How Twin Referees Gave Andre The Giant His Only WWE Championship Win
William Smith
Published Mar 28, 2026
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For over thirty-five years now, Andre the Giant challenging for the WWE title against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 3 is where WWE and Sports Entertainment as we know it truly began. But it was actually just another chapter in Hulk and Andre’s feud, which lasted for years. WrestleMania 3 and beyond is when it kicked into high gear.
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Not only did the match set up the WWE and Hulkamania for then, now, and forever; more granularly, the match set up several more big events over the course of the next year, including the first Survivor Series and WrestleMania 4. But the biggest match on their war, perhaps even bigger than WrestleMania 3 was their match at The Main Event. Andre The Giant defeated Hulk for the WWE title and immediately surrendered the belt to Ted DiBiase. It was the referee DiBiase paid off who helped seal the deal.
The Reason For The Rematch Between Hulk Hogan & Andre The Giant
As if Andre The Giant needed an actual storyline reason to demand a rematch against Hulk Hogan, WWE came up with a big one (no pun intended) and it all started in the opening moments of the main event at WrestleMania 3. Shortly after the two gladiators had their stand-off, Hogan went to bodyslam Andre and failed miserably.
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The giant fell right on top of Hogan and got a very close two-count. Referee Joey Marella’s hand stop at 2.98.99 seconds. Andre and everyone who watched had thought it was three count. But Hulk snuck away and then soldiered on to victory. For the next year, Andre kept insisting he was the uncrowned champion. He even defeated Hogan at Survivor Series, making sure that Hulk wasn’t even the last man on his team.
The Million Dollar Man Wants The WWE Title
Concurrently running with the Andre and Hulk storyline, Ted DiBiase was debuting as well. During the first ever Survivor Series, The Million Dollar Man was shown in vignettes with how he was celebrating Turkey Day. Meanwhile, Andre was pulverizing Hogan.
Shortly after the event, DiBiase tried in vain to make an impassioned plea to Hulk Hogan to sell him the WWE title. When The Hulkster furiously rebuked the very generous offer, DiBiase did the next best thing and acquired the contract of Andre The Giant from Bobby Heenan. The mission was clear, defeat Hogan for the title and hand the title over to The Million Dollar Man.
The Main Event Finish Was Influenced By Dave & Earl Hebner
To date, one of the most watched programs in WWE history was the NBC Network special, The Main Event. Hulk Hogan defending the WWE title against Andre The Giant was the second match on the card. Referee Dave Hebner seemed more inept than usual and allowed all sorts of interference from DiBiase and Virgil. Andre eventually nailed Hogan with a hip suplex and pinned him for the three count, except Hogan kicked out at one. Andre was declared the winner and the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. But he would almost immediately surrender the title to DiBiase, which made the title vacant and set up the tournament at WrestleMania 4. Dave Hebner’s twin, Earl, it turned out had been paid off by DiBiase to award Andre the match. The giant held onto the WWE title for approximately five minutes, long enough to get a few iconic shots of him with the gold.
With Andre The Giant’s career nearing its end, a world title had eluded the legendary Eighth Wonder of the World. Defeating Hulkamania for the world title, if only for the time it takes to make some coffee, finally gave him that accolade. It also is still heralded as one of the greatest stories ever told.
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While Andre definitely didn’t need to have the world title, it was clearly something his friend and boss, Vince McMahon, wanted to set up for him, even for a few minutes to set up WrestleMania 4. Over the years since his passing, Andre The Giant’s legend has grown into wrestling folklore, and a lot of that is certainly thanks to what he accomplished before WrestleMania 3. However winning the world title, completely cemented his status post that main event.
