Jim Cornette Reviews WWE Rivals: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant 

"92, 271 paid admission.. and me! I'm a Scotsman, I don't pay for nothing!" - Rowdy Roddy Piper WWF Crunch Classic (1992)

I was lucky as a kid that my grand dad took me to see andré when he was tagging with haku, at a house show in houston against demolition. The respect he commanded and the aura was incredible, like seeing a legendary being but he was real.

If you weren’t 7-11 years old at the time this took place, you can never understand the cultural impact it had, period. As kids, we talked about this all year, even over summer vacation, it was that instrumental in our childhoods, especially the angle that “Hogan has no chance”. Amazing stuff and we still celebrate it almost 40 years later.

What really impressed me with The Piper's Pit segment was when Piper showed concern for Hogan. This would be like the Joker showing concern for Batman. "You're bleeding man".

The irresistible force meets the immovable object.

When you go back and watch WM3 as a smart fan and see Andre take the slam and the leg drop you get almost emotional twofold because 1) it’s a great moment for hogan and the business but also 2) you see that Andre really was the Atlas that held up the WWF and it was the end of his reign.

Hulk trying to hulk up during the contract signing was always hilarious to me. Not sure how andre didn't laugh lol

This wrestlemania transcended wrestling itself, even the major tv stations reported on the results of the main event. It was a spot piece, but it caught the attention of the nation.

I totally get why it irritates Brian so much but I honestly can't fault Stephanie for the "Andre was my friend" thing. He obviously made a big impression on her as a kid, as he undoubtedly would have for any kid that age who actually knew/spent time with him. It would be like hanging out with an actual giant from a fairy-tale or something.

Andre has been gone for 30 years... despite the stories of him getting wasted after slamming over a hundred beers and defecating in the bathtub, he really does seem like a mythical creature who came and went...

The entire family in the living room around the TV from grandma to grandson cheering Hogan. We used to watch all the WWF events & Tyson, Holyfield, Foreman, & Sugar Ray fights. Must see TV was great back then & everyone sat around the house & shared in it. Those were the days.

Hearing the stories from the 80s from the WWF golden era, never gets old I love When Cornette and Last talk 80s Wrestling 💪💪🙏❤️

Andre doesn't get mentioned a lot in lists of all time great workers, but how good a job did he do concealing all his health problems. No casual fan watching the show around the time of Wrestlemania III had any idea there was anything wrong with him. His ability to get the most out of every little thing he did is a benchmark for the difference between being a wrestler, and a worker.

I was 11 during this time and have watched it over and over as an adult and I will say they set the stage and told the story so well while saying so little, too. You could feel the shock and sadness of Hull as his shirt was torn off and Piper being as quick witted and smart as Heenan saw the blood on Hulk's chest and that one sentence he said softly..."You're bleeding." That was so powerful and made it feel so real. Piper was a genius taking liberties when they benefitted himself and others knowing the drawing power he had would only make them both rise higher. Andre played his role of the jealous, angry giant to perfection. I was devastated seeing him become a heel as he was always loved here by us fans and as he retired here he walked in the ring as a heel, and left the ring as a beloved hero. The timing was right and the fans wanted to love him again and we got to in kayfabe. He left with his head high and the people all stood up cheering, crying happy tears including I, and...that era of wrestling when the NWA territories were still here, the AWA, the WWF...we had a variety of great wrestling styles and I truly miss it. I think we all miss it. The greatest champions of all time from Heavyweights to Tag Teams, and Regional champs, and more, all wrestled in that golden era...Flair, Hogan, Piper, Buddy Rose, both the Midnight and Rock n Roll Express, Freebirds, Von Erichs, Rhodes, Slater, the names continue with greatness.

I watched this. I was impressed with Andre's promo work. The staring through Hogan, the acting serious. It all made it seem more legit.

The crime rate didn't drop while the Beatles were on the Ed Sullivan Show, it was a dig at Beatles by a comedian that all the criminals dropped their tools to watch their fellow long haired hooligans.

