Is "Hollywood Hogan" Who Hulk Hogan Really is?

[CM Steel]

TNA heads has now kept Hulk Hogan off Impact Wrestling TV for the time being. With insiders saying that is was Hogan's call to have Bobby Roode not win the TNA World Championship at their last pay per view. But it's funny how things work now that Roode is the TNA World Champion. In TNA Hulk Hogan is a big with politics in wrestling. Where he gets away with alot more in TNA than he did while Hulk Hogan was in the WWF/E.

Back in 1996 in WCW the night after Bash at the Beach where Hulk Hogan turned heel. He cut a promo in the ring with Scott Hall & Kevin Nash stating that he was bigger than professional wrestling and other thing to that nature. Giving birth to "Hollywood Hogan". But what if Hogan really tried and did live out those words up upon this day?

Not to say that Hulk Hogan is a straight up asshole. But what if Hogan really is like a modern day Ole Anderson backstage behind the scenes flexing his muscle like no one's own? Bringing the Hollywood Hogan persona to real-life? Is Hulk Hogan really hard to work with, much like how WWE chairman Vince McMahon said in some interview's?

 

[#hamler]

Probably. Hulk Hogan's a major ass fuck face douche hole bag. But is he wrong for being one? Is he wrong in saying he made professional wrestling? No. Hulk Hogan is huge. Hogan is bigger than Hogan's own ego; and that's fucking huge. I've heard stories and whatnot of how much of an ass Hogan was during his day but that takes away nothing he did for the wrestling business. It's not even close, he is the single biggest draw in wrestling ever. If you were that big or well known, you'd have a huge ego as well.

Is he like Hollywood Hogan? I'd say no. Hollywood Hogan didn't appreciate the fans and often disrespected them. There's no doubt in my mind Hogan does appreciate every fan he has or ever had. Hogan wouldn't be shit without his millions of fans and he realizes that. If he was on my roster, I would do absolutely anything to make him happy. If that means sucking some 50 year old dick (physically or figuratively), then so be it. Hogan Knows Best really proved how much of a jackass/ego-maniac Hogan was. But what's the harm? He really is that damn big.

 

[GameOver]

Well DER!!!!

His promo turning heel is him i'd say. Sure he played the American hero when the time is right and we all bought it as kids, but now decades later we ultimately find out if it doesn't revolve around him getting top billing, he doesn't want anything to do with it. He's got the biggest ego in the business. He played a huge role in the business going mainstream but it wasn't all him which is what he seems to think is the case and that he should be the only force to determine if anyone but him succeeds.

Ask it this way, how many people has he put over in his career? compared to say Ric Flair gets criticized all the time for not ending it. answer you could count it on one hand.
If he truly "loved and respected" fans he would help the business progress not be stuck in his era not just come out spouting the same Brother Brother What ya gonna do...... and flexing his muscles.

Give back to the business and let it go

just an fyi Vince isn't the only one that said Hogan isn't a team player, just about everyone he's ever worked with would likely agree. 90% of people who are in the main event scene with Hogan around are on the short end of the stick one way or another. Even if they are still champ Hogan was there to steal the spotlight

 

[Depakote]

I think people expect Hogan to be humble and selfless, like the Buddha or something. This is professional wrestling; let's keep our expectations grounded in reality. When Hogan was a draw, he was the biggest draw around. But that was when Hogan was a draw; he isnt anymore.

Is the Hollywood persona the real Hogan? Not entirely. But is there more Hollywood in Hogan than there is Hulk? Absolutely. The Hulk persona is supposed to be a selfless hero for the people. The Hollywood persona is much more human, with human flaws.

I guess my point is that we expect Hogan to be the superhero Hulk, when in reality, he's just a man. Thats why it seems like Hollywood is who Hogan really is. People's expectations are so out of touch with reality, that Hogan seems like the most extreme case of egomania in the business, when in reality, he's exactly the same as all the other top guys that came before him and have come since.

 

[waylonmercy]

Hogan I would bet is a two faced individual who portrays a good guy on TV and in public but behind the scenes and when he does not get his way he will pull a powerplay. I would assess him wrestling wise as spoiled in that he has gotten his way more often than any other wrestler. I think he was humble up until 1987-90 when Macho Man's and Ultimate Warriors were challenging for his spot.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Well DER!!!!

His promo turning heel is him i'd say. Sure he played the American hero when the time is right and we all bought it as kids, but now decades later we ultimately find out if it doesn't revolve around him getting top billing, he doesn't want anything to do with it. He's got the biggest ego in the business. He played a huge role in the business going mainstream but it wasn't all him which is what he seems to think is the case and that he should be the only force to determine if anyone but him succeeds.

I always love reading these posts. I am going to put it bluntly. These type of posts are so rich they are FATTENING. Nothing whets my appetite for the good old rebuttal than this type of post.

First of all if this is your opinion on Hulk Hogan that's all well and good, I could care less. But instead of basing what you’re saying as an opinion it sounds like you’re trying to really pass it off as fact more than anything. Show me the proof that you have a first hand basis of knowledge on what Hulk Hogan was REALLY like behind the scenes in his career and then we can REALLY talk.

Terry Bollea is in the entertainment business and I reckon that like anyone else he’s a person with his good and bad points. I will also reason that he’s in good company considering what he does for a living. Places like WWF/E, WCW, TNA were and are far from being non-profit organizations, I can assure you of that. Hollywood and the Sports world are the same way, egos are involved all around. I’ll get more to this point afterwards though, I’m seriously of the mind to just rip apart your groundless post first and then wrap it up by explaining how ridiculous I think your statements are.

Yeah, I think it sucks when we get old enough to find out that wrestling like TV and movies are scripted, but so what? It doesn’t change how I felt about the times that I enjoyed back in the day watching the stuff. And to this day it’s still not my place to confuse character and the real life person playing the character.

It just sounds like you have a problem coping with the fact that most of these guys are not these supreme and completely moral beings, sad to say that is not a prerequisite to be an entertainer. If you’re looking for these people to be moral beacons you’ve found the wrong outlet in your search for the “pillars of society”.

