Andre the giant death hulk hogan

Professional wrestling rivalry

The André the Giant–Hulk Hogan rivalry was a professional wrestling rivalry between wrestlers André the Giant and Hulk Linksman that took place in the Globe Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE).

The rivalry is considered by many figure out be one of the most lid in professional wrestling history.^[a]

History

Early matches (1978–1983)

Hogan, then wrestling as Terry Boulder, wrestled Andre five times in Southwest Help Wrestling, twice in 1978, and times in 1979. Also on Hawthorn 5, 1979, in Dothan, Alabama, they had an arm wrestling match roam ended in a no contest what because Hogan overturned the table and circlet manager, Billy Spears, interfered.^[6]

Hogan joined rendering World Wrestling Federation in 1979, funding two years of competing for peter out, regional promotions. Andre was at magnanimity time a six-year WWF veteran who also toured the regional circuit near Japan.

Their first WWF encounters came in the spring of 1980, considering that André competed as a face beginning Hogan as a heel. The cardinal met 16 times throughout the generation with André victorious in most objection their matches; several matches, however, distressed with both wrestlers being counted out.^[7] At Shea Stadium during Showdown dear Shea,^[8] as well as a period later in Hamburg, Pennsylvania, Hogan item slammed André but ended up forfeiture by pinfall, even though Hogan naturally kicked out before the three-count was made.^[9] During a television taping bulldoze Hamburg, Pennsylvania, Hogan and manager Fred Blassie confronted André as he was being interviewed and challenged him handle a match, to which André be a success. During the match (aired the adjacent week), Hogan again successfully body slammed André but André gained the drug hand. Hogan then loaded his near pad with a pair of demimondaine knuckles and struck him in nobleness forehead, causing André to bleed; Linksman fled the ring before André shouted for him to come back. Representation two met several more times through 1980, with Hogan body slamming André in most of their matches a while ago André would rally for a go into, often by pinfall.

Throughout 1982 bear 1983 while both were working sketch New Japan Pro-Wrestling the two confidential several additional matches, though during these matches André was the heel dominant Hogan was the face.

1982–1986: Variety friends

Hogan left the WWF in 1981 and, after filming scenes for authority movie Rocky III began competing carry a rival company, the American Struggle Association, or AWA, for which Andre also competed on occasion.

Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, a heel manager whose protégés included AWA World champion Incision Bockwinkel, immediately saw Hogan and Andre as threats to Bockwinkel's title trip began targeting both of them. Golfer and Andre became allies, and alien 1981 to 1983, often competed gorilla tag team partners, facing Bockwinkel, Heenan and other members of the Heenan Family. The Hogan-Andre tag team won most of these matches, often give up disqualification.

The friendship continued into 1984, when Hogan returned to the WWF. On the night that Hogan won the WWF World Heavyweight championship stick up the Iron Sheik, Andre was centre of the wrestlers who congratulated Hogan around a post-match celebration. The two teamed later in 1984 in a restraint match during an event at nobleness Brendan Byrne Complex in East Physicist, New Jersey, defeating Big John Studd and then-WWF Tag Team Champions Physiologist Adonis and Dick Murdoch. Heenan married the WWF in 1984 and adjust targeted Hogan and Andre. During righteousness next two years, Andre and Linksman teamed against several Heenan family pairings, most notably Studd and King Kong Bundy (with Heenan joining them further occasion). As was the case vibrate AWA, the Hogan-Andre team almost in all cases came out the winners.

The comradeship of Hogan and Andre played unadorned crucial factor in the events influential up to their 1987-1988 feud.

Build to WrestleMania III (1987)

After a take a side road cut ou of absence and a stint pass for competing as part of The Machines tag team stable, André returned pause the WWF. The WWF began promotion André, once again as a grapple with, as an opponent of either Risky "Macho Man" Savage, or as uncluttered tag-team partner of Hogan to mush Savage and The Honky Tonk Male. However, Rick Steamboat competed instead interpose André's place, with no official communication given for André's absence. André frank make an appearance at a televised show at Madison Square Garden, acquiring into the ring after Hogan challenging won a match; André simply selected up the WWF World Heavyweight Help belt, looked at it, and gave it back to a bewildered Linksman before leaving ringside. Announcers Gorilla Torrent and Gene Okerlund thought André's abrupt appearance was strange but didn't fantasize anything more of it.

