All language subtitles for WWE Rivals - Season 2 - EP-01 - Hulk Hogan VS. Andre The Giant

- André "The Giant" is the
biggest and greatest superstar

this business has ever known.

- Not a man alive can beat me
in the squared circle.

- If I had my way,
I was gonna chop

this giant down.

- He didn't want anybody
around him that he didn't like.

- You're the reason I got
into professional wrestling.

- "The Giant" just attacked
our Wheaties Boy.

What's going on?

- What are you doing, André?

- And welcome
to WrestleMania III.

- The rivalry between Hulk
Hogan and André "The Giant"

is the most important rivalry
of all time, bar none.

- Look at this.

- He slammed him.

[clapperboard sound]

- This rivalry has just
escalated into a war.

- When two legends collide,
their rivalry stays pinned

in our minds forever.

This is where we break down
the legendary stories behind the

greatest rivalries of all time.

I'm Freddie Prinze Jr.,
and this is WWE Rivals.

- If any one man who can defeat
André it's this man, Hulk Hogan.

- Today's rivalry
is the one that started it all.

Hulk Hogan and my favorite
of all time André "The Giant".

This is the first huge rivalry
that WWE had.

It is arguably the greatest.

The foundation that those two
men built is very much the

foundation that all
wrestlers stand on today.

- When I saw Hogan and André--
[sighs]

You know,
as a young man, you know,

wanting to get into the business

that's unattainable,
because you see two giants.

- The most iconic moments
in WWE history consist of

André "The Giant".

- I mean you have a
bigger-than-life character,

a giant who had never been
defeated in 15 years.

I mean as a kid,
I was scared to death for Hogan,

I thought André
was gonna kill him.

- Almost tore the ring down.

- We had to have the perfect
foe for the perfect babyface.

I mean, Hogan is once
in a lifetime man.

We'll never see anything like
Hogan again, and André was an

incredible guy, a tough guy,
a strong guy, and could drink

massive amounts of wine.

[laughter]

- André "The Giant".

- Wow.

- André as a superstar.

- And there he is.

The Eighth Wonder of the World.

- Oh, my goodness.

- He was the biggest and
greatest superstar this business

has ever known
and ever will know.

- Look at this
mass of humanity here.

[bell rings]

- He's the one that laid the
groundwork for Hulk Hogan,

for Stone Cold Steve Austin,
for The Rock, for anybody else

that walks through these
doors of the WWE Universe.

It wouldn't have happened if it
wasn't for André "The Giant".

- André "The Giant", ladies and
gentlemen, for the benefit of

you who do not know,
he's the only undefeated

superstar in
professional wrestling.

- Lights out.

- Your winner,
André "The Giant".

- Just exactly
how tall are you?

André, how much do you weigh?

- I remember the first time
I saw André "The Giant".

I just remember
looking at his leg,

it looked
like the hip and ass

end of a Clydesdale.

I was like, "Oh my god."

He was just the largest biggest
human being I'd ever seen.

- Fans take a look at this.

Can you believe that?

Perhaps even let's compare
it to the size of my head.

André the-- [chuckles]

- The interviews that I did
with André were kind of

vignettes, they weren't
really actual interviews.

We would trade sports coats,
they looked like

the drapes at a Ramada Inn.

The weather does get
chilly periodically.

My word, it looks like a
topcoat, I can't believe it.

- [chuckles]

- This is unreal.

- [chuckles]

- André you're the best.

- And he had these
custom-made shoes, size 22 or 3.

A big guy.

[table slamming sound]

- Uh, some of them

- I'm sorry.

- Oh, no problem.

- Now, Studd gonna try
to body-slam him.

Uh-oh, no way.

- Has anybody ever lifted you
and body-slammed you?

- No.

- Not only did people want to
see this mammoth of a man,

but they wanted to see
what a 7'4"-

-500 pound human being
could do in a wrestling ring.

- And kaboom.

- He was a great wrestler.

- Look at that strength.

What a phenomenal individual.

- Look out.

- Whoever has wrestled
you ever has always had

trouble getting you down.

