One WWE Match You MUST Watch From Every Year 1984-2024

38. 1986 - Hulk Hogan Vs Paul Orndorff, The Big Event

Dean Ambrose Bray Wyatt
WWE

A stunning representation of the big business Paul Orndorff did with Hulk Hogan as the first of many turncoats he'd encounter during his near-decade run as WWE's top babyface, the headline attraction of "The Big Event" lived up to the billing.

The sea of people surrounding the ring makes for a constantly arresting visual as both men treat the match as the fight of their lives. 'Mr Wonderful's shamelessly cartoonish belief that he's won the WWE Championship without scoring a fall makes for a deranged but crowd-pleasing closing stretch too - beating down Hogan while wearing his belt was one more unthinkable act from a feud that had never looked hotter.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett