The heel turn of Andre the Giant was a huge deal in 1987. He worked as a babyface attraction for so long and was billed as the "8th Wonder of the World" that was loved by the fans. WWE also said that he was undefeated for 15 years. Hulk Hogan was the WWE Champion since 1984, so he was established as the man. During a February 1987 edition of Superstars, Roddy Piper hosted Piper's Pit with Hogan on it as well as Andre the Giant, who had Bobby "The Brain" Heenan with him. When Hogan saw Heenan there, he wondered what Andre was doing. That led to Andre ripping Hogan's cross and shirt while saying that he was going after the WWE Title. There will never be a build like this again because it was the WWE Champion of three years against the undefeated big man that hadn't lost in 15 years. Nothing can top that. They needed a match that epic because they had to sell out the Silverdome and they ended up with the biggest crowd for a WWE show ever. http://youtu.be/hwbaywz8QO0 The match wasn't great, but the moment when Hogan slammed Andre is iconic and something wrestling fans will never forget. The build up to WrestleMania 3 is what really sold the match as a big deal. Andre turning was such a huge deal and a total shock to the wrestling world. To see these two giants in the business face off was incredible and thanks to the turn of Andre, it really worked well.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