Is that the secret to beating
André "The Giant"?

[chuckles]

- There's the friendly
smiling giant.

- André and I we were friends.

You know, in WrestleMania I,
sat on André "The Giant"'s lap

and actually fell asleep at the
WrestleMania after-party.

You felt this unbelievable
energy from him.

He had such a presence,
such a connection to people.

- Big heart loves people,
loves kids.

Everybody loves him back.

- André "The Giant" is the most
recognizable superstar in the

sport, and at that same time,
a young Hulk Hogan is just

breaking into the
wrestling business.

- 1976 I was playing in a rock
and roll band, and I told them,

I said,
"I'm quitting playing music,

I'm gonna be the greatest

professional wrestler
that ever lives."

There were five of us in the
band, and four of them

were laying on the floor
laughing

and they thought
it was hilarious.

- Word got around
that I was running my mouth

that I wanted to be a wrestler.

So I was lifting weights
and working out.

I thought I was in great shape,
and Mike Graham said,

"Look if you want to be a
wrestler I will set you up with

was set you up
with Hiro Matsuda,

and he's gonna
give you a tryout."

And the first thing Matsuda did
was he got me in the ring and

broke my leg right away.

- Hiro Matsuda is
a Japanese wrestler who came

to the United States.

- There's the
mentor Hiro Matsuda.

There he is.

- But he was notoriously tough,
and if he got any sense that a

student didn't take the business
seriously he would make

an example of that person,
and that's exactly

what he did to Hulk Hogan.

- Hogan didn't quit that day.

It's not like Hogan got his leg
broken and went home crying.

Hogan broke it in a tough way.

- About three and a half,
four months later I came back

and had a different type of
attitude that no one was

gonna hurt me again.

- Making his first appearance
in this arena here is

The Incredible Hulk Hogan.

- That's the word
for this man.

Incredible.
He's just that.

- Wow.

- When Hulk Hogan first came
to WWE he was bronzed and

charismatic, and even when he
was a villain people

wanted to see him.

I mean, I remember him in that
purple cape, he's with classy

Freddie Blassie was
his mouthpiece.

- The man is just unbeatable.

Never been defeated.

- It's a new decade.

1980, you are looking at the new
king of professional wrestling.

- You felt,
"Wow, this is a real bad dude."

- Mr. Vince McMahon,
being introduced now,

the promoter at
Madison Square Garden.

- My relationship with
Vince Sr. was it felt like

he took a special interest in me
and I just remember he had

the half-reading
glasses and he like

he always clicked quarters
together and just kind

of looking over the glasses

looking at me, you know, when he
talked to me, and he was looking

for an opponent for
André "The Giant" at the time.

- Introducing in the corner
to my right

The Incredible Hulk Hogan.

[audience booing]

- And here in the corner to my
left André "The Giant".

[audience cheering]

- It's gonna be a great one.

[bell rings]

- Here we go.

- If any one man who can defeat
André is this man.

- André making-

- No, but he's indeed
an extremely strong man.

Almost tore the ring down.

- I had a manager
named Freddie Blassie.

I used to wear a black armband,
and Freddie Blassie

gave me a piece of metal.

- Hey, look at this.

Blassie just slipped something-

-in Hogan's elbow there.
he got it there.

- He slipped something in.

- He absolutely did.

- Coming with a Hogan hammer.

- Like whacked him in the head
like a clothesline.

But I hit him in the forehead.

- And there he goes.

He just slipped it out.

- André is cut and cut badly.

- The last thing you wanna
do is piss a 7'5",

500 pound giant off.

- Hogan was the bad guy,
the heel, and André was our

babyface good guy that
everybody loved because

he was larger than life.

And they had a match
at Shea Stadium, and it killed.

- Before the WrestleMania era,
the Showdown at Shea was

a special series of matches that
occurred at Shea Stadium

in Queens, and that was the home
of baseball's New York Mets.

- Shea Stadium was
the biggest of the big.

Well, at the time,
Shea Stadium,

I really wasn't André's
favorite person.