Ask it this way, how many people has he put over in his career? compared to say Ric Flair gets criticized all the time for not ending it. answer you could count it on one hand.

Ultimate Warrior, Goldberg (although I will say that DDP and Malone getting involved was not needed), Brock Lesnar are three big examples, it's not Hogan's fault either though if these guys did not take the proverbial ball and continue their stardom in wrestling. But just the same the Hogan character was defeated soundly by these three individuals, 'nuff said. I welcome any justification you have for disagreeing with me on this and I will be more than glad to counter you right back, no problem at all.

Honorable mentions in regards to who Hogan put over though are listed below, however a couple of the names I mention next were already stars anyway:

Kurt Angle, Mike Awesome, The Rock and Vampiro.

Hulk Hogan Vs Vampiro - Click to Watch

Hulk Hogan Vs Mike Awesome - Click to Watch

I don’t think it’s necessary that I dig up The Rock and Kurt Angle matches but if you need me to do so, I’ll be glad to in another post. Now I know in the case with The Rock, he was a huge star but let’s be honest, Hogan losing to The Rock was very much in the same vain as Andre losing 15 years prior to Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III. In 1987, Hogan was mythic already but beating Andre added that next dimension to Hogan’s popularity just like I would reason that it did the very same for The Rock. Hogan and Rock was an all time WrestleMania moment, there’s no denying that...even if I wasn’t an admitted Hulk Hogan mark (yeah I beat you to it because I know an asinine retort is probably going to come from your end about my obvious Hogan fandom) I would still say the same thing.

Kurt Angle even though a star already benefited greatly from beating Hulk Hogan. Especially when the match ended in a tap out on Hulk Hogan’s part, Sting and Lex Luger are two other examples of wrestlers who have beaten Hulk Hogan via submission. Kurt Angle doing this was a HUGE deal in the storylines, just watch the match and listen to Jim Ross.

Bottom line, Hulk Hogan has lost to wrestlers before and it’s not Hogan’s fault if some of these performers have not capitalized on the rub they got from Hogan doing such a thing. For example, Mike Awesome and Vampiro during the New Blood/Millionaire’s Club angle both got victories over The Hulkster as you will see in the links I posted. Now yes I will concede that neither wrestler won fairly against The Hulkster but keep in mind in the time honored tradition of wrestling storylines, heels hardly even win fairly and that’s the way it’s always been...period.

Hell, years prior to that Arn Anderson pinned The Hulkster on back to back Nitros, much in the same fashion...and back in the 90s that was a pretty big deal, Arn Anderson shared a similar distinction with Antonio Inoki as being in a rare class of wrestler that have beaten both Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan. Gee, isn’t that something? And here’s the proof for ya...again remember “face/heel dynamic”, ok? Hope that isn’t too difficult to grasp for ya...

Hulk Hogan Vs Arn Anderson - Nitro - February 12, 1996 - Click to Watch

Hulk Hogan Vs Arn Anderson - Nitro - February 19, 1996 - Click to Watch

Now you compared Flair and Hogan putting over younger talent in your post, and I would like to say something about that. Ric Flair has elevated talent...no doubt about it. Sting, Lex Luger, Ricky Steamboat (athough they were peers, it wasn’t until the late 80s version of their rivalry that Steamboat finally won a World Title) and so on but Hulk Hogan has done his fair share, despite what the personal bias of your post is dictating.

If he truly "loved and respected" fans he would help the business progress not be stuck in his era not just come out spouting the same Brother Brother What ya gonna do...... and flexing his muscles.

Whether you want to believe me or not and I don’t care if you do but I can personally assure you that Hulk Hogan has a profound regard and respect for his fans. The word love is a bit overused and like hate I reserve such terms for other topics and not this one. I personally met and talked to Terry Bollea/Hulk Hogan for quite some time at a live event for TNA in Buffalo, New York. I took multiple photos with him and got several autographs, an acquaintance of mine even made a custom Hulk Hogan action figure for me to personally deliver to the man himself. Hogan inititally refused to accept it solely because he did not want me to give up something of my own. However, I gladly presented him the gift my acquaintance made and Hogan decided to graciously accept the gift.

Hulk Hogan Shows His Custom LJN Fig

If you watch the video above that you’ll see Hogan has the figure he took from me and posted a special thank you video for the gesture and the turnout for the appearance he made in Upstate New York. Yeah, what a totally disrespectful egomaniac for doing such a thing, right? Yeah, Hogan might not be a perfect person but hell neither is anyone else that makes up this world’s population. He was a gracious person at the time I met him and I appreciated him being so cordial. Here’s a hint it’s better to base your opinion of someone on how they treat you rather than what you read on the internet. It’s one thing to have an uneasy feeling on someone based on what you hear about them but the way you’re writing you seem pretty adamant to cite “Internet Wisdom” as gospel. Gag me.

Give back to the business and let it go

I listed the people who Hulk Hogan has worked with and came up on the short end against. There were some pretty big names in that group while others were pretty well known names (amongst fans at least) that didn’t make the best of their succeses, again not Hogan’s doing.

Hulk Hogan hasn’t won a major title, be it a singles or tag team title since 2002, he sparingly participates in an actual match as a performer. Considering his track record in the business, I see no harm in him still having some role in the business, again pardon my Hogan markdom but I’m just calling it like I see it.

just an fyi Vince isn't the only one that said Hogan isn't a team player, just about everyone he's ever worked with would likely agree. 90% of people who are in the main event scene with Hogan around are on the short end of the stick one way or another. Even if they are still champ Hogan was there to steal the spotlight

Just an FYI if you want to actually contribute to a discussion and want your point taken, back it up...sound good? I’d love to see you back up your stance on what Vince said about Hogan’s lack of ability to be a team player. Please, after all I went out of my way to back up my statements, why don’t you show us a little reciprocation. Sound fair?

Anyway I have a few more points to make before I wrap this post up, like I said earlier Hogan’s not working for a non-profit organization he’s working in a business...anyone serious about staying in the wrestling world has to think like a businessman. I doubt very seriously that we can solely point the finger of blame at Hulk Hogan for how certain creative decisions and directions have materialized.

