What If Andre Didn't Allow Hulk To Go Over?

[Tenta]

We all know the story. Wrestlemania III was the biggest event in wrestling. Andre and Hogan may have been the most important match in wrestling history. It was the Immovable Force meeting the Irresistable Object. All of these things are true. I really feel as though this was the match to cement Hogan's legacy. This was what made him the superstar we all know him as.

But what if it never happened? Clearly, we all know Andre was in massive pain before this match. He was nearly crippled, and required back surgery to get back into the ring. He didn't have to go out there and do the job, and I'm pretty sure Vince would never have forced Andre out there. Even then, it was up until the last minute when Andre allowed the Hulkster to go over. Without Andre's blessing, I find it safe to say Hulk had no chance of winning that match, shoot wise. So the question is simple; What if Hulk never beat Andre?

So many people recall this as the passing of the torch, and I agree. Without this match, Hulk Hogan may have been a huge draw, but he wouldn't be the biggest thing in Wrestling. Rock N' Wrestling may have still been there, but it wouldn't have been nearly as effective, if you ask me. Hulk would have been seen as a great champion, but not the best ever. Andre's consent also meant so much to his credibility backstage. I speak so much of Harley giving Flair the backstage rub, though Flair never had a legitimate amateur background. Andre had the same effect of Hogan. It made it ok for the backstage to take Hulk Hogan, and say that this was going to be the guy, Hulk may have been seen as a good guy to hold the belt, but I really do doubt he'd be the permanent fixture in wrestling we know him as. Andre would probably still be the standard bearer, and admittedly, wrestling probably would still be stuck in an adolescent stage of becoming a multi-million dollar business. Hogan's win over Andre did so much to make wrestling a national name, and something that was stabilized. As for Andre himself; maybe he'd have been in a greater name, in terms of legacy. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't be remembered as the guy that jobbed to Hogan. Maybe he would be wrestling's mainstream star, and though his death seemed inevitable, maybe he could have gutted out enough to become an A-list celebrity. He pretty much was this up until his back pian relegated him to less traveling, and less stardom. And after his passing, wrestling would be left with no A-list superstar. Perhaps, in some weird way, Andre's decision to put over Hogan was his knowing he wouldn't last forever, and his last gift to be given to the world.

But that's merely how I see it. What if Andre never allowed Hogan to go over at Wrestlemania III?

 

[gunslinger72]

Hogan was and is an embarrassment. His rise lead to Doink, Mantar, Bastion Booger, Repo Man and all the other clownish wrestling figures. With Andre wrestling had at least the look of legitamacy. Hogan was a joke to true wrestling purists. Yes, he made wrestling a big business....but at the same time leached the life out of it. I for one would be happy if Hogan had never existed. I honestly believe that the industry as a whole would have been better had he never existed, but we will never know.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

We all know the story. Wrestlemania III was the biggest event in wrestling. Andre and Hogan may have been the most important match in wrestling history. It was the Immovable Force meeting the Irresistable Object. All of these things are true. I really feel as though this was the match to cement Hogan's legacy. This was what made him the superstar we all know him as.

But what if it never happened? Clearly, we all know Andre was in massive pain before this match. He was nearly crippled, and required back surgery to get back into the ring. He didn't have to go out there and do the job, and I'm pretty sure Vince would never have forced Andre out there. Even then, it was up until the last minute when Andre allowed the Hulkster to go over. Without Andre's blessing, I find it safe to say Hulk had no chance of winning that match, shoot wise. So the question is simple; What if Hulk never beat Andre?

From IGN Sports, July 1, 2005 - http://sports.ign.com/articles/630/630882p1.html

IGN Sports: How would the industry be different today if Andre The Giant refused to let you slam him, refusing to lose to you at Wrestlemania III?

Hulk Hogan: I'll tell you, Hulk Hogan would've turned into a bad guy a lot quicker. My good guy run would've been over that night if I didn't beat him. I would've got up, shook Andre's hand, then hit him over the head with a steel chair and beat the hell out of him. It would've changed everything.

Andre beating Hogan for the WWF Championship may have indeed marked an end to a huge babyface run for Hogan and stopped a lot of that momentum that kept Hogan in the title scene for over half a decade later in WWF. It's definitely speculative how things in that era would have gone over if Hulk Hogan's invincibility in the WWF had ended a lot sooner than 1993 when he left the promotion after dropping the title to Yokozuna. Beating Andre truly did add another layer to that aura that Hogan already had for years preceding that, however that layer to his aura is what I along with countless others believe gave us the assurance that Hogan was THE man that was going to be identified with professional wrestling. Had Andre been victorious and Hogan did lose, Hogan's own theory leads to some interest in the way of speculation.

The idea of a heel Hulk Hogan at the time I don't think would have resonated with the fans because of how popular he was, I'm of the opinion it actually took us years to get sick of him and then have him become Hollywood in order to revitalize his career. Had Andre won the title at WrestleMania III, who knows if we ever would have had a chance to see that? Therefore, Andre not allowing Hogan to go over I don't think would have been good at all for the long term.

It's a good discussion you brought up man, and it's one that will never truly be answered with a definitive conclusion. However, it's a great topic to bandy about on this forum. Thanks for the post man!

Hogan was and is an embarrassment. His rise lead to Doink, Mantar, Bastion Booger, Repo Man and all the other clownish wrestling figures. With Andre wrestling had at least the look of legitamacy. Hogan was a joke to true wrestling purists. Yes, he made wrestling a big business....but at the same time leached the life out of it. I for one would be happy if Hogan had never existed. I honestly believe that the industry as a whole would have been better had he never existed, but we will never know.