I think a lot of it had to do
with me being young,

and I-I don't think I was
arrogant,

but I was almost kinda
like a-a smaller dog

nipping at his heels,
driving him crazy.

And I didn't mean to be, but
I just didn't know any better.

André was in really, really,
really great shape

and he was very fast.

So if you try to pull anything
and hit him, you get away

from him, he'd catch you.

So, that's just how it was.

He was the boss.

- The giant picks him up.

There it is.
The winner, André.

- It was this start of a
a rivalry that would

last quite a while.

- This capacity crowd up for
one of the great matchups.

- André "The Giant" against
Hulk Hogan

That's a main event in any
arena.

- Look out, here it comes.

- My goodness.

- I was real full of myself
when I was younger.

- Is this arrogance?

Look at this.

- I was afraid of him, but then
after we made physical contact,

I became delusional.

In my mind, I thought
I could beat this guy.

I knew I wasn't as big as him,
but I thought I was because

I was in really good shape and
I was very strong

when I was younger.

- Well, guess who's boss?
[chuckles]

- And he just beat
the crap out of me.

- Hogan's gotta be saying,
"What did I do now?"

- When Hulk came in,
he had a little bit of notoriety

I don't care if you're
the king on the hill.

When somebody else comes in that
you think might be a threat,

there's always that situation
of you going,

"Well, I'mma see what
this kid's really made of,

and see if he should
really be in this business."

- The human peacock
also known as Hulk Hogan.

Do you like those colors?

They're all of the colors.

Proud as a peacock.

- André, I think he really
took Hulk to school.

- He plays a little rock n'
roll on Hulk Hogan's he--

Hulk-Hulk Hogan's head.

- André knew what he was doing,
but if something went wrong,

he will let you know and whack
the hell out of you.

- Hulk Hogan was very
raw as a talent.

They had a term for it back
in the locker room

with the old timers,
the kid's green.

- It's as most new
arrivals are,

and they can be stiff
in the ring.

What that means is that
sometimes they hit somebody

a little harder
than they should.

- Around the ropes
and a mighty hit.

Oh, André says,
"I'm in trouble."

- Throughout the early '80s,
Hulk Hogan, André "The Giant"

had match after match all over
the East Coast, tore it up.

But then,
it became international.

- When André got the
opportunity to be in the ring

with Hulk Hogan, and this
happened a lot in Japan.

André was going to season him,
shall we say.

- André beat the daylights
out of him.

You know, of course,
it was just tough love.

- Finally, I understood he was
trying to help me, you know,

because he saw something in me
that kinda like nobody else saw.

I think André pretty much kept
me pointed in the right

direction when I could've taken
off the wrong way

a bunch of times.

- André had a lot of respect
for Hogan of who he was,

and that was very important to
this because André

would not have been
as generous if he hadn't.

- I mean, I flown out of JFK
with him to Japan.

I don't even know how many times
because we were on a lot of the

same tours together.

It was hard to watch
because I always knew

he was never comfortable.

If you can imagine there was
never a chair,

there was never a bed,
good luck getting in the car.

- André learned early in his
life he had acromegaly,

which is a disease that makes
your body grow

and continue to grow.

That's why he had
the giant features.

Huge limbs, the-the giant hands.

It is a-a cruel condition
because your body can't

handle the stress to that size.

I mean, he broke his ankle
getting out of bed.

- While André's health was
starting to deteriorate,

Hogan was enjoying
the success of Rocky III.

- Everybody knows that Hulk
Hogan is big and strong,

but did you know that he had
a part in the movie Rocky III?

- The movie Rocky III created
an awareness, you know.

It was a like a shot
of adrenaline

to the whole wrestling world.

- When you had thunderlips
out there in the flesh, baby.

Oh, my God.

He look like he's freaking nine
feet tall against Stallone.

- You know something Mean Gene,
everything positive comes from

the heart, and I'm all heart,
daddy, and that's the way

I've been thinking.

My goals in my life
have changed.

- Hogan actually started
out as a bad guy,

but his conversion to truth,
justice and the American way

has been both effective
and lucrative.

