Original subtitles

WWE is known for its action, its excitement,

and the sheer athleticism of the WWE superstars.

Wait a minute.

The snake is biting him.

Snake is biting him.

But what's most compelling about tuning in each and every

week is that you never know what could happen.

Oh my word.

Oh, look out.

Today we look back at some of the most shocking

WWE moments in the 1980s.

This is WWE's Greatest Moments.

Acknowledge me.

My God.

Stone Cold with a beer bath.

This is so real.

Look at this.

He slammed him.

Welcome, everyone to WWE's Greatest moments.

I'm Michael Cole, and on this edition, we're looking back

at some of the most shocking moments of the decade

that defined what Sports Entertainment is-

the 1980s.

Our first moment takes us back

to one of the greatest sagas ever told.

In late 1987, "The Immortal" Hulk Hogan and

"Macho Man" Randy Savage

formed a bond that seemed inseparable.

The Mega Powers we feel the same pain and the glory.

The two would dominate the squared circle

for the better part of a year as The Mega Powers.

But along the way, Savage grew suspicious

of his partner's motives

with their manager, Miss Elizabeth.

One of the great main events tonight.

The Mega Powers against the Twin Towers.

Macho Man through the ropes-

Oh, no.

Oh my God.

No.

When he crossbodied him through the ropes

and she caught him,

her head hit the floor.

I was worried about her.

Carried her back.

Hulk Hogan with Elizabeth.

Randy's like, "What are you doing?

We've got work here."

And look what this has done to the Macho Man.

It's left the Macho Man in the ring all by himself.

And so the match continues.

Hogan returns to the ring.

Oh, what a slap.

Wow.

He definitely made some serious contact.

What was that for?

I don't know, but Savage struck Hogan.

And then that scene in the medical room was insane.

Those eyes right there.

Those eyes lust, Elizabeth.

You understand that?

Randy stop.

Get out of my face.

You got lust for Elizabeth right there.

Oh God, oh God, oh.

Oh, big time, huh?

Cameras follow them all the way in.

Haven't really seen that before.

If you want to talk about me being shocked

as a kid watching WWE, that was the moment.

Randy.

Get out of my way.

The early 1980s saw the rise of pop culture by both MTV

and WWE, and at the forefront was pop icon Cyndi Lauper.

The antagonist of it all was none other than

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

You're going to get yourself.

You're going to get yourself hurt, I'm telling ya.

The Hot Rod detested this entire movement

and wanted no part of Lauper or her good friend,

legendary WWE manager Captain Lou Albano.

Our next moment takes us to December 1984

at Madison Square Garden, where Lauper invited the Captain

to take part in an awards ceremony.

Brothers and sisters, I don't know what to say.

I'm so grateful to receive this award.

Cyndi Lauper presents Captain Lou Albano with a gold record

for helping to bring rock and roll

and professional wrestling together.

Something special.

It's Roddy Piper,

You look beautiful Cyndi.

Maybe they have some kind of presentation to make.

Just a minute Roddy.

Just a-

And it was me that started it.

I want to present you with the-

Oh.

Look out.

He smashes the gold record over Captain Lou Albano's head.

Look at Roddy Piper.

David Wolff trying to come to the rescue.

I was like, "Whoa What are you kidding me?"

And then he just picked me up.

Oh, he piledrives him right down into the canvas.

People ask me, what's the biggest moment in my career?

That might be it.

What a despicable, disgraceful display.

The Eighth Wonder of the World, Andre the Giant

was unlike anyone audiences had ever seen.

For decades Andre went undefeated in the squared

circle and commanded respect from all who opposed him.

It seemed like the giant had nothing to fear.

Or so we thought.

What two tremendous athletes

we have here in this matchup.

Look at that.

DDT and got it.

A DDT.

Roode has to be out like a light.

Heenan was waving for Andre the Giant

to come down to ringside.

Bobby Heenan is going to be in trouble here.

Andre coming in-

the match officially over.

And Andre starting to hammer away.

That's not fair.

Andre is 500 pounds.