And to be honest if your only role in the wrestling world is as a fan then you really are in no position to criticize Hulk Hogan’s conduct based on what you’re reading on the internet about him. Because if you’re going to hold Hogan to a standard like that then you should feel the same way about guys like Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton and Steve Austin who have had even WORSE controversies follow them in the way of rumor and controversy.

Think of it for a second:

Randy Orton - Supposedly defecated in women’s handbags, committed acts of vandalism to a hotel room and got busted for smoking pot. With a suspension occuring afterwards. The latter of which has been rumored to be the reason he lost to Hogan at SummerSlam of 2006.

Shawn Michaels - The rumor mill said he had a tendency to never want to lose to people particularly in title matches. Hey, there could be some legs to that, two of his three IC title reigns were booked to have him merely vacate the title and not actually lose it in a match. Then of course there was the infamous “I Lost My Smile” skit on an episode of Monday Night RAW. Plus there were some rumblings that HBK was trying to back out of WrestleMania XIV. Draw your own conclusions...

Steve Austin - Walked out on the WWF/E twice or so it has been said, I am going with either a worked shoot stemming from some actual frustration or just an outright work to begin with. Austin allegedly didn’t want to lose to Brock Lesnar and so he “walked out”, again I’m more of the mind that it was a work but again let’s not be so biased here, Austin was a big star and according to rumor he didn’t want to put Lesnar over who ironically enough Hogan ended up putting over a couple of months later.

Bottom line, this busines is full of egos. I am not faulting Hogan or anyone else for being the way they are in that business because I can only imagine that anytime the almighty dollar and fame are for grabs, the worst in people will sometimes come out. And again with the above individuals I mentioned if we as a whole in the IWC are going to be so quick to criticize Hogan on such qualities then he’s definitely not alone and shouldn’t be either. Again I am not saying I believe or even really care about the rumors I mentioned regarding Orton, HBK and Austin but just the same I feel it only makes sense to bring it up considering how many threads I happen upon always love to gloss over points like these.

Anyway, I think I’ve said more than enough, I welcome any counterpoints towards the challenges I threw towards your comments or anyone else here that wants to jump on the Hogan-hate train.

 

[dansaun77]

Hulk Hogan...before anybody can comment, take a walk in his shoes. The same guys who whinged about Hogan and his politics all did the same thing, some times worse in their career.

Steve Austin: Do you ever remember Hulk Hogan taking his ball and going home??? Austin refused to do the job to Rock, Jarrett, HHH, Billy Gunn nin 1998-1999. The same guy who Jeff Jarrett and his father gave his first major break. Selfish prick. Refused to work with Hogan at Mania 18, even when being put over.

HHH: We could go on forever about the guys he refused to elevate
HBK: Ditto

 

[oldschool6804]

Jose i know hogan can be gracious to his fans but many of his peers say he is two faced and an ego maniac they worked with him, my opinion based on many other interviews with guys that worked with him is he is an arrogant and manipulative person when he feels threatened. most wrestlers are out for themselves when working with their peers.

incidentally the tings that hart and others say about hogan aren't hearsay you're brainwashed if you think they are, they were there you weren't he
is an arrogant egomaniac it is well documented!

 

[Lowdown]

I'm sure most fans and the IWC believes that the wrestling business is cutthroat, and I'm one of them. Yes I was a die hard Hogan fan growing up. I try to look at what he represented in the past. That being said, I believe that he is an egomaniac and all for himself. Nothing makes it more evident than his creative control clause in his contract with WCW. He changed the game twice in his career in major ways. But holding back up and coming talent doesn't help the promotion that you're trying to represent. It happened at the BFG PPV, and its bound to happen again in the near future. Also, he's trying to stay relevant with his Micro Championship Wrestling promotion/TV show. I'm not her to bash Hogan as I do appreciate what he did back in the day. Its not entirely his fault that his ego astronomical. A little bit of blame falls on Vince McMahon and every head honcho that was in charge of WCW. But I'm inclined to agree that Hollywood Hogan best represents the way Hogan is backstage and among his peers, put not as openly as the TV character mind you. Look at all the years he tried to get a spot wherever he was for Ed Leslie and the Nasty Boyz, and to a lesser extent Bubba the Love Sponge. If he could he would probably try to push ol Brutus as TNA's next champion. In hindsight, it would be best to just have him stand aside and let the younger generation step up and stop hi politicking.

 

[ilapierre]

I'll start off by setting the record straight: i'm not one of those IWC smark Hogan haters. Nothing bugs me more than coming on this site and reading all the anti-Hogan hate.

I'll have to admit I don't know Hogan nor have I received an autograph. But I'm gonna guess that Hogan in his prime was more like his Hollywood Hogan persona than anything. Not that it means anything, but listening to the audio of Hogan and his son Nick when in jail pretty much sums up who Hulk Hogan is. He's Hollywood Hogan. Hogan's not the best actor, watch his movies, but he's definitely amazing at being himself. As Hollywood Hogan he was, in my opinion, the best heel wrestler in the history of wrestling. Yes he was the biggest face too. But looking back that didn't come across to me as natural or real. Fans here always say that when Stone Cold was allowed to be 'himself' then that's when he blew up. I'd argue the same for Hollywood in the 90s when he too reinvented himself. Vince turned into 'himself' when he screwed Bret. Lets face it. To get to the top of the ladder and stay there in the wrestling business you have to be cutthroat. You have to have a massive ego and believe in yourself. The Hogan I watch on TV now seems to be missing his massive ego and I hate it. I wanted the egomaniac that used to hold people down back. That was what was so good about his Hollywood character. You wanted to see someone actually beat the guy. If Mike Awesome or Vampiro could beat Hogan regularly, Hogan wouldn't have had much of a career. Look what happened to Vampiro and Mike Awesome after Hogan gave them the ball centuries before they even had potential to be ready. That approach killed their careers and did nothing for the business. Hogan would only allow wrestlers to beat him if they were big enough to. He allowed massive wrestlers like Andre, Yoko, or Brock beat him. He allowed unstoppable guys like Goldberg, Taker, Warrior, and Sting beat him. And toward the end of his career he allowed Kurt Angle, Randy Orton and the Rock to beat him. Ric Flair and Roddy Piper even got submission victories on him. By allowing himself to lose once in a full moon, Hogan stayed on top but also helped give these select few guys a massive push. In fact he allowed Sting to beat him 9 times! It looked real that a fat guy like Yoko could beat him but it would have been more beneficial to the career of a lifer like Bret Hart or Randy Savage to get that victory. I think Hogan realized guys like Savage, Hitman and Michaels (who weren't cartoon like guys or monster villains) were viable threats to his position and held those guys back. I'm sure he had a good gut feeling that Warrior wasn't gonna cut it in the business and that a villain like Andre, Taker, Yoko, etc were no threat to his face position in the company. They were villains who were transitional champs who'd have to lose the title back. Hogan tried everything in his power to have Savage come across as a transitional champ and he did that to keep Savage from taking top spot in the company. Hogan knew Savage could likely become a better overall entertainer than him and did what he had to to stay on top. He also knew Hitman was gonna replace him and left before he could lose his position. Wrestlers, in a way, work for themselves and Hogan was intelligent enough to play the political game to stay on top of the pecking order. He knew how big he was and he used that fact to stay on top. I think the real Hogan that makes for good TV is missing because he's truly trying to give back to wrestling because he realizes he has legions of haters who hate his Hollywood character and believe deep down that's who Hogan is. I love it and I wish the old Hogan would come back because it was that character that would bring him more respect. Not this good guy Hogan who is always trying to do the right thing for business.

