‘He’s Gonna Kill Me..’: Hulk Hogan Once Feared For His Life Due to an Unruly Rival

Hulk Hogan climbed the heights of popularity in pro wrestling during his time with WWE. No wrestler came close to what ‘The Hulkster’ achieved in the 1980s, setting the WWE on course for the ‘Golden Era’ of wrestling. Hogan gave fans memorable moments during this run, such as pinning the Iron Shiekh to win the WWE Championship and headlining WrestleMania with Hollywood star Mr. T. But his most iconic moment came at WrestleMania III, when Hogan bodyslammed André the Giant and beat him in the middle of the ring.

The Hogan-Andre rivalry defined WWE’s success during that period. It was a spectacle more than anything else. Even today, fans fondly recall their match and the video of Hogan slamming Andre in front 90,000 plus fans is replayed in many WWE vignettes. Despite their epic rivalry, both wrestlers were good friends off screen.

Hogan may have gotten the better of Andre in the ring, but there is little doubt that the giant was dominant outside the ring. Former WWE star Mario Mancini recalled how Hogan was once fearful of his life because of a drunk André the Giant.

Hulk Hogan thought Andre was going to kill him

André the Giant had a big role to play in Hulk Hogan’s early WWE success. WWE billed Andre as the immovable object who was yet to taste a pinfall defeat in WWE. They also projected Hogan as the unstoppable force and as the one to take down the giant. When Hogan bodyslammed the 500lbs Andre and pinned him, he became an instant sensation.

Away from the ring, there is no doubt that Andre was much stronger, given his size. At over 7-feet and 500 lbs, he was one scary individual. Former WWE wrestler from the 1980s, Mario Mancini recently talked about how Andre scared Hogan once and made him fear for his life.

READ MORE: “Don’t Hurt This Guy”: Hulk Hogan Once Saved Popular Hollywood Star From a Physical Assault by His Fierce Rival

Mancini talked about the infamous incident on the ‘Cheap Heat Productions Podcast’ and said Hogan ran screaming that Andre will kill him.

He recalled, “Before he [Hogan] entered the actual dressing room, he was screaming down the hallway, ‘He’s gonna kill me, that son of a b***h, he’s gonna kill me! He’s gonna kill me!’ Vince [former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon] went running up to him, ‘Shut up, shut up.’ ‘He’s drunk in there, he’s drunk. He’s gonna kill me! He’s gonna kill me!’ Hogan was very concerned that Andre was really gonna kill him.”

Indeed, Andre may have terrified Hogan, but did he really wanted to kill him? No one apart from Andre will know that. The incident, however, did prove that Hogan may be the top guy in the ring, but Andre was clearly the boss outside the squared circle.

The ‘Hulkster’ may have 24-inch pythons, but when a drunk giant like Andre is running loose, you are bound to be scared.

What are your thoughts on this incident? Do you think Andre wanted to kill Hogan?

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