Andre could barely walk. When that wrestlemania 3 match happened. I thought he did the best job he could. Considering the circumstances. What a legend 💯

Talking about the switch to the singlet, it worked out for the best because the black single-strap singlet is so synonymous with Andre now that you don't see it anymore unless you're trying to invoke memories of Andre on purpose.

Hogan vs Andre will never be duplicated.

I remember seeing Wrestlemania 3, locally at our city's county fair on closed circuit screen. Sure it was on a giant screen. But being as young as I was (12 years old) it was like actually being there live in Pontiac, Michigan.

One of the only heels that left a Hogan rivalry w some heat. Looking back,Andre had a lot of highlights during the feud..winning the pre WM3 Battle Royal,being the sole survivor in Survivor Series 1987,the 'title' win in 1988. Legendary stuff!

It was SO BIG in Detroit that i remember at LEAST two RADIO STATIONS calling the show for the fans that couldn't get to see it live in the silverdome. I don't remember any WrestleMania before or since getting play by play on the RADIO. I thought whoever was calling the matches was going to pass out because the steamboat savage match was SO good.

8:45 - Jim says Vince Sr. didn't want a babyface match between Bruno and Andre due to the love fans had for the two of them. Jim forgot that they tried something similar to that in September 1972 with the original Showdown at Shea where Bruno wrestled Pedro Morales for the WWWF title. The fans had seen the buildup to that match and were expecting a Pier 6 brawl. Instead what they got was a hold-for-hold scientific match that went on for an hour and ten minutes, and as they approached the one hour mark the fans started getting restless and some of them had even begun to boo (the only time Bruno was ever booed in New York City, by the way). The fans got so bored that Vince Sr. sent George "The Animal" Steele out to the ring to do a run-in, just to distract the fans. So that's likely the real reason WWE never tried that again - the fans reacted so negatively toward the Bruno-Pedro "dream match" that they feel it wasn't worth a second try, even with different babyfaces.

Why does Brian always scuff at the idea of Stephanie considering Andre her friend? Just seems pointlessly mean-spirited to shit on her childhood that he wasn't there for.

The Hulk-Andre booking arc arguably ran until the reunion of Macho Man and Elizabeth at WM7. It’s the greatest booking run of my lifetime.

I grew up mostly watching guys like Austin idol, ric flair, Bruno sammartino, nick bockwinkle, harley race and jerry Lawler. Wasn't a big wwf fan, BUT having seen the Hulk Hogan/Andre the Giant match? I have to admit it was phenomenal. Andre was this larger than life, billed undefeated( Adnan al kaissie beat him in 71 In baghdad as a favor) giant and you've got this red-hot baby face hulk hogan .this was stuff of legends.

I've watched the WM3 match at least 50 times. It tells such a good story and the selling by Hogan and the faces Andre makes after the slam was epic.

I was at the CNE house show in Toronto, 70k minimum. Andre was on the card as “Giant Machine” - stuck my hand in his armpit by accident. Orndorff was drinking a can of beer as he pulled away in a Cadillac after the show, lmao - it was the best of times, it was the best of times.

Jim Is right, I knew 6 people that went from Cleveland to Detroit for that event, and they went in a big group of like 15 or 20

Hogan & Andre Wrestlenania III is as far as wrestling folklore is concerned, wrestling’s equivalent to the Rumble in the Jungle.

I want to see a WWE Rivals episode of Jim Cornette and Kevin Dunn. That is sure to get a lot of ratings for A&E. People still talk about that over 25 years later. You Know Jim...I Find You Tiresome

Arguably the biggest match of all time. An iconic match that transcends wrestling. Dave Meltzer- minus 4 stars

WrestleMania 3 was certainly not a great technical match, but both Andre and Hogan played the psychology perfectly. They earned every dime that night. Andre was the greatest big man in wrestling history, and Hogan had a razor sharp sense of the audience. Iconic. Legendary. A+. That's coming from a southern wrestling fan.

When Andre challenged Hogan and ripped his cross off was meck that was huge. I can still hear Hogan screaming Yes..... when asked if he accepted his challenge.

First big rivalry in WWE? Zbyszko vs Bruno? Superstar Billy Graham vs Dusty Rhodes? Iron Sheik vs Bob Backlund?

