The feud between Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage developed out of The Mega Powers, the partnership they formed in the WWF in 1987. Their alliance began after The Honky Tonk Man and The Hart Foundation attacked Savage on Saturday Night’s Main Event, leading Miss Elizabeth to bring Hogan to the ring to help him.
Hogan later helped Savage defeat Ted DiBiase in the WrestleMania IV tournament final to win the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, and Hogan and Savage went on to defeat DiBiase and Andre the Giant at SummerSlam 1988.
After a successful run together through 1988, the first signs of trouble between Hogan and Savage appeared in early 1989. Hogan accidentally eliminated Savage from the 1989 Royal Rumble, leading to an argument that Elizabeth stopped. On February 3, Savage and Hogan faced The Twin Towers, Big Boss Man and Akeem on The Main Event II.
Savage was thrown from the ring and collided with Elizabeth. Hogan carried her backstage for medical attention, leaving Savage to fight by himself. When Hogan returned, Savage slapped him instead of tagging him and walked away.
Hogan still won the match, but Savage confronted him backstage afterward, accused Hogan of having designs on both Elizabeth and the WWF Championship, struck Hogan with the title belt, and attacked him until Brutus Beefcake and officials intervened.
Their first major singles match came at WrestleMania V. Elizabeth remained neutral before eventually being ordered away from ringside after trying to assist both men. Savage controlled significant stretches of the match and landed his flying elbow drop, but Hogan kicked out, rallied, and pinned Savage following the big boot and leg drop to win the WWF World Heavyweight Championship.
The feud continued through the summer. Savage aligned with Sensational Sherri and Zeus, while Hogan teamed with Brutus Beefcake and had Elizabeth in their corner. Hogan and Beefcake defeated Savage and Zeus at SummerSlam 1989, then beat them again in a steel cage match that aired as part of No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie.
Hogan and Savage faced each other again for the WWF Championship on The Main Event III in February 1990, with heavyweight boxing champion Buster Douglas serving as the guest outside referee. After the regular referee went down, Douglas entered the ring and made the deciding count following Hogan’s leg drop. Hogan retained the championship, and Douglas knocked Savage down with a punch after Savage confronted him following the match.
Years later, Hogan and Savage became allies again in WCW, but Hogan turned on Savage at Bash at the Beach 1996. Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger represented WCW against Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and their mystery partner. Hogan appeared late and initially seemed ready to help WCW. Instead, he dropped his leg on Savage and revealed himself as Hall and Nash’s third man, leading to the formation of the New World Order (nWo).
Savage challenged Hollywood Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Halloween Havoc 1996. Savage appeared close to winning after knocking Hogan down and hitting the flying elbow drop, but The Giant attacked Savage outside the ring and gave him a chokeslam. Hogan then covered Savage to retain the championship.
Later that year, Savage disappeared from WCW television and did not return until January 1997. He initially appeared alongside Sting against the nWo, but that changed at SuperBrawl VII when Savage helped Hogan retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Roddy Piper and joined the group himself. After spending much of 1996 fighting Hogan and the nWo, Savage had become one of Hogan’s allies.
Hogan and Savage remained together in the nWo through most of 1997, but tension grew between them as the group began to split in early 1998. At SuperBrawl VIII, several nWo members interfered during Savage’s match against Lex Luger. Savage and Luger fought them off before Hogan came to ringside and told the group not to help Savage. Luger then put Savage in the Torture Rack and made him submit.
Savage got revenge later that night during Hogan’s WCW World Heavyweight Championship match against Sting. Savage struck Hogan with a foreign object, helping Sting defeat Hogan for the vacant championship.
Their problems continued over the next several weeks and led to a steel cage match at Uncensored on March 15. The Disciple attacked the referees and entered the cage to help Hogan, which brought Sting down from the rafters to help Savage. Savage then turned on Sting and attacked him before leaving the cage. The match between Hogan and Savage ended without a winner.
The WCW World Heavyweight Championship soon became part of the rivalry again. Savage challenged Sting in a No Disqualification match at Spring Stampede on April 19, 1998. Hogan interfered and knocked Savage from the top rope, but Kevin Nash later entered and gave Sting a Jackknife Powerbomb while the referee was down. Nash placed Savage on top of Sting, allowing Savage to win the championship.
Savage’s reign lasted only one day. Hogan challenged him the following night on Nitro, where The Disciple helped Hogan and Kevin Nash came out to support Savage. Nash eventually gave Hogan a Jackknife Powerbomb and placed Savage on top of him, but Bret Hart entered and hit Nash with the championship belt. Hart then put Hogan on top of Savage and pulled referee Nick Patrick into position to make the count. Hogan won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and ended Savage’s reign.
The problems between Hogan and Savage became part of the larger nWo split. Hogan remained with the black-and-white nWo Hollywood, while Savage joined Kevin Nash in the red-and-black nWo Wolfpac. The two former Mega Powers were once again on opposite sides, this time as members of rival nWo groups.
Hogan and Savage didn’t have another major singles match until the summer of 1999. At Bash at the Beach on July 11, Savage and Sid Vicious faced WCW World Heavyweight Champion Kevin Nash and Sting in a tag team match. The stipulation allowed anyone who pinned Nash to become champion, and Savage won the title by pinning Nash after interference from Gorgeous George and Sid.
The following night on Nitro, Savage challenged anyone except Nash to face him for the championship. Hogan returned and accepted, setting up the final match between the two.
Several people became involved in the match. Madusa and Miss Madness tried to interfere before fighting with each other and being removed from ringside. Sid Vicious later attacked Hogan, while Gorgeous George gave Savage a chain. Sting came out and fought Sid after Sid attempted to powerbomb Hogan, but Savage struck Hogan with the chain and covered him.
Kevin Nash then pulled the referee out of the ring before the count could be completed and gave Savage a Jackknife Powerbomb. Hogan covered Savage when the referee returned and won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The loss ended Savage’s final world-title reign after one day and marked the final match between Hogan and Savage.
The Hogan-Savage rivalry spanned ten years and two major periods in American professional wrestling. They were partners, rivals, world champions, nWo teammates, and eventually members of opposing nWo factions.
Their rivalry included the breakup of the Mega Powers, the main event of WrestleMania V, Hogan’s formation of the nWo, the split between nWo Hollywood and the Wolfpac, and several WWF and WCW World Heavyweight Championship matches. The story changed as their careers changed, but their history together continued to bring them back into conflict.
The rivalry also connected two important periods in professional wrestling history. Hogan and Savage first became rivals during the WWF’s late-1980s boom, then renewed their feud during WCW’s rise in the Monday Night War. Their history together covered the Mega Powers, WrestleMania, the formation and later split of the nWo, and multiple world-title changes, giving their rivalry a place in the history of both the WWF and WCW.
