Today, the WWE is a multi billion dollar brand that has fans all across the globe.

In modern times, WWE is in a financial juggernaut selling out arenas and stadiums in 2024. It hasn’t been doing this well since the days of the Attitude Era led by Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in the late 90s.

However, many people who saw the rise of then WWF (World Wrestling Federation) as it was known in the 80’s under the popularity of the likes of Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant.  It still ranks as the ultimate peak of viewership when the two met on a fateful Friday Night in February of 1988. WWE’s Vault youtube channel known stores all the company’s historic content has released for the first time ever the full match between Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant on NBC.

THE HISTORIC HULK HOGAN AND ANDRE THE GIANT

The feud between Hulk Hogan and André the Giant is one of the most legendary rivalries in professional wrestling history, culminating in a record-breaking match on NBC’s The Main Event in 1988.

The best friends turn enemy story arc is one of the more popular ones in the world of sports entertainment. Hulk Hogan had previously teamed with “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff in 1986 and was turned on for a championship match. The trope of the heel turn was monstrous business as Hogan and Orndorff was a box office success that made for the time a record live audience in the summer of 1986 in Toronto.

The event happened at the now defunct Exhibition Stadium to a crowd of over 74,000 screaming Hulkamaniacs. The record would only last a few months as Vince Mcmahon decided to run a similar best friends turn enemy storyline between Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant to a resounding success.

Best Friends Turned Rivals (1987)

Unlike the Hogan vs Orndorff series, Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant did have a years long relationship on television. Andre The Giant was there on the night Hulk Hogan won the title from Iron Sheik at Madison Square Garden in 1984.

However, leading up to WrestleMania III, tensions rose when André aligned with manager Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, turning heel (villain) for the first time in his WWF career.

Their first major encounter took place at the Pontiac Silverdome in front of a reported 93,173 fans—a record attendance at the time. Hogan body-slammed André in one of wrestling’s most iconic moments before pinning him to retain the WWF Championship.

The Record-Breaking Rematch on NBC (The Main Event, February 5, 1988)

On February 5, 1988, NBC aired The Main Event, featuring Hogan vs. André II for the WWF Championship. It was the most highly anticipated match for its time and decades later is still fondly remembered as a rematch of the ages.

The broadcast drew 33 million viewers, making it the highest-rated televised wrestling match ever in the United States. It received a 15.2 rating which still holds the record for pro wrestling in North America. Many hardcore wrestling fans and old school wrestlers believe this was the night that pro wrestling changed into sports entertainment due to the bizarre cartoon-ish like end to the match.

André defeated Hogan after a screwjob finish involving referee Earl Hebner and his evil twin brother, Dave Hebner, who was bribed by “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. It was known as the screwjob in Indiannapolis, Indiana before Bret Hart’s infamous screwjob in Montreal less than a decade later that smashed the pro wrestling presentation rule of kayfabe.

This match not only further cemented Hogan and André’s feud but also set up the next chapter in WWF history, ultimately leading to the rise of Macho Man Randy Savage as champion.

📺NBC Primetime, February 5, 1988:
— ‘The Main Event’…Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant pic.twitter.com/aT24QkhvWC

— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) February 6, 2018

Top babyfaces were always well protected. Bret dropped a title by having his Mom throw the towel in once.

— Slasher__Dope (@HallowIdiot) February 5, 2025

And just like that, Hogan’s four-year title reign ends.

— Adam Ray King (@CrimsonMonarch8) February 5, 2025