Never forget, Hulk shredded all of the muscles in his back slamming Andre, and just 6 years later Andre died the next day from the slam. ~ hulk hogan.

Was the most important match in WWF/E history

Andre's heel turn was a shocker, so used to seeing him as a face(Babyface)

It was simply the magic of the 80's

$250,000 in today's money is a little over $658,000

I wonder what Andre The Giant would think about Dave Meltzer giving his matches negative stars compared to the "six star" Elite matches... 🤣

Even people who didn't give a damn about pro wrestling still made time to watch that match.

"Worst match of all time can also draw the most money." Exhibit A: Floyd Mayweather Junior versus Connor McGregor.

I love listening to Jim talk wrestling. He teaches me something new every time I tune in.

When they did the Hulk Andre rematch on "The Main Event"..I was about 7 or 8 and I remember it was a Friday night..it was February, I had a basketball game the next morning and I watched it on TV with my Dad, who was not a wrestling fan but used to tolerate it for us. When I got to the gym the next morning at school for the game, EVERYONE was talking about it the way people would be talking about the Super Bowl or something. This was huge

And Jim, Hulkamania WILL live forever!

I was 8 years old and see this at the local fairgrounds. It was closed circuit, and they had it on a big screen. Packed house to watch it. Everyone cheering and high fiving after hogan won. It was great. Ranked right up with movie theatre crowd I seen Rocky 4 with. Good times when people likes each other.

To add to the point; WrestleMania III was so big, a friend of mine and his family (who were not wrestling fans) still bought WMIII

Savage was the smaller guy bumping around for Andre in 88

Andre actually moved a lot better after that surgery post WM3. He gave a much better showing at the NBC show, and gave Warrior a much better body slam than he gave Hogan. I think Hogan legit had to pick him up a lot more than he should have to.

Said it before, will say it again. I was a kid for this, and I rooted for Andre. I saw Hogan as the heel here and Andre as the face. When Heenan said "you never once gave this man an opportunity", I felt it.

Gorilla monsoon and JR are the two best announcers ever

Big difference between watching wrestling when I was a kid and watching it now is as a kid the thing that I was least interested in was the match quality. I was invested in the build and the long term story. So by the time the two characters finally had their match I just wanted to see my heroes win. I didn’t care what gymnastics moves they did or star ratings. I just wanted to see the Road Warriors kick Tully and Arn’s ass. The promos, the storylines and the psychology was 95% of the draw and the moves and flips meant nothing.

i was a young lad when this match took place. it was probably my most vivid memory of falling in love with pro wrestling. i have watched pro wrestling as long as i can remember, but this match was a cultural phenomenon.

As a kid,for years I believed that was the first match between Hogan & Andre,plus I always thought that was the first & only time someone was able to slam the Giant,which made Hulk seem like a superhero to the kids.

Andre telling hogan to slam him at mania 3 because he knew what a moment that would be. 35 years later it's still one of the defining moments of wrestling even tho the match itself was not great an Andre was not in the best health wise then people don't care they just remember the spectacle of it.

Hulk slamming Andre will always be the greatest moment in WM history. Bar none. The pop from the crowd was off the charts along with the finish. Can't deny it. Gives me goosebumps to this day. I'm not a big Hogan fan but it was the peak of the Hulkamania era. Everyone watching knew they were witnessing something special. Was a testament to Andre's greatness more than anything since he was willing to do the job. He was seen as absolutely unbeatable before that match. Hogan slayed the real life Goliath

If Stephanie wasn’t there to confirm her friendship with Andre without a doubt I wouldn’t believe a single word of the documentary HOWEVER I believe it to be the Bible now of course due to it being cemented with the best friendship of all time Stephandre the Giant

Bit of similarity for me with Hogan and Andre. Their heel turns really revitalized them. Andre was legit as a bad guy. Much better than when he chased Ken patera and big John stud and the bag ofhair.

I've been a wrestling freak since the late sixties and to this day, this match was the most spellbinding spectacle I've ever seen in the sport. Andre going with Heenan, the tearing of the cross and blood on Pipers Pit. Unfucking real. To me, the only thing close was Hogan-Warrior.