So, Hulk Hogan to me will always be the Hollywood Hogan persona. I'd likely hate him if i knew him or had to work with him. But as a fan, it's the character i want to see entertaining me. I'd rather watch an egomaniac who knows about 5 moves than watch some mundane personality like Chris Benoit who was one of the best technical wrestlers ever but had the personality of a toaster and was always whining about never getting his break. Hogan gets shit on for holding down wrestling but i think he propped it up by being an asshole. Had he been a nice guy who always let a guy like Vampiro beat him, he'd be a wimpy pushover. Triple H however is wrestling's biggest all time asshole and has held the wrestling business back over the past decade more than anyone in history. He RUINS wrestling progress and he is without his clique of entertaining friends relatively boring. Triple H constantly kills wrestlers pushes and has won the World Title 11 times too many. Shawn Michaels has refused to drop his titles in the past. Bret Hart refused to drop his title in Canada to Shawn Michaels. Bob Backlund wouldn't let Hogan beat him and dropped his title to the Sheiky baby. Bruno wouldn't let anyone beat him unless it was a screwjob finish just like Hogan. Savage wouldn't job to Jarrett when he came to TNA. Andre wouldn't lose to anyone and no one was even sure if he'd let Hogan beat him at WM 3. Stone Cold refused to allow Brock Lesnar to beat him and refused to work with Hogan. He'd go home when he wouldn't get his way. I'm sure if Vince proposed to Taker he should lose to Sheamus at Wrestlemania he too would probably not participate. Wrestlers who reach the top of the summit have character control and they all do what they believe is in their best interests. So say what you want about Hogan the man, none of us really know for sure anything but what we hear from people who know or knew him. But, Hogan the entertainer is the best of all time and he used his position to elevate the business even if it didn't elevate the careers of everyone i.e. Hitman or Savage who I personally don't think needed it. They're my two favourite wrestlers of all time regardless.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Jose i know hogan can be gracious to his fans but many of his peers say he is two faced and an ego maniac they worked with him, my opinion based on many other interviews with guys that worked with him is he is an arrogant and manipulative person when he feels threatened. most wrestlers are out for themselves when working with their peers.

Like I have said in my previous post who really knows what Hogan has had to deal with backstage when it has come to his co workers, it's very convenient for those in the wrestling business that are not on the same star level as Hogan to make the comments they make about him. Bottom line those who are the most successful are typically going to bear the most criticisms.

Again just read what I mentioned about Austin, HBK and Orton. And something tells me that guys like that aren't in the minority in the wrestling business. Of course I don't know if what I have heard about them is any more truer than what I have heard of in regards to Hulk Hogan.

Basically these rumors should all be taken with a grain of salt, and to be honest they should hold no relevance over anything in regards to how we should perceive the wrestling product. However it's sad that there are a select number of fans in the IWC that take what they hear about the business to heart because of what they read on the dirt sheets.

That's why I will always base a wrestler on how they've treated me first and foremost. To hell with anything that I hear or read about on the internet...so in closing I really could care less about what Hogan's peers say about him. Seriously...

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

I'm sure most fans and the IWC believes that the wrestling business is cutthroat, and I'm one of them. Yes I was a die hard Hogan fan growing up. I try to look at what he represented in the past. That being said, I believe that he is an egomaniac and all for himself. Nothing makes it more evident than his creative control clause in his contract with WCW.

I always wonder about Hogan's creative control in WCW, oh I am very sure that he had the ability considering his star power to get his way on many occasions. But last I remember he was still under contract to WCW when guys like David Arquette and Vince Russo won the WCW World Title. Let's be honest here for a second if Hogan's creative control was as mighty and powerful as the "all knowing internet" said...how come Hogan let those two get anywhere near the strap, seriously?

But holding back up and coming talent doesn't help the promotion that you're trying to represent. It happened at the BFG PPV, and its bound to happen again in the near future. Also, he's trying to stay relevant with his Micro Championship Wrestling promotion/TV show.

I disagree about your comments regarding Bound For Glory, Hogan's participation in a match (which is VERY rare these days I must add) is no different than the ridiculousness of Vince vs "Whatever Wrestler Back In The Day He Screwed Over" in the WWF/E. Oh sure Austin and McMahon was intriguing but you can't go and tell me that the Vince Vs His Employees dynamic did not get formulaic. If I remembered right while Hogan vs Sting at BFG was a highly billed match, I don't remember it closing the show. And as far as Hogan holding back talent over the years, watch my video links in my previous post, I can't entirely agree with that statement either. Again Hogan's given wrestlers the time of day to get over on him, if their success doesn't increase ten fold afterwards that's not Hogan's fault.