I can't totally agree with you on your stance on Hulk Hogan. To say that Hulk Hogan's influence on wrestling leading to the creation of all these clownish figures is debatable. In a lot of the cases you mentioned, I personally think the advent of some of these personas was a creative lull to be honest. However, Hulk Hogan definitely changed the way wrestling was perceived. Without a doubt his focus in the ring was based more on showmanship than athleticism. Which in many ways did lead us to the more buffoon like aspects of wrestling like these ridiculous aforementioned personas you brought up. Although as a worker I feel Hogan hasn't been given enough credit in, in his early career he definitely knew how to work a match, if he hadn't, he never would have gotten as far as he did.

Despite my being a big Hulk Hogan fan, I will concede to the fact that you can't look at his matches the same way you would look at someone the style of Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. In Hogan's case and at the time he came in along with Vince's promotion of his character allowed for wrestling to reach its heights. The success of The Rock N Wrestling era is the reason why we've been able to see the WWF/E survive into some GREAT moments like Shawn-Bret at WM 12, the Rise of The Undertaker, and the Attitude Era. Granted, it can't all be good, but just the same, I feel your post has merit and I can understand your misgivings about how Hulk Hogan isn't the type of wrestler you're going to like if your major preference in wrestling is based more on the idea of pure athleticism. I definitely can't and won't ever disagree with a fan who feels that way.

Now to wind this response down I would like to address this issue at another angle. I personally don't think Hogan should take all the blame for what wrestling has become, after all over the past decade I've seen worse things that could be considered an embarrassment to wrestling than silly personas that involve wrestlers moonlighting as circus clowns and garbage men. Some of the stuff that Vince McMahon has come up when the Attitude Era into 2002 stuff in WWF/E was occurring. Despite some of the positives, that it brought i would say that it had some things I thought were unnecessary like the Katie Vick angle, Mae Young mothering a hand, Jim Ross' head coming out of his own backside. Those things are far worse than any of the less than stellar gimmicks like Mantaur, Bastion Booger or The Repo Man. All in all man, I liked your post too dude, good input.

 

[trinerigelado]

There was no question that Andre was doing the job. No matter what Hogan claims about Andre telling him in the locker room right before the match he was letting him win. The minute Andre turned heal it was to get Hogan over. Andre got the biggest check of his career for Wrestlemania 3 and wasn't going to fuck that up by changing the result. Andre wouldn't have been the star Hogan was. Andre was a novelity act who couldn't stay in a territory for more than a couple of months because the novelity wore off including the WWF. Even during the Wrestlemania era Andre would spend as much time working in Japan and would show up in enough time to build his Mania match. A huge weird looking guy who you could barely understand was never going to be an A-list celebrity. The only difference between Andre and the Great Khali is the period they worked in.

 

[XgringolocoX]

It's a possibility. Though while Andre was the man inside the wrestling community and within the current fan base, Hogan hit it when they were exposed to a larger audience. It can be argued that the main face at that time would be the man simply by right place, right time. The people new to wrestling might have some sort of understanding on who should be top dog, but it's who they see as top dog when they start watching that matters.
When you expand your audience it doesn't matter who the man was, only who the man is.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

There comes a time in sports entertainment where you knew, no matter what was really at stake, it would be unforgettable.

Who can really forget Tyson vs. Holyfield? Or how about Sammy Sosa vs. Mark Maguire? Well wrestling had its moment in Hogan v. Andre, and I tell you right now everything would have changed if Andre came out on top.

Hulk Hogan wouldn't be the household name he is now. He would possibly be consider that era's Big Show or Booker T- Great champions in their own right, but not considered The Best. That slam symbolized everything that it needed to back then. David can beat Goliath, Good can beat Evil, etc. Without that, I don't think there would be so many cruiserweights in WWE. The company would have been looked at from a "this is a big man's sport". Though tecnically big people are in abundance, but you get what I'm saying -very few lightweights.

Yes, Hogan was the face of the other two Wrestlemanias it's true. But nothing held a candle to the rivalry that he had with Andre the Giant. I for one am glad Andre did lose- not because I didn't like the guy, but because it really sent a message to fans, including the children that would grow up and watch WWF turn into WWE and so on and so forth. It gave us that "something to believe in" feel.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

1st post guys...be gentle

Nothing pleases the masses than a man overcoming circumstances larger than life. I mean he's the kind of man every kid points at and says " I wanna be just like that".
Isn't that what our movies, books and media are all about....

Hogan was like the gladiator in a pit with a lion (or 10 lions) called Andre The Giant.
It was a fantasy-like scenario and when Hogan slammed Andre ...it was epic!

I can draw a modern day similarity here-
Remember Survivor Series 02 ( which is BTW one of the best PPv's of all time), remember how going into that PPV we had three questions-
Can Brock Suplex the Big Show?
Can Brock F-5 the Big Show?
Can Brock beat the Big Show?

When Brock German Suplex'd Show ...I'll admit, I friggin' lost my head!! it was unreal. And then when he f-5'd him ....man that was the shit!! And that MSG crowd went absolutely nuts!!!!

And moments like these make pro-wrestling better than real life at times.

 

[PsychoBlack]

ifandre didnt put hogan over WWE would not be where there at right now

hulkamania wouldnt have lasted as long as it did and hogan wouldnt be in the business as long as he was

the nwo would have never happened hogan would have already been heel by then and it if he went back to being a face when he left wwe then did the turn people wouldnt care because they've seen heel hogan before