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The W - Pro Wrestling - " Hulkamoronics 101"
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Pheadfred
Pickled pork








Since: 9.2.02
From: Nashville

Since last post: 7734 days
Last activity: 6817 days
#1 Posted on
Disclaimer : Before I begin let me say , I really am not dising on anyone for liking Hogan , I'm just looking for answers to the whole " Hulkamania " phenomenon .

OK , so I got to thinking (that is definitely NOT a good thing), but what is that anyone has ever seen in Hogan and the whole "Hulkamania" thing ?

Then I got to thinking again ( now my head is hurting ),
what's the first thing that pops into my mind when I hear the name Hogan ? My answer to my own question was...

Hogan = Unfuckinbeliveable !
Right place , right time . Not an ounce of talent .


So is there any little " Hulkamaniacs " , or Hulkhaters for that matter , interested in participating in a little "Hulkamoronics 101 " and playing some word association ?

Don't be ashamed to speak up if you like the man , really I'm not trying to be disrespectful , I would just like to here peoples opinions and maybe then I'll get a better understanding of the disease known as " Hulkamania " .





"Damnit Peggy , here I am trying to contain an outbreak and you're driving the monkey to the airport. " - Hank Hill
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Scrapple








Since: 2.1.02
From: Hawthorne, CA

Since last post: 137 days
Last activity: 137 days
#2 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.95
I think it was a combination of right place/right time, the look, and INSANE amounts of charisma.



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rockdotcom_2.0
Frankfurter








Since: 9.1.02
From: Virginia Beach Va

Since last post: 4025 days
Last activity: 10 days
#3 Posted on
Sometimes I wish people would try to take off their smark glasses and try to view Hulk Hogan in a diffrent light. Before anyone knew about the so called backstage politics and all that.

If you were to ask me why Hulk Hogan got so big, the 26 year old guy will tell you that he had incredible charisma, a great look, great mic skills (for the 80's), good ring skills (again, for the 80's), Vince Mcmahon gave him the ball and Hogan became the most over babyface and the biggest money draw in the history of the sport.

The 9 year old kid who used to love Hogan will just say that Hogan was simply larger then life in the 1980s. Everytime he hit the screen I went nuts. When he would "Hulk Up" at the end of a match and pull out the win over whatever hated villian he was wrestling, I went nuts then too.When he slammed Andre the Giant at WM3 I nearly jumped through my roof. As I grew older I became less of a little Hulkamaniac, but I still didnt hate Hogan, I just outgrew the Hulkamaniac phase. I really started to get into NWA at the time for Ric Flair and the horsemen, Ricky Steamboat and others.

Look some people dont like Hogan, the net crowd turned on him because of his so called political power, and his refusal to give up his top spot. Maybe thats valid, but I still dont hate Hogan. The Wrestling business is what it is today because of him. Thats an awesome legacy and its hard for someone to just fade away from the spotlight when theyve done so much in the world. Past presidents and athlets have the same problem waliking away from the spotlight. Anyway maybe some of you are older than me and didnt get caught up in Hulkamania like I did but as a kid I couldnt escape it. Or maybe the younger folks grew up in the attitude era and are comparing him in his twilight years to Stone Cold or the Rock which I think is a little unfair. In his prime no one could do it like Hogan, thats the bottom line. Anyway Im rambling, fred I hop i helped you a bit.








Lyrically Im supposed to represent, Im not only a client Im the player-president.....

The Notorious B.I.G.
Dr Unlikely
Liverwurst








Since: 2.1.02

Since last post: 2171 days
Last activity: 1778 days
#4 Posted on
You just had to be there when we were fighting the Russians. And when we all got together in front of 119,700 fans in the Pontiac Silverdome and picked up the 779 pound Andre the Giant God Rest His Soul Nobody Beat Him in 39 Years over our heads, twirled him around, pressed him a few times and slammed him down through the mat and tore every muscle in our backs, brother.

