Tony schiavone Recalls Infamous Fingerpoke Of Doom
The “Fingerpoke of Doom” remains one of the most talked-about moments in professional wrestling history. Tony Schiavone, the former WCW announcer, recently revisited the infamous incident on the 83 Weeks podcast. He explained the chaotic circumstances surrounding the match and why it unfolded the way it did.
On January 4, 1999, Hulk Hogan was scheduled to defend the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Ric Flair.Though, Hogan was legitimately dealing with back issues. This forced a last-minute change to the match plan.Schiavone revealed that the original idea was for Hogan to simply lay down for Flair, giving him the title.
“The idea was for Hulk to just lay down,” Schiavone stated. “And then, I don’t know who came up with it, but somebody said, ‘What if Ric just pokes him in the chest?’ And I thought, ‘Oh, that’s good.’ it’s a heel move. Ric Flair is a heel, and Hulk Hogan is the babyface. So, it made sense.”
Though, communication broke down. Hogan wasn’t fully informed about the extent of the plan. He believed he was supposed to sell a punch, not a simple finger poke. This led to Hogan reacting as if he’d been seriously injured, dramatically falling to the mat after Flair’s light touch.
“Hulk didn’t know it was just a finger poke,” Schiavone continued.“He thought he was supposed to take a punch. So, he went down like he’d been shot. And that’s what made it so bad.”
The reaction from fans was overwhelmingly negative. Many viewers felt the finish was disrespectful and undermined the prestige of the championship. It’s widely considered a pivotal moment that contributed to WCW’s decline and the rise of WWE. schiavone acknowledges the criticism but maintains it wasn’t intended to be a debacle.
“We didn’t try to ruin wrestling,” Schiavone emphasized. “We were just trying to come up with something different. it didn’t work, and we all know that.”
You can listen to the full podcast episode here.
