BANKIE'S HOT TAKE #122 - WWE Hall Of Fame Immortal Moment 2026: Hulk Slamming Andre
- Apr 18
- 3 min read
Last year, I remember writing about the inaugural Immortal Moment Award for the WWE Hall of Fame, with the WrestleMania XIII “I Quit” match between Bret “Hit Man” Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin being honored for revolutionizing the business, signifying the beginnings of the Attitude Era of the late 1990s and early 2000s, including the incredible statue.
Last night at the WWE Hall of Fame 2026, the Immortal Moment Award made its return.
Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, MI in front of 93,173 fans was finally immortalized in history.
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It’s amazing that this wasn’t the first match in, in all honesty. You have to look back at the time period. Hulk Hogan was in the middle of his legendary WWF Championship reign, dating back to January 23, 1984 in Madison Square Garden. He was at the zenith of 1980s pop culture. The WWF was a heel factory, building up larger-than-life monsters to be fed to Hulkamania. The Hulkster was seen as UNSTOPPABLE.
And then, he ran into the Eighth Wonder of the World.
After a legendary run as a marquee, beloved special attraction throughout the 1970s and early ‘80s, Andre became a villain, thanks to Bobby “the Brain” Heenan. Seeds were planted after Heenan was the only person to appeal for Andre’s reinstatement after being indefinitely suspended by WWF President Jack Tunney in 1986 for missing a match (he was off filming the Princess Bride). Andre, feeling that the Hulkster had been ducking him for a WWF Championship match, allowed “the Brain” to manipulate him and force Hogan’s hand for a title match at WrestleMania III.
The Irresistible Force faced the Immovable Object in the main event on March 29, 1987. The building was packed to the rafters, the fans were immensely vocal, and the tension in the air was palpable.
After a controversial near-fall early on in the contest, the match built until its absolute peak.
The Hulkster, with all the strength in his body, scooped up the 550 pound Andre high in the air, and bodyslammed him down to the canvas. The fans absolutely lost their minds and got even louder when Hogan dropped the big leg onto the Giant. Three slaps of the mat later by Joey Marella, and history was made. Andre was pinned for the first time in his WWF career, and the Hulkster won the biggest match of all time.
Many people debate the attendance, and a plethora of critics discuss how the match wasn’t good. However, Al Snow, during his Guest Booker shoot with Kayfabe Commentaries, explained it tremendously.
It might sound a tad bitter, but Al said it best. If that match did not sell those tickets and make the lasting memory of the Hulkster slamming Andre, pro wrestling wouldn’t be as lucrative as it is today. I genuinely believe it.
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After a tremendous video package, out came the incomparable “the Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart, one of the Hulkster’s best friends, Hulk’s son Nick Bollea, and Andre’s daughter Robin Christensen-Roussimoff. Jimmy gave a great speech about the match and that night, and then surprised both with the bust of the Immortal Moment: Hulk scooping Andre up into the slam.
To me, it is above reproach on what the WWE did with this statue. It is a wicked piece of art and has tremendous attention to detail. The base of the Immortal Moment had two side plates on it - one of the WrestleMania III logo and the other with both the iconic Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant title graphics.
Obviously, it was tremendous for Ms. Christensen-Roussimoff to have another piece of her father’s legacy immortalized forever, which has done an amazing job protecting over the years. As for Nick, it was bittersweet. In spite of all of his issues, a lot self-inflicted, he has gone through over the years, seeing him in great spirits and looking at a memento of his father really made me smile.
I know that these busts and moments are always toted out at the WWE World conventions, as well as other legendary pieces of memorabilia, but it still always gets me wanting and hoping for the promotion to one day make a physical WWE Hall of Fame. It’s not just about selling tickets and living the history for one night for me; it’s about fans, young and old, going to their own version of Cooperstown and reliving all these memories.
Regardless of that, it is truly overwhelming to see a match that transcended the industry get its due.
Hulk vs Andre will now officially live FOREVER.
Bankie Bruce
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