It was 34 years ago today. (as this post is being written)
February 5, 1988.. I recall the scenery and setup.. the sights, the sounds.. the smells. For me, I was accompanying my parents on a Friday night visit with friends in Locust Gap, PA.. my sister and I were watching wrestling history get made as Andre the Giant defeated Hulk Hogan at the famed NBC’s THE MAIN EVENT–through a beautifully scripted theatrical play involving two referees, and a title scandal that would lead to what was then one of the longest Westlemania’s in history..
Let’s step back down amnesia lane..
WRESTLING IN YOUR LIVING ROOM
Hulk Hogan’s newfound fame in the Reagan era was monumentally important for Vince McMahon’s then World Wrestling Federation, now World Wrestling Entertainment. As a matter of fact, the run up to the NBC prime time “MAIN EVENT” that Friday night in February was huge, with newspapers running big splash ads in their TV section, and commercials appearing for days and weeks prior to the show..
It was the first time that professional wrestling aired on prime time by a major network in then 33 years.. AT the time it was since Dwight Eisenhower was President. The stakes were enormous.
And the ratings?
Just as big..
FRIDAY NIGHT RATINGS MASSACRE
As a matter of fact, it was at a January SATURDAY NIGHT’S MAIN EVENT that Andre the Giant attached Hulk Hogan after a victory…
The big battle of the 80s featured two enormous titans of the industry.. and why would Vince stand back while the iron was hot!
According to news reports at the time, America was glued to its television set for the must see TV event.
The event, which took place at the sold out Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, also had over 30 million viewers when counted afterwards..
Something huge had occurred in the aftermath. Suddenly wrestling was not obscure and isolated to only dedicated fans.. All of America was on pins and needles waiting to see what would happen next in the melodrama that began with this Friday night program..
THE MATCH
The script was perfect: Andre the Giant performed a shock to the wrestling world when he pinned Hulk Hogan to win the WWF world title.. But it was purposely done with controvery: It involved twin referees and Andre selling the title to “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase immediately after he won the match.
Everyone’s got a price..
After the match, the title would be vacated by President Jack Tunney as a result of the controversy and would lead to the very long 4-hour long (and then 2 VHS set) Wrestlemania IV tournament –and a new champion, the Macho Man Randy Savage..
The importance of this ending and series of ratings-getting aftermath events setting the stage for Wresltemania IV can not be understated. Even the Associated Press ran a global dispatch to the planet documenting the Andre win forever:
The match is in its entirety here from the WWE Youtube Page:
And the ‘main event’ of this event important to this day: It was the highest rated TV wrestling event of all time then.. and since.
