10 Wrestling Matches Fans Can’t Agree On

4. Andre The Giant Vs. Hulk Hogan - WWF WrestleMania III

Ospreay Ricochet
WWE.com

Andre The Giant Vs. Hulk Hogan at WWF WrestleMania III remains, nearly thirty years later, the most famous wrestling match ever - but does that automatically deem it worthy of merit, in and of itself?

The entire match was based around whether or not Hogan could hoist Andre up for the body slam, much less win, so it was obvious that the Giant was never going to leave his feet. The match practically guaranteed tedium - and tedious, it was. A prolonged squash, all Andre did for ninety percent of it was lay waste to Hogan with a stately procession of body slams and bearhugs - before Hogan made his trademark superman comeback. The action was taken to the outside - but somehow devolved. Hogan removed the protective matting, in an attempt to drill Andre with a piledriver, but was back body-dropped onto near enough the soles of his feet.

Writing about the match in these descriptive terms is ludicrous. Who cares what happened before the slam? The slam made the money. The slam is all that matters. And that is the question posed years later: is wrestling art, or just enterprise?

Hilariously, the match is announced as having a one hour time limit. It couldn't not have, given that it was a main event contest for the company's top prize, but the thought of that going an hour would have killed the business it wound up elevating.

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!