The Pontiac Silverdome held 80,000 for Football, so when you add the Floor Seating to the fact that every seat in both the Upper and Lower Bowls of the Dome were full, they got somewhere close to that 93,000.

It’s possible Hulk is telling the truth about not knowing if he was going to win. Because on his podcast Kurt Angle was saying when he had his hair vs hair match against Edge up until a few minutes before the match Vince told Edge he was going to lose and have his head shaved just to rib him

They didn't inflate the numbers for WrestleMania 3. It's NOT hard to know when a show has sold out. There are 80,300 normal seats. Could they fit 13k floor seats? They were packed up to the ring. Yes they absolutely could fit 13k floor seats. I don't think they fudged the numbers for WrestleMania 3.

I feel like Andre should've retired after WrestleMania 3. His back was in so much pain & he was getting slower each year. More importantly, his body was breaking down year by year up until his death in late January '93. I know how much Andre loved the wrestling business & I am in no way, shape, or form taking that away from him. But in my honest opinion & with all due respect to Andre The Giant, I think he should've hung up the boots after that big match with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 3. It seriously would've made the passing of the torch even more perfect.

I may have missed it but in the early 80’s Hogan had a TV match with Andre. Hogan was with Blassie, he slammed Andre what looked easily and effortlessly, then loaded his elbow sleeve and closelined Andre with the “Hogan Hammer” as it was called. This was free TV in the Boston market. It’s on RU-vid. It was TV taping from PA. At the time I remember as a kid being in shock.

Andre the Giant was riddled with pain during his match at Wrestlemania 3 with Hulk Hogan, and he was such a larger than life figure I was worried about Hogan losing the whole damn time.

Who cares what Dave says? If there were 93,000 something people there there were 93,000 people there. It doesn't matter if only 80,000 people paid and 13,000 were family and comps or whatever. 93,000 is 93,000. Quadruple his precious AEW could have done in 12 lifetimes. Linda used to say "Imagine Having Your Own Personal Gulliver"talking about Stephanie and Andre. lol

My 9 year old has been getting into wrestling and he's been so fascinated with early WWF, so we've been watching a lot of it. Hulk vs Andre the first wrestling event I remember being so emotionally in as a kid. I hadn't seen the match in a long time. It's so basic, but tells such a story. Watching this made me realize how far the art of wrestling has been taken down.

I’m still arguing that the biggest angle available currently is a tag team match Jim cornette and Eric bischoff VS Vince Russo and Dave Meltzer. And both tag teams have partners that can’t entirely trust each other. That would be bigger than hulk and Andre.

It saddens me. That kids today won’t get to enjoy wrestling the way we did as a kid. I always knew it was entertainment. But I always had that doubt. I just think the internet and spoilers took all the magic away. Sad 😢

I don’t think Hogan knew he was gonna win because Andre probably told him he wouldn’t win until Andre called the slam and the leg drop.

This rivalry is what brought me to wrestling. Been watching ever since. I'm one of millions with that story how important it was

I haven’t watched wrestling in years and never will again, but I love looking up this show to listen to the history of the wrestling I grew up with

And remember Andre got to win the match at Survivor Series and the Main Event. It was all brilliantly booked and promoted.

They had more than 80k ppl I think. The Silverstone held 80k for football, I could get more in for wrestling, & WM 3 was standing room only.

Even now, I think it's the biggest moment in the history of Wrestlemania. There are some moments that have come close, but I don't think it will be topped.

Side note, Crockett ran 2 shows on the same day as WM 3, the afternoon show in Asheville had Flair vs. Brad Armstrong, Garvin vs. Eaton w/Corny I guess and a main event of Ole vs. Big Bubba.

The Silverdome shut down because they built it so damn big they could never fill it, so it always looked empty during most Lions games. It's only been filled twice. Once was Pope John Paul leading a mass gathering of prayer, the other was Wrestlemania III.

Andre vs Hogan is the shimmering centerpiece of the totality of wrestling

I hate that WWE pretends like pre-1984 wrestling doesn’t exist.

Who gives AF about Meltzer. It was a story that was being told. It was the best match in Wrestling history. I seen it as a kid it was so big it’s impossible to even explain. I hate Meltzer. I really do. He’s done nothing but ruin pro wrestling.

