10 Wrestling Firsts That Happened Earlier Than You Think
5. Andre's First Defeat
Andre's massive undefeated streak was another WrestleMania III fallacy. WWE used the narrative that he'd never tasted defeat in his 15 years with the company as a selling point for the Hogan match, with Jack Tunney even awarding the Giant a congratulatory trophy on an episode of Piper's Pit. Despite this, Hulk (who'd been handed a larger trophy for being World Champion for three years) was the focus of that particular interview, thus sparking the annoyance that led to their feud.
In reality, Andre had only just passed the 14-year mark with WWE by the night of WrestleMania III, and he wasn't undefeated either. The big man failed to win an 18-man battle royal in the Boston Garden on his second night with the promotion. Yes, that's a multi-person match, but also a clear defeat, no matter how you define the word.
Andre had also fallen several times outside Vince McMahon's realm, though the promoter, to his credit, was always careful to emphasise that his Giant was "undefeated in WWE." A quick look at his record with the company proves this false, though.