The André the Giant–Hulk Hogan rivalry was a
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
rivalry between wrestlers
André the Giant
André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by excess ...
and
Hulk Hogan that took place in the
World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...
(WWF, now WWE).
The rivalry is considered by many to be one of the most important in professional wrestling history.
History
Early matches (1978–1983)
Hogan, then wrestling as Terry Boulder, wrestled Andre five times in
Southwest Championship Wrestling
Southwest Championship Wrestling (SCW) was a professional wrestling promotion that was owned by Joe Blanchard and based in San Antonio, Texas, from 1978 to 1985, when it was purchased by Texas All-Star Wrestling and absorbed into that company.
...
, twice in 1978, and three times in 1979. Also on May 5, 1979 in Dothan, Alabama, they had an arm wrestling match that ended in a no contest when Hogan overturned the table and his manager, Billy Spears, interfered.
Hogan joined the
World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...
in 1979, after two years of competing for smaller, regional promotions. Andre was at the time a six-year WWF veteran who also toured the regional circuit and Japan.
Their first WWF encounters came in the spring of 1980, when André competed as a
face
The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
and Hogan as a
heel. The two met 16 times throughout the year with André victorious in most of their matches; several matches, however, ended with both wrestlers being counted out. At
Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City. during
Showdown at Shea Showdown at Shea was the name given to three professional wrestling events presented by the WWE, World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), and then World Wrestling Federation (WWF), at Flushing, New York's Shea Stadium. The events were held in 1972, 1 ...
, as well as a month later in
Hamburg, Pennsylvania
Hamburg (Pennsylvania German: ''Hambarig'') is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,270 at the 2020 census. The town is thought to have been named after Hamburg, Germany, but this is likely to have been a c ...
, Hogan body slammed André but ended up losing by pinfall, even though Hogan clearly kicked out before the three-count was made.
During a television taping at Hamburg, Pennsylvania, Hogan and manager
Fred Blassie
Frederick Kenneth Blassman (February 8, 1918 – June 2, 2003) was an American professional wrestler and manager, known by the ring name "Classy" Freddie Blassie. Renowned as "The Hollywood Fashion Plate","Classy" Freddie Blassie with Keith Elliot ...
confronted André as he was being interviewed and challenged him to a match, to which André accepted. During the match (aired the following week), Hogan again successfully body slammed André but André gained the upper hand. Hogan then loaded his elbow pad with a pair of brass knuckles and struck him in the forehead, causing André to bleed; Hogan fled the ring before André yelled for him to come back. The two met several more times during 1980, with Hogan body slamming André in most of their matches before André would rally for a win, often by pinfall.
Throughout 1982 and 1983 while both were working in
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...
the two had several additional matches, though during these matches André was the heel and Hogan was the face.
1982–1986: As friends
Hogan left the WWF in 1981 and, after filming scenes for the movie ''
Rocky III
''Rocky III'' is a 1982 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to '' Rocky II'' (1979) and is the third installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise. Along with Stallone reprising the title r ...
'' began competing for a rival company, the American Wrestling Association, or AWA, for which Andre also competed on occasion.
Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, a heel manager whose protégés included AWA World champion Nick Bockwinkel, immediately saw Hogan and Andre as threats to Bockwinkel’s title and began targeting both of them. Hogan and Andre became allies, and from 1981 to 1983, often competed as tag team partners, facing Bockwinkel, Heenan and other members of the
Heenan Family. The Hogan-Andre tag team won most of these matches, often by disqualification.
The friendship continued into 1984, when Hogan returned to the WWF. On the night that Hogan won the WWF World Heavyweight championship from the Iron Sheik, Andre was among the wrestlers who congratulated Hogan during a post-match celebration. The two teamed later in 1984 in a handicap match during an event at the Brendan Byrne Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, defeating Big John Studd and then-WWF Tag Team Champions Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch. Heenan joined the WWF in 1984 and again targeted Hogan and Andre. During the next two years, Andre and Hogan teamed against several Heenan family pairings, most notably Studd and King Kong Bundy (with Heenan joining them on occasion). As was the case in AWA, the Hogan-Andre team almost always came out the winners.
The friendship of Hogan and Andre played a crucial factor in the events leading up to their 1987-1988 feud.
Build to WrestleMania III (1987)
![Andre and Bobby Heenan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Andre_and_Bobby_Heenan.jpg)
After a leave of absence and a stint as competing as part of
The Machines tag team stable, André returned to the WWF. The WWF began advertising André, once again as a face, as an opponent of either
Randy "Macho Man" Savage
Randall Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestl ...
