The Greatest Moment in Pro Wrestling History

[Trauma-san]

I was thinking this morning about when I was a kid, and started thinking about this match again.  When I was a kid, my parents used to fight a lot, and on Saturdays, I would go to my grandma's house to spend the day.  She used to love to watch Hillbilly Jim wrestle on Superstars of Wrestling, or whatever it was.  This was back in Sunny California.

Anyways, My favorite was always Hulk Hogan, he was like a god or something to me.  So every week my brother and I couldn't wait to get to our grandma's house to watch wrestling, and maybe if we were lucky Hulk Hogan would be on there. 

When Wrestlemania III rolled around, we couldn't watch because we didn't have cable or something, and we of course couldn't pay for the PPV, we were pretty poor.  My dad would rent us movies, though, and when we rented Wrestlemania III, my brother and I were so fucking excited because it was 4 hours long.

When we saw the Hogan/Andre match, it blew our tiny minds.  LOL.  We were already tuned into the fact that the outcome of the matches was predetermined, but didn't think about that type of stuff, we were just into the match.  Here was our favorite, Hulk fighting this huge monster who was about 10 times bigger than I was at the time.

So, Hogan slams Andre, and me, my brother, and my dad talked about it for weeks.  We thought that was the most amazing thing we'd ever seen.  My dad saw Hogan doing an interview for some show a year or two later, and Hogan claimed that Andre asked him to slam him in the match, but Hogan was hesitant to do it, since Andre was sick and hurting at the time.  Hogan and Andre were good friends, and Hogan didn't want to hurt him.

Well, that moment, that EXACT moment was the greatest moment in Wrestling History, nothing will ever top that.  Everything aligned perfectly... the largest indoor attendance of all time in the venue... a huge, huge match that everybody was excited about, and two legends colliding.  When Andre had Hogan body slam him, that decision and moment was monumentous... not only was Andre hurt, but STILL giving his body and his health to his sport, but he was passing the torch to Hogan, admitting that he himself was worn out and his time was over.  So Andre gives up his spot on the top, and basically shoves Hogan into the limelight, now it's your turn Hulk to be the cock of the walk.  Second, Andre was sacrificing his own body to entertain the fans... namely, me, and my brother!  Now all wrestlers do this, but rarely on such a dramatic stage, or with such a superhuman overblown vibe to it.  Third, Andre was goading Hogan on to greatness by forcing him to do something incredible, help lift an over 500 pound man and bodyslam him (of course Andre helped, but still it's a superhuman feat).  By forcing Hogan to slam him (Hogan had earlier, but Hogan was bigger, and Andre was smaller), Andre was forcing Hogan to live his full potential as an entertainer.  Finally, and fourthly, Andre, by pushing that card, forced Hogan to hurt himself to entertain the fans.  Just like the slam hurt Andre to entertain me, Hogan famously ripped his back and to this day still has a hole when he flexes his back to show the muscle he tore slamming Andre for me and my brother when we were kids.

Nothing will ever top that, it's impossible.  I was watching Hogan Knows Best the other night, and Hulk is in bad shape, I doubt he has more than a match or so left in him.  It's sad to see things end, but I imagine Hogan thinks about Andre a lot and about that night when he ponders the end of his career. 

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Yea...It was definitely a great match. Too bad wrestling is nothing like that now...

[Mo Z. Dizzle]

it took me a while, but i finally found a picture, kinda small but here it is:

[herpes]

the montreal screw job..... that was the start of the ratings turn around.  Granted Raw didnt win but from there on out there rating would creep up.

[E. J. Rizo]

for some reason there is soooo many memerable ones... but here are just a few with one of my favorites at top... besides what you already mentioned

1. Ultimate Warrior vs. Macho Man Randy Savage (Career match!)

damn was that match amazing .... soooo long and Macho man did his famous elbow drop on warrior like 6 - 7 times in a row and warrior still pulled out of the pin... then warrior went all crazy and did his famous finisher when he drops them over his head  and tried pinning him and no good ... so warrior busted those shoulder drops to the chest of savage a few times more and then did his finisher one more time and then it worked! but for some reason thats one of my fav matches i guess it also has to do with the whole fact that it was for the career!


2. Survivor Series (when they first introduced the Undertaker)

Million dollar man had a secret To be announced 4th person and it was the undertaker... just cause he is one of my fav. characters...

[PLANT]

Hogan Vs. Warrior @ Wrestlemania 6 is my fav all time wrestling moment.

[Bramsterdam (see ya)]

hbk vs. razor ramon at WMX in that ladder match I always liked

[Sweet & Tender Hooligan]

Ay Trauma did u read Hogans book or sumthin coz its worded pretty similarly. lol if not good journalism. haha.......Yeah that Wrestlemania was one of the best, not just 4 the main event, I really liked Macho Man vs Ricki Steamboat.

One of my favourite matches was Macho Man vs Flair at wrestlemania 8.....Classic.

Too many 2 name and il just start babbling so il leave it there......

[Trauma-san]

Yeah, i read Hogan's book.  He exaggerates a little bit, I think he may have even said that Andre was 700 pounds and he lifted him over his head.  He barely got him to his chest, lol. 

Seriously though, Andre probably weighed 560-570, possibly more.  The Big Show is always billed at 500 pounds, but when he started as "The Giant" in WCW, he weighed 350.  He slowly gained weight, weight, and more weight, until reportedly he was sitting at 550 or so a couple years ago.  He's lost weight again, and apparently is hovering around 500 again, but even at his biggest, Paul was never as big as Andre was that night.  I'd say at least 550, maybe higher. 

[Sweet & Tender Hooligan]

Yeah im pretty sure he exaggerates. At one point he sez Andre drank a hundred beers in one night or some shit like that. Was a pretty good read though, although i enjoyed Foley's more.

[rik]

Hogan Vs. Warrior @ Wrestlemania 6 is my fav all time wrestling moment.

That is also my favorite too bad wrestling sucks now.

[Trauma-san]

Yeah im pretty sure he exaggerates. At one point he sez Andre drank a hundred beers in one night or some shit like that. Was a pretty good read though, although i enjoyed Foley's more.

Yeah, that shit wasn't an exxageration though, I've heard other people say the same thing about Andre.  Hogan tells two stories of Andre drinking.

He said that one time, it was Andre's birthday, and they were getting on the bus in Germany or somewhere, and Hogan hadn't bought him anything.  So Hogan was all worried that he forgot Andre's birthday, and ran down the street to a bar.  The people were asleep, but Hogan woke them up and they came downstairs and sold him a case of wine.  He gave the wine to Andre, and Andre opened one sitting in the seat behind Hogan on the bus.  About an hour goes by, and Andre kicks the seat and goes "Piss break, Boss!" and Hogan says "You drank that whole bottle?" and Andre starts laughing and had drank the whole case of 16 bottles of wine.

Then another, he says when he was living in Tampa, Andre called him and said he was at the airport for an hour or two.  Hogan claims Andre was between flights, and Hogan went down to meet him and hang out for a bit, they sat in a bar at the airport and Andre drank 100 beers in about an hour. 

I've heard Hogan (and others) claim that Andre used to go to dinner and stay 5 or 6 hours before, too.  It was his favorite thing to do, he'd order like everything on the menu then laugh about everybody frieking out. 

[M Dogg™]

Two greatest moments since Buddy Rogers losing the NWA title, and creating the WWWF title.

1. Hulk Hogan slaming Andre the Giant

2. Montreal Screw Jobs

both changed the whole face of wrestling.