There's two ways to approach Hogan, if you're going to try to get some enjoyment out of him. The nostalgia angle (which might be hard depending on how old you are - too young or too old and you missed it), where you can get a kick out of hearing "Real American" (and, if they dig them up, "Theme From Hulk Hogan" or "Eye of the Tiger") again. Same with seeing clips from WM3 or Hogan on the Harley with the kids surrounding him and then all that old footage where he'd hung and he'd bung with Johnny Carson. It's kind of fun to see them again.

But that can only last so long, so I recommend trying to embrace Hulk Hogan, the absurdist comic. I talked about this on another thread after the nWo semi attack, but there's this whole layer of Funny to Hogan that comes out every now and again. It's hard to explain, but you have to watch interviews like the WMIV interview and the Yappapi Strap/Flesh Will Bubble/Strapation! thing from WCW to see it. Or when he and Vampiro were best friends in WCW and Hogan looks up to the top of a 30 story hotel and somehow spots The Wall (Brother) at the top, shaking his fist at them, and he yells "THAT'S THE WALL, BROTHER!" at no one in particular. And now how he keeps exaggerating the WM3 story every time he tells it, and says how "we" beat the Russians and "we" slammed Andre, turning the whole Immortal Hulk Hogan persona in on itself. He knows how crazy it all is. He just has to, right?
Notorious F.A.B.
Pepperoni








Since: 4.2.02
From: Dudleyville's Gay Ghetto

Since last post: 7470 days
Last activity: 7456 days
#5 Posted on
i loved the time they were trying to turn hollywood hogan babyface by getting him involved in the ric flair / david flair thing a few years back. there was a video interview with hogan where he was running flair down for not taking his family seriously because of The Business and right after he said that, he stroked his beard and he was wearing the wcw title ring where his wedding band should be.

he's had his moments. when the warrior showed up: "i thought you were dead!" when the wwf crowd chanted "what!" and he said "...cha gonna do?" out of nowhere.

back in the day (hogan's first, three year run with the world title)... you really had to be there. wrestling just wasn't like it is now. we thought it was real and hogan beat everybody! he was the golden boy hero.



It's just you against the group mind.
I like weiners.
mskj
Summer sausage








Since: 10.1.02
From: Tennessee

Since last post: 4412 days
Last activity: 1027 days
#6 Posted on
I have no problems with Hogan. He still has a ton to offer to the wrestling world. I don't buy that he was in the right place at the right time. Vince and Hogan wouldn't have made wrestling as big as it is without each other.



Updating Ohio State's basketball record could get to be a chore. Just remember, Michigan sucks.
GodEatGod
Bockwurst








Since: 28.2.02

Since last post: 3014 days
Last activity: 2453 days
#7 Posted on
Hogan during the later NWO days in WCW was often hilarious, the perfect self-parody of the tired old man trying desperately to be cool. My favorite example of that is when he was (I think) feuding with Warrior and he talked about the NWO-ites coming up and encouraging him. "They said to me, "'Wood...", and I started cracking up as soon as he said that. Hogan's attempt to be down wit' da homies were always good for a belly laugh.

Frankly, since his return the WWF, he's been generally very good, outside of the lame repeated "smackdown on your crippled ass" line. The false sincerity, the self-worship...he makes a good heel. I just don't want to see him as a face again anytime soon. Back in the day, the superhero gimmick was perfect for the time, making him larger than life. Plus, it gave him great appeal with kids who loved his superstrength and refusal to quit. Ultimately, the kids grew up, got cynical...and saw through the Hulkster to see the sometimes manipulative, self-aggrandizing man underneath...and Hollywood was born.



"All I ever asked for in life is an unfair advantage." Microchip, Punisher Annual #2
dMp
Knackwurst








Since: 4.1.02
From: The Hague, Netherlands (Europe)

Since last post: 265 days
Last activity: 12 hours
#8 Posted on
Hogan, wether you like it or you don't (wooooo!!) is the man that build wrestling what it is today.
Sure, NWA, Flair, Dusty, Steamboat and everyone are large parts..but they are all gone now..

the WWF survived, the WWF adapted to what most people seem to want and that is all based on Hogan in the 80s. The over the top hero that prevails.
So all that shit he gave in wcw about 'the house that hollywood build, brudda'..in a sense it's all true.

