Die-hard fans of professional wrestling who feel like they’ve seen everything will be in for a pleasant surprise when Hidden Gems — a showcase of rare matches from the WWE archives — unearths a never-before-seen 1987 showdown between Terry “Hulk” Hogan and Andre the Giant.

An estimated live audience of “at least 15,000” spectators at a now-demolished stadium in suburb of Detroit cheered Hogan to victory in a 12-minute match that has largely been forgotten by wrestling fans and historians alike.

Commentator Gorilla Monsoon described the showdown as: “The sizeable force meeting the sturdy object.”

While the match is generally unremarkable in terms of “high spots” and “workrate,” it does feature the rather impressive feat of Hogan bodyslamming Andre the Giant, who at the time weighed well over 250 pounds.

Forthcoming episodes of Hidden Gems will feature other matches from the same event, including a bout pitting Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat against “Macho Man” Randy Savage — a clumsy botch-fest generally regarded by those who have seen it as one of the worst wrestling matches of all time.

 

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