He's seven feet and four inches tall.

People just don't get how big that man was.

Bigger than life.

Wait a minute, Jake.

Back up on his feet.

He's coming back into the ring.

And look what he has.

Oh, this oughta be good.

Heenan, Heenan steps to the outside.

Look at this.

What's going on here?

Andre is not moving in.

So Andre is terrified of snakes.

The only thing I think that brought any fear to that man.

I think he's afraid.

Yes, he's terrified.

To watch the job that he did when he was afraid of the snake?

Incredible.

Incredible job.

You believed it.

Moving-

Oh, no.

It's all around the Giant.

Look at this.

Damien, the snake clutching-

It's choking Andre the Giant.

Andre going down.

Hey, man.

Look, I'm a big guy.

You throw a snake at me, I'm gonna have a similar situation.

Andre clutching his chest.

Nobody had seen him that vulnerable.

I had no idea that the Giant was afraid of anything.

But we certainly know what his Achilles heel is now.

Hulkamania was running wild like never before in 1986.

Though many tried, nothing could derail the momentum

of the WWE Champion Hulk Hogan.

Well, you know Mean Gene,

when you're the champion, you have to expect anything

and everything, brother.

But as Hogan took on Don Muraco on an episode

of Saturday Night's Main Event,

a literal walking condominium

came crashing down on The Hulkster in a moment

that left fans absolutely speechless.

What's happening here?

Wow, what's happening here?

The Hulkster has Bobby "The Brain" up in the air-

from behind, there's Bundy.

Where did he come from?

Wham.

King Kong Bundy-

jumped into the ring to save his manager, Bobby Heenan,

but he also saw the opportunity to inflict some damage

on an American hero, Hulk Hogan.

I got squashed by King Kong Bundy.

Broke a couple ribs.

Right at the Hulkster.

Another avalanche.

That made me vulnerable.

Jesse, I've never seen a Hulkster in this state before.

He looks unconscious.

Smashin' Hogan-

It wasn't about the winning or losing.

It's about "I want you to suffer."

Oh.

Oh, no.

Oh my gosh.

The Hulkster is hurt.

He's really hurt.

Oh, no.

He's not even moving, Jesse.

The night that happened,

I'm gonna have to get the ambulance-

The paramedics come and get Hogan.

Hulk Hogan is entering the ambulance.

What hospital?

What hospital are we going to?

Well, Hulk has sustained, uh

injuries to his low back, to his ribs and to his neck.

I thank you very much, doctor.

I remember the people really tore up about that, too.

That was uh-

that was the talk of the whole country for a while.

When you talk about the most legendary WWE champions

of all time, you have to mention Bob Backlund,

the former NCAA champion represented

the All-American athlete.

Every time I defend it, a little piece of it belongs

to you people out there.

By 1983, Bob Backlund was in his unbelievable sixth year

as WWE champion.

And his manager, the legendary Arnold Skaaland by his side,

Backlund was certainly not one to back down to any challenge.

Enter the Iron Sheik.

The Sheik was every bit as skilled as Backlund,

but Sheik held a tremendous disdain

for America and all it stood for.

USA

This is the main event of the evening.

It is scheduled for the

World Heavyweight Championship.

I was in the audience December 1983, and Bob at that point

had been champion for over five years.

Backlund will not back up from anyone.

This match is underway-

using everything and anything

but the kitchen sink here on champ Bob Backlund.

Everything Backlund is doing is hurting him.

Backlund is not really himself.

He's favoring left arm.

He hooked Backlund back.

He's right in the center of the ring.

Backlund's got a bad neck on it.

Pull on it.

Oh no

Pull it.

Bob Backlund did not submit.

Arnold Skaaland threw something into the ring.

We have a new champion.

Back then, a manager could end a match

simply by throwing in a towel.

I can't believe it.

Anytime a title reign ends,

and especially when it's that long, it's pretty shocking.

Remember, I'm not American.

I am from Tehran, Iran.

I was so angry when the Iron Sheik beat Bob Backlund.

