It could be said that this particular trophy was the catalyst for the biggest program in the history of professional wrestling. We all know what happened on that fateful night at the Pontiac Silverdome between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant, but what caused this clash of titans? On an episode of Pipers Pit in early 1987, the WWF President presented The Hulkster with a large trophy to commemorate his three years as world champion. The following week on the Pit, Andre was presented with a smaller trophy, honoring him for being the only undefeated man in wrestling at the time. Andre was visibly upset and walked away as Hulk Hogan sang his praises to the audience. Soon after, Jesse Ventura called attention to the size difference in trophies and claimed Bobby Henman was involved in brining Andre back to the Federation. Sure enough, The Brain weaseled his way into the giants corner, and one challenge and t-shirt/crucifix chain tear later and we have the main event for WrestleMania 3.
Atlee Greene is a freelance writer for various sites, including ForcesOfGeek.com, Gerweck.net, CamelClutchBlog.com, and WhatCulture.com. He is also a former independent professional wrestler and promotes shows in the Massachusetts area.
