WrestleMania 3 saw Hulk Hogan retain the WWF Title against Andre the Giant, but the Hulkster was concerned that Andre wouldn’t do business.
The match, which headlined the night, saw Hogan slam Andre in an epic feat of strength before getting the win in the Pontiac Silverdome.
In a recent appearance on the “Barstool Rasslin” podcast, Hogan shared his concerns at the time that he wouldn’t be able to beat Andre if the giant wouldn’t let him. He said,
“That was the only time I’ve ever been to the ring where I didn’t know if I was gonna get killed or if I was gonna win or lose. When I went to Vince [McMahon] I said, ‘What are we gonna do for a finish?’ (McMahon) ‘Oh, Andre will do the right thing, don’t worry.’ I said, ‘Well, I’m worried.'”
Hogan added that Andre had undergone major back surgery and didn’t have to go through with the match but did, and recalled the day of the show. He said,
“I sat in the dressing room with Andre for like eight hours, watched him drink two-fifths of Jack Daniels, watched him do a bunch of other stuff for the pain in his back. I said, ‘Boss, hey, what are we gonna do out there?’ (Andre) ‘Don’t worry.’ ‘Hey, boss, what do you think, can I try to slam you?’ (Andre) ‘No.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh hell, I’m going to get killed.'”
Andre passed away in 1993 and became the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. Hogan was inducted in 2005 and as part of the nWo in 2021.