As for Hogan being a politician..probably. No, ofcourse..Everyone is, he just got the chance to do whatever he wanted in WCW and he did it..with all the bad shit that followed.

And trust me, he knows his persona is larger than life. And he plays on it.
As GodEatGod said, the whole 'wood' thing was funny..and when the nWo original following the poke returned, he was dressed up in Konnan garb for a bit too..damn funny..
Too bad it went back to the same old shortly after..

At work people asked me where I was going on holiday in two weeks..I said Toronto, Wmx8..
After the weird looks ended they asked 'i one watched that stuff..is Hogan still around?'
(It sounded so damn weird to say 'yes' actually..)
He is known by all..They all knew Hogan, and some remembered ANdre and then I had to help them..'that one guy with the voice?'Macho..etc etc..

So in one word? Legend.
Two words? Sports Entertainment.
One line? Hogan is the reason many people know wrestling, and we must respect him for that.



"...And I use that to fuck them some place fairly uncomfortable."
"What, like the back of a volkswagen ?"
-Mallrats
Pheadfred
Pickled pork








Since: 9.2.02
From: Nashville

Since last post: 7734 days
Last activity: 6817 days
#9 Posted on
First of all , I would like to say thanks for everyone's
comments , you guys make some valid points and some very compelling arguments .

There is really only one thing I disagree with though , that wrestling wouldn't be what it is today without Hogan .
Wrestling wouldn't be what it is today without Vince McMahon , if it wouldn't have been Hogan , Vince would have just found another charismatic , muscle head to fill the part , because Vince already had the plan , he just had to have someone to cast in the lead role .

Just a reply on this comment from rockdot_com2.0...


    Originally posted by rockdotcom_2.0
    Sometimes I wish people would try to take off their smark glasses and try to view Hulk Hogan in a different light. Before anyone knew about the so called backstage politics and all that.


I think I was nineteen when Hogan first came on the scene and won the belt from the " Iron Sheik " . I remember him when he was in the AWA and made appearances in Memphis to take on Lawler . My point is , I never liked him , even way before anyone knew about the backstage politics or even knew what the term smark was . I just don't want anyone to think I jumped on the Hulkhater's bandwagon for all the wrong reasons , because I've been on that ride for a long time .

I want to say that I do have some respect for the man , especially when he first turned heel and became
" Hollywood " , but that still wasn't enough to get him over with me .

Once again , thanks everyone and I respect each and everyone of your opinions .



"Damnit Peggy , here I am trying to contain an outbreak and you're driving the monkey to the airport. " - Hank Hill
deadbeater
Morcilla








Since: 12.2.02
From: Parts unknown

Since last post: 7815 days
Last activity: 7815 days
#10 Posted on
Vince had another muscle-bound blond in his circuit. In fact, he was world champ for a few years: Superstar Billy Graham.

I do submit however, that the Hulkster alone did not put the fannies to the seats. That honor belonged to Roddy Piper. The Piper/Hogan feud helped set Hogan to unprecendented heights. The coconut smashing on Snuka in a Piper's Pit was, IMHO, the ultimate heel incident, and the matches they had defined hardcore. The WWF determined that couldn't show Piper's matches on free TV because they are unusally intense (according to Piper).

Now, to those who diss Hogan, let me ask you: how sucky did he perform in Japan, the land that exposes phonies? Oh wait, he didn't suck: he won several federation top titles there as well.
Stephanie
Landjager








Since: 2.1.02
From: Madison, WI

Since last post: 614 days
Last activity: 54 days
#11 Posted on
The Hulk Hogan phenomenon was due to a combination of factors. Hogan himself had incredible charisma, impressive looks, decent mic skills (for the time), and (just) enough ring savvy to carry on a match without completely embarassing himself. Vince McMahon had marketing savvy, a fledgling nationwide network, and the New York marketplace. Vince McMahon recognized the potential star power of Hogan and lured Hogan away from the AWA (which didn't have the marketing savvy or the television plan). He then made Hogan the focus of a massive multimedia marketing plan, which included an unbeatable ring persona and substantial mic time. It was a combination of factors that made the Hulk Hogan - and, by extension, the WWF.

