WATCH: When Hulk Hogan Suffered His First Ever Loss in WWE After an Extremely Physical Matchup with Andre the Giant

Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant had one of the most iconic rivalries in wrestling history. But ahead of their WrestleMania 3 (and so on) bouts, the heavyweights had another clash.

Hogan, then known as Terry “The Hulk” Boulder, initially started off in WWE (then WWF), under Vince McMahon’s father Vincent J. McMahon. Senior McMahon was so enticed by Hogan’s charisma that he immediately signed him and gave him the name of Hulk Hogan.

Hogan wrestled in a few matches before he met his future nemesis, Andre. During this tenure, he also met Ted DiBiase, “Classy” Freddie Blassie, Bob Buckland, and many more.

Andre and Hogan started off their initial feud in 1980. Back then, it culminated in a showdown at the Shea Stadium where Andre defeated Hogan.

In the match, Andre delivered two body slams to Hogan with the final one defeating him. It was the Superstar’s first clean loss on WWE TV. Ahead of this, all his losses were due to count-out or disqualification.

Interestingly, in this match, Hogan body slammed the Giant, a feat he would repeat seven years later at WrestleMania 3. Not only that, Hogan finally avenged his Shea Stadium loss, and the WWF Heavyweight title, following “the Bodyslam heard around the world.”

Hulk Hogan recalls his relationship with Andre the Giant

Throughout their feud, Hogan and Andre wrestled in multiple matches, and the latter affected the wrestling style of Hogan in lots of ways. Hence, today, Hogan never forgets to credit The Giant when it’s due.

He talked of his ‘troubled’ relationship with Andre in a tweet. “We had our differences, and it really wasn’t fun when the Boss was pissed off at me but it was a very serious learning curve and in the end we were like brothers Love U Boss R.I.P. You were the best! HH.”

On the legend’s 28th anniversary, Hogan paid a tribute.

“28yrs ago Andre passed, my big brother,” Hogan wrote. “He taught me respect for our business and also taught me how to work using my instincts and my connection with the crowd. His timing was perfect and made me understand the greatest matches are the ones that u don’t talk about beforehand. RIP. HH.”

Throughout his four-decade-long career, Hulk Hogan faced many opponents, most of them being the marquee players of promotions. However, Andre remains his most-known foe, as their rivalry catapulted both into the highest fame.

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