- If you look in history,
most of the bad guys become

the best babyfaces, you know,
because people love to hate 'em,

then they love to love 'em.

- Your winner
in all-star wrestling,

and look at these muscles.

- André even knew it.

André was a good judge of what's
going on, what's good,

what the people like, Hogan-

-drew interest,
he drew moolah, money honey.

- Welcome to
Madison Square Garden.

This is for the World Wrestling
-- Heavyweight Championship.

- Hulkamania begins at Madison
Square Garden.

I use to get, like,
emotional whenever

they would show that clip.

- Hulk Hogan,
he drops the big leg on him.

He's down for the cover,
hook of the leg.

One, two, he got him.

- It's the ultimate changing
of the guard moment.

- We have a new champion.

- Have you ever seen anything
as beautiful as this Mean Gene?

This belt is part of yours too.

It's everybody out there-

- Oh, oh, oh, oh.

- That celebration
in the locker room,

André pouring the
champagne on Hogan's head.

- André "The Giant"
congratulating

the new Heavyweight Champion
of the world.

- It really hit home seeing
André seemingly so happy

for Hulk Hogan's achievement.

- What we fans didn't know at
the time was that this moment

was really just the beginning of
the next phase of their rivalry.

- It's everybody out there's--

- Oh, oh, oh, oh.

- That moment for me,
it changed the landscape

of wrestling, I think, forever.

- Remember, at that point
in time,

this is when the WWE took off.

- Wrestling not the
Olympic variety,

but professional wrestling.

It's always been popular,
but lately, it's been emerging

from second-rate arenas
to attract a whole new

generation of fans.

[knocking]

- Beat it or I'll call
the brute squad.

- I'm on the brute squad.

- You are the brute squad.

- André was a media star.

- Start it up.

- 106B, Take 3

- Princess Bride
for André humanized him.

To that point,
I really think, you know,

people just saw him
as this freak giant.

But you watch that movie,
I'm telling you, knowing André,

and then seeing that movie,
that was him.

That was really
André "The Giant".

- André was huge, and he
basically set the stage for me.

♪

- Welcome, Hulk Hogan.

- You are right-right here,
but you're still bigger than

all the kids in the third grade,
right?

- Where'd you get that picture?

- That's yours, it's not mine.

- Hogan is now
the American eagle.

- He was the biggest draw
in wrestling.

- Train, say your prayers,
eat your vitamins,

be true to yourself, true to
your country,

be a real American, woo.

- At that time when
Hulk was on the rise,

he was the biggest
thing out there.

Hulk Hogan needed an opponent
that matched his star power,

that matched his ability
to draw people.

There was only one wrestler
who could do that,

that was André "The Giant".

- Enter "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

- 1987 and I'm still alive.

- One of the greatest
talkers ever.

- And possibly
the most important Pit

I have ever done in my life.

- He had a great segment
called Piper's Pit,

which all the old-school fans
remember.

- Ladies and gentlemen,
would you please welcome the

heavyweight champion of the
world, Hulk Hogan?

- The 8th Wonder of the World,
7' 4, 500 pounds,

André, whoa, 'The Giant".

- But André comes
in with Bobby Heenan.

He is the single greatest heel
manager in the history

of the universe.

- Wait, what's going on here?

Hold on, man.

What are you doing with him?

- Bobby Heenan is the bad guy
manager that all wrestling bad

guy managers aspired to be.

- He's sick and tired of you
and what you stand for.

Did you ever once,
once in your life offer him

a championship match?

- You're the reason I got
in professional wrestling.

You're like a god for me,
a role model.

You can't be here with him, man.

Even though you came out
here with him you don't have

to leave with him.

- And then André has
had enough

and that's when
everything changed.

- André, please no.

It's not happening.

- We're in the Pit, André,
Hogan and myself,

I can see what's going on.

You can feel it once
you get in here.

- You can't believe it?

Maybe you'll believe this,
Hogan.

- And then André
crosses the line.

This was one of the greatest
turns and a heartbreaking

one at that.

- Here's where the match gets.

