If Hulk Hogan loses to McMahon in Wrestlemania X9 which will see him retire then I'm going to start a petition to save it, let's hope Hogan wins then I won't have to do the drastic thing.
Laugh all you want. I'm on my way out the door for this week's Smackdown tapings and, as sweet as the Brock-Angle match we're unfortunitely getting tonight may well be, I bought these tickets solely on the basis that Hulk Hogan will probably be there.
Ol' Fuzzy Bastard watches as the last few drops of his credibility melt away...
"It's like you lost your keys in the garage, but you look for them in the living room because the light is better." -Bill Maher, on the impending war in Iraq
Hate to break it to you, if you haven't already left, but I don't think Hogan is gonna be on Smackdown! tonight. There was a report floating around today that he called in to the Bubba the Love Sponge show this morning and said that WWE called him and told him to not show up, as they would not have time for him on the show. Seems rather odd considering what a big program Vince/Hogan is supposed to be, but the story I saw suggested that the show may be taken up mostly by the Angle/Brock title situation. Don't know why they couldn't fit in 10 minutes of Hogan, but oh well. Could be a crap story anyhow.
"The Universe is shaped exactly like the Earth. You go straight long enough you end up where you were."
Oh well... I'd have been pissed if it wasn't for Angle/Lesnar, but that makes up for it.
"It's like you lost your keys in the garage, but you look for them in the living room because the light is better." -Bill Maher, on the impending war in Iraq
Reindeer, you got alot guts making your pro-Hogan comment here amongst a board of smarks. That's respectable, but at the same time, Hulkamania is pretty much its final stages so I don't know if anything could keep it going. But right on to you.
Come on guys, where is the Hogan love? Last year he put over the Rock, the Undertaker, TAPPED to the Angle Lock, and passed out and put over Brock. I think that Angle and Lesnar benefitted greatly from Hogan's heat.
I love the Hulkster. I have no qualms in admitting it, either. When I saw him at a house show this summer, it didn't matter that almost 12 years had gone by since I'd last seen him at a show. I cheered like I was 13 again.
I totally agree with Vanilla here- Hogan has not gotten NEARLY enough love since his return. He has played his role PERFECTLY- an aging icon who is there to pump up the crowd, and to put the newer stars over. He had a single, very short title reign (I think to "re-legitimize" him- he is now a guy who is not what he once was, but he is capable of beating anyone, anytime), but there has been zero evidence of hard-core political maneuvering, no "holding down," no nothing.
I am happy with the Hogan that we are getting. It will be a sad thing when he goes.
Well, what can I say here. I don't want to see the end of Hulkamania. I love Hogan, he's why I'm a fan. He has also shown some growth and played his role perfectly, as many have said. The book non-truths aside (yet no one criticizes that Arn Anderson's book treats pro wrestling as if it were a shoot, or the Rock book for being pure fluff...) he's the guy who got the business mainstream. Vince can pretend it could have happened with anybody, but as Hogan said in that promo...He tried guy after guy in that role, in the Hogan mould and it never worked. Even though Austin drew more money for a short period, i doubt he drew more in those 3-4 years he was on top than Hogan drew in the 20 he was on top, and even if he did, Hogan did it first when marketing for wrestling wasn't what it was...But anyone before the wife-beater apologists flock to this thread, this isn't anti-Austin. I am just trying to get the point across that Hogan was a much bigger deal in his day, and even now, than perhaps anyone wants to admit. When he goes, I will weep the soft tears of angels.
"Whatever I just posted above is what your mother said in bed last night."
Yes, there's been a lot of good to Hulk's last year. He's put lots of guys over and has shown neither ego nor politics. And yes, he's the reason I'm a fan and he's drawn more money than anyone else. But he's 49? and his monthly matches are slow, formulaic, and boring. To me, that's the bottom line.
It would be easy to sit here and say Hogan is a has been, he's old, his matches are boring, and I am sick of hulkamania. Funny thing is, I felt that way about him at the end of his first WWF run way back when. Oddly enough, in this, his return, I find myself enjoying it. He has an amazing ability to connect with the fans, and it is cool to see mom's and dad's in the crowd with their kids cheering for him, with the parents reliving the "good old days" and sharing that with the kids. Even my daughter, a huge wrestling fan at 16, who only enjoys the heels admits to marking out when Hogan came out to Real American last 4th of July on Smackdown. In some ways having him around again hearkens back to a slightly more "innocent" era in wrestling, before all the crap we have had shovelled our way in recent years. Its been fun.
Originally posted by Hogan's My Dad Even though Austin drew more money for a short period, i doubt he drew more in those 3-4 years he was on top than Hogan drew in the 20 he was on top, and even if he did, Hogan did it first when marketing for wrestling wasn't what it was...But anyone before the wife-beater apologists flock to this thread, this isn't anti-Austin. I am just trying to get the point across that Hogan was a much bigger deal in his day, and even now, than perhaps anyone wants to admit. When he goes, I will weep the soft tears of angels.
Agreed. Apart from the angel weeping bit, your on your own there I'm afraid.
Hogan gave wrestling a mainstream popularity it had never previously enjoyed.
My mum couldnt give a toss about wrestling, but you ask her to name a wrestler and she'd say Hulk Hogan. Show her a photo of the guy and she'd recognise him. Show her a photo of any other wrestler and she'd likely say "that doesnt look like Hulk Hogan. Its not that Big Daddy one that died is it?"
Hell Austin could walk up to the majority of over 35's in the UK give them a KICKWHAMSTUNNER while screaming WHAT in their face the whole time and they still wouldn't have a scooby who the guy was.
Hogan matches may not be great now, hell you could argue they never were. But he did something for wrestling that nobody else had done before, and since he's come back he's given everything and more to get young talent over, including wrestling through injuries.
I for one will be a very sad man when he eventually retires. In fact screw it. Hogans my Dad, when your done weeping those angel tears, pass those tissues over here.
"People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid." - Soren Aabye Kierkegaard
Originally posted by reindeerIf Hulk Hogan loses to McMahon in Wrestlemania X9 which will see him retire then I'm going to start a petition to save it, let's hope Hogan wins then I won't have to do the drastic thing.
I'll go out on a limb here and agree with half of what is said here...
I like Hogan, and I like to see him wrestle. I don't, however, like seeing Hogan with the world title or heavyweight title. I liked him as a tag champ with Edge, and instead of being a main eventer, he should settle into the midcard area, maybe in a tag team somewhere.
Give Hogan five minutes of my week, and let him do something productive with it. Don't let him Triple H a show (i.e. monopolize the title and waste time on useless interviews and bury more talented wrestlers using backstage politis and whatnot.).
Professional wrestling is the only sport where participants are just thrown right into the audience, and no one in the crowd thinks anything unusual is happening. If you're watching a golf tournament and Jack Nicklaus goes flying over your head--first of all, I would say you're watching a very competitive sport. -- Jerry Seinfeld
Last stop before the pay-per-view! And, like Shotgun, I suspect this is about to be another colossal waste of my time and yours, with no matches and plenty of hype. Stick around would ya?