, or as a tag-team partner of Hogan to face Savage and
The Honky Tonk Man
Roy Wayne Farris (born January 25, 1953), better known by the ring name The Honky Tonk Man, is an American retired professional wrestler. He previously wrestled for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE ...
. However,
Rick Steamboat competed instead in André's place, with no official explanation given for André's absence. André did make an appearance at a televised show at Madison Square Garden, getting into the ring after Hogan had won a match; André simply picked up the WWF World Heavyweight Championship belt, looked at it, and gave it back to a bewildered Hogan before leaving ringside. Announcers Gorilla Monsoon and Gene Okerlund thought André's unannounced appearance was strange but didn't think anything more of it.
Things began happening on an edition of ''
Piper's Pit
Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and actor.
In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for his ...
'' in 1987. First, Hogan was presented a trophy for being the
WWF World Heavyweight Champion for three years; André came out to congratulate him, but later Hogan remarked how André's handshake felt a little too firm. On the following week's ''Piper's Pit'', André was presented a slightly smaller trophy for being "the only undefeated wrestler in wrestling history." WWF billed him as having been undefeated for 15 years,
despite having lost several matches via
countout
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
and
disqualification. Hogan came out to congratulate André but spoke mostly of himself, causing André to walk out in the midst of Hogan's speech. A meeting between André and Hogan was scheduled to take place the next week on ''Piper's Pit'' (February 7, 1987).
When André came out he was accompanied by
Bobby Heenan
Raymond Louis Heenan (November 1, 1944 – September 17, 2017) was an American professional wrestling manager, color commentator, wrestler, and comedian. He performed with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federati ...
. Heenan accused Hogan of being André's friend only so he would not have to defend the WWF World Heavyweight Championship against him. Hogan disputed this, but André challenged Hogan to a match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at
WrestleMania III
WrestleMania III was the third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The event was held on March 29, 1987, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. ...
. Heenan, following Hogan's apparent disbelief, stated "You can't believe it, maybe you'll believe this, Hogan" followed by André ripping off Hogan's shirt and crucifix, with the crucifix causing Hogan's chest to bleed.
On a “Piper’s Pit” segment aired a week later, Hogan reflected on his friendship with Andre and how he felt betrayed when he was now with Heenan. Piper asked Hogan point-blank whether he would face Andre at WrestleMania, to which Hogan responded with an emphatic “YES!” The friendship angle continued to be emphasized at a contract signing (aired several weeks later), where Hogan angrily accused Andre of betraying their friendship; Heenan pressed on with his claims that Hogan used their friendship to duck a title match, while Andre claimed he purposely held back on some of his teachings to Hogan before predicting victory.
During the March 14 (taped February 21) edition of ''
Saturday Night's Main Event X'' at the
Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena was an arena in Downtown Detroit. Completed in 1979 at a cost of US$57 million as a replacement for Olympia Stadium, it sat adjacent to Cobo Center on the bank of the Detroit River and was accessible by the Joe Louis Arena ...
in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, both were participants in a 20-man
Battle royal
Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...
.
Although neither won, André stated he gained a psychological advantage over Hogan, due to eliminating him from the contest. André also was billed as a corner man for several of Hogan's opponents, almost always members of the
Heenan Family, at a few untelevised house shows prior to WrestleMania III.
At WrestleMania III, André's was billed at , and the stress of such immense weight on his bones and joints resulted in constant pain,
causing him to wear a brace underneath his
wrestling singlet
A wrestling singlet (or simply singlet) is a one-piece, tight-fitting, uniform, usually made of spandex/lycra, or nylon, used in amateur wrestling. The uniform is tight-fitting so as not to get grasped accidentally by one's opponent, and allow ...
. Hogan won the match after body-slamming André (later dubbed "the bodyslam heard around the world"), followed by Hogan's running leg drop finisher.
This was billed as the first time Hogan slammed André, despite having done it multiple times in 1980.
André had also been slammed previously by
Harley Race,
El Canek
Felipe Estrada (born June 19, 1952), known as El Canek or simply Canek, is a Mexican '' luchador enmascarado'' or masked professional wrestler best known for the 20 years he worked for the Universal Wrestling Association where he held the UWA Wo ...
and
Stan Hansen
John Stanley Hansen II (born August 29, 1949) is an American retired professional wrestler.
Hansen is known for his stiff wrestling style, which he attributes to his poor eyesight. He is also known for his gimmick as a loud, violent cowboy who w ...
