10 Best WWF Championship Matches Of Hulk Hogan's First Reign, According To Cagematch (1984-1988)

Monday. January 23. Year 1984. Madison Square Garden. New York City. United States of America. This was exactly when and where professional wrestling changed forever. The night "Hulkamania" was born after Hulk Hogan famously dropped the "big leg" on mega-heel The Iron Sheik and won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship for the very first time. With The Hulkster on top, Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation would experience a major boom throughout the mid-to-late 1980s that would eventually lead to the creation of WrestleMania, the biggest stage WWF (now WWE) has to offer.

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Hogan was the face of the company during that era, and his first reign would last a whopping 1,474 days until he controversially "lost" to Andre the Giant at The Main Event on February 5, 1988. Hulk Hogan's first WWF Championship reign remains one of the greatest title runs in wrestling history, with Hogan successfully retaining the belt against some of the best heels of all time, such as Andre, Roddy Piper and 'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff, just to name a few. In this article, we'll be taking a look at Hulk Hogan's highest-rated title bouts during that run, according to Cagematch.

Note: The following Cagematch ratings are updated as of October 6, 2025.

10. Hulk Hogan Vs. Paul Orndorff (Saturday Night's Main Event #7 - October 4, 1986)

Cagematch Rating: 5.88

Stipulation	Singles Match
Time	11:00
Winner	Hulk Hogan (DQ)
Cagematch Rating	5.88

It's impossible to talk about Hulk Hogan's first WWF Championship reign without mentioning Paul Orndorff's name. One of the most effective heels of the Golden Era, Mr. Wonderful stole Hogan's iconic theme song Real American on his way to the ring. That added even more heat to their WWF Championship bout on the seventh edition of Saturday Night's Main Event. Speaking of heat, Bobby Heenan (who was managing Orndorff at the time) was brilliant as always, and his presence only elevated the match.

With the help of his manager and several underhanded tactics, the challenger nearly walked out of the Richfield Coliseum as the new WWF Champion. However, Hogan managed to block Orndorff's piledriver by backdropping his opponent at the last possible second. The Hulkster, possibly seeking revenge for Orndorff stealing his theme song earlier, went for his own version of the piledriver, but Adrian Adonis' interference prevented him from scoring the pinfall victory. Then, in a moment no one thought would ever happen, Roddy Piper - one of Hogan's greatest rivals - came out to even the odds and save the champion from a two-on-one beatdown.

Looking back, this is definitely one of Hulk Hogan's most notable title defenses during his first reign, so a higher rating on Cagematch wouldn't hurt it, even with a commercial break in the middle.

9. Hulk Hogan Vs. Terry Funk (WWF On PRISM Network - December 7, 1985)

Cagematch Rating: 5.88

Stipulation	Singles Match
Time	10:39
Winner	Hulk Hogan
Cagematch Rating	5.88

The legendary Terry Funk had a brief WWF run between 1985 and 1986. Although The Funker's WWF run had its moments, the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion simply felt like a fish out of water. His presentation in Vince McMahon's promotion was a bit sillier than usual (something that Cagematch user danzitorock mentions in his review of this match) but Terry Funk, ever the professional, did everything he could to make it work. With 'The Mouth of the South' Jimmy Hart by his side, Terry Funk challenged Hulk Hogan for the world title at the Philadelphia Spectrum.

Terry thought he had the match won after falling on top of Hogan while the champion was going for a suplex, but Hogan got his foot on the ropes just before the three count. Jimmy Hart tried to attack Hogan with his shoe while the referee was distracted, but it backfired as The Hulkster knocked Hart off the apron and proceeded to hit Funk with the shoe to retain the belt. While not a classic by any means, this was yet another fun title defense for The Hulkster against one of his greatest challengers in terms of pure in-ring ability.

8. Hulk Hogan Vs. The Iron Sheik (WWF On MSG Network - January 23, 1984)

Cagematch Rating: 6.00

Stipulation	Singles Match
Time	5:40
Winner	Hulk Hogan
Cagematch Rating	6.00

Originally, my plan was to include Hulk Hogan's title defenses only because, for all intents and purposes, The Iron Sheik was the WWF Champion until the final bell rang at Madison Square Garden on January 23, 1984. But when I was doing my research on Cagematch and saw that this match was eligible, I simply couldn't leave it off the list. After all, like I already mentioned in the intro, this match marked the beginning of Hulk Hogan's iconic title reign.

To modern fans watching back today, this match may seem overrated given it's just a simple five-minute match from bell to bell. However, Hulk Hogan vs Iron Sheik is one of those bouts where the in-ring work doesn’t even matter. It was always about the moment to begin with, and it worked brilliantly. When Hogan escaped the Camel Clutch and dropped the big leg on Sheik to become the new champion, the fans in New York City went absolutely wild.

The fact that this bout is still relevant over four decades later - and will be for generations to come - leaves no doubt this is a genuine all-time classic.

7. Hulk Hogan Vs. Paul Orndorff (WWF Saturday Night's Main Event #9 - January 3, 1987)

Cagematch Rating: 6.35

Stipulation	Steel Cage Match
Time	10:42
Winner	Hulk Hogan
Cagematch Rating	6.35

Paul Orndorff makes his second appearance on this list. After the aforementioned DQ finish at Saturday Night's Main Event #7 (and countless house show battles), the two men met one final time inside a steel cage with Hulk Hogan's World Wrestling Federation Championship up for grabs at Saturday Night's Main Event #9. Hogan was ready to move on to a massive program with Andre the Giant heading into the main event of WrestleMania 3, but he still had one final entertaining brawl against Mr. Wonderful left in him.

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Much like in their previous SNME match, Paul Orndorff stole Hogan's theme song on his way to the ring. The match was intense as expected, with both men trying to inflict as much punishment on each other as possible after years of (on-and-off) feuding. At one point, both Hogan and Orndorff climbed out of the cage at the same time and both referees declared each man the winner. Naturally, the bout would be restarted and the drama would only escalate from there. Despite Bobby Heenan's best efforts to help Orndorff, it simply wasn't enough. The Hulkster ultimately escaped the cage and retained his belt.

6. Hulk Hogan Vs. Roddy Piper (WWF On MSG Network - February 18, 1985)

Cagematch Rating: 6.36

Stipulation	Singles Match
Time	7:40
Winner	Hulk Hogan (DQ)
Cagematch Rating	6.36

This championship match, which was promoted as The War To Settle The Score and aired on MTV, was a big deal at the time. It was far more than just the top heel challenging the top babyface for the world championship; everyone could feel the World Wrestling Federation was entering a new era. The rock 'n' wrestling boom was upon us, and Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper couldn't have done more to sell the hot product to a brand new audience. When you watch this match, you can feel the champion and challenger truly hated each other, which definitely elevated the quality of this title bout.

With a packed Madison Square Garden (22,092 fans in attendance) ready to explode, Hogan and Piper started off hot by brawling right from the get-go. The people absolutely hated Piper and many fans seemed to be ready to jump the railing when 'The Rowdy One' was in control, and they nearly threw their babies in the air every time The Hulkster fought back. The environment in this match was so special that not even a DQ finish could've ruined it. The bout was thrown off after Paul Orndorff, Bob Orton, Cyndi Lauper and eventually Mr. T got involved and a huge brawl erupted, forcing the "police" to break it up.

Now, one could argue this war didn't settle anything - in fact, it only added fuel to the fire - but no one can blame Vince McMahon for "cheating" the fans here. This match/angle was done to promote the main event of the very first WrestleMania, and the execution couldn't have been any better.

5. Hulk Hogan Vs. Paul Orndorff (WWF The Big Event 1986)

Cagematch Rating: 6.37

Stipulation	Singles Match
Time	11:05
Winner	Hulk Hogan (DQ)
Cagematch Rating	6.37

As you can tell by now, wrestling fans and reviewers on Cagematch really enjoyed Hulk Hogan's rivalry with Paul Orndorff. In-between the main event of WrestleMania 1 and the aforementioned battles in late 1986 and early 1987, Mr. Wonderful turned face and formed a brief partnership with the World Champion. Everything seemed fine between the former rivals... until Bobby Heenan (of course!) got involved and reminded Orndorff that he was still living in Hogan's shadow. During a tag team match against Heenan Family members King Kong Bundy & Big John Studd, Hogan accidentally knocked his partner off the apron. Orndorff snapped immediately after the match, attacking Hogan with a brutal piledriver.

After turning heel and joining Bobby Heenan, Paul Orndorff resumed his program with Hulk Hogan, and the pair would go on to draw massive houses for months. One of their biggest was at Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition Stadium for WWF The Big Event in August. In the main event, Hogan and Orndorff battled in front of an electric crowd of 74,080 fans in attendance who couldn't get enough of The Hulkster. The in-ring psychology was top-notch too, with Orndorff viciously targeting Hogan's neck to set up his piledriver.

Many Cagematch users criticized the DQ ending, so there's a chance this match would've been even higher on the list with a decisive finish. But from a business standpoint, it's hard to fault WWF management for wanting to extend this program. Just one month later, their rematch in Los Angeles drew over 16,000 fans, and in October another 21,000 fans filled the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit (among many other strong sell-outs). They were right to squeeze that orange as much as possible!

4. Hulk Hogan Vs. King Harley Race (WWF On MSG Network - June 14, 1987)

Cagematch Rating: 6.42

Stipulation	Texas Death Match
Time	9:56
Winner	Hulk Hogan
Cagematch Rating	6.42

Hulk Hogan had a different 1987 compared to previous years. His main rival, Andre the Giant, was sidelined for months after WrestleMania 3 due to health issues and wouldn't return until Survivor Series season. As a result, The Hulkster spent most of the year defending his strap against glorified "challengers of the month" (with all due respect) such as Sika, Killer Khan and The One Man Gang, among others. One of his most fascinating challengers during that stretch was NWA legend and former World Heavyweight Champion, Harley Race (or King Harley Race, as he was known in the WWF), who challenged Hogan several times throughout the spring and summer of '87.

