During the third installment of WrestleMania, Hulk Hogan successfully defended his WWF Title, defeating Andre the Giant. However, it wasn’t all rosy for Hogan, who was apprehensive about the match, fearing that Andre wouldn’t cooperate in the scripted match.
The memorable contest that closed the evening saw Hogan lifting Andre, a move that showcased his immense strength before claiming victory at the Pontiac Silverdome.
While on the “Barstool Rasslin” podcast, Hogan disclosed his fears at the time of the match. He wasn’t sure of his chances against Andre, particularly if Andre refused to play along in the match. He recalled,
“That was the only time I’ve ever been to the ring where I didn’t know if I was going to face severe injuries or the result of the bout. When I approached Vince [McMahon] inquiring about our planned narrative, he said, ‘Oh, Andre will do the right thing, don’t worry.’ My response was, ‘Well, I’m anxious.’”
Further, Hogan mentioned that Andre had had a significant back operation and didn’t have to go along with the match, but chose to anyway. He took us back to the match’s day, saying,
“I was with Andre in the dressing room for around eight hours, saw him down two fifths of Jack Daniels, saw him do several things to cope with the pain in his back. I questioned him, ‘Boss, how will this play out?’ Andre responded, ‘Don’t worry.’ Again I asked, ‘Can I attempt to lift you?’ His response was negative and I thought, ‘I’m in deep trouble.’”
Andre, who passed away in 1993, had the honor of being the inaugural inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. Hogan received the same honor in 2005 and was again inducted as part of the NWO in 2021.