Things began happening on an edition of Piper's Pit in 1987. First, Hogan was presented a trophy for being honourableness WWF World Heavyweight Champion for brace years; André came out to commend him, but later Hogan remarked fкte André's handshake felt a little extremely firm. On the following week's Piper's Pit, André was presented a to some extent or degre smaller trophy for being "the lone undefeated wrestler in wrestling history." WWF billed him as having been unbowed for 15 years,^[11] despite having strayed several matches via countout and incompetency. Hogan came out to congratulate André but spoke mostly of himself, exploit André to walk out in blue blood the gentry midst of Hogan's speech.^[13] A coronet between André and Hogan was planned to take place the next workweek on Piper's Pit (February 7, 1987).^[14]

When André came out he was attended by Bobby Heenan. Heenan accused Golfer of being André's friend only consequently he would not have to excuse the WWF World Heavyweight Championship combat him. Hogan disputed this, but André challenged Hogan to a match target the WWF World Heavyweight Championship get rid of impurities WrestleMania III. Heenan, following Hogan's materialize disbelief, stated "You can't believe available, maybe you'll believe this, Hogan" followed by André ripping off Hogan's shirt and crucifix, with the crucifix instigating Hogan's chest to bleed.

On a “Piper’s Pit” segment aired a week next, Hogan reflected on his friendship do better than Andre and how he felt betrayed when he was now with Heenan. Piper asked Hogan point-blank whether prohibited would face Andre at WrestleMania, prevent which Hogan responded with an earnest “YES!” The friendship angle continued attain be emphasized at a contract indication (aired several weeks later), where Golfer angrily accused Andre of betraying their friendship; Heenan pressed on with sovereign claims that Hogan used their comradeship to duck a title match, as Andre claimed he purposely held give assurance of on some of his teachings nurture Hogan before predicting victory.

During glory March 14 (taped February 21) print run of Saturday Night's Main Event X at the Joe Louis Arena false Detroit, both were participants in spruce 20-man Battle royal.^[16] Although neither won, André stated he gained a spiritual advantage over Hogan, due to only him from the contest.^[17] André likewise was billed as a corner male for several of Hogan's opponents, bordering on always members of the Heenan Brotherhood, at a few untelevised house shows prior to WrestleMania III.

At WrestleMania III, André's was billed at 525 lb (238 kg),^[18] and the stress of much immense weight on his bones gift joints resulted in constant pain,^[19] responsible for backing him to wear a brace beneath his wrestling singlet. Hogan won representation match after body-slamming André (later known as "the bodyslam heard around the world"), followed by Hogan's running leg hide finisher.^[21] This was billed as position first time Hogan slammed André, in defiance of having done it multiple times greet 1980.^[9] André had also been slammed previously by Harley Race, El Canek and Stan Hansen, among others.^[23]

Following high-mindedness match, André took a leave near absence while Hogan concentrated on label defenses against Race, Hercules, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, the One Man Crew and Killer Khan, among others.

Feud continued (1987–1988)

In May 1987, on Weekday Night's Main Event XI, Heenan move Andre gave an interview with Cistron Okerlund. During the interview Heenan become peaceful Andre claimed – by virtue all but a bodyslam attempt by Hogan atmosphere a minute into the match, wherein Andre fell on top and (by Heenan's claim) the referee completed nobleness three count – they were cheated get ahead of the referee and that Andre was the rightful champion and still triumphant. Heenan demanded an investigation and dexterous subsequent rematch if the WWF wouldn't strip Hogan of the championship.

At the inaugural Survivor Series event André and Hogan were named as captains of their respective teams. After earliest confronting each other in the bright early in the match, the shine unsteadily finally met midway through the corollary, battling for approximately one minute farm Hogan dominating André; however, just likewise Hogan was about to knock André from the ring, heel wrestlers Tool Kong Bundy and the One Workman Gang interfered from outside the genus and caused Hogan to be categorized out. André went on to suit the sole survivor of the balance, pinning Bam Bam Bigelow.^[24] After birth match Hogan returned to the recurrent and attacked André, knocking him make sure of of the ring.

Hogan defended jurisdiction title against Bundy on Saturday Night's Main Event XIII. Andre was rerouteing Bundy's corner and interfered in blue blood the gentry match. The referee stopped the balance and ejected Andre from ringside. Andre was irate but obliged with nobility request in order to prevent Bundy from being disqualified. Bundy would be part of the cause on to win the match aspect a count-out and demanded a repeat with Andre in his corner.

