RIP Hulk Hogan

[Cobra Commander]

there's probably no logical/factual way to measure this but it wouldn't shock me if the strongest "I have strong opinions about former WWF/WCW/WWE Champion Terry Bollea which you should PM me about. But I wanted to express them here too because I can't help myself" responses in the last decade came from people who weren't solidly anti-Hulk in the 80s/90s/etc... Hulk's response could have been "the people really mad at me where never with me" because people in sports/life tend to have the POV of viewing all criticism as "hating on me" but if Hulk was more self-aware, he could have realized that a certain amount of the response was from people who were disappointed/mad that someone they had grown up with turned out to be that way

edit: to put it more succinctly.. if you expect nothing from someone and they do something bad, what's there to say, but if you were actually expecting something from someone and they turned out to be awful, then that unhappiness is gonna be a bit stronger. Hence why the lifelong haters probably aren't the people who were the unhappiest with Hogan over the last 10 years

obviously Hulk's not the only powerful person in wrestling to be a racist, but most of the rest weren't recorded being racist (some of them could claim they were just talking that way on TV because it's a show or whatever)... I've mentioned something in this sense before, but Flair and Hogan had some similarities, but the response to Flair compared to Hogan isn't purely a "Flair worked better wrestling matches than Hogan" thing but also a thing where Flair is sort of a sympathetic figure, even in the "sad broken down alcoholic" sense but it's a lot more difficult for people to feel sad about Hogan because he was superman on screen and tried to be superman off-screen too and lied so much that some people just took him as a phony

Edited July 24 by Cobra Commander

[Elsalvajeloco]

It's crazy cause when the worm probably truly turned in terms of public sentiment for Hogan is the Zahorian stuff, but since it was so long ago, it's like it never happened. He got to truly reinvent himself coming out of that five or so years later only to run into something else several years down the line that made the stuff that came out in the steroid trial(s) look like Capone getting caught on tax evasion. When Meltzer writes his obit that he probably was already working on, the 1991-1993 section is gonna be like three paragraphs long max when Dave himself wrote a fucking novel on it.

[RazorbladeKiss87]

Been watching a lot of 81 Championship Wrestling and really enjoy Hogan's handicap matches. They're worked really well and he looks great. Shame he's such a shit bag. 

If you have a problem with people hating a racist piece of shit, maybe you should show yourself the door. Your post history shows that you seem to have a problem with most of the people on this board and their views (which does raise some questions about you and your views on things like race and other social issues) so why are you here? It's really easy to just log off. 

[DreamBroken]

My first all time favorite, from growing up in the early 90s, having brothers who were already fans thus having the video games, the figures, the VHS tapes. Always a Hulkamaniac, loved the nWo beginning to end, the epic 02 return run, and still loved the TNA run (Hogan/Sting BFG 2011 is on my all time great spectacle matches). Real American will always be the best (and the earlier "Hulks theme" too).  Crushing to lose lifelong icons in Ozzy & Hogan back to back like this.  RIP Hulkamania

[Robert S]

A match to add re. Hogan's best match: the first Flair match in WCW (Bash at the Beach 94). I've rewatched this two or three years ago and actually was shocked how good that match actually is. Both guys seemed crazy motivated. On the top of my head, I can't think of a better match Flair had after this one as Flair really started to slow down after the fake retirement. Another match that comes to mind is the boot camp match again Slaughter, though I should mention that I know this match only by reputation.

[Lawful Metal]

I found my favorite one.  It's freshly turned Hollywood Hogan right after he won the belt from the Giant v. Ric Flair, August 15, 1996, Clash of the Champions.  

[RazorbladeKiss87]

You know, the Coliseum "Hulkamania" series is actually pretty good too, at least the first 4. That takes you up to 1989 and if you're able to enjoy WWF Hogan, you'll have a good time with them. 

[jaedmc]

I don't really read Meltzer so I had no idea, but based on that Tweet from page 2... is he a "Two Spaces after the Period" Guy? Because I really can't with that.

Oh, and condolences to all the Hulkamaniacs out there. 

[odessasteps]

1 hour ago, Lawful Metal said:

So what was Hogan’s best match?

We were discussing this earlier elsewhere. 
 

1. New Japan 

2. SNME vs Funk or Race

3. AWA vs Dr D or Bock

4. Heel Huck vs Backlund early 80s. 

[odessasteps]

Just now, jaedmc said:

I don't really read Meltzer so I had no idea, but based on that Tweet from page 2... is he a "Two Spaces after the Period" Guy? Because I really can't with that.

