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Hulk Hogan Recalls How Vince McMahon Went Against All the Odds to Give Him His Proudest Moment in 1987: “We Would Have Had a Major Problem Moving Forward”

Published 05/25/2023, 2:00 PM EDT

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In a career spanning several decades, WWE legend Hulk Hogan has had many iconic moments. While his feud with The Rock is a hit with the 90s fans, Hogan has had feuds of similar magnitudes with fellow WWE Hall of Famers Randy Savage and Andre the Giant. The Hulkster is one of the few wrestlers to bodyslam the 500-pound giant. It took place at WrestleMania 3. Now, over 35 years later, Hogan said the match wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Vince McMahon.

Hulk Hogan recalls facing a dilemma before his match with André the Giant at WrestleMania 3

The Immortal One was one of the guests on the recent episode of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. He spoke about the recent developments in his life. However, before signing off, the host asked him about the match that he remembered the most and Hogan was quick to put out his WrestleMania 3 bout in 1987.

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Interestingly, Hogan said, “If we would have had a bad match or the venue wouldn’t have sold out, we would have had a major problem moving forward.” One might wonder what prompted him to make the observation, but the answer followed soon. He revealed that the match would not have happened, as the “people who put the money down for the building” called them and asked them to cancel the show.

The 69-year-old said WrestleMania 3 was preceded by a Rolling Stones gig and The Pope followed the wrestling extravaganza. Each event was separated by a week’s time. “So the Stones did 80 thousand, no sorry 84 thousand, the Pope did 80 and we did 93,” he said. While WWE won the numbers game, according to Hogan’s admission, he, however, wasn’t so sure about heading into the marquee event.

Hogan also recalled asking Vince McMahon if they should cancel. Stating that the WWE boss was adamant and went with the schedule he said, “Thank God we didn’t cancel the venue… Vince never hesitated.”

Fortunately, McMahon stuck to his words, otherwise, Hogan wouldn’t have had his proudest moment in wrestling. 

WrestleMania 3 was a strange experience for Hulk Hogan

It is no secret that Hulk Hogan loves to talk about his match with André the Giant. During the match, Hogan managed to body slam the 500-pound legend, sending the spectators into a frenzy. Moments later, he dropped his leg and picked up the win after the count.

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27 years later, the six-time WWE Champion made a bold admission as he revealed that he was scared before the match. Speaking to Power 106 FM radio host Big Boy in 2014, Hogan said he didn’t know the end result of the match. This caused him to be tense about the situation. In case you are confused, pro-wrestling matches have fixed outcomes and are partially choreographed. Hogan’s case was an anomaly, and he felt the jitters. However, Andre allowed him to go over, giving Hogan’s career a massive boost.

He said in hindsight that it was a passing of the baton moment as the old global star ushered in the new one- Andre the Giant and Hogan, respectively. He later went on to rule the pro-wrestling world, becoming one of WWE’s greatest heroes during their Golden Era.

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Were you aware of Hogan’s trivia about the venue? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Sudipto Maity

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Sudipto is a WWE writer at Essentially Sports. He holds a PG degree in Mass Communication. Being an experienced journalist, Sudipto has interviewed WWE Superstars Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus and hopes to add some more names to that list.
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Edited by:

Sherjeel Malik