Look at all the years he tried to get a spot wherever he was for Ed Leslie and the Nasty Boyz, and to a lesser extent Bubba the Love Sponge.

Brutus Beefcake had a solid career in the WWF despite being Hogan's friend and before it was common knowledge that he was. He made it on his own merits, Hogan tried to get him a shot at wrestling in WCW and unfortunately his WCW stint did not have the same success that his WWF one did. Yes many people cringe that Brutus got a title shot against Hogan at Starrcade 1994, I will agree that there could have been a better opponent that was already on the WCW roster at that time. But on the positive side Beefcake's main event run did not last long and he wasn't constantly getting title shots and wins, it was a harmless feud and when it ended it ended.

As far as The Nasty Boys go, I am assuming that you mean the TNA stint they had. Again it ended when it ended and they were never booked to be anywhere near the tag team titles, they got their asses handed to them in a feud with Team 3D and their time came to an end. Supposedly they pissed someone off and got fired, if Hogan wanted to use that all stroke they would have been the tag champions on the first night in the company and Hogan probably could have stopped them from getting fired. Same with Bubba The Love Sponge.

If he could he would probably try to push ol Brutus as TNA's next champion. In hindsight, it would be best to just have him stand aside and let the younger generation step up and stop hi politicking.

That's great dude, your post was brought down even further into the abyss of nonsense with this comment. If Hogan had this all encompassing stranglehold that you claim he does with his "hi politicking" then how come this has not happened then? Give me a break...seriously...your post just reeks of bullshit.

Not that it means anything, but listening to the audio of Hogan and his son Nick when in jail pretty much sums up who Hulk Hogan is. He's Hollywood Hogan. Hogan's not the best actor, watch his movies, but he's definitely amazing at being himself.

The audio of Hogan in the jail cell with Nick is infuriating, however I can forgive him for that despite the fact that he said the stuff he said about that young Marine, John Graziano. Saying that God was putting some "heavy shit" on him was out of line and it was ridiculous. However, we still must realize that a 22 year old Marine should know better than to carouse with an inebriated 17 year old. Had Graziano NOT been incapacitated from his accident I can guarantee you that the United States Marines would have brought upon some heavy disciplinary action on him. I only know this since I served eight years of my life in the Marines myself and I have encountered stuff in my brief career that's akin to the Graziano situation.

Yes Hogan's movies are not my taste either, no one is going to put him on the same level of The Rock as far as crossover success into Hollywood goes. However, for a period of almost five years Hogan had a few forays onto the big screen just the same and paved the way for guys like The Rock to have a successful on screen movie career. I only say this because no other wrestler before Hogan could ever say they crossed over into a movie career at that time.

If Mike Awesome or Vampiro could beat Hogan regularly, Hogan wouldn't have had much of a career. Look what happened to Vampiro and Mike Awesome after Hogan gave them the ball centuries before they even had potential to be ready. That approach killed their careers and did nothing for the business. Hogan would only allow wrestlers to beat him if they were big enough to. He allowed massive wrestlers like Andre, Yoko, or Brock beat him. He allowed unstoppable guys like Goldberg, Taker, Warrior, and Sting beat him.

When Hogan lost to guys like Vampiro and Awesome, WCW as not at its best, let's admit that, but I still feel it was an attempt to help those guys just the same, let's be honest we always talk about Hogan's creative control card on these forums, he definitely could have used it to his benefit in these cases and not even wrestled these guys. If Hogan's creative control is all that powerful then I would rationalize that this was an attempt in trying to help these two get over at an even greater level.

And toward the end of his career he allowed Kurt Angle, Randy Orton and the Rock to beat him. Ric Flair and Roddy Piper even got submission victories on him. By allowing himself to lose once in a full moon, Hogan stayed on top but also helped give these select few guys a massive push. In fact he allowed Sting to beat him 9 times! It looked real that a fat guy like Yoko could beat him but it would have been more beneficial to the career of a lifer like Bret Hart or Randy Savage to get that victory.

I definitely agree that guys like Hart and Savage should have gotten bonafide victories over Hogan, Savage's DQ and countout wins always seemed like a tease to me. Hart not having a solid feud with Hogan either was disappointing. Orton though never got the win over Hogan.

Yokozuna's victory over Hogan was a situation akin to Superstar Graham beating Sammartino. It only made sense to have the most over heel in the company beat the biggest face on his way out from the title scene and that's what we got when the WWF promoted the Yokozuna and Hogan match. I wasn't the biggest fan of how Hogan got the title back at WrestleMania IX but the WWF thought that was the best idea so they went with it.

I think Hogan realized guys like Savage, Hitman and Michaels (who weren't cartoon like guys or monster villains) were viable threats to his position and held those guys back. I'm sure he had a good gut feeling that Warrior wasn't gonna cut it in the business and that a villain like Andre, Taker, Yoko, etc were no threat to his face position in the company. They were villains who were transitional champs who'd have to lose the title back.

Overall, I understand where you're coming from, even if I don't agree with everything. I still feel the WWF had just as big a say in the direction that Hogan's career was going in towards the end of his time during his big run there. The Warrior was hot and on the rise and Hogan already had a very steady role in the title picture and Vince wanted him out as it appeared. However the fans were the ones that did not want him out of the picture so he found his way back in.

Taker's first title reign was brief but people still talk about how he beat Hogan a year into his WWF stint therefore it paid off.

Andre's only WWF title win ever led to WrestleMania IV (wasn't the biggest fan of the whole event) but fans talk about the tournament and Savage's outstanding four match performance at that event. I will be honest and say that I could have done without Hogan's appearance at the end but DiBiase was using Andre as his equalizer so in the storyline context it made sense to get Hogan out there. Plus I am sure the plan the whole time even going back that early was to have a storyline involving Macho Man and Hogan becoming great allies and then bitter enemies once more.

Yokozuna in my mind was not a transitional champion he held the title for almost ten months and had a stranglehold on the belt. Bret Hart losing the title to him the year before at WrestleMania IX led to a great rematch the next year with Yokozuna having won the title back from Hogan who he completely humiliated at King Of The Ring 1993 and for months and months people hyped Yokozuna as the man that destroyed Hulkamania once and for all in the WWF.

