10 Incredible Wrestling FIRSTS You Didn't Know About

1. The First Wrestler Who Slammed André The Giant

First ladder match
WWE

Hulk Hogan wasn't the first man to slam or defeat André the Giant at WrestleMania III - but, pre-internet, nobody or very, very few people knew any better. Nobody could smell the bullsh*t.

It remains one of the most significant matches ever, the quality of which is utterly immaterial. The fans, 78,000 of them, filed into the Pontiac Silverdome to watch one thing happen. They had been expertly manipulated into believing that that thing - which they really wanted to see, because Hulk Hogan was one of the best workers ever - could not be done.

The formula is so timeless in its brilliant simplicity that WWE pilfered it at this year's WrestleMania and promoted an awesome over-delivery of an Omos match in the process.

Again, it was b*llocks, albeit very well marketed b*llocks: André was removed from his feet several times as a younger, leaner and exponentially more mobile man, and really, was only marketed as the immovable object later in his career because that quite literally was the case. It was a (very intelligent and successful) necessity. Photographic footage exists of André being slammed in Montreal by a wrestler who performed as 'The Professional' as far back as 1971, though it's very likely that he was bounced around the ring as he worked a '60s European scene for which modern databases, like Cagematch, don't keep records.

Hogan himself (working as a heel) had even slammed André in Shea Stadium.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!