Aug. 3, 2025
Hulk Hogan vs. Andrè the Giant - "The Bodyslam Heard 'Round the World"
March 29, 1987. The Pontiac Silverdome. 93,173 screaming fans witness the impossible as Hulk Hogan lifts all 520 pounds of André the Giant above his head and slams him to the canvas. It's the moment that transformed professional wrestling from regional carnival act to global phenomenon. But behind this iconic image lies a carefully orchestrated betrayal—a friendship destroyed by jealousy, ambition, and the ruthless vision of Vince McMahon. From the calculated destruction of a brotherhood to the mainstream explosion of WrestleMania III, this episode explores how Hulk Hogan and André the Giant created the template for every wrestling feud that followed.
We trace Hogan's genius for manufacturing conflicts that felt achingly real—from his wars with Randy "Macho Man" Savage to his shocking heel turn in WCW, from boardroom battles that killed companies to a sex tape scandal that destroyed a media empire. Through exclusive research and insider accounts, we reveal how the man who perfected the art of fake fighting eventually found himself in real battles he couldn't bodyslam his way out of. Just days after Hogan's death at 71, Marcus Reid examines the complicated legacy of wrestling's most iconic figure—a man who played a hero so convincingly that 30 million people believed in Hulkamania, but whose real-life feuds exposed the dark contradictions between Terry Bollea and the character that consumed him.
This is the story of how personal conflicts became a billion-dollar business, why the best rivalries blur the line between fiction and reality, and what happens when the cameras stop rolling but the feuds never end. The irresistible force meets the immovable object. Heroes become villains. Friends become enemies. And in the end, the only thing real about wrestling is the damage it leaves behind.
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Calaruga Shark Media, March twenty ninth, nineteen eighty seven, the
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Pontiac Silver Dome in Michigan. Ninety three thousand, one hundred
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seventy three screaming fans, the largest indoor attendance in wrestling history.
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In the center of the ringstand two Titans, Hulk Hogan,
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the golden haired American hero at six feet seven inches
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and three hundred three pounds, facing Andre the Giant, the
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eighth Wonder of the World at seven feet four inches
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and five hundred and twenty pounds. For fifteen years, Andrea
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had been promoted as undefeated, unstoppable, immovable. For four years,
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Hogan had been the face of American wrestling, the man
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who made sports entertainment mainstream. They had been friends al
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two of wrestling's biggest attractions, working in harmony, but on
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this night, at WrestleMania three, they were mortal enemies. The
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moment that would define both their careers and the future
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of professional wrestling came. Eighteen minutes into the match. Hogan
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bloodied and battered, somehow scooped the massive Andrea onto his shoulders.
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Time seemed to stop as ninety three thousand people held
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their breath then, in one explosive moment, Hogan slammed Andre
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to the canvas with such force that the ring shook
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the body slam heard round the world, a moment so
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iconic it transcended wrestling and entered American mythology. But this
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wasn't just about one match or one moment. This was
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the culmination of a carefully orchestrated betrayal, a friendship destroyed
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by jealousy, and a feud that would establish the template
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for every min major wrestling rivalry that followed. Welcome back
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to feuds, power, pride, and payback. This is episode seventeen
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Hulk Hogan's Greatest Feuds. I'm Marcus Reid. Some feuds are
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about money, some are about titles, but the greatest feuds
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in professional wrestling are about something more primal, the moment
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when friendship turns to hatred, when respect becomes resentment, and
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when the business of entertainment becomes genuinely personal. This is
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the story of Hulk Hogan versus Andre the Giant, a
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feud that began with mutual admiration, exploded through calculated betrayal,
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and climaxed in the most important match in wrestling history.
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It's a story of how Vince McMahon orchestrated the perfect
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rivalry to launch his national expansion. It's a tale of
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two two larger than life personalities who couldn't share the
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same spotlight, and it's a case study in how personal conflicts,
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even scripted ones, can reshape an entire industry. But it's
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also the story of Terry Boleya, the man who would
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embody a character so completely that he lost himself in it,
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a man whose gift for creating rivalries would define his
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career from the ring to the court room, from Andrea
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to gawker, from hero worship to public disgrace. Act one,
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when giants were friends. To understand the magnitude of the
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Hogan Andrea feud, you first need to understand what these
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two men represented in the nineteen eighties wrestling landscape. Andrey
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Rene Russimov had been a sensation since the early nineteen
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seventy Born with gigantism, he was legitimately one of the
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largest human beings on earth. But Andrea wasn't just a
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circus attraction. He was a gifted athlete with surprising agility
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and an innate understanding of wrestling psychology. By nineteen eighty seven.
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He had been presented as an undefeated force of nature
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for fifteen years, a record that was more marketing than reality,
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but had become accepted truth in wrestling's manufactured universe. Terry
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Buleya performing as Hulk Hogan was Andrea's opposite in every
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way except size. Where Andrea was the exotic international attraction,
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Hogan was the all American hero. Where Andrea's appeal was
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his other worldly presence, Hogan's was his relatability despite his
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massive frame. He was the bodybuilder with the surfer tan
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who told kids to say their prayers and eat their vitamins.