When André ripped the cross
off he had torn the skin

and Hogan was bleeding.

I got one more thing to say like
every time you think you get all

the answers I change the
questions and the most important

thing to say was
you're bleeding.

- It's not--
André, come back, man.

You don't have
to leave like this.

What is he doing?

- You're bleeding.

It's hard to get a promo
stronger than that.

"The Giant" just attacked our
Wheaties boy

What's going on?

I don't know
but we better get the ticket.

- Tell me yes or no are you or
are you not gonna fight him at

WrestleMania III for the World's
Heavyweight Championship?

Yes or no?

- Yes.

[crowd cheering]

- Gentlemen, Gentlemen, please?

We are here for the most
auspicious signing for any

heavyweight title match in
history as you all know.

- You don't forget how somebody
makes you feel and when you

think about André "The Giant"
basically turning into the

world's biggest bad guy,
I mean can you imagine

watching as a little kid?

- You never once gave
this man an opportunity.

Now he's got that opportunity.

- Sign it if you're
gonna sign it.

Everything he did was spot on.

He made it work.

Not me, he did.

- I'd gave you anything, man.

- Now I was an André fan.

So my heart didn't break
when this happened,

however most peoples did.

- As far as I'm concerned
it's not signed in ink.

It's signed in blood.

- I don't think André could
have been that super heel back

then if it wasn't for Heenan
by his side.

- You're in some deep trouble,
Mr. Hogan.

I can't stand you.

Matter of fact I hate you.

Those are pretty strong
words but that's

how I feel right here.

Myself and André "The Giant" we
know that Hulkamania is dead.

- World Wrestling --
Officials have announced that

WrestleMania III will be held
at the beautiful Silverdome

in Pontiac, Michigan
just outside of Detroit.

- After buying the company
from his dad,

it was clear early on that Vince
McMahon was a visionary.

- The World Wrestling
-- presents

the wrestling extravaganza
of all time, WrestleMania.

- You had WrestleMania I,
which is a huge success.

We had Liberace there,
Muhammad Ali,

all these great stars.

WrestleMania II probably not
considered as much as success.

So you had to hit the ball out
of the park in WrestleMania III.

- You think about what Vince
was trying to do then.

Put 90,000 people
into a stadium.

He had to have something
huge to do it.

- There hasn't been a match
of this magnitude ever,

not only since I've been around
professional wrestling but ever.

- Is there already animosity
building between the two of you?

- As far as aggressive feeling
it-it's just been, uh,

the way André has changed.

- At the time
of WrestleMania III André

was not in good
shape physically.

His back was really bad.

- It was a heck of an ask to
ask André to do what he did.

I know he was in a lot of pain.

Now that I've had 10 back
surgeries I know the type

of pain he was in.

I had a conversation the night
before with Vince,

we were worried about it.

Took Vince's legal pad and I
said this is plan A,

but if you tell him I did this
he's gonna kill me because

he always leads the match.

He doesn't need to really take a
bump but if he does go down,

he needs to be near the ropes so
we can cover that he's hurt.

I wrote the legal pad, gave it
to Vince he's,

"Well, I'll talk to André
about it."

- In the business we knew how
temperamental André could be

as you can't read this guy's
mind and he sure

as hell isn't gonna tell you.

- Oh my gosh.

I mean people were coming
from all over the world

for this particular
WrestleMania.

- Ladies and gentlemen, welcome
to the magnificent Silverdome.

and welcome to WrestleMania III.

- In the dressing room, André
wanted me to sit next to him

and, you know, when you're
sitting next to a Giant

for 10 hours that drinks two
fifths of Crown Royal.

As you're sitting there and he
keeps handing you shots of Crown

Royal, it's really hard to dump
'em when he's watching you

because there's no way I could
have drank what he gave me

to drink and walk to that ring.

It would have never happened.

So every time he wasn't looking
at me I dumped that sucker.

- Power against power
right now.

These guys are enormous, whoa.

- Well, you know, Hogan and I
were tight back then.

I said, "What are you doing?"

And he goes,
"We don't know yet."

