50 Fascinating Facts About WWE in The 1980s
4. WWE Had A Stand-In For Andre The Giant
The real 'Colossal Tussle' was getting Andre The Giant to commit to WrestleMania III. The big man was in a lot of pain by 1987, and he'd all but officially retired from the ring. Seeing dollar signs in a mega-match with Hulk Hogan, McMahon arranged a meeting with his pal and asked for one more favour: 'Turn heel and put Hogan over'.
At first, Andre was hesitant. This is a guy who could barely walk around without being in agony, and here was Vince asking him to take a few bumps on the biggest wrestling show of all time. Eventually, The Giant said yes, but the WWF knew they had to install a contingency plan if Andre's physical condition worsened before 29 March. In a clever move, McMahon had someone else waiting in the wings on reserve.
Paul Orndorff was that man. He'd already worked extensively with Hogan, and 'Mr. Wonderful' was over enough as a top heel to slot in if Andre couldn't make it. That wouldn't be ideal, of course, but it'd be a real needs must situation. It's fair to say that Hulk vs. Orndorff wouldn't be talked about in the same breath as Hulk vs. Andre though.
The former friends had a clunky, strained match, but Hogan slamming the big guy would go down in company history as the first true "WrestleMania Moment". Unfortunately for 'Mr. Wonderful', he was strictly a substitute - Orndorff didn't get to work a different match on the card once it became clear Andre was going to appear as planned.