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When Hogan defeated the Iron Sheik for the WWF Championship
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in January nineteen eighty four, Andrea was one of the
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first to congratulate him. Throughout Hogan's first championship reign, Andrea
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was his protector, his enforcer, the immovable object that prevented
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Hogan's enemies from overwhelming him. Their friendship wasn't just an
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on screen storyline. Behind the scenes, Andrea had given his
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blessing for Hogan to become champion, understanding that the torch
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was being passed to a new generation. In an industry
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where egos clash constantly. Their relationship was remarkably harmonious. But
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Vince McMahon had bigger plans. He wasn't content with regional success.
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He wanted to take the World Wrestling Federation national, even global.
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To do that, he needed a main event that would
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capture mainstream attention. He needed heroes and villains that transcended
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the usual wrestling audience. Most importantly, he needed Hogan and
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Andrea to hate each other. The seeds were planted slowly,
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methodically throughout nineteen eighty six. Small tensions were introduced. Andrea
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would accidentally bump into Hogan during tag team matches. Hogan
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would celebrate a little too enthusiastically after victories while Andrea
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watched stoneface from the apron. These were subtle moments, barely
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noticeable to casual fans, but building a narrative for those
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paying attention then came the catalyst the trophy incident. On
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January tenth, nineteen eighty seven, during a television taping, Hogan
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was presented with a trophy for being WWF Champion for
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three consecutive years. It was a celebration of dominance, a
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coronation of the man who had carried the company into
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the mainstream. Andrea, watching from ringside, applauded politely. Three weeks later,
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on Piper's Pit, the WWF's premier interview segment, Andrea was
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to be presented with a smaller trophy for his career achievements.
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But something had changed. The giant who had been Hogan's
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protector now seethed with barely concealed resentment, and standing beside
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him was Bobby the brain Heenan, Hogan's greatest antagonist and
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the most devious manager in wrestling. What happened next shocked
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audiences who had grown accustomed to Andrea's role as beloved giant.
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In a moment that would define heel turns for generations,
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Andrea challenged Hogan to a championship match at WrestleMania three.
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But it wasn't just the challenge, it was how he
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delivered it. Gone was the gentle giant. In his place
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stood a bitter, jealous monster who felt he had been
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overshadowed by Hogan's success. You've been ducking me for three years,
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Andrea growled, his French accent, adding menace to every word.
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The accusation was preposterous. Hogan had never ducked anyone, but
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it didn't matter. The battle lines were drawn, the friendship
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was over. The feud of the century had begun. Act two,
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the build to Armageddon. The two months between Andre's challenge
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and WrestleMania three represented perhaps the greatest promotional campaign in
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wrestling history. This wasn't just about selling a match, It
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was about creating a cultural moment. Vince McMahon understood something
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that many wrestling promoters didn't. The match itself was only
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part of the product. The story, the build up, the
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emotional investment. These were what transformed a wrestling match into
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an event. Every WWF television show became must see TV.
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As the tension escalated, Hogan, the confident champion who had
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demolished every challenger for three years, suddenly seemed vulnerable. In
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interview after interview, he spoke about Andrea, not as an opponent,
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but as a former friend whose betrayal cut deep. He
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was like a brother to me, Hogan would say, his
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voice cracking with emotion. We traveled the roads together, we
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watched each other's backs, and now he's listening to Bobby
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Heenan's poison. Andrea, meanwhile, embraced his new role as monster
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with disturbing effectiveness. In one memorable segment, he grabbed Hogan's
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cross necklace, a symbol of whole Camania, and tore it
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from his neck, leaving Hogan bleeding. The visual was shocking,
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the champion bloodied and shaken while Andrea loomed over him
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with dead eyes. But the real genius of the build
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was in the doubt it created. For the first time
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since becoming champion, Hogan seemed genuinely afraid. In training vignettes,
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he was shown struggling to lift weights that simulated Andrea's
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mass wrestling. Journalists playing their role in the narrative, questioned
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whether anyone could body slam a five hundred twenty pound man.
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The mainstream media took notice. Sports Illustrated, which had already
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featured Hogan on its cover, ran features on the upcoming match.
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Entertainment Tonight covered the feud. The match was discussed on
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morning shows and late night television. This wasn't just a
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wrestling match anymore. It was a sporting event on par
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with a heavyweight boxing championship. Behind the scenes, the pressure
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was immense. WrestleMania three was being held at the Pontiac Silverdome,
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with an anticipated crowd of over ninety thousand, If the
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main event failed to deliver, if the crowd went home disappointed,
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it could destroy the WWF's momentum. There was also the
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very real concern about Andrea's physical condition. Years of carrying
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his massive frame had destroyed his back and knees. He
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was in constant pain, self medicating with alcohol, and his
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mobility was severely limited. Could he even make it through
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a twenty minute match? And if something went wrong, if
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Andrea's body gave out, or if he simply refused to lose,
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what then. Hogan later revealed that the night before WrestleMania three,
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he didn't sleep. The pressure of carrying the company, of
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living up to the hype of working with an increasingly
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unpredictable Andrea, it all weighed on him. He knew that
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his entire career and perhaps the future of professional wrestling,
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hinged on what would happen in that ring. As ninety
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three thousand, one hundre undred seventy three fans filed into
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the Pontiac Silverdome on March twenty ninth, nineteen eighty seven,
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they weren't just attending a wrestling show. They were about
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to Witness History, Act three the Slam. The atmosphere inside
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the Pontiac Silverdome was electric in a way that's difficult
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to convey to modern audiences. This was before the Internet,
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before social media, before spoilers and insider knowledge were readily available.
