Looking back on Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant: The biggest televised match in the history of pro wrestling
On February 5th, 1988 Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and the WWF were set to make both television and wrestling history
Hulk Hogan was at the height of his popularity at the time, having successfully defended the WWF World title against Andre the Giant in front of the monumental backdrop of the company’s largest event ever, drawing a reported 93,000 fans at Detroit’s Pontiac Silverdome.
Coming off the heels of that historic night, and after having already been successful in producing Saturday Night’s Main Event, NBC executive (and longtime Vince McMahon ally), Dick Ebersol decided to gamble on whether or not pro wrestling could make it in prime time network television.
And boy... did it ever.
The plan worked much better than either Ebersol or McMahon could have dreamed of: The live broadcast drew a 15.2 Nielsen rating and 33 million viewers, both records for American televised wrestling that still stand to this day.
Andre would defeat Hulk Hogan, but not without MAJOR controversy
After a failed bodyslam attempt, Hulk Hogan crumpled and Andre fell on him. Despite kicking out at two, the referee made the three-count anyway.
In a revelation that left Hogan stunned and angry, it was revealed after the match that the referee was not the assigned official for the bout, Dave Hebner.
As part of the storyline, Ted DiBiase had instead hired Earl Hebner, Dave’s real-life twin brother, as part of a plot to steal the victory and the belt from Hogan. After winning, André the Giant would promptly surrender the title to DiBiase.
However, WWF President Jack Tunney would throw a monkey wrench into the Million Dollar Man's scheme. He would announce later that week that the title could only change hands by pin or submission. Therefore, Tunney ruled that by attempting to surrender the title, André had actually just vacated it. Tunney then ordered a tournament at WrestleMania IV to crown a new champion.
The ripple effect, in terms of the storyline? Andre and Hulk Hogan would eliminate each other in their tournament match at ‘Mania, and Randy Savage would go on to capture the WWF title.
But there was much more to it than that, in terms of both business and entertainment.
The impact of this night and The Main Event can not be measured
Obviously, the WWF had been riding a wave on the shoulder's of Hulk Hogan's massive popularity for several years now, and were already a household name. The monstrous success of WrestleMania III had already proven that.
But, The Main Event was an even bigger step in smearing the brand's logo all over the public conscience. Its reach was almost unfathomable, and still is to this day.
Consider this: The only wrestling show on prime time network television today, Smackdown, averages around 2.2 million viewers per week. The Main Event drew 15 TIMES that amount on that historical evening in 1988.
Some might even say that this night, with the world watching, was when the WWF truly cemented its status as a mainstream entertainment company. One that surpassed the boundaries of traditional pro wrestling, and crossed over in to pop culture.
And the rest, as they say, is history.