matches and teamed up several times against other wrestlers. However, around 1987, the WWF began a storyline pitting the Titans against one another. Hogan was given a trophy for being the WWF World Heavyweight Champion three years in a row. André couldn’t help but notice that his trophy for being undefeated for 15 years was smaller. Things continued to get worse between the two, culminating in their WrestleMania III matchup.
For the first five minutes of the match, André had the upper hand, knocking Hogan around the ring. Hogan seemed to rally before André knocked him back down again, giving Hogan an extended bear hug. Finally, Hogan broke free and began to fight back. He seemed to be succeeding — until André kicked him outside the ring.
Back inside the ring, Hogan got another burst of energy and body slammed André. This ended the match, with Hogan finally beating André.
The Match Was a Turning Point in Hogan’s Career
“I’d never beaten the giant before, and there was no shame in getting beat by him because no one had ever beaten him,” Hogan recalled on the “Full Send” podcast. “I asked Vince. I said, ‘You know here we are the night before, what are we doing tomorrow?’ Vince goes, ‘I don’t know, I’m sure Andre will do the right thing.'”
Hogan had no idea how the match would go. Since he’d never beaten him, he was surprised when André turned the tables and let him win.
By that time, André and Hogan had become good friends, but it wasn’t always that way. Hogan had spoken in interviews about how it took years before André liked him. But Wrestlemania III was a significant turning point in their relationship.
Hogan would later recall in an interview with the “Full Send” podcast that the body slam was André’s idea.
“I realized what he had done for me,” Hogan said. “He had just made my career there, brother. I was on a roll anyway, that was like hitting double nitrous buttons for me.”
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One of Hulk Hogan’s Most Memorable Matches: VIDEO