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The ninety three thousand fans genuinely didn't know what would
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happen when Hogan and Andrea finally collided. When Andrea's music
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hit and he made his way to the ring, the
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booze were deafening. This was the same man who had
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been beloved for over a decade, now transformed into the
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most hated villain in wrestling. The transformation was complete. Hogan's
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entrance was the opposite a hero's welcome that shook the building.
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But as he climbed into the ring and stood face
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to face with Andrea, the size difference was stark. Hogan,
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massive by any normal standard, looked small. The pre match
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stared down, lasted nearly a minute, neither man blinking, the
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tension palpable. The match itself was a master class in
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psychology over athleticism. Andrea, limited by his physical condition, couldn't
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move like he once did, but he didn't need to.
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Every blow every slam, every bear hug looked devastating, simply
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because of his size. Hogan sold each attack like he
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was being mauled by a grizzly bear. For twelve minutes,
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Andrea dominated. He choked Hogan with the shoulder straps of
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his outfit. He crushed him in the corner with his
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massive frame. He applied a bear hug that seemed to
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squeeze the light out of the champion. The crowd, so
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confident in their hero at the start, began to grow quiet.
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Was this the knight Hulka Mania died? Then came the
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moment of truth. Hogan, feeding off the crowd's energy and
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his signature comeback, began to hulk up. He broke free
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of Andrea's grip. He landed a series of punches that
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staggered the giant, and then as Andrea came off the ropes,
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Hogan caught him. Time stopped. Hogan's face contorted with effort
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as he lifted all five hundred twenty pounds of Andre
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the giant onto his shoulders for a split second that
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felt like an eternity. He held him there. Then, with
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a roar that couldn't be heard over the crowd's explosion.
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He slammed Andrea to the canvas. The building erupted, Grown
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men cried, children jumped on their seats. It was as
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if they had witnessed the impossible, David not just defeating Goliath,
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but lifting him overhead and slamming him to earth. Hogan
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immediately followed with his signature leg drop and covered Andre
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for the pin one two three. The irresistible force had
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moved the immovable object, and professional wrestling would never be
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the same. Act four. The aftermath and legacy. The immediate
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aftermath of WrestleMania three was a cultural phenomenon. The event
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set records for pay per view bys and live attendants
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that wouldn't be broken for years. The image of Hogan
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slamming Andrea became wrestling's most iconic visual, replayed endlessly and
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seared into the memories of a generation. But for Andrea
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and Hogan, the feud was far from over. Their rivalry
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continued for another year, culminating in one of the most
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controversial moments in wrestling history on February fifth, nineteen eighty eight,
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during a prime time NBC special that drew thirty three
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million viewers, still one of the highest rated wrestling broadcasts. Ever,
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Andrea finally defeated Hogan for the WWF Championship. The victory
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came through some trickery involving an Evil Twin referee and
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Ted Dibiasse's money. And Andrea immediately surrendered the title to Dbiasse,
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causing it to be vacated. But the damage to Holka
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Mania was done. Andrea had proven that even icons could fall. Yet,
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the real legacy of the Hogan Andrea feud went beyond
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wins and losses. It established the template for every major
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wrestling feud that followed. The slow burn build, the personal betrayal,
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the mainstream crossover appeal, the larger than life personalities, and
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the spectacular payoff. It also revealed something fundamental about Hulk Hogan.
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His genius lay not just in his charisma or his physique,
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but in his ability to create compelling rivalries throughout his
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career from Randy Savage to the Ultimate Warrior, from Ric
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Flair to The Rock. Hogan understood that wrestling was about conflict,
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and the best conflicts felt personal. But this gift for
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creating enemies would eventually extend beyond the ring. The man
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who turned Andre from friend to foe for the sake
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of business, would later find himself in real life feuds
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that were far messier and more destructive. His rivalry with
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Vince Russo at w c w's Bash at the Beach
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two thousand blurred the lines between storyline and reality, ending
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in lawsuits and permanently severed relationships. His use of creative
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control clauses, the very thing that ensured he would defeat Andre,
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eventually made him a pariah in WCW as younger talent
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felt held back by his politicking. Most infamously, his feud
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with Gawker Media over a leaked sex tape would consume
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years of his life and millions of dollars, ultimately destroying
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the media company, but also exposing Hogan's own racist comments
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and forever tarnishing his legacy. The man who had built
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his career on creating fictional conflicts for public consumption found
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that real conflicts came with real consequences. Epilogue, The Last
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Giant Standing. As we record this episode in July twenty
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twenty five, just days after Hulk Hogan's death at age
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