Bottom line a purpose for better or worse was served with those decisions. Personal agreement aside, I can't blame Hogan for all these things going down especially when I've a good feeling it's merely and simply what the WWF wanted to do.

 

[Lowdown]

Give me a break...seriously...your post just reeks of bullshit.

Alright let me ask you this in regards to the Nasty Boyz. Do you think that they would've gotten hired in TNA if it weren't for Hogan? Next, I'm aware that Brutus has not been with the promotion. I'm basing this on the tenure with WCW. I'll reiterate again that I'm not bashing Hogan. I'm not coming up with all this off the top my head, either. If you have the facts in your argument to prove me wrong, then I'll admit if I'm wrong. But you can't argue that he had stroke in regards to who he won and lost against in WCW. He was notorious for not wanting to job to lower card wrestlers like Billy Kidman, and I heard years ago that he didn't want to job to Jeff Jarrett. Part of the reason I brought up the Nasty Boyz and Bubba was based on them appearing on Hogan Knows Best. Getting to BFG, which is articles I've read on sites like this one, Hogan was influencial in the outcome of the Main Event title match, and how a lot of the focus was on his match with Sting, especially considering that their match was longer than the title match. Being that Roode was supposedly slated to win the TNA title, its funny that Hogan's comments about him not being ready to be champion kinda coincides with the resulting outcome. He has a little bit of say so in TNA, not total control, I admit that. I stand by my assessment that he's still trying to remain relevant in and out of the ring. And I also standby my comments about Vince and WCW feeding his ego. Ultimately he still controls what he's done up until now. He gives TNA a recognizable face and name, he does bring prestige. But that's as far as it should go. He's entitled to his opinion of any wrestler. But he should not be the focal point of any organization unless he's doing his own Hulkamania tours.

 

[harrythem]

Hogan went Hollywood long before he started using the name. However it seems that's how you have to be to stay at the top in the wrestling business....Look at Austin who, between November 1996 and February 2001, never got beaten cleanly even once on Raw/Smack Down or a PPV (well, def a PPV, can't think of a clean loss on either TV show at present). Yet Austin doesn't get the shit Hogan does...

The only real issue I have with Hogan's stroke from back in the day is what he did to Warrior at WM6. Hogan himself admitted he didn't want to step aside and give Warrior the spotlight so, right after Warrior pinned him, he grabbed the belt and made sure the spotlight was on him instead of Warrior Jim. Admittedly, Warrior would've ended up tanking as THE guy anyway, but Hogan did his best to make sure the start of his run got a less then momentous beginning.

Still, it's the way it works. You've had Hogan, Nash & HBk, Austin, Triple H and the like all pull their self-serving stunts to keep at the top and, no doubt, you'll have many more in years to come. Hell, I'd even include Cena in the list (as surely he has enough stroke to change a situation to get his feuds more even-handed then they have been for the last few years).

As for getting his mates well paying jobs in good spots? Not always the best for the viewers but, if Hogan's name gets more people watching the product, why not? Hell, if I was Hogan I'd do exactly the same thing.

 

[kor420]

How do you know who hogan really is? Is anyone here friends with hogan and knows what he's like in real life or, are your opinions based on hear-say? He could be the nicest guy in his personal life or he could be the meanest SOB on this planet. He could be the type of person that would help an old lady cross the road, or he could be the one that pushes the old lady into trafic.. Know one actually knows who hogan really is unless you're family or friend.

This is what is wrong with the IWC (I WHINE CONSTANTLY), they think rumors are fact and fact is fiction.

 

[CM Steel]

Probably. Hulk Hogan's a major ass fuck face douche hole bag. But is he wrong for being one? Is he wrong in saying he made professional wrestling? No. Hulk Hogan is huge. Hogan is bigger than Hogan's own ego; and that's fucking huge. I've heard stories and whatnot of how much of an ass Hogan was during his day but that takes away nothing he did for the wrestling business. It's not even close, he is the single biggest draw in wrestling ever. If you were that big or well known, you'd have a huge ego as well.

Is he like Hollywood Hogan? I'd say no. Hollywood Hogan didn't appreciate the fans and often disrespected them. There's no doubt in my mind Hogan does appreciate every fan he has or ever had. Hogan wouldn't be shit without his millions of fans and he realizes that. If he was on my roster, I would do absolutely anything to make him happy. If that means sucking some 50 year old dick (physically or figuratively), then so be it. Hogan Knows Best really proved how much of a jackass/ego-maniac Hogan was. But what's the harm? He really is that damn big.

Hold on! Sucking some 50 year old dick (physically or figuratively), then so be it? WTF? Can you please keep your gay fantasy's to your self and off of this thread?

Hulk Hogan most likely is a great guy in reality. But business wise, I beg the differ. Hulk Hogan needs to get over himself, and so do you Lewinski.

 

[One to Remember]

The jail house tapes show that Terry Bollea's persona is closer to Hollywood then Hulk. It does not matter if Graziano hopped in the car, Hogan co-raised Nick's dumb ass and spoiled him. That is probably why Nick has no regard. Just because Hogan's critics were not on his level does not make what they say valid or invalid. Was Martin Luther's criticism of the catholic church due to him being jealous that he was not a pope? Quit accusing everyone of being jealous and bitter. And thats for the guyy with the fan pics and figurines..

He certainly did not have the same ethics as guys like BRET Hart and Sting. He was and is selfish and with weak oversight like in wcw he can run amuck. The Rock did not need Thunder Lips to pave the way for him being the Scorpian king just like U.S. Grant did not set the stage for Eisenhower to be president.. there is a habbit in wrestling to try to spread credit around or award someone sensei status.. Hogan is no trailblazer to anyone but himself.

You say he is a business man? You gotta take care of the goose in adition to the golden eggs. A swindler is only worried about ttoday, a buisness man worries about tomorrow. Stupid wrestling marks..

You all say his accolades should entitle him to an ego? As a very old saying goes, "what have you done for me lately??"

