15. Team Hogan (Hulk Hogan, Paul Orndorff, Don Muraco, Ken Patera & Bam Bam Bigelow) vs. Team Andre (Andre The Giant, King Kong Bundy, One Man Gang, Butch Reed & Rick Rude) - Survivor Series 1987
Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant is arguably the most iconic rivalry in the history of professional wrestling. No other feud can claim to have drawn a record television rating good for 33 million viewers or to have packed 93,173 into the Pontiac Silverdome or to have popped an unbelievable 10.2 PPV buyrate. Those numbers will, in combination, never be touched. It was never about a catch-as-catch-can classic, but about captivating imaginations. In that regard, Hogan-Andre will always overshadow every other Hogan feud and every other rivalry in history. They were able to parlay their wildly successful story into not just the blueprint WrestleMania, but also the debuts of two other yearly PPVs. Survivor Series came about in 1987, in large part to capitalize on Hogan-Andre. The wrestling watching world grew exponentially as a result of WrestleMania IIIs WWE Championship match and that viewership clamored for more Hulk-Andre. The WWE obliged in the form of a unique concept pitting teams of wrestlers against each other in elimination tag matches. It was, in a word, cool. Team Hogan vs. Team Andre featured two stacked teams chock full of Hall of Fame talent in a match that has aged well over the years. It did well to keep the classic story going, giving it the momentum needed to plow through the spring and into the summer of 1988, eventually adding Summerslam to the list of yearly PPVs, too.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
