Earl Hebner on the Twin Referee Angle Where Andre the Giant Beat Hulk Hogan at The Main Event in 1988, Believes Hulk Hogan Came Up With the Idea

– During a recent episode of Prime Time With Sean Mooney, Sean Mooney interviewed former WWE referee Earl Hebner. During the interview, Hebner discussed the twin referee angle with his brother Dave Hebner in the match where Andre the Giant pinned Hulk Hogan at The Main Event in 1988. The angle also marked Earl Hebner’s WWE debut. Below are some highlights.

Hebner on the twin referee angle where Hulk Hogan lost the belt at The Main Event in 1988: “Well, here’s the deal. They wanted Hogan to drop the belt, but they didn’t want to beat him clean. And then they thought about it and thought about it. And they figured, well hell, Dave’s got a twin brother. That’s perfect, and that’s how it worked. And Vince flew my brother and I up there, and we sat down and talked to him. It was great. It worked perfect. Then they kept playing, ‘Oh, it’s an impostor. They made him up. They made him up, or whatever.’ And then when it came out to being the truth, we were twins.”

Hebner on how he got into the building and hid in Vince’s office the night of the angle: “I can tell you how it happened. We went up to Connecticut, and me, my brother, and Hogan, and DiBiase as a matter of fact — whatever — we worked that thing and worked that thing for about four days, OK? It was the most kayfabe thing in the world that I ever can remember what kayfabe was, OK. Then, I went into the building. Everybody goes, ‘Hey Dave. Hey Dave!’ I go, ‘How you doin?’ I kept my head down and kept walking. I went into Vince’s office and stayed there for the whole day. Then Davey came in a little later, and it was like, nobody was looking for Dave because they knew Dave was already there. You know what I mean? It was great.”

Hebner on who came up with the idea: “Nobody called me. My brother told me and said, ‘Vince wants us to come up to Connecticut and wants to do a deal. And I said, ‘OK.’ I think Hogan was the one that really put the icing on the cake that said, ‘This is perfect. This is really what we need,’ from what I understand.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Prime Time With Sean Mooney with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.