While Harley Race was no longer in his prime, the former champion could still go when the bell rang. His Texas Death Match against Hogan for the WWF Championship in June was really good. The match lasted less than ten minutes, but Harley and Hogan had great chemistry so they didn't need more than that to put on an entertaining bout. The match was chaotic and wild, as one would expect given the stipulation. From a technical standpoint alone, it might've been Hogan's greatest match in 1987. Naturally, Hulk Hogan retained his championship in the end, and the two would have an even better match on Saturday Night's Main Event the following year, shortly before WrestleMania 4.

3. Hulk Hogan Vs. Terry Funk (WWF Saturday Night's Main Event #4 - January 4, 1986)

Cagematch Rating: 6.75

Stipulation	Singles Match
Time	8:30
Winner	Hulk Hogan
Cagematch Rating	6.75

Speaking of former NWA World Heavyweight Champions with great technical ability who had great chemistry with Hulk Hogan, Terry Funk makes another appearance on this list with yet another memorable WWF Title match against The Hulkster, this time at Saturday Night's Main Event. This was another Hogan bout that was more fun than technically brilliant per se, but it's hard not to watch this with a smile on your face.

Terry Funk seemed determined to make Hulk Hogan look like a billion dollars in this one, bumping around and selling The Hulkster's moves like a madman. But if you think The Funker only took a beating here, you'd be wrong. He actually scored a few convincing nearfalls and came close to leaving Saturday Night's Main Event as the new World Wrestling Federation Champion, but ultimately came up short after Hogan delivered a rare Axe Bomber to retain his title.

2. Hulk Hogan Vs. Randy Savage (WWF On NESN - May 24, 1986)

Cagematch Rating: 6.80

Stipulation	Singles Match
Time	13:58
Winner	Randy Savage (count-out)
Cagematch Rating	6.80

After Hulk Hogan dropped the championship to Andre the Giant in early 1988, Randy Savage would go on to win the vacant title in a tournament at WrestleMania 4. That set the stage for their iconic partnership-turned-rivalry, culminating in the legendary main event of WrestleMania 5, where Hogan defeated Savage to capture the title for the second time. But years before that unforgettable storyline, Macho Man actually challenged The Hulkster during his first reign as WWF Champion.

If you want to see how you can be engaging with minimal contact (...) you know everything you need to know about their characters within seconds, even if you had never watched a second of wrestling before. - cactus (Cagematch user)

This quote from Cagematch user cactus perfectly describes the match Hogan and Savage had in Boston in May 1986. While some fans didn't appreciate Savage's early stalling, it was actually essential because it allowed Savage to really get under people's skin and set the tone for the rest of the bout. Randy Savage even managed to score a rare victory over Hogan, albeit via count-out. It's not as great or as memorable as their future encounters, but it's still a fun match to revisit and an early glimpse of the chemistry that would define their feud.

1. Hulk Hogan Vs. Randy Savage (WWF On PRISM Network - September 28, 1985)

Cagematch Rating: 7.56

Stipulation	Singles Match
Time	11:17
Winner	Hulk Hogan
Cagematch Rating	7.56

The first Hulk Hogan vs Randy Savage match took place nearly one year earlier, surprisingly. In September 1985, just three months after Macho Man debuted in the World Wrestling Federation, the charismatic superstar got a world title shot against the face of the company in front of 19,710 fans at the Philadelphia Spectrum. That alone showed how much trust WWF management already had in Savage, and he proved he belonged in that spot by delivering a fantastic performance.

Once again, some fans criticized Randy Savage's early stalling, but others - like Cagematch user puroraisedme, who called it "incredible stalling" - praised it online. Randy Savage's heel work was, indeed, incredible and Hogan, to his credit, knew exactly how to play off his opponent. Their chemistry was undeniable, and this match served as the first glimpse of the legendary rivalry they would go on to have later in the decade.

My Honorable Mention

Hulk Hogan Vs. Andre The Giant (WWF WrestleMania 3)

Even though Hulk Hogan's clash with Andre the Giant in the main event of WrestleMania 3 didn't crack the top ten highest-rated WWF Title defenses on Cagematch (currently sitting at a 5.69 rating), I just couldn't finish this article without mentioning it. While some of the matches on this list, if not all of them, might have been better from bell to bell, none had the sheer spectacle of Hogan vs Andre.

It perfectly encapsulated what Hulk Hogan was all about. Whether he was slamming Andre the Giant in front of 93,000 fans, brawling with the likes of Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, or battling technical experts like Randy Savage and Harley Race, The Hulkster had the unique ability to make fans in attendance (or watching at home) forget the real word for a few minutes, and simply believe.

Did Cagematch users forget any classic? Let me know in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!