, among others.
Following the match, André took a leave of absence while Hogan concentrated on title defenses against Race,
Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the ...
,
Randy "Macho Man" Savage
Randall Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestl ...
, the
One Man Gang
George Gray (born February 12, 1960) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, (The) One Man Gang. For two years in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he was Akeem "The African Dream". Prior to this, he w ...
and
Killer Khan
Krugman, Michael. ''André the Giant: A Legendary Life'', p.48. (born March 6, 1947) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. Popularly known as Killer Khan, he was billed from Mongolia and had numerous high-profile matches with André the G ...
, among others.
Feud continued (1987–1988)
![Hulk Hogan Pointing](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Hulk_Hogan_Pointing.jpg)
In May 1987, on
Saturday Night's Main Event XI, Heenan and Andre gave an interview with
Gene Okerlund
Eugene Arthur Okerlund (December 19, 1942 – January 2, 2019), better known by his ring name "Mean Gene" Okerlund, was an American professional wrestling interviewer, announcer and television host. He was best known for his work in the World Wre ...
. During the interview Heenan and Andre claimed – by virtue of a bodyslam attempt by Hogan about a minute into the match, wherein Andre fell on top and (by Heenan's claim) the referee completed the three count – they were cheated by the referee and that Andre was the rightful champion and still undefeated. Heenan demanded an investigation and a subsequent rematch if the WWF wouldn't strip Hogan of the championship.
At the inaugural
Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...
event André and Hogan were named as captains of their respective teams. After earlier confronting each other in the ring early in the match, the two finally met midway through the match, battling for approximately one minute with Hogan dominating André; however, just as Hogan was about to knock André from the ring, heel wrestlers
King Kong Bundy
Christopher Alan Pallies (November 7, 1955 – March 5, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, actor and stand-up comedian, better known by his wrestling gimmick and ring name, King Kong Bundy. Under this gimmick, he portrayed a pugnacious, ...
and the
One Man Gang
George Gray (born February 12, 1960) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, (The) One Man Gang. For two years in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he was Akeem "The African Dream". Prior to this, he w ...
interfered from outside the ring and caused Hogan to be counted out. André went on to be the sole survivor of the match, pinning
Bam Bam Bigelow
Scott Charles Bigelow (September 1, 1961 – January 19, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Bam Bam Bigelow. Recognizable by his close to 400-pound frame and the distinctive flame tattoo that spanned most ...
. After the match Hogan returned to the ring and attacked André, knocking him out of the ring.
Hogan defended his title against Bundy on ''
Saturday Night's Main Event XIII''. Andre was in Bundy's corner and interfered in the match.
The referee stopped the match and ejected Andre from ringside. Andre was irate but obliged with the request in order to prevent Bundy from being disqualified. Bundy would go on to win the match via a count-out and demanded a rematch 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 up to get revenge on Hogan, choking him from behind until he was virtually unconscious, not letting go even after seven face-aligned wrestlers came to the ring to try to pull Andre away; it was only after
Hacksaw Jim Duggan broke a 2x4 over André's back (which Andre no-sold) that gave the faces the opening they needed to pull Hogan to safety.
In the meantime, Hogan was busy defending his title against
the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, which started when Hogan refused to sell the title to DiBiase. Hogan won every one of their matchups (often by disqualification), and a frustrated DiBiase turned to André to win the title for him. This, plus the Survivor Series match and Andre's attack of Hogan, were the pieces used to create interest in a Hogan-André rematch, set for ''
The Main Event I'', which aired live on February 5, 1988, on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
. An in-ring contract signing was staged at the
first Royal Rumble, aired January 24, 1988, where DiBiase promoted André to "give your stamp of approval" by grabbing Hogan, slamming his head into the table and then tipping the table on top of him before leaving the ring. The next evening, at a televised house show at
Madison Square Garden, André was the cornerman for DiBiase and his bodyguard,
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...
, in the latter two wrestlers' tag-team match against Hogan and
Bam Bam Bigelow
Scott Charles Bigelow (September 1, 1961 – January 19, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Bam Bam Bigelow. Recognizable by his close to 400-pound frame and the distinctive flame tattoo that spanned most ...
; despite multiple times where André interfered, Hogan and Bigelow rallied for the win.
