Kamala vs. Hogan at WM3?

[Aceorton]

The story has long been that Paul Orndorff was kept off the WrestleMania 3 card as the backup plan in case Andre couldn't physically go against Hogan, but it seems like the WWF had a much better option in Kamala if they'd timed things differently. Nothing against Andre, but as an 8-year-old kid at that time, I considered Kamala the biggest threat to Hogan by a country mile. He was borderline uncontrollable, he was sending guys away on stretchers weekly, he had the top-rope splash as the insurmountable finisher ... I absolutely would have considered him just as big a threat as Andre was.

Has there ever been an indication that Kamala-Hogan at WM3 was ever briefly considered? Kamala had a house show run against Hogan from roughly November '86 to February '87, and in retrospect it feels like it could have been a bigger deal.

[tafkaga]

I've never heard of that.

I think the main value of Hogan vs. Andre was name value, which Kamala didn't have, even if he did seem like a big threat.

I can see 8 year old kid perhaps thinking Kamala had a chance of beating the Huckster, but it falls apart pretty quickly when applying adult logic. Kamala as WWF champion? Kamala was a villain of the week option for Hogan but in terms of a main event for the biggest show of the year, he didn't approach the credibility of Andre or Orndorff.

["Playboy" Don Douglas]

I’ll be honest, I’ve never bought the Orndorff scenario. I don’t think there was ever a plan outside of Hogan vs Andre.

[chrom]

Kamala might be the biggest star from that era who never appeared on WrestleMania. He wasn't on 3, he left before 4, he reappeared shortly after 8 and his planned match against Bigelow at 9 was scrapped

[chronocross]

They could have went to Hogan/Orndorff as it seemed like at the end of SNME that there was some controversy with the feet hitting the floor but Hogan/Andre was their major plan for WM3.

As for Kamala, he was just a monster for Hogan to go around the loop with on the house show circuit.

[fg]

Dec 6, 2022 14:26:43 GMT -5 chrom said:

Kamala might be the biggest star from that era who never appeared on WrestleMania. He wasn't on 3, he left before 4, he reappeared shortly after 8 and his planned match against Bigelow at 9 was scrapped

Don’t know if this counts but he appeared at the WM16 gimmick battle Royal.

[chrom]

Dec 6, 2022 16:05:08 GMT -5 fg said:

Dec 6, 2022 14:26:43 GMT -5 chrom said:

Kamala might be the biggest star from that era who never appeared on WrestleMania. He wasn't on 3, he left before 4, he reappeared shortly after 8 and his planned match against Bigelow at 9 was scrapped

Don’t know if this counts but he appeared at the WM16 gimmick battle Royal.

Oh he did? I forget

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

I don't know how far out Hogan and Andre was planned but it wouldn't surprise me if Hogan and Kamala was possibly planned or at the least considered. They were really pushing Kamala hard in the summer and fall of 86. Obviously Hogan and Kamala wasn't going to draw 93,000 but if they did it in a smaller venue I think it would've done well.

Interestingly enough they also teased a Kamala/Bundy heel vs. heel program that didn't go anywhere. Surprised they didn't at least go with that for Mania III instead of the six man with the midgets. They did have some house show matches with Kamala winning them all clean and in short order which really illustrates how hard they were pushing him as Bundy had main evented Mania 2 against Hogan only like seven months before.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Dec 6, 2022 17:11:05 GMT -5 chrom said:

Dec 6, 2022 16:05:08 GMT -5 fg said:

Don’t know if this counts but he appeared at the WM16 gimmick battle Royal.

Oh he did? I forget

He even made the Legends of WrestleMania game based on his legendary appearance in that match.

[sungod2020]

Dec 6, 2022 17:28:31 GMT -5 ThankGodForSidJustice said:

I don't know how far out Hogan and Andre was planned but it wouldn't surprise me if Hogan and Kamala was possibly planned or at the least considered. They were really pushing Kamala hard in the summer and fall of 86. Obviously Hogan and Kamala wasn't going to draw 93,000 but if they did it in a smaller venue I think it would've done well.

Interestingly enough they also teased a Kamala/Bundy heel vs. heel program that didn't go anywhere. Surprised they didn't at least go with that for Mania III instead of the six man with the midgets. They did have some house show matches with Kamala winning them all clean and in short order which really illustrates how hard they were pushing him as Bundy had main evented Mania 2 against Hogan only like seven months before.

I didn't know that. With that newfound info, it looks like they REALLY gave up on Bundy's push with that six man midget match being the exclamation mark on how far down the card he went. 

Back on topic, I don't think Hogan vs. Kamala for Wrestlemania III would sell or even establish Mania as the big name spectacle that we came to know it as, which is what the company was going for. Hogan vs. Andre was THE match that people wanted to see since they were the two biggest names at the time, Hogan vs. Kamala belonged on Saturday Night's Main Event at best.

[fw91]

Obviously Wouldn’t have worked as well

[chrom]

Dec 6, 2022 19:03:33 GMT -5 sungod2020 said:

Dec 6, 2022 17:28:31 GMT -5 ThankGodForSidJustice said:

I don't know how far out Hogan and Andre was planned but it wouldn't surprise me if Hogan and Kamala was possibly planned or at the least considered. They were really pushing Kamala hard in the summer and fall of 86. Obviously Hogan and Kamala wasn't going to draw 93,000 but if they did it in a smaller venue I think it would've done well.