Hogan, however, made a fatal mistake that superstars in all walks of life make - he couldn't see when it was time to go home. He wanted to be a star forever, and used the political power and name recognition he'd acquired as *the* wrestling superstar of the 80's to try and maintain his stardom. Stardom gained that way never lasts - O.J. Simpson in San Fransisco comes to mind - and it cost him the smarts and the smarks.

Hogan mau be beginning to realize his days in the ring truly are numbered. If so, more power to him.

Steph



I'm going twenty-four hours a day...I can't seem to stop
- "Turn Up The Radio", Autograph
WTF13
Boerewors








Since: 22.1.02

Since last post: 7904 days
Last activity: 7904 days
#12 Posted on
Hogan was the perfect man for his promotion at that time. He put the casual fans in the seats, and that's where all the money came from. And I really don't think anyone else could have done what he did--and this is coming from a diehard Hogan hater, even back then.

Unfortunately, what made Hulkamania work was contrary to what makes wrestling work in most cases. A dominant face champion who clobbers everyone in sight is not going to make people buy tickets, though I guess the WWF had the same thing going with Bruno. During the 80s, Hogan was the exception to that rule, and to most of the rules of successful booking. When they tried the same thing again years later, it didn't work nearly as well. A friend of mine derides Hulkamania as a pop culture phenomenon that has zero to do with wrestling, but I won't go that far.


I will quibble with rock.com's comment about how Hogan had good ring skills for the 80s. Maybe for the WWF, but his skills were way behind most of the NWA roster at the time.

It's interesting that Hogan is compared with Superstar Billy Graham, but you forget to mention one important difference. Graham was a heel. People paid to see him get his ass kicked, not to watch him run roughshod over everyone the way Hogan did.



"No one has a beer party at Scott Hall's expense!"
Pheadfred
Pickled pork








Since: 9.2.02
From: Nashville

Since last post: 7734 days
Last activity: 6817 days
#13 Posted on

    Originally posted by deadbeater
    Vince had another muscle-bound blond in his circuit. In fact, he was world champ for a few years: .


Splitting hairs , but , according to WWF title history Superstar held the title for less than a year , from 04.30.1977 to 02.20.1978

Good points there WTF13...

    Originally posted by WTF13
    I will quibble with rock.com's comment about how Hogan had good ring skills for the 80s. Maybe for the WWF, but his skills were way behind most of the NWA roster at the time.

    It's interesting that Hogan is compared with Superstar Billy Graham, but you forget to mention one important difference. Graham was a heel. People paid to see him get his ass kicked, not to watch him run roughshod over everyone the way Hogan did. .






"Damnit Peggy , here I am trying to contain an outbreak and you're driving the monkey to the airport. " - Hank Hill
Flash
Cotto








Since: 28.2.02
From: State College, PA

Since last post: 8026 days
Last activity: 7882 days
#14 Posted on
    Originally posted by Stephanie
    Hogan, however, made a fatal mistake that superstars in all walks of life make - he couldn't see when it was time to go home. He wanted to be a star forever, and used the political power and name recognition he'd acquired as *the* wrestling superstar of the 80's to try and maintain his stardom. Stardom gained that way never lasts - O.J. Simpson in San Fransisco comes to mind - and it cost him the smarts and the smarks.

    Hogan mau be beginning to realize his days in the ring truly are numbered. If so, more power to him.

    Steph



Agreed with the first half of your post but (kind of) take issue with this half. Yes, Hogan is an old man. Yes, he doesn't have even the limited ring skills that he possessed in his prime. But he's no more washed up than he was five years ago when he turned heel. He still has the natural charisma and mic skills that made him a star in the first place. His promo with the Rock was pure gold and was easily my markout moment of the year.

The old man may not put on a technical clinic... or even anything to rival his match with the Ultimate Warrior. But there's still a little gas left in his tank. Not to mention it isn't fair to compare ANYBODY (yes, even Hogan) to Orenthal.

(edited by Flash on 3.3.02 1313)
rockdotcom_2.0
Frankfurter








Since: 9.1.02
From: Virginia Beach Va

Since last post: 4025 days
Last activity: 10 days
#15 Posted on



    Just a reply on this comment from rockdot_com2.0...


