The 10 Best Andre the Giant Matches

For a long time, fans and viewers have regarded Andre the Giant versus Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III as one of the best WrestleMania matches of all time, along the lines of other classics like Shawn Michaels versus The Undertaker in 2009 and "Stone Cold Steve Austin" versus The Rock in 2003. Yet, back in the 1980s, what made Andre vs. Hogan at 'Mania III a classic wasn’t that it was their first one-on-one match (which it wasn't). Instead, it’s best known for Hogan's delivery of a huge bodyslam to Andre that resulted in producing the big man's loss for the first time in years.

Throughout the beginning of the match, Andre beat Hogan for an extended period. At one point, Jesse "The Body" Ventura on commentary asserted, "I’ve never seen Hogan beat like this!" There are a few bursts of offense from the "Real American," but Hogan’s real comeback happens right after Andre locks in an almost three-minute-long bear hug in the middle of the ring. The match eventually goes outside, where a shocking spot occurs with the aid of some exposed floorboards outside the ring. This match lasted under 12 minutes before Hogan successfully defended the WWF Championship with the assistance of his signature leg drop.

From 1988 to 1990, Andre and the Warrior faced each other dozens of times. On the October 31, 1989 edition of WWF Saturday Night's Main Event, the Warrior defended his WWF Intercontinental Championship against Andre. The match was fast-paced and saw both men exit the ring to continue their brawl. This bout is remembered for being one of the hardest-hitting Andre the Giant matches and one of the longest-televised matches between the two legendary Superstars. Despite the Warrior tossing Bobby "The Brain" Heenan toward Andre, the disqualification victory was awarded to Warrior, who managed to hold on to his IC Championship after surviving another war with the domineering giant.

The next time Andre and Hogan went head-to-head after 'Mania III, it was once again contested for the WWF Championship. This time around, the layout of this match was a bit different from their previous meeting. This nine-minute clash between Andre and Hogan on the February 5, 1988, episode of WWF Saturday Night's Main Event is more fast-paced, with fewer rest holds and far more initial offense from Hogan. The fast pace didn’t necessarily benefit Hogan, however.

With the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase by his side, Andre shocked the world by winning the title thanks to DiBiase paying off a crooked referee to rule in Andre's favor. Another shocker came when Andre handed the WWF Championship over to DiBiase. The match doesn’t feature Andre getting slammed by Hogan again. However, it does have a controversial finish, combined with a couple of near-falls and overall fast-paced action that helped continue their feud into the following month’s WrestleMania IV. Hogan and Andre faced each other in a WWF Championship tournament match at that historic event.

The inaugural WWF SummerSlam event took place in 1988. The night’s main event was between The Mega Powers (Savage and Hogan)–two of Andre’s long-time rivals–and Andre and DiBiase. Jesse "The Body" Ventura was designated as the special guest referee for the match. Andre and Savage kicked off this heated bout, but both Superstars quickly tagged out soon after locking up. Despite an early advantage by Andre, Hogan and Savage were able to pick apart DiBiase, who ended up working the majority of the tag team match for his team. Andre the Giant worked very little of the match, though he dominated when he was in the ring. At one point, he sat on Hogan’s chest.

Similarly to his tag team match against Piper and "Cowboy" Bob Orton, and other Superstars, Andre showed his ability to play dirty by using his singlet to choke Hogan without the referee noticing. Miss Elizabeth blew everyone's mind when she got a bit risque by taking off her skirt to distract the opposition. That plan worked like a charm as Hogan and Savage cleared the ring with DiBiase left alone to get finished off by a body slam and a flying elbow drop that brought the crowd to its feet. The first SummerSlam main event went on for under 14 minutes, with Hogan and Savage getting the win.

Andre and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff only teamed up together a couple of times in the late 1980s. The first time was on August 10, 1988, and the first team they faced was Piper and Orton in an action-packed affair with lots of overselling from the heels and clever psychology from everyone involved. Andre spent most of his time during this match getting the best of both Orton and Piper. Andre even uses Orton’s classic arm cast against him, taking it apart and choking him with its loose bandages. Besides being one of the few times Andre and Orndorff team together, this eight-minute match is one of the final times Andre and Piper share the ring during a bout.

One year before Andre won the WWF versus NFL Battle Royal match at WrestleMania 2, he faced Big John Studd (who was also in the battle royal) in a $15,000 Body Slam Challenge at the first WrestleMania in 1985. This match is relatively short, with some back-and-forth big-man offense shared between Andre and Studd. Yet, it’s one of Andre's most memorable matches because it was his first WrestleMania match and it had big stakes attached. If Andre lost the match, he would have been forced to retire. Instead, Andre laid a stiff kick into Studd’s legs before suddenly picking him up for a massive bodyslam and finally winning the match in less than six minutes. In 2014, this bout was given the video game treatment as it became a part of the "30 Years of WrestleMania" mode in WWE 2K14.

Twenty-eight years after Andre walked out victorious from the WWF versus NFL Battle Royal at WrestleMania 2, WWE introduced the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in 2014. This all-star battle royal featured 20 individuals, which was made up of NFL pros and a mix of WWF veteran Superstars & up-and-coming wrestlers. In particular, this match featured the likes of WWE legends such as former WWF Champion Burno Sammartino, Big John Studd (Andre’s original WrestleMania opponent), and Superstars who would later become legends like Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart (The Hart Foundation).

Hart was the final person eliminated in the match after getting thrown over the top rope by Andre. Like with Piper, it was also one of only a handful and final times that Hart and Andre competed in the same ring. Andre's battle royal prowess is on full display here and marks another instance of a performance being recognized as one of the best Andre the Giant matches.

Another one of the more memorable televised matches between Andre and Savage during those three months took place on November 26. The match started hot as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan got barred from ringside while Miss Elizabeth was allowed to stay in her husband's corner. Then, Andre and Savage briefly got into an elbow and collar tie-up before Andre began breaking Savage down. Andre pulled out all his classic moves and spots, including choking Savage with the shoulder strap of his gear, trapping Savage in a bear hug, and Andre getting himself tied up in the ropes. Savage successfully defended his WWF Championship, ultimately being saved by a double count-out.

The second match of the night on the WrestleMania VI card was also Andre the Giant’s final 'Mania match and his last televised match in the WWF. Haku and Andre the Giant (known as the Colossal Connection) entered the match as the WWF Tag Team champions It's worth noting that the WWF World Tag Team Championship was the second and final title Andre held within the federation.

Throughout the match, there is a lot of interference from Andre while Haku is competing on their behalf as Andre spends the entirety of the bout on the ring apron. Still, it displays Andre’s ability to get a reaction simply by being present and doing some occasional offense to remain somewhat active. In a major moment that brought the crowd back to Andre's side, he turned on both Heenan and his tag team partner Haku, effectively turning Andre into a babyface as he walked out of the arena. This tag team encounter must be considered by longtime WWF/E fans as one of the best Andre the Giant matches.