Oh, and condolences to all the Hulkamaniacs out there. 

Maybe that’s why the Observer is 20 pages every week. 

[Cobra Commander]

and our friends at the Vault just, within the last few minutes, uploaded "Hulk Hogan’s Unreleased Collectors’ Series"... it's probably what Hulk would have wanted

I'm guessing there's probably a certain degree of music rights problems in play in regards to putting all the Hulkamania videos online because I think some of them aren't on the current network? (or I'm confusing it with how the History of the WWF videos aren't on the network)

Edited July 24 by Cobra Commander

[supremebve]

3 minutes ago, jaedmc said:

I don't really read Meltzer so I had no idea, but based on that Tweet from page 2... is he a "Two Spaces after the Period" Guy? Because I really can't with that.

Two spaces after a period or a colon.  There are people of culture and then plebeians like you.  I don't know how to embed pictures and/or gifs, but I want you to imagine a gif of a sophisticated man sipping tea with his pinky raised.

[Black Angel]

So I heard Hulk is gonna be cremated because he didn't want to do the job and be buried...Ok I'll show myself out for that one.

[Cobra Commander]

"brutha, in the end, we're just Python Powder in the wind, brutha"

(extra note unrelated to Hogan, wonder how long it takes for WWE Vault to get through the YouTube upload process since I'd think the people actually paying YouTube are on an express lane to get their stuff on YT, but yeah, Vault having to put extra work into today as opposed to "upload stuff in the morning and just do the usual for the rest of the day")

[DMN]

2 hours ago, RIPPA said:

There is something entertaining about Hogan screwing over Eric Bischoff one last time since I doubt many are gonna be interested in that Freestyle promotion anymore

I saw that they had just gotten Kurt Angle involved, so if it survives, there's a possible pivot to respectability there.

[odessasteps]

I will be interesting to see which talent in either company are obvious with their tributes “armbands …”
 

I can see SD starting with talent on the stage and doing a 10 bell salute. 

[Elsalvajeloco]

3 minutes ago, DMN said:

I saw that they had just gotten Kurt Angle involved, so if it survives, there's a possible pivot to respectability there.

Maybe he is finally looking his age and possibly Hogan's health was weighing on his mind, but Eric was looking pretty rough from the pic I have seen from Ariel Helwani's show.

I know grifters are gonna grift but he probably should be just enjoying life in Wyoming instead of doing this.

[RIPPA]

Someone said TMZ had a Ric Flair tearful mourning Hogan but also during it somehow decided to make sure everyone knew Ricky Steamboat was better than Hogan

Haven't found the video yet but that seems like a fitting Flair tribute

[Cobra Commander]

just imagining Ricky Steamboat making Hollywood Hogan's backrake look lethal

but yeah, it almost feels like a form of elder abuse to put Ric Flair on camera these days

[Niners Fan in CT]

I don't really know what to say, Hulk Hogan was a big part of my childhood but he was never my favorite wrestler even back then so I don't have a super strong attachment to him in that way.  His legacy can't really be questioned.  He's the biggest star wrestling has ever seen.  Hogan's later years are what turned me against him and I never wanted to see him again after that.  I was at 'WrestleMania 35' and when he came out I just groaned.  But most people there were super excited and if Hogan was your guy growing up I can understand why it'd hit you so hard.  I can't look past the tapes. 

[odessasteps]

 

[Zimbra]

I do have to give Hogan one flower: he was pretty funny doing the voice of the dean on China, IL.

[Log]

1 minute ago, Zimbra said:

I do have to give Hogan one flower: he was pretty funny doing the voice of the dean on China, IL.

That's a deep cut, but agree that he was awesome in that role.

[Cobra Commander]

5 minutes ago, Cobra Commander said:

just imagining Ricky Steamboat making Hollywood Hogan's backrake look lethal

but yeah, it almost feels like a form of elder abuse to put Ric Flair on camera these days

and not to put down 1997 Lex Luger, but Ricky Steamboat/The Giant vs the Outsiders would have been a fun matchup in early 1997

[supremebve]

21 minutes ago, RIPPA said:

Someone said TMZ had a Ric Flair tearful mourning Hogan but also during it somehow decided to make sure everyone knew Ricky Steamboat was better than Hogan

Haven't found the video yet but that seems like a fitting Flair tribute

I feel like Ric Flair more than any of the top guys actually cares about who was the best in the ring.  Others care, but no one would stop crying to make sure the recently deceased wasn't put higher on his list than he deserves.