The Immortal Hulk Hogan and Madison Square Garden both hold great significance in pro-wrestling history. The Madison Square Garden Arena has held many WWE events and has featured various classic matches. Hogan, in his wrestling days, has main-evented many matches at The Garden and won. 

However, before becoming the Immortal Hulk Hogan, he was known as The Incredible Hulk Hogan in his earlier days.

He was considered a decent heel back then but had not become ‘The Immortal’. In one of the Main Event matches at The Garden, this WWE Hall of Famer defeated the Hulkster. 

WWE Hall of Famer Mr. USA Tony Atlas defeated Hulk Hogan in the main event at Madison Square Garden. Unlike today, when we know Hulk as a babyface, he was a cocky heel at the time and Tony Atlas was a fan favorite in the match. 

Tony Atlas Shows Hulk Hogan that he is the strongest wrestler in the sport

The Incredible Hulk Hogan vs Mr. USA Tony Atlas happened on 16th March 1981 at Madison Square Garden. The match started with a loud pop of fans chanting USA to support Tony Atlas.

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Both the wrestlers started the match in a different fashion, with the Hulkster posing in front of the crowd while Atlas replied by doing some bodybuilding poses of his own. The crowd went wild seeing this. Hulkster started tossing Atlas in the ring’s corner and exchanged some words. However, that pumped Tony Atlas, and he gave a body slam to the Hulkster. 

While the match was in process, Hogan slammed Atlas and gave him a massive leg-drop. It seemed the match was over there but Atlas kicked out on two counts and did something which amazed the crowd.

Atlas slammed him with a military press to Hogan. He was 6.5ft in height and over 300 pounds in his earlier days. This pumped the crowd as it was an incredible moment. 

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The Hulkster lost the match when Atlas pinned him. Although Hogan’s leg was on the rope, the referee didn’t see it and completed the pinfall. Atlas won the match in a crowd-pleasing way.

Atlas wasn’t Hogan’s cup of tea

Both Tony Atlas and Hulk Hogan had a great match with the crowd in the arena fully invested in the match. After Atlas won, the Hulkster could not accept his defeat and attacked the referee. He gave the referee a leg drop and posed to the crowd. 

Hogan and Atlas both fought each other four times in their career, of which Hogan only won once that too via DQ. Therefore, it seems like while Hogan became a professional wrestling legend, Atlas was someone who mostly got the best of him.

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