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Ring Performance - 4 Terry Bollea AKA “The Hulk” “Hollywood” is the Babe Ruth of modern professional wrestling. To this, there can be no argument. He, along with Vince McMahon, invented what we call pro wrestling. Prior to these two men getting together, pro wrestling was much like a circus act, multiple regional organizations that relied on live audiences for their revenue. It was the demand created by Hulk Hogan that ushered in WrestleMania...an event that changed the landscape of “sports entertainment” forever. I will say this, Hogan was never a good wrestler. As you can see from my ranking, I gave him a 4 in his in-ring performance which could be a bit generous. He was basically an immobile brawler and was utterly incapable and, more importantly, unwilling to take bumps. His offensive skill set was basically kicks and punches and a slow motion leg-drop as a finisher. He was often painful to watch in the ring, he would stand around, get beat up for a few minutes and then powered by the Hulkamaniacs, he would “hulk” up and become superhuman and punch and clothesline his opponent into a daze so that he could do his 30 second run across the ring and plant the leg drop. It was not his wrestling ability that made him a star. It was his infectious charisma and his ability to buy into a character that made him great. There was never a time that I felt like he was acting, it really seemed that this guy was “Hulk Hogan” and only the true greats can pull this off without a hitch. The Hulkster also had the look of a wrestling legend. He was tremendously big by modern standards and positively gigantic in the mid 1980s. It is important to keep in mind that professional bodybuilders at the time typically weighed around 230 lbs while Hogan was a solid 275 at around 6'4. He claimed to have the largest arms in the world and I never really saw any evidence that he was wrong. He was one of the biggest men on the planet and the fact that he wrestled for as long as he did speaks to his toughness. It would be roughly akin to one of the world's strongest men competitors wrestling today. I know that many of you clowns out there think that modern wrestlers are big...often they are not, they are just quite lean. The 1980s wrestler was usually built more like a taller power lifter and we all know that looking like a power-lifter is much more masculine than being lean for the bitches. Of course the softer, rounder bodies of the 80s could have been due to the incredible amount of androgenic steroids these guys were taking (Anadrol, Dianabol). Modern wrestlers rely on Human Growth Hormone (HGH) to maintain muscle mass while staying lean, HGH was not widely used or synthesized in the 80s. Hogan epitomized the “80s weightlifter” more than anyone ever has even down to the weightlifting belt he wore while he wrestled. Hulk Hogan joined the WWF in 1979 as a heel, actually hired by Vince McMahon Sr. Hogan was immediately successful, successful enough to be offered a role in Rocky III. Vince Sr. refused this cross-promotional opportunity and thus Hogan left the WWF in 1981. He toiled in the AWA and in Japan for three years building his reputation as a master promoter and single-handedly carrying both organizations. In late 1983, Vince McMahon Jr. bought the WWF from his father and set out on his plan to build an international media empire. His first move was to rehire Hogan and make him the centerpiece of the WWF. Hogan won the WWF Championship three weeks into his second run in the WWF and would remain champion for an unprecedented four years. I would assume that most of us remember Hogan during these years. This was the era of “Hulkamania” that we are so fond of remembering. It was during this time that the WWF exploded into an international phenomenon. It was during this time also that he introduced his three demandments; train hard, say your prayers and take your vitamins. When translated into man language it really meant; Lift Heavy Weights, Cheat if Necessary and Take as many steroids as possible...and I could not think of a better set of demandments. Hulk Hogan became an icon at WrestleMania III where he faced Andre The Giant. It was held at the Pontiac Silverdome and over 90,000 people were in attendance. He picked up the 500lb+ man up and body slammed and pinned him. This was the first time that Andre The Giant had ever been pinned and this match (as horribly as it was wrestled) is the most famous match in pro wrestling history. He later went on to have a famous rivalry with the Ultimate Warrior who was the man who would defeat Hogan and end his four-year reign as WWF Champion. One of the problems with a wrestler like Hogan is that he was so built up during his championship run it made it hard for him and the promotion to book loses or just become part of the overall storyline of the sport. He toiled in the WWF having a few rivalries here and there but was always seemingly lost without the belt around his waist. In the late 80s and early 90s the WWF came under investigation for alleged steroid distribution under Vince McMahon and of course, Hogan was the central man in this investigation. At this time, McMahon had decided to promote smaller more technical wrestlers like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Hogan left the WWF in 1992 to concentrate on business interests such as movies and television. In 1994, he was lured to the WCW by Ted Turner and launched the “Hulkster” character which was of course the same red and yellow face he had always been. The WCW fans were generally unimpressed with this... they were fairly anti-WWF and they despised the new star of the WCW. In order to stay relevant Hogan decided to become a heel for the first time in his American career and became Hollywood Hogan. He, along with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, founded the most dominant stable in wrestling history...the New World Order. He became the WCW Champion and took the belt and spray painted it with a black N.W.O. The N.W.O stable led the WCW to 84 straight ratings victories over the WWF and at the time it seemed as if the WCW would soon overtake the WWF as the pre-eminent wrestling federation. The WCW got drunk with success and fell victim to never-ending backstage battles and a lack of institutional control that led to its ultimate demise. I don't have to explain the presence that Hulk Hogan has become. He now has that bitch show, Hogan Knows Best, and was able to launch his hot little daughter's soon to be over music career. Since the mid-1980s Hogan has been synonymous with wrestling and has done more to promote the sport of wrestling than all other wrestlers combined. |
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