33million viewers for their prime time match on Network Television. Unbelievable.

About the 93,000. I believe it is the February 14 or 21st Spectrum Show. During a random match, Gorilla Monsoon says that 93,000 will be in Pontiac to see the big event. He is calling the show with Dick Graham who no one bothered to smarten up. Graham, who was a legit Philadelphia broadcaster, questioned that they can't fit that many people into the Silverdome. Sternly, Gorilla insists 93,000 will be in Pontiac. Graham questions this number but drops the topic quickly as it starts to get awkward. This show was on RU-vid not long ago. It was a moment that caught me off guard.

You can tell when hogan broke down crying. How much he loved and misses Andre.

I saw Andre once at a house show in Knoxville 1988 I believe vs Macho. Before the match, someone threw a piece of ice the size of a softball. It hit andre square in the eardrum and exploded. Andre didn't even flinch. I'll never forget it.

WrestleMania III was the knock out to the territories. Alot of territories panicked that eventually left them going out of business

Negative stars is ridiculous. A perfectly competent match. given the limitations. And that’s before you factor in the storytelling.

I love that WWE have tried to recreate the aura of Andre, he just created awe, Big Show, Khali, Omos, none of them had the same vibe, it’s never felt mystical, like they were a wonder

I overestimated the cartoonyness. Their promos were so sincere and authentic. Both Andre and Hulk had crazy charisma

Until Manis I never saw Andre/Hogan be as heated rivals as Austin/Rock or Flair/Rhodes

There’s no way there was only 78k ppl in that building. Maybe they only sold 78k tix and papered the rest but that dome for Football capacity is larger than that and that’s without the thousands of seats on the field! I love cornette podcasts and all but in regards to Meltzer he seems to believe or back his “reporting” If he agrees with it and disregards now when he doesn’t. Meltzer claiming only 78k in attendance at WM3 is a joke. He claim Zane Bresslof told him but never actually reported it with Zane on record and Zane never confirmed that “reporting” Dave doesn’t report he just retells stories he here’s 2nd and 3rd hand and never seeks comment from those involved in his story and never has any sources on the record. It’s a joke.

I come here for one reason to challenge you for a world championship match at the WrestleMania

Meltzer probably wanted hogan to huricanranna andre and then andre needed to moonsault hogan on the announcer table.

Something about their match at _WrestleMania III_ that I didn't notice until I was much older: the look on André's face as he lay on the mat immediately after taking the body slam. Knowing what I know now about André's health (and his back particularly), and how the rumor is that André drank about 14 bottles of wine before the match "to dull the pain", the look on the Giant's face...the pain in his lower back must've _exploded_ as he landed. I've seen lots of André matches and think I'm fairly familiar with his facial expressions for when he's selling painful moves, and his face after the body slam is a totally different expression. His mouth is wide open and his eyes are scrunched shut and he looks like he's gasping for air. I've had back pain-sometimes intense back pain-but I can't imagine the kind of pain André must've been in that entire match. André the Giant is the very definition of _Legend._

Don't forget he also but Hill Billy Jim over once.

Wwe rivals needs to do one on Rick Martel vs Shawn Michaels. They had really good matches.

I saw Andre in my hometowns in N.Carolina when I was 10 years old. He tagged with Black Jack Mulligan vs Big John Studd and Don Kernoodle.

Wrestlemania 3 was the first big event I remember. I was like 6 when Hulk and Andre split up..I had been watching wrestling for about a year at that point and i had all the WWF Coliseum Home Videos and their partnership was well documented...all the faces seemed to hang out together, Hulk's cartoon helped contribute to this, Andre was a good guy on the cartoon. I must have rented Wrestlemania 3 from the video store 50 times lol....my main point is that even though I came in as a fan right around the time they were building up to the match, they did a great job on TV making the fans care that the friendship.was over

The final 5 or 6 minutes of this segment had me in tears laughing! 😂 Corny talking about 'growth' and 'scaping was absolutely solid gold!!!!

The plug ins for Manscaped had me rolling hard..........LOL