      Originally posted by rockdotcom_2.0
      Sometimes I wish people would try to take off their smark glasses and try to view Hulk Hogan in a different light. Before anyone knew about the so called backstage politics and all that.


    I think I was nineteen when Hogan first came on the scene and won the belt from the " Iron Sheik " . I remember him when he was in the AWA and made appearances in Memphis to take on Lawler . My point is , I never liked him , even way before anyone knew about the backstage politics or even knew what the term smark was . I just don't want anyone to think I jumped on the Hulkhater's bandwagon for all the wrong reasons , because I've been on that ride for a long time .

    I want to say that I do have some respect for the man , especially when he first turned heel and became
    " Hollywood " , but that still wasn't enough to get him over with me .

    Once again , thanks everyone and I respect each and everyone of your opinions .




Well maybe you werent necessarily a "smark" then, but you were older and not susceptible to the superhero appeal of Hogan. I on the other hand was only eight years old when he pinned the Sheik. I was suckered right in...LOL.



Jackson
Sujuk








Since: 4.1.02

Since last post: 5434 days
Last activity: 4959 days
#16 Posted on
Just want to add a ditto on the Piper part. Piper said it best when he asked Hogan if he thought that the fans would have loved him so much if they didn't hate Piper so much.
Qubber
Boerewors








Since: 7.1.02
From: Sheffield, UK

Since last post: 6194 days
Last activity: 5457 days
#17 Posted on | Instant Rating: 8.00

    Originally posted by rockdotcom_2.0
    Well maybe you werent necessarily a "smark" then, but you were older and not susceptible to the superhero appeal of Hogan. I on the other hand was only eight years old when he pinned the Sheik. I was suckered right in...LOL.


Now thats it! Vince took a fake sport from dark, smoky arenas and marketed it towards kids with a superhero on top. I was exactly the target audience and I bought it all too. Hogan was an ideal presented to us, espousing virue and making sure the good guy always won. He was a real life superhero that you could watch every saturday morning after all the cartoon superheroes. Unfortunately, I grew up and Hogan was still the same. My generation was getting all cynical and into grunge and "shades of grey" yet Hogan was still the cheesy hero that seemed so awful to a teenager looking towards different things, and I was a Hogan mark no longer. The nWo heel turn was brilliant because Hogan became anti-Hulk and stood against everything he'd been for before, so it was new and I was suckered back in again. Unfortunately he went stale again and continued doing a tired out heel act and I went off him. I bought back in breifly for his initial yellow and red return but then I thought I saw him for what he was: a tired old man reciting worn out moves.

Then he came back to the WWF and I was blown away. His interview style is completely different (he speaks rather than that hyped up "Well you know what, brotha" shouting style), he's interesting and funny too. This is where I totally lose my smark card for life, but I've totally re-evaluated Hogan recently and I now think he is a true legend in the business, not only for his amazing box office appeal but also for the overt and subtle ways he has entertained us over the years. As Dr. Unlikely said above, Hogan does exhibit a knowing (and often hilarious) sense of humour and while he's not a workrate freaks wet dream, he is entertaining me, and that's what it's all about, right? While I'm not exactly enamoured with the WWF overall right now, I'm loving Hogan. Call it nostalgia if you like, but I'd like to think it's a re-evaluation based on having seen most of his career and me gaining a little respect. I grew up and grew out of Hogan, but now I'm grown up I kinda dig him, if that makes sense.

Rock-Hogan is a rareity in that it's a bonafide dream match. We never really got Hogan-Flair when it would have mattered during Flair's WWF run, but Rock is in his prime right now and I'm going to happily sit back and be a mark for this one. I can take Hogan being presented as this active legend in residence guy, simply because that's how I see him and while the ride is still fun, I'll keep eating it up.



"Nobody enjoys a good time more than I do, but this business of yours is as legitimate as a three-legged donkey...which of course is illegitimate because as we all know donkeys have four legs."

Lance Storm, 21st January 2002.
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Since late 2005 i started enjoying more reading about wrestling than watching it. I blame your manly writings and CRZ neat ECW recap.
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