Hogan vs. Andre II (The Main Event)
At
''The Main Event'', André won the match and WWF World Heavyweight Championship from Hogan, even though Hogan's shoulders were not on the mat during the entire three-count; the referee was distracted by Virgil during Hogan's pinfall attempt of André immediately before, setting up the finish. Immediately after winning, whilst still inside the ring and interviewed by
Gene Okerlund
Eugene Arthur Okerlund (December 19, 1942 – January 2, 2019), better known by his ring name "Mean Gene" Okerlund, was an American professional wrestling interviewer, announcer and television host. He was best known for his work in the World Wre ...
, André publicly ''contractually'' surrendered the title to DiBiase, however the transaction was subsequently declared invalid by then-
WWF president Jack Tunney
John "Jack" Tunney Jr. (January 21, 1935 – January 24, 2004) was a Canadian professional wrestling promoter. He was known worldwide for his appearances on World Wrestling Federation television as the promotion's figurehead president. Tunney's ...
and the title was declared vacant.
The broadcast was seen by 33 million people.
(Following the match it was revealed that appointed referee
Dave Hebner
David Hebner (May 17, 1949 – June 17, 2022) was an American professional wrestling authority figure, promoter, road agent, and referee. He was the identical twin brother of Earl Hebner.
Career
Hebner debuted as a professional wrestling refe ...
was "detained backstage", and Hogan during his post match interview accused DiBiase of paying someone to get plastic surgery to look like Dave. It was revealed to have been Dave's twin brother,
Earl Hebner
Earl William Hebner (born May 17, 1949) is an American retired professional wrestling referee who last officiated for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time as senior referee for the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) from 1 ...
.)
Hogan vs. Andre III (WrestleMania IV)
A 14-wrestler tournament was set up
WrestleMania IV
WrestleMania IV was the fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on March 27, 1988, at the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall in A ...
, for the winner to claim the vacant WWF World Championship; as part of the tournament, Hogan and André were given first-round byes and 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 and André with DiBiase, with Hogan's team always victorious.
At WrestleMania, André and Hogan fought to a double disqualification in a
WWF title tournament match. In the end, Hogan's friend
"Macho Man" Randy Savage
Randall Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrest ...
won the title, defeating DiBiase in the finals. The Hogan-André feud then simmered when Hogan took a leave of absence during the spring and early summer of 1988 (to film the movie ''
No Holds Barred'') while André feuded with Duggan.
Wind down of feud
Interest in a possible resumption of the feud came in the summer of 1988 when Savage began issuing an open challenge for the WWF World Championship, leading to a two-on-one attack by André and DiBiase. Savage recovered and the next week declared he and Hogan would face André and DiBiase at the inaugural
SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
pay-per-view held at
Madison Square Garden.
André and Hogan fought in a steel cage match held at WrestleFest on July 31, 1988, in Milwaukee, which Hogan won (after knocking André from the cage and causing him to be tied in the ring ropes). In the main event match at SummerSlam, André and DiBiase (calling themselves
The Mega Bucks
The Mega Bucks were a professional wrestling tag team that competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1988. The team, consisting of "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and André the Giant, was formed in a storyline that saw DiBiase pu ...
) seemed to have a psychological advantage over Hogan and Savage (known as
The Mega Powers
The Mega Powers was a tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1987 to 1989, consisting of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, and managed by Savage's wife, Miss Elizabeth. Lust and jealousy surrounding her led to the team's demise and subs ...
) as the heel-aligned
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American politician, actor, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he served as the 38th governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2 ...
was the special guest referee. However, the Mega Powers won, thus ending the Andre-Hogan rivalry. André's next feud would be with
Jake Roberts
Aurelian Smith Jr. (born May 30, 1955), better known by the ring name Jake "The Snake" Roberts, is an American professional wrestler and actor currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he performs as manager to Lance Archer. He is be ...
, and Hogan's would be (along with Savage) with the
Big Boss Man and
Akeem (
The Twin Towers).
Andre and Hogan met one more time in their careers, that coming in March 1990, shortly before
WrestleMania VI
WrestleMania VI was the sixth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on April 1, 1990, at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario in Canada, marking the f ...
when Hogan teamed with the now-face Big Boss Man to defeat Andre and
Haku (who were teaming as
The Colossal Connection); the Colossal Connection were tag team champions but this was a non-title match.
Kayfabe
In real life, Andre and Hogan were friends. A picture even exists of Andre attending Hogan's wedding to his first wife, Linda.
Notes
References
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Andre the Giant-Hulk Hogan rivalry
Individual rivalries in sports
Professional wrestling rivalries
Hulk Hogan
André the Giant