The new heavyweight champion, the Iron Sheik.

We've seen many dastardly acts so far, but perhaps none of them

was as vicious as our next moment.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage is riding high as Intercontinental

Champion for the better part of 1986.

Savage took on all challengers

and racked up wins however he could.

Rolls him up, he hooks the tights.

Hey, that's not right.

One opponent who vowed to take down the madness

was Ricky Steamboat.

These two squared off in November of that year,

but the question remained what tactics would the Macho Man do

to retain his coveted title?

I'm pumped up for this match.

I am too.

Rick Steamboat challenged Randy for the title

and it led to a very disturbing incident.

The Macho Man-

No, get him down from there.

From the top rope.

Whoa

Oh my

Oh.

Steamboat's grabbing his throat.

What?

He's got the bell.

Randy came off the top rope.

He has this crazy look about him.

Whoa.

Steamboat can't breathe.

That was not the level of real world violence

that anyone was expecting.

People are wondering if my career was over.

Steamboat's still clutching his throat.

Look up the word unpredictable in the dictionary

and you'll probably find a picture

of one "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

The Hot Rod made a Hall of Fame career out of doing whatever

he wanted and saying whatever he wanted as well.

I say, that you stink,

you stink,

and the whole damn wedding stinks.

Which is why his weekly talk show, aptly named Piper's Pit,

was the perfect forum for The Rowdy one to take charge

of the mic...

One superstar who learned this lesson was Superfly Jimmy Snuka,

who was a guest on The Pit and had no idea

what was about to hit him.

Roddy Piper didn't give me a chance to say nothing

on The Pit.

One of the most infamous interview segments in WWE

history was when "Rowdy" Roddy Piper

had Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka

come on to Piper's Pit under the guise of an interview.

But of course, it all goes awry.

Everybody wants to be like Roddy Piper.

You want a chance.

You want a chance to say something brother-

Well the key is Roddy was always in the moment

and he loved to be despised.

You want to really thank all these people?

Got yourself a pineapple.

Want to feel at home-

You want bananas?

Have yourself a banana.

There you go.

One coconut.

With "Rowdy" Roddy Piper,

You never knew what he was going to do.

This time, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper created a moment

that only "Rowdy" Roddy Piper can create.

You want a banana?

Have a banana.

What do you want, man?

The fake-

Are you making fun of me?

Am I making fun of you?

Oh.

No sir, no sir, no sir.

To smash a coconut over anyone's head is insane.

Here you sucker.

Here, have a banana.

Have a banana.

It just looks so crazy.

So vicious.

And it just it stays in people's head.

You ain't nothing but garbage.

That's like one of the first shocking moments

you can think about in WWE history.

During the 1980s, Hulk Hogan was loved and respected

not only by fans, but his peers as well.

And one of his biggest allies was Andre the Giant.

Oh, oh.

I'm very proud of you.

And you are a good wrestler, I'm proud of you.

The Eighth Wonder of the World was by Hulk's side

time and time again.

But by 1987, the Giant felt he had earned the right

to challenge for the WWE Championship.

It just took a little guidance from the weasel,

the unlikable Bobby Heenan.

The Eighth Wonder of the World, seven foot four.

500 pounds Andre, whoa, the Giant.

The fact he walked out with Heenan, that was like,

"Whoa, what's going on?

What's going on here?"

Wait, what's going on here?

Hold on, man, what are you doing with him?

Heenan hated Hulk.

And just the fact that Andre

aligned imself with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

People are going to hate Andre.

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

Andre was beloved by everyone around the world.

Most people don't understand-

Before there was Hogan and all that,

Andre was the face of wrestling.

You're the reason I got in professional wrestling.

You were like a god to 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.

It's not happening.

We're in The Pit.

I can see what's going on.

You can feel it once you get in there.

You can't believe it.

Maybe you'll believe this, Hogan.

You never thought that Andre would stoop to the levels

that he did.

You know, here I am, an adult and I still feel like-

My hero failed me.

As he grabbed my shirt and ripped my shirt.