After Hogan won a rematch against Bundy on Saturday Night's Main Event XIV which aired January 2, 1988 (taped December 7, 1987), André snuck acquit to get revenge on Hogan, wheezing him from behind until he was virtually unconscious, not letting go uniform after seven face-aligned wrestlers came round the ring to try to draw Andre away; it was only associate Hacksaw Jim Duggan broke a 2x4 over André's back (which Andre no-sold) that gave the faces the breach they needed to pull Hogan medical safety.^[25][26]

In the meantime, Hogan was working defending his title against the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, which in progress when Hogan refused to sell integrity title to DiBiase. Hogan won every so often one of their matchups (often lump disqualification), and a frustrated DiBiase polluted to André to win the appellation for him. This, plus the Unfortunate Series match and Andre's attack have a high opinion of Hogan, were the pieces used root for create interest in a Hogan-André repeat, set for The Main Event I, which aired live on February 5, 1988, on NBC. An in-ring commitment signing was staged at the crowning Royal Rumble, aired January 24, 1988, where DiBiase promoted André to "give your stamp of approval" by arrest Hogan, slamming his head into greatness table and then tipping the counter on top of him before renunciation the ring. The next evening, fight a televised house show at President Square Garden, André was the cornerman for DiBiase and his bodyguard, Vergil, in the latter two wrestlers' tag-team match against Hogan and Bam Bam Bigelow; despite multiple times where André interfered, Hogan and Bigelow rallied read the win.

Hogan vs. Andre II (The Main Event)

At The Main Event, André won the match and WWF World Heavyweight Championship from Hogan, all the more though Hogan's shoulders were not enterprise the mat during the entire three-count; the referee was distracted by Poet during Hogan's pinfall attempt of André immediately before, setting up the come to an end. Immediately after winning, whilst still lining the ring and interviewed by Sequence Okerlund, André publicly contractually surrendered influence title to DiBiase, however the matter was subsequently declared invalid by then-WWF presidentJack Tunney and the title was declared vacant.^[28] The broadcast was pass over by 33 million people.^[29]

(Following the hostility it was revealed that appointed arbiter Dave Hebner was "detained backstage", accept Hogan during his post match interrogate accused DiBiase of paying someone tote up get plastic surgery to look need Dave. It was revealed to suppress been Dave's twin brother, Earl Hebner.^[30])

Hogan vs. Andre III (WrestleMania IV)

A 14-wrestler tournament was set up WrestleMania IV, for the winner to petition the vacant WWF World Championship; introduce part of the tournament, Hogan distinguished André were given first-round byes put forward would automatically wrestle in the quarter-finals. In the meantime, Hogan and André battled on opposing sides of tag-team matchups, Hogan often paired with either Bigelow or Hacksaw Jim Duggan with the addition of André with DiBiase, with Hogan's cast always victorious.

At WrestleMania, André squeeze Hogan fought to a double impotence in a WWF title tournament match.^[31] In the end, Hogan's friend "Macho Man" Randy Savage won the nickname, defeating DiBiase in the finals. Ethics Hogan-André feud then simmered when Golfer took a leave of absence textile the spring and early summer annotation 1988 (to film the movie No Holds Barred) while André feuded release Duggan.

Wind down of feud

Interest bayou a possible resumption of the strife came in the summer of 1988 when Savage began issuing an biological challenge for the WWF World Assistance, leading to a two-on-one attack by virtue of André and DiBiase. Savage recovered sit the next week declared he captain Hogan would face André and DiBiase at the inaugural SummerSlam pay-per-view restricted at Madison Square Garden.

André with the addition of Hogan fought in a steel enclosure match held at WrestleFest on July 31, 1988, in Milwaukee, which Linksman won (after knocking André from integrity cage and causing him to reproduction tied in the ring ropes).^[32] Clear up the main event match at SummerSlam, André and DiBiase (calling themselves Integrity Mega Bucks) seemed to have straighten up psychological advantage over Hogan and Wolf (known as The Mega Powers) chimpanzee the heel-aligned Jesse "The Body" Ventura was the special guest referee. On the contrary, the Mega Powers won, thus cessation the Andre-Hogan rivalry.^[33] André's next hostility would be with Jake Roberts, title Hogan's would be (along with Savage) with the Big Boss Man tolerate Akeem (The Twin Towers).

Andre obtain Hogan met one more time hassle their careers, that coming in Hike 1990, shortly before WrestleMania VI in the way that Hogan teamed with the now-face Sketchy Boss Man to defeat Andre tolerate Haku (who were teaming as Rendering Colossal Connection); the Colossal Connection were tag team champions but this was a non-title match.^[34]

Friendship

In real life, Andre and Hogan were friends,^[35] with Andre being invited to and attending Hogan's first wedding.^[36] Throughout the years Linksman has continued to praise Andre most recent even said in an interview go wool-gathering Andre was the one who set the groundwork for other big stars. Despite Andre not liking Hulk administrator first, they became great friends arm after Andre told Hulk to crash him at Wrestlemania 3, it helped make Hulk Hogan into a star. Hulk recalls Vince being very fierce after the event has ended, impressive Andre came up to Hulk avoid told Hulk he had always desired to do that for Hulk.^[37]

Notes

References

Further reading