And I went, "What?"

- Look at here.

I got my- I got my WrestleMania
shirt right there,

went down and got it.

- Come on, Jess.

- Macho Man bombs away.

- He got it.

- He nails him with it.

- I said, "André, what do you
wanna do out there?"

"Don't worry."

"Hey, André,
what do you think man?

You think, uh,
I go up or go down?"

"Don't worry."

I said, "How's your back,
you know?"

He says, "My back is good."

He has had a couple of fifths
of Crown Royal in him.

I said, "What do you think
about a body slam?"

He goes, "No."

Okay, I won't worry.

- Just one hour away
from his moment of destiny.

- Well, you know they said
it was my last ride, man.

Yesterday when I finished
hanging and banging,

when I jumped on the Harley,
man, as I went through the

intersection, as I headed for
the mountains some of the

nonbelievers in the gym said,
"See you later Hulksterman.

This is your last ride."

- I go out again and wouldn't
you believe it

there's Hulk getting another a
cup of coffee and I went,

"Hulkster, did you find
out anything?"

"Nope it looks like, uh, André
is gonna call it in the ring."

So, you don't know
if you're winning the title.

He goes, "Nope.

Gonna call it in the ring."

I went, "Oh my God."

- This is the main event
of the evening.

It is for the World Wrestling
-- Heavyweight Championship

scheduled for one
fall with a one-hour time limit.

- The night the stars came out.

Everybody want to be
a part of that.

Everybody want to see the
spectacle and to wonder more

than anything what's
gonna happen.

- You could be looking at the
next Heavyweight Champion

of the world.

- And now his opponent,
he is the World Wrestling --

Heavyweight Champion.

- It was so big, you know,
I just stayed focused on what

was around me, the ringside.

I didn't even wanna really take
in what was going on.

It was so overwhelming.

The first time ever in my career
I went to the ring I didn't know

who's gonna win or lose.

[bell ringing]

- Look at the look of disdain
on the face of André.

- In the very beginning of the
match it was a perfect shot with

André kinda looking down
at him and Hogan looking up.

- The irresistible force
meeting the immovable object.

- You look at that and go my
God, this is big fight feeling.

- He's up, he's
Hulking up right now.

- I really don't think Hulk
Hogan get enough credit

for how much drama he brought
to that whole situation.

- Yes.

- Oh, big right hand blocked by
the champion,

and the Hulkster unloading.

Going for a slam.

- I was worried because
I didn't know if I could get

him up to tell you the truth.

- Oh, he almost got him up.

- Oh.

- Oh, he collapsed.

One, two.

- Was that two or was
that three?

- Two count only.

- Hogan went for a body slam
early in the bout and he may

have injured his back.

- Right when the match started,

I was going to try
to pick him up.

When I went to do what I
needed to do,

he couldn't help me.

I knew then, this-this could
be a problem.

- And hurt that lower back
area, for sure with that extreme

weight of André "The Giant".

- By 1987, André was much
heavier than he had been in

those earlier years, and this
was also complicated by the fact

that André was wrestling
with a back brace.

So not only do you have the
weight of that brace,

but I'm sure that Hulk Hogan did
not want to throw André

on the wrong spot and perhaps
injure him permanently.

- Hulk absolutely took care of
André in the ring.

He knew where he was, what
physically André was enduring.

- He needs to be near the
ropes, you know,

so he can cover
that he's hurt.

- You alright?

- Don't need to go jumping off
the top rope.

It's already there.

Let's just tell a great story
and do whatever finish.

- André picked him up
with ease and plants him.

[yelling]

- But André made it as good as
it possibly could've ever been.

- André with a shoulder block.

Oh, what a chop by André.

- Those guys went out there and
they created something special.

They created something
that's lifelong lasting.

- And it's the Hulk with a
right hand and another one.

Off the ropes.

- Oh, he dropped him.

- He dropped the big guy.

He's hulking up, Jess.

- I don't know if he's got
enough left in him.

- That adrenaline
could do wonders.

- I remember him coming at me.

He comes at me "Slam."

What?