Interestingly enough they also teased a Kamala/Bundy heel vs. heel program that didn't go anywhere. Surprised they didn't at least go with that for Mania III instead of the six man with the midgets. They did have some house show matches with Kamala winning them all clean and in short order which really illustrates how hard they were pushing him as Bundy had main evented Mania 2 against Hogan only like seven months before.

I didn't know that. With that newfound info, it looks like they REALLY gave up on Bundy's push with that six man midget match being the exclamation mark on how far down the card he went. 

Back on topic, I don't think Hogan vs. Kamala for Wrestlemania III would sell or even establish Mania as the big name spectacle that we came to know it as, which is what the company was going for. Hogan vs. Andre was THE match that people wanted to see since they were the two biggest names at the time, Hogan vs. Kamala belonged on Saturday Night's Main Event at best.

Gorilla badgered Heenan about the two facing off against in a match here in Kamala facing a young Mick Foley (pronounced Failey)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=U52_IbMlyTk

[CMWaters]

Nothing major to add to this except a magazine cover from that time period:

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

Dec 6, 2022 19:03:33 GMT -5 sungod2020 said:

Dec 6, 2022 17:28:31 GMT -5 ThankGodForSidJustice said:

I don't know how far out Hogan and Andre was planned but it wouldn't surprise me if Hogan and Kamala was possibly planned or at the least considered. They were really pushing Kamala hard in the summer and fall of 86. Obviously Hogan and Kamala wasn't going to draw 93,000 but if they did it in a smaller venue I think it would've done well.

Interestingly enough they also teased a Kamala/Bundy heel vs. heel program that didn't go anywhere. Surprised they didn't at least go with that for Mania III instead of the six man with the midgets. They did have some house show matches with Kamala winning them all clean and in short order which really illustrates how hard they were pushing him as Bundy had main evented Mania 2 against Hogan only like seven months before.

I didn't know that. With that newfound info, it looks like they REALLY gave up on Bundy's push with that six man midget match being the exclamation mark on how far down the card he went. 

Back on topic, I don't think Hogan vs. Kamala for Wrestlemania III would sell or even establish Mania as the big name spectacle that we came to know it as, which is what the company was going for. Hogan vs. Andre was THE match that people wanted to see since they were the two biggest names at the time, Hogan vs. Kamala belonged on Saturday Night's Main Event at best.

I agree but it was still in it's early stages. I mean Hogan and Bundy wasn't some huge match either and that main evented the year before.

[sungod2020]

Dec 6, 2022 19:14:58 GMT -5 ThankGodForSidJustice said:

Dec 6, 2022 19:03:33 GMT -5 sungod2020 said:

I didn't know that. With that newfound info, it looks like they REALLY gave up on Bundy's push with that six man midget match being the exclamation mark on how far down the card he went. 

Back on topic, I don't think Hogan vs. Kamala for Wrestlemania III would sell or even establish Mania as the big name spectacle that we came to know it as, which is what the company was going for. Hogan vs. Andre was THE match that people wanted to see since they were the two biggest names at the time, Hogan vs. Kamala belonged on Saturday Night's Main Event at best.

I agree but it was still in it's early stages. I mean Hogan and Bundy wasn't some huge match either and that main evented the year before.

You're right, but that was when WWF was still trying to find its footing with establishing Wrestlemania as this global phenomenon, hence the overload on celebrities and the three city fiasco. Plus, this was in the Hogan vs. Monster period before they switched it to the Hogan vs. former friend who turns on him(starting with Paul Orndorff). 

With Andre The Giant, he was his biggest(both literally and figuratively) friend who turned his against him, so not only was it a combination of the previous two formulas, it was THE biggest name of that era(not named Hulk Hogan of course), so the stars really aligned for that one. Hogan vs. Kamala would come off as a repeat of the previous Wrestlemania. I don't think it would've failed per se, but it certainly wouldn't have had the magnitude that it would with Andre. 

[Squirrel Master]

Dec 6, 2022 19:10:23 GMT -5 CMWaters said:

Nothing major to add to this except a magazine cover from that time period:

I had that magazine!

[jason1980s]

Dec 6, 2022 14:26:43 GMT -5 chrom said:

Kamala might be the biggest star from that era who never appeared on WrestleMania. He wasn't on 3, he left before 4, he reappeared shortly after 8 and his planned match against Bigelow at 9 was scrapped

I was a huge Kamala fan but the man never stayed in a promotion. I know it was normal for an attraction to leave in the 80s but everything he said was he was always getting screwed on money. He even said this when people were donating money to him and he wasn't happy the amount was small. He was his own worst enemy only staying so long in major promotions after the attraction runs. It stinks he wasn't on III. He and Sika were an established team and could he destroyed Powers and Roma but they weren't really a name team yet. The Islanders probably needed to be protected for a heel turn. I loved the early Wrestlemanias with 12 or so matches but III was jam packed as it was.

He deserved to be on IX though. Just give he and Bam Bam a short squash match or a double countout like he did with Papa Shango at the time. I forgot he was on 16. I'm sure he complained about that pay day LOL. I do feel bad he wasn't given a stash of those Hasbro Kamala moon toys and sold them for thousands of dollars for himself.


I think he and Hogan could have been done but not in the Silverdome. Most likely a normal 20+ thousand arena but with the Big Event Vince saw the potential of a major stadium show for Wrestlemania. I think they would have needed to plan it almost from the get go when he returned or at least November, giving him a few months of destroying name people early on.