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Looking back at WWE history, you will find many watershed moments. There's the historic moment when Ultimate Warrior ended Honky Tonk Man's record breaking Intercontinental title run in mere seconds.
And who can forget when The Undertaker first stood nose to nose in the middle of the Hell in a Cell with his brother, Kane? Not to mention a certain Texas Rattlesnake stunning Vince McMahon in the middle of the ring.
But there's one watershed moment that stands out among all the others. Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live were not yet born, but the moment didn't happen at a pay per view. It happened on the NBC network on The Main Event on February 5th, 1988. Wrestlemania IV was just around the corner, and the WWE was riding high on the massive success of Wrestlemania III.
What they needed was a compelling hook for the upcoming Pay Per View. Hulk Hogan, who had reigned as the WWE Champion for five years, was long overdue for a break to heal his battered body. Also, he was exploring the options of branching out and making movies in Hollywood. The WWE's philosophy at the time was that the World Champion should be a babyface, but good guy vs. good guy matches were considered a hard sell in 1988.
Instead, an ingenious angle was hatched which would get the title off of Hulk Hogan while still letting him keep his heat, as well as giving Andre the Giant long overdue recognition as the company's champion.
The event garnered a 15.1 rating, meaning 15% of televisions in the USA were tuned in to see the epic showdown between rivals Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. Here is the story of the wildest title change in WWE history.
The Seeds are Planted: Ted Dibiase announces he will 'buy' the WWE Championship from Hulk Hogan.
You might find it hard to believe, but Ted Dibiase spent much of his early career as a babyface.
That all ended when Dibiase joined the WWE. He was given one of the best gimmicks of the 1980s, the Million Dollar Man.
As Million Dollar Man, Dibiase would offer cash money to fans at ringside to perform humiliating feats, such as barking like a dog. He once challenged a young child to dribble a basketball ten times for one hundred dollars, but kicked the ball at the last moment.
Because of Reaganomics, which made the upper two percent in America much richer but caused the middle and lower classes to suffer, people in the 1980s had a deep abiding hatred of rich people. Ted Dibiase perfectly exemplified this, and was one of the most hated villains in all of WWE.
Dibiase upped the ante in 1987, when he announced he would buy the WWE Championship from Hulk Hogan. Hogan, of course, refused, which led to several unsuccessful attempts by Dibiase to defeat the Hulkster in the ring.
But Dibiase was not to be dissuaded so easily...
Two Supervillains unite
If Ted Dibiase, the erstwhile Million Dollar Man, was the most hated wrestler of the 1980s, then Bobby the Brain Heenan was the most hated manager.
In later years, the Brain's long tenure in the business and customary quick wit earned him the love and respect of the fans. But in 1988 the Brain was a despised villain, and a clearly biased announcer who always threw shade on the babyfaces while praising the heels.
Bobby Heenan's Heenan Family stable was among the most powerful, both in strength and star power. Andre the Giant was the crown jewel in Heenan's family. The behemoth had just one defeat in his long career (kayfabe,) which was to Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania III.
When Andre failed to capture the title for himself, he was hired by Ted Dibiase to be his proxy against the Hulkster. Eager for revenge, and wanting to restore his legacy, Andre agreed.
Andre Assaults Hogan after his match with King Kong Bundy
King Kong Bundy was one of the biggest--figuratively and literally--pro wrestling stars of the late 1970s and early 1980s,
Bundy won titles in territories all over the country, and all around the world. King Kong Bundy even main evented Wrestlemania II when he tried to defeat Champion Hulk Hogan inside of the confines of an unforgiving steel cage.
But Bundy would always be in the shadow--figuratively and literally--of Andre the Giant. Andre was a bigger star, in both stature and name recognition. So it should come as no surprise that Bundy's second shot at Hogan wound up being used as a set up for Hogan vs. Andre part two.
Hogan and Bundy fought to a standstill, but when it looked like the Hulkster was about to gain the upper hand, Andre the Giant viciously choked out his old rival as the show ended.
Andre the Giant--Victorious, with a little trickery
Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant had already faced each other at the historic Wrestlemania III pay per view, with Hogan emerging victorious.
However, sharp-eyed fans were quick to note that during their match at the Silverdome, Hogan failed to kick out in time after a failed bodyslam attempt. Many believe there was just a miscue in the ring between the ref and Andre, but there are rumors which persist that Andre was proving that no one could beat him unless he allowed it to happen.
Nevertheless, the official record held that Hogan cleanly defeated Andre. After a savage assault on the Main Event, a rematch was set up for the next Main Event broadcast in February--and it would be for Hogan's WWE World Championship strap.
After a hip toss, Andre flatted himself on top of Hogan. The Hulkster managed to get his shoulder up, but referee "Dave" Hebner kept counting to three.
Andre was awarded the championship belt. For a few seconds, Andre had achieved the pinnacle of sports entertainment success.
And then he gave it away.
Andre 'surrendered' the title to Ted Dibiase. Dibiase would wrestle that weekend's events as the WWE World Champion, but his title reign didn't last much longer than that.
Double vision, single treachery
Hulk Hogan stood by, eyes wide in shock, as he witnessed his evil rival Ted Dibiase wearing the WWE World Championship belt. Hogan would then turn to argue with referee "Dave" Hebner about the phony three-count.
Then, things got even MORE confusing. While Hogan argued with the referee, another referee appeared--and he was identical in appearance to Dave Hebner.
As the two referees argued, the 'evil' twin punched the real Dave Hebner. In reality, WWE had hired former NWA referee Earl Hebner, who was Dave Hebner's real life identical twin brother.
After the evil twin played his hand, Hulk Hogan would heft Earl Hebner in a gorilla press slam and then throw him over the top rope at the gathered heel wrestlers. But Hogan tossed Hebner a bit too far, and the heels barely broke his fall enough to avoid serious injury.
The moment is one of the most surreal in all of pro wrestling, and is unlikely to be repeated. There just aren't that many twin referees running around out there!
The Fallout: A WWE Championship Tournament
The WWE has been led by Vince McMahon jr. since the 1980s, but on camera, Vince was known as a mere announcer.
That would change years later, but in 1988 the WWE's figurehead leader was Jack Tunney.
Tunney almost NEVER spoke on camera. He was only present for situations like the contract signing for Wrestlemania III's main event. His only job was to provide a kind of 'straight man' to all of the craziness associated with the WWE. Jack Tunney looked like a legit CEO manager type, and spoke like one as well.
After the wild and chaotic title change, Tunney would announce that despite the shenanigans with the referees, the decision was final. Hulk Hogan was no longer the champion.
However, he also stripped Ted Dibiase of the belt, saying that no one can win the title by it being 'surrendered' to them. Technically, Andre was the champion but then Tunney performed a three peat; Andre was stripped of the title because he had damaged its reputation by surrendering it to the Million Dollar Man.
He announced a tournament would take place at Wrestlemania IV, which history tells us was won by 'Macho Man' Randy Savage. However, it was all made possible by the wildest title change in WWE history.
Thanks for taking this trip down memory lane with us, and we'll see you next week!