And I didn't know what to do
except step into him.

Put him right here and I went,
"Oh, my God."

- Look at this.

- He slammed him.

- I don't believe it.

I don't believe it.

- Hulk dropping the big leg
over for the cover.

- It's over.

- Unbelievable.

- I've never heard it so loud.

It was just a roar.

It would be like a freight train
coming through your living room.

- Wrestling fan or not,
everyone knew André "The Giant".

7'5, 500 pounds picked up and
body slammed in the middle

of the ring in front
of 93,000 people.

That moment could never
be replicated.

- It was different than
anything that's ever happened.

He didn't have to do that.

He could've been André
and retired undefeated.

Who the hell's going
to beat him.

Greatest moment ever in my life
as far as my career,

it has to be that WrestleMania
without a doubt.

It was just the right time, the
right people, the right place.

It was just perfect.

- So the rivalry
isn't over yet.

We have a very interesting
controversial match.

- André "The Giant", he has not
been in a wrestling ring since

he was robbed because of poor
officiating and because of the

likes of one man, Hulk Hogan.

- Early in the WrestleMania III
match, there's a moment where

Hulk Hogan tries to body slam
André "The Giant", and referee

Joey Marella counts one, two,
three, and then very quickly

says, "No, his shoulder was up."

Which it was.

- Was that two or was that
three?

- Two count only.

- Ooh, that was close, Gorilla.

- But then that allowed
André "The Giant" and

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan to
insist, "We beat Hulk Hogan,

but because of backstage
politics, we were screwed

out of the championship."

- Hogan is literally helpless.

I'll tell you what, Hogan better
never ever step into the ring

with this man again.

- We had to figure out
a way to extend this.

They're still drawing
massive numbers.

- You didn't believe me
when I said that I would buy

the World Wrestling --
Heavyweight title.

I went out and I bought the
eighth wonder of the world,

André "The Giant".

- Ted DiBiase,
"The Million Dollar Man"

is the guy that we've
all interacted with.

The guy that's made a ton of
money, God knows how,

and feels like he can rub
it in your face.

And if you have
a problem with it, well,

he'll just buy you off.

- When I became
"The Million Dollar Man",

I had to go over the top.

Everybody hates somebody
who bullies people

with their wealth.

- I buy what I want,
and I want the World Wrestling

-- Heavyweight title.

- Working with André,
that was the-the first big deal

when I was starting out.

He was a great guy.

He was really a great guy.

- André "The Giant" and Hulk
Hogan have a second meeting

on the Main Event.

The WWE Championship
is on the line.

- Hulk Hogan may wear the belt
for now, but after tonight,

that belt will fit as easily
around André's waist

as the giant's hands fit
around Hogan's neck.

[laughs]

- The Main Event was huge
in the fact that professional

wrestling had not been on
national television,

and that scope since the '50s.

- Welcome everyone
to the Main Event.

Welcome to the largest
television audience in World

Wrestling -- history.

- 33 million people tune-in.

Even today, if a network gets 10
million people to watch a show,

they're ecstatic.

Hulk Hogan and André "The Giant"
they were this phenomenon.

- The Hulkster draws the line.

He wants André "The Giant".

Here comes André.

Oh, yeah.

- Listen to these fans.

André spins the Hulkster around.

Suplex right on top of him.

- He's on him.

- One, we got two, that's it.

We got a winner.

He got him.

The referee counted three.

We've got a new World Champion.

- Hogan kicks out at one.

He's looking to the crowd,
"You had to have seen it."

The crowd's sitting there,
"We saw it."

- He can't believe it.

He's saying it was only two.

He's-- He can't be giving
the title to André.

- You tried to steal.

- Yeah, you tried to steal
from Hulk Hogan.

- He's-- He can't be
giving the title to André.

He can't be.

He's going to present it.

He presents it to André,
raises his hand.

- We have new World Champion.

- Uh, that was just a
ceremonial thing, uh,

for André just to have the
championship around

his waist just one time.

André definitely didn't need a-a
championship,

but he always had the title of
champion-

- Right.

-in this business.