I like the negative and realpolitik demeanor of Hollywood. Life makes you have to be hard. Hogan should never be afforded any authorty backstage again however. If he wants to continue to eat well he must stfu and take orders as well as licks. He is just a wrestler like everyone else, now more so then ever.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

The jail house tapes show that Terry Bollea's persona is closer to Hollywood then Hulk. It does not matter if Graziano hopped in the car, Hogan co-raised Nick's dumb ass and spoiled him.

So let me ask you this...would you be stupid enough to let some 17 year ol tell you to hop in car with him while under the influence of alcohol? Lance Corporal Graziano made his own choice and as a Marine he violated his oath and commitment to be a responsible citizen. I do not wish that such a horrible thing had happened to him but his accountability in this matter should not be forgotten. Even though I will concede that Hogan's celebrity and fame has given Nick Bollea an overinflated sense of self-entitlement. That still does not change the responsibility of other parties involved.

That is probably why Nick has no regard. Just because Hogan's critics were not on his level does not make what they say valid or invalid. Was Martin Luther's criticism of the catholic church due to him being jealous that he was not a pope? Quit accusing everyone of being jealous and bitter. And thats for the guyy with the fan pics and figurines..

Pfft...let's not compare religious upheaval with what we're talking about here. I challenged the point of a poster who said something and I backed up my point. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say.

He certainly did not have the same ethics as guys like BRET Hart and Sting. He was and is selfish and with weak oversight like in wcw he can run amuck.

So are Sting and Bret Hart on your rolodex? I doubt it, also didn't Bret Hart cheat on his wife, I could have sworn I read that in his book? I mean don't get me wrong Hogan has done the same thing, but if what Bret Hart says is true about those extramarital affairs he had, then why would you consider Bret Hart to be an ethical person? Hell I'm one of his biggest fans but like what Hulk Hogan said about John Graziano's plight, I have to admit I can't say I am overly impressed with Bret Hart cheating on his wife. But then again I happen to be a fan of storylines and the artform of professional wrestling, not backstage bullshit that I am not privy to. Sounds like you could take a hint...

The Rock did not need Thunder Lips to pave the way for him being the Scorpian king just like U.S. Grant did not set the stage for Eisenhower to be president.. there is a habbit in wrestling to try to spread credit around or award someone sensei status.. Hogan is no trailblazer to anyone but himself.

Hahaha, this one is too funny..yeah we get it you're not a Hulk Hogan fan but don't deny the fact that he made wrestling mainstream, period. Him getting offers to show up on TV Shows and movies indeed DID help other wrestlers have a better gateway into crossover success. Again you fail so miserably by trying to use the President analogy.

You say he is a business man? You gotta take care of the goose in adition to the golden eggs. A swindler is only worried about ttoday, a buisness man worries about tomorrow. Stupid wrestling marks..

And a jackass never bothers to really watch what he's writing. You're calling people on this thread stupid wrestling marks but yet you're the one who's blabbering about guys like Bret Hart being ethical. You talk as if you're his character witness. Give it a rest...

You all say his accolades should entitle him to an ego? As a very old saying goes, "what have you done for me lately??"

Again, all this warrants is a pfffttt....

I like the negative and realpolitik demeanor of Hollywood. Life makes you have to be hard. Hogan should never be afforded any authorty backstage again however. If he wants to continue to eat well he must stfu and take orders as well as licks. He is just a wrestler like everyone else, now more so then ever.

Do you even have a concept of the words you use or do you just choose to be a dumbass lazy moron of a poster? Again you go and claim a stake in the wrestling business and you find out what's really going on backstage. Then you can tell us all about who deserves pull backstage and who doesn't.

Again, if you can go beyond the role of just a wrestling fan debating topics on a forum like this one then you can feel free to speak even more freely on this topic when trying to debunk other people's points. Until then maybe it's you who should STFU, jackhole? And you have the audacity to call people "stupid wrestling marks". Dumbfuck...

 

[Jackal960]

Yes Definitely! Hogan was in person maybe even worse than Hollywood.

Maybe he was a swinger like Warrior said. Maybe he wasn't a good father. Maybe he played in backstage politics. But you know what, who cares? You know why?

Firstly, I love Hogan because of his Hulk / Hollywood Hogan character. If anyone here has anything against him, again its because of his character unless someone here claims he hangs out with Hogan everyday. The character is what matters and what should matter. Wrestlers will be talking against him, no matter how he is. Is the wrestler who talks against Hogan any better than him? So why would I take those guys words for real? If there are wrestlers talking against Hogan, there are also wrestlers talking in favor of him as well. I'm not saying Hogan is a great person, but my opinion's objectivity won't be any different than yours.

The second reason is: Hogan is not the only wrestler in the world who was big and done mistakes. However, it is hard to find any threads about how bad SCSA was, or how many wrongs Shawn Michaels has done. Why is all this against Hogan? Isn't there any other top wrestler to make negative threads about? When people tend to criticize Hogan unfairly, I just tend to advocate him even more.

 

[#hamler]

Hold on! Sucking some 50 year old dick (physically or figuratively), then so be it? WTF? Can you please keep your gay fantasy's to your self and off of this thread?

First of all, take your head out of your ass. You missed the entire fucking point of my post. Hogan, is a huge ego-maniac who often got his way behind the scenes. Some would say he was hard to get along with. But like Vince and every other promoter he's worked for, I'd do anything to make him happy to make him stay in my company. Dude, seriously, think before you post and you'd might actually go somewhere on this website.

Hulk Hogan most likely is a great guy in reality. But business wise, I beg the differ. Hulk Hogan needs to get over himself, and so do you Lewinski.

Hogan is bigger than anyone in wrestling. Why does he need to get over himself?

 

[FlairFan2003]

Wow...interesting thread. Lets keep in mind something guys, none of us knows Hulk Hogan personally. Yes, there have been countless stories really since the internet explosion and his jump to WCW in the mid 90's that have portrayed Hogan in various degree of negative lights.

Summarizing, Hogan is often portrayed as self serving, a guy who uses his clout to protect his image and character at all costs, often at the expense of the product as a whole. It's hard not believe there is some grain in truth when you hear it so often from so many different sources through the years.

