“Break Me in Half” – Hulk Hogan Admits Being Scared of Former World Heavyweight Champion During His Initial Run in WWE

Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant had a history of legendary rivalry starting in 1980. There is perhaps no other match like the duo’s WrestleMania 3 to change the entire course of professional wrestling. It was definitely not the first in-ring meeting between them, but it was no doubt the most impactful one. Even after so many years, WWE fans looked back to revisit the passing of the torch moments between two generations’ GOATs in that iconic match.

Hulk Hogan was scared to death to face the French monster

Hogan’s body slamming Andre the Giant in the Pontiac Silverdome from the stage of the main event, WrestleMania, marked one of the goosebump moments for us. There was no man before Hogan who dared to slam the 500-pound ‘Eighth Wonder of the world’. It literally kicked off a whole new era, but it was not as it looked. The Giant sized Frenchman was not cool with Hogan from the beginning. It took a lot of time for him to respect Hogan.

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Hogan mentioned earlier how he used to fear him a lot initially. ‘I remember being scared to death of Andre the Giant and being afraid of my own shadow, not knowing if he was going to break me in half‘, the Hulkster once noted. He didn’t even dare to look at his face directly. However, this fear is somehow triggered by Hogan himself, who ‘wasn’t a tough guy‘ back then.

Hogan formed a close bond with Andre the Giant down the line

Eventually, the situation transformed, and the phenomenal duo formed a close bond following their series of matches. Explaining their improved relationship, the Hulkster added, ”The credibility Andre had, the credibility he’s bestowed upon me, in such a beautiful storyline that was real. I could feel it when he warmed up to me. I could feel it when he started liking me. I could feel it when he had respect for me. He didn’t do that with anybody. It was a different time, that’s for sure.”

Recently, during the recent episode of A&E’s WWE Rivals, Hulk Hogan looked back to his iconic feud with the late star and reflected on some memories. He also paid tribute to the late star with teary eyes following the end of the show.

Season 2 of the show features a more complete look into the story of Hogan and Andre the Giant. You can watch the episode here.

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What is your take on the phenomenal Hogan-Andre rivalry? Let us know in the comments.