February 15, 1986 didn’t seem that important to many of us at the time, but in reality, the WWE was growing exponentially and were building toward their second WrestleMania. It was another step in Vince McMahon’s bid to dominate the world of professional wrestling, and the fifth edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event gave him the platform to set up the card for the upcoming pay-per-view, but also to put Hulk Hogan over more than he already was.. To do that, Hogan was “injured” by King Kong Bundy the same night Hogan’s “Real American” video premiered.
They played us like a fiddle, and it was awesome
At the time, there was a push toward the pay-per-view, but it wasn’t the phenomena it is now. Sure we were excited for it, but we didn’t have a monthly show like currently. It was still growing and McMahon used the Saturday Night’s Main Event (it aired March 1, 1986) masterfully.
Some of the card included Mr. T beating “Cowboy” Bob Orton Jr. in a boxing match. Mr. T was then attacked by Roddy Piper with a belt, setting up their WrestleMania 2 boxing match.
The Dream Team (Brutus Beefcake and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine) beat the British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid) to keep their tag team championship, setting up a rematch in the upcoming WrestleMania.
But it was a seemingly routine title defense by Hulk Hogan that really set the stage and had fans crying, literally.
An icon crushed
Hulk Hogan held onto the WWF World Heavyweight Championship by beating the Magnificent Don Muraco by disqualification.
The disqualification came when Bobby Heenan kicked Hogan as he was about to pin Moraco. King Kong Bundy (he beat Steve Gatorwolf earlier in the night) then attacked Hogan from behind, and with Heenan directing traffic, Muraco held Hogan in place in a corner for Bundy to land several Avalanche splashes, then did the same in the center of the ring.
The result was a badly injured Hulk Hogan that had to be taken out on a stretcher. Young fans in attendance were horrified and in tears.
Following Bundy’s attack, Hulk Hogan’s “Real American” video premiered with a solemn-hearted introduction by Vince McMahon. It felt like a tribute to a fallen hero complete with a closing locker with Hogan’s gold crucifix hanging on the locker’s handle after the video played. It had the desired effect. It’s probably also part of the reason it’s one of the most popular themes and videos in the WWE Universe. It’s quality can’t be understated.
It felt like Hogan had died or was seriously hurt, and Hogan later said the letters he received afterwards and the outpouring of support was at a level he never expected.
All of this was to set up Hogan and Bundy’s WrestleMania 2 steel cage match, which showed Hogan’s ability to face any variety of heels, especially one of Bundy’s size and brutality, while his “injured” ribs were taped up. While the main event at WrestleMania 2 is average as far as main events go, it’s a masterclass on how to play on fans’ emotions as well as a clinic by Hogan on how to tell a story just through one’s body language, both that are sorely missing in today’s wrestling world.
A couple of fun facts
There have been reports that Hogan’s injury was written in to be so serious because he was heading off to shoot an episode for the A-Team.
Another one, on a personal note, is this Saturday Night’s Main Event was the first one I ever saw, and I was a huge King Kong Bundy fan so it was a double win for me.
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