I guess his fingernail caught my skin and made my chest bleed.

My cross, the shirt.

What's wrong with him, man?

You can't leave like this.

The Giant just attacked our Wheaties boy.

What's going on?

You're bleeding.

What's-

Come.

In 1987, the Honky Tonk Man shocked the wrestling world

when he defeated Ricky Steamboat

for the Intercontinental Championship.

The boastful menace from Memphis went on a tear,

successfully defending his title for the next 453 days.

When the Elvis wannabe got to SummerSlam 1988, he was left

without an opponent, but in all the confidence in the world

to issue an open challenge, who would answer the call?

Get me somebody out here to wrestle.

I don't care who it is.

We're all waiting here with anticipation.

Oh, ho, it's the Ultimate Warrior.

They've exploded here in the Garden.

All of a sudden, here comes the Warrior.

I went, "You gotta be kidding me."

It was crazy.

Ultimate Warrior exploding here on the Honky Tonk Man.

Oh, we could get a new champion right now,

Gorilla Monsoon.

Big Splash hooks the leg, and he got him.

History has been made here.

Warrior comes out and beats him in, like, three seconds.

So his entire reign just went-

It had to be record time, Gorilla Monsoon.

It had to be record time, brother.

You watched him get in there,

destroy this guy immediately.

In the way that this kind of superhero character would.

And he does it for all of us that were in the audience

and that were at home losing our minds.

We got a new champion, my man.

And now we have reached the number one shocking moment

of the 1980s.

And it's a moment that still leaves me in awe.

We've already discussed the impact that Hulk Hogan

had on the decade.

Winning the WWE Championship in 1984,

the Hulkster knocked down opponent after opponent

including former friend Andre the Giant, who was famously

bodyslammed in front of 93,000 strong at WrestleMania 3.

Hulk dropping a big leg.

It's over.

Unbelievable.

Andre got himself back into the number one contender slot,

and a rematch was set for the biggest event in primetime

history, live across the nation at the first ever

Main Event television special,

an event that saw a record breaking 33 million viewers.

Hulk Hogan defended the WWE Championship

against Andre the Giant one more time.

Welcome, everyone to the main event.

Welcome to the largest television audience in

World Wrestling-- history.

33 million people tuned in.

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

they're ecstatic.

Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant.

They were this phenomenon.

The Hulkster draws the line, and he wants Andre the Giant.

What's gonna happen?

Clothesline.

The Giant goes down.

Andre trying to choke him out.

Hogan's fighting his way up.

Listen to these fans.

Suplex right on top of him.

He's on him.

One, two.

That's it.

He got him.

He got him.

The referee counted three.

We've got a new world champion.

The referee counts to three even though Hulk Hogan's

shoulder is up, Hogan has lost the title.

How has this happened and why did the referee do this?

He can't believe it.

He's saying it was only two.

He can't be giving the title to Andre.

He can't be.

He's going to present it.

He presents it to Andre.

Raises his hand.

We have a new world champion.

A second referee comes out.

What is going on in the ring?

Wait a minute.

Is that Dave Hebner or is that Dave Hebner?

Oh my God.

Twin referees.

Hebner brothers.

Twin referees.

I mean, I thought I was seeing double

and I'm sure Hulk Hogan was too.

The Hulkster's trying to find out who the real Dave Hebner is.

What is going on here?

I think it's the one on the left.

It's great for me to look at one referee and the other

and then let him go.

"Oh my God.

Who who who's the right referee?"

Turned around, I saw the bad referee kick the other one.

I'm like "You", you know.

"You are the bad one."

Look out.

Oh.

There has to be some chicanery going on around here.

The most watched professional wrestling event in history

with the most controversial ending of all time.

Sports Entertainment as a whole has left audiences

in suspense for decades.

It's part of the fabric of what we do.

While nothing can prepare you for the unpredictable,

there are moments that stick with you for a lifetime.

That'll do it for this edition of WWE's Greatest Moments.

I hope you've enjoyed this

look back at some of the shocking moments of the decade.

Not long forgotten-

the 1980s.