Personally, I always liked the take that Flair took in his book, praising Hogan's drawing power as well as his willingness to do charity work, particularly for the Make A Wish Foundation. In respect to his "Creative Control" issues while Flair detailed instances in wish he felt Hogan's decissions were bad for business (even though they were god for Hogan), he very accurately points out that Hogan was not in charge. Other people, such as Eric Bischoff and maybe today Dixie Carter were and are the boss, they let the fox run the hen house so to speak. Hogan had his share of sway with Vince McMahon but never, not even during his last run with the company, to the extent he had during his WCW days when so much negative publicity came to him.

Ultimately Flair points out that wrestlers are independent contractors, and your ability to make money relies on your ability to DRAW money, which in part relates to how you are used by management. Many times I've posted about the Brett Hart-Van Hammer match on Nitro as a great example of how just having an entertaining wrestling matcnh will not bring in ratings without any promos, fueds, or build up. Now the fact that match was a ratings bomb doesnt mean Brett Hart wasnt popular, it was bad booking to think that putting him in the ring with a veritable unknown bottom carder, then asking them to hold the audience for 45 minutes, would be successful. Wrestlers have no unions to negotiate or protect them, they have no collective bargaining rights, and even if the company has to pay your minimum contracted salary how much money do you lose in potential raises, house show pay offs, pay per view pay offs, and merchandising when promoters dont utilize you ?

With that in mind, Flair said he never blamed Hogan for using his influence to protect himself, he blamed management, in this case Bischoff for letting it get out fof control and hurting the product as a whole.

So while other wrestlers and fans may hold more respect for guys like Flair who were willing to put over other talent for the good of the show, while we cheer Shawn Michaels for his comeback because he went out of his way to be a "company guy" and set an example to other talent as opposed to his mid to late 90's heyday when he had a reputation for being as much if not more difficult to work with than Hogan (and without Hogan's track record of success I might add), while we praise guys who give 5 star matches regadless of if they are winning or losing a big match, lets not be too hard on Hogan. If Hogan (or any other wrestler, there have certainly been stories of Austin being difficult at times about match direction, and Hart has certainly been protective of his brand through the years) lets remember these guys truly are on their own, and at the whim of promoters and bookers, many of whom probably know a lot less about creating entertaining wrestling television than they do. Strong management at the top can stop a lot of these "Creative control" issues. In fact, Hogan did put over Kurt Angle, Undertaker, and Brock Lesnar during his last WWE run, and if Vince had really wanted him to lose at SummerSlam vs Orton or HBK don't you think he would have forced the issue ?

 

[The Heartfix Kid]

Wish I could answer this. Seeing as I don't know the guy personally, I don't who he really is

 

[Krossbreed]

hogan knows he is the biggest star in wrestling.He is hollywood hogan. I believe though somber on tv or with the press with his hulk hogan hulkamaina act...in reality behind the scenes of wrestling he is hollywood.

If hogan was the nice guy we think he was as hulkamania he wouldnt be able to manuever himself so well and stay as the top guy. Hogan however has given back to wrestling, he gave goldberg the biggest win of his career...but he didnt wrestle stone cold or hitman one on one because he didnt want to give them that compliment he chooses who he wrestles and ive never seen hogan loose to a wrestler who is smaller in size to him...he is old school and believes in bigger wrestlers and big muscles.

 

[famous]

Jose, THANK YOU. You said what needed to be said and were very on point with everything but let me add. Has Hogan ever beaten Piper clean? Maybe at a house show or on some long forgotten Nitro or Thunder but as far as my knowledge goes he has... Billy Kidman, three weeks in a row he won over Hogan, Billy Kidman, no where near the star Hogan was and never will be, sure he was a Cruiserweight star in his own right, one of the best and a master of the STP but was he in Hogan's league? NO, yet three weeks IN A ROW he won against "The man who made wrestling what it is today". Also, I too had a very fun meeting with Hogan once, he took the time to talk with me even give me a free autograph because it was my birthday, and even lay hands on and pray for my mom who was dying of breast cancer at the time... That doesn't sound like an ego maniac who doesn't love his fans to me.

 

[UltimateHitman]

So, basically, since Hogan licked your taint, Jose, you're willing to "forgive" him for being out of line when it pertains to somebody's life? Nice.

And sorry, but you tell me about ONE person who has never made a mistake in judgment. Did he reap what he sowed based on that decision? People can debate that until the sun doesn't shine, but it still doesn't condone the words that were spoken. No matter what the celebrity status.

Mistakes happen. I'm sure you've had your share. I'm sure there are people that should be thanking their lucky stars they're not in the same boat. Hell, the guy was still pretty young himself, and is human. Tell me you don't know, or know of, 20 something year old people who do major league stupid shit.

So does that mean that every, single person that made an "error in judgment" like the one you present deserves to be in the same condition? Your argument is horribly weak and also justifies something that was totally unnecessary. And yes, that points to his character, like it or not.

And to ignore all the reports from first hand accounts is asinine. Sure, we can discount anything based on the fact we weren't there. "No, that girl wasn't raped. I wasn't there to see it" or "Nah, just because 20 people saw this guy rob the store and then shoot a kid, they could be lying. How do you know, were you there?" And so on and so forth.

The problem with arguments such as this, is that it lacks complexity. It's pretty much a technique to win an argument without any thought to circumstances, witness accounts, etc. etc. You can strip anything down and play that card. You can always say "Just because the cops caught the guy running from the scene of the crime with a gun in his hand doesn't mean you can say he did it because you weren't there".

Just as you say others weren't there so they cannot know, you weren't there so you do not know. However, plenty of people were, and they've spoken about it. I would be more inclined to believe an eyewitness than some guy randomly picked to answer a question who just didn't like what the witness had to say. You could try to blame it on the fact that the witness just "wants attention", or is jealous of the attention the suspect is getting, or just wants to be on tv, but all that amounts to is you doing the same thing you're condemning.

How do you know the motives of the people in question that have talked about working directly with Hogan? Do you know them personally? Did they admit to you that they were just jealous of his fame and were trying to attack him with lies? Did they call you on the phone and say "Hey, I'm going to slander Hogan in an interview tomorrow?" I highly doubt it.

So before you condemn somebody for "speculation", watch for your own speculation.