20 WWE WrestleMania Matches We Almost Got (And Why We Didn't)
18. Hulk Hogan vs. "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff - WrestleMania III
Speaking of the bodyslam, THE feud of the 1980s was Andre the Giant vs. Hulk Hogan. After Andre turned heel against Hogan and sided with the Ted DiBiase, the stage was set for a mega-match between the two at WrestleMania III for the WWF Championship.
By this stage of his career though, Andre's body was in a bad way and needed major surgery in order for him to compete. Which recovering, Hogan fought Kamala on house shows and even on the day of the biggest wrestling event of the year, it was touch and go whether or not he would/could compete.
As a backup plan, Paul Orndorff was in the wings, waiting to step into the main event if the Eighth Wonder of the World wasn't able to perform for whatever reason. Both he and Hogan were long-time rivals and would have put on a more than serviceable main event to end the night.
Why didn't it happen?
By some miracle, Andre felt able to go out and battle the Champion in front of the 93,000 (alleged) fans in attendance following his surgery, a new back brace and drinking over a dozen bottles of wine. Physical fitness is paramount in today's WWE, but back then, it was Dutch courage all the way!