- Even André's got a price?

What a no good stinky giant.

- Everybody's got a price.

[laughs]

- As a fan watching the Main
Event, it was such a shock

seeing André hand the
championship to

"The Million Dollar Man".

André had just won the
championship moments earlier,

and he just gives the belt away.

- How much did he pay you
for that belt?

[laughter]

- Never in my wildest dreams
"Mean" Gene would I think

that I would get ripped off
by a penny-pinching,

two-timing referee.

Look at the shoulder.

The referee is paid off,
brother.

Look at the hundred dollar bills
falling out of his pocket.

- I know you're disappointed,
Hulk Hogan.

Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura,
back to you.

- Hulkamaniac.

- And Alfred, I know you are
excited about the steel cage

match featuring Hulk Hogan and
André "The Giant".

- Sure, without a shadow of a
doubt the most dangerous match

in professional wrestling today
is a cage match.

In one corner,
you have André "The Giant"

who's in excess of 500 pounds.

In the other corner,
you have the greatest wrestler

in the world, Hulk Hogan.

- There will be a winner
in this one when one

of the opponents goes over
the top of the steel cage.

[crowd chants "Hogan"]

- They needed an exclamation
point for this rivalry

between André and Hulk.

I think people sensed
that this was probably

it between these two.

Some very gifted athletes,
a lot of times they may have

a-a unbelievable injury
they're suffering through.

And somehow they
rise to the next level,

which separates them from
everybody else

who can't do what they do.

That was one of those
nights for André.

Because if you saw him backstage
and how he moved,

you would've thought,
"How in the world is this guy

going to get into the ring
and participate

in a steel cage match?"

And yet, he did it.

Once he got in there,
you could just see it.

He changed.

- There was an exclamation.
to that rivalry.

That was it.

- He came out with a big heart.

And he could have said no,
he didn't need to do this

but André showed up and-and
did his job.

- They said early on in his
life that maybe there was

a treatment that can make him
stop growing.

I think in some ways André knew
that's what made him who he was.

- Most extraordinary athlete
of this or any other generation

ladies and gentlemen.

- And then he also felt
that it was God's plan.

And he never pursued anything
that might change that.

God, he loved this business
and gave everything to it.

What is the saddest parts about
that whole thing is that

in the end with André just being
this hunched over,

obviously in pain person,
André had nothing else.

That was his-his life.

- What does the future hold
for André "The Giant"?

- Well what it is, the doctor
said you'll be better than ever.

We never know.

- And I think about that,
I get emotional too.

Like I-I just think about
seeing him those days.

And just like I felt like,
"Don't go out, André.

Don't go out there."

- He just didn't know what
to do with himself.

He goes, "I'm still living but I
don't feel like living anymore."

So he passed shortly after that.

- One man was magic.
he was an actual giant.

We didn't need CGI.

He literally existed.

And the other was our hero
that we believed in.

He told us to say our prayers
so we did, eat our vitamins

so I ate Flinstone's vitamins.

That's the power that
these men had.

- It really set the tone for
WWE from that moment on--

Yeah.

- -about good versus bad.

- Yeah.

- And-and why that's so
important in storytelling,

especially within our company.

- For the superstar today, if
they're thinking about being

big-time superstars,
they better be thinking about

André "The Giant" and Hulk Hogan
and how do I attain that?

- Yeah.

- And there again,
that's a tough hill to climb.

- There's never going to be two
characters that were built

that way for so long.

- André has proven
himself worldwide.

If Hulk Hogan can defeat
André "The Giant",

he will become the biggest man
literally as well as

figuratively in
pro-wrestling today.

- The credibility André had,
the credibility he bestowed upon

me in such a beautiful
storyline that was real.

- We're seeing what this guy
is really made of.

That he is the greatest
professional athlete

in the world today.

Look at this.

- He slammed him.

- Unbelievable.

- I could feel it when
he warmed up to me.

I could feel it when he
started liking me.

I could feel it when
he had respect for me.

He didn't do that with anybody.

[grunt]

That was a different
-different time.

That's for sure.