Should Hulk Hogan Just BE A MAN?

[CM Steel]

Now adays it seems like the name Hulk Hogan has been more in the media then in pro wrestling. And more politic's going on in Hulk's private life opposed to his professional life in pro wrestling.

Hulk Hogan just had the worst public divorce known to all mankind (not Mick Foley)! Linda Clairige-Bollea (Hogan) took the Hulkster to the cleaners. So now Hulk Hogan is harder on his hustle then ever before. With his comrads Eric Bischoff and Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake. Hulk Hogan's ego is still running wild!

Just because Hulk Hogan isn't on TNA/Impact TV doesn't mean that HH isn't at work. Hogan is a busy man. And he's in the process of suing Linda over alot of things. And his buddy Brutus Beefcake is taking some of the action by suing Linda "Golddigger" Hogan for her saying in a interview that he & Hulk Hogan were playing reideer games with each other stating that they were both gay.

Isn't it funny how right after the Macho Man Randy Savage (R.I.P.) passed away, many people came out and said how they truly felt about Randy putting him over (even the people who didn't like Savage). Not wishing death on Hogan. But how will the wrestling world remember the legend, the icon that is or was Hulk Hogan?

And was the single by the Macho Man and the LP called "Be A Man" the truth about Hulk Hogan in any sence?

 

[Theo Mays]

You either love Hulk Hogan or you don't, plain and simple. Hogan will no undoubtedly go down as one of, if not the biggest name in wrestling history. He will be remembered for what he is. Hogan has an ego due to that and will likely be remembered for being a self-centered, self promoting egomaniac. The Savage single may be true, but none of us know. None of us have ever been buddy-buddy with Hogan, so who knows how much validation is behind that. Many have made claims about Hogan, so they very well be true. But in the business world you always go after the top dog and Hogan was that at one point.

I'm a Hulk Hogan fan and always will be. The guy was one of the greatest wrestling personalities and always put on a show. Definitely the best showman to step foot in the ring and lace up a pair of boots. No one is gonna change my mind on that.

 

[sanefan_har]

It doesn't matter what he does, the hulkster will always be a legend and go down as one of the best in history. I'm not a fan, but that's the truth.

 

[Razakel]

Let's just say that I agree with the ultimate warrior's views about hulk hogan.
He was good back in the 80s and temporarily entertaining as a heel in the nwo. His reality show ruined him in my eyes. The more you know about Hogan the less you respect him as a man with integrity.

 

[Wald]

Only the Rock can touch Hulk Hogan as far as mainstream popularity goes.

He'll be remembered as one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time and as a childhood hero to millions. No-one gives a rat's ass if Linda drops off the face of the planet tomorrow and anyone with a brain cell can see she's just trying to keep herself in the press for as long as possibe, at the expense of Hogan's name, so she can do things like her upcoming reality show about her life with her boyfriend.

And I say that as a wrestling fan who grew up on the WWF of the late-80, and beyond, who never liked Hogan

 

[Xumer]

You've got to understand that the wrestling fans of today have short attention spans. The old school fans who remember pro wrestling before the internet are not the majority anymore. Old school fans remember how big Hogan was in the WWF. Some might remember his NWO days but I truly believe the majority of fans today know only of his tna days and whatever old footage WWE plays from time to time of his matches for promos of dvds or whatever. I personally never liked hogan. Everything bad that anyone ever says about john cena in the WWE today would also apply to hogan in the WWF except that hogan was even LESS talented in the ring. He was in the right place at the right time and he's been milking it for the past 25 years. As far as what other wrestlers have said about him and his ego and his selfishness, I can't say one way or the other because I wasn't there but if I had to go with a gut reaction, I'd say they were all probably right. I really don't have anything good to say about the man other than that in his heyday he could draw. I don't think he's done shit all for tna other than take money and camera time from the roster. I also believe that eventually he WILL be back in the WWE in one form or another and whatever he does there to finish out his career will be what he will actually be remembered for.

 

[Lowdown]

I never heard Macho Man's CD so I can't comment on the "Be A Man" track. Hogan has been through some hard times as of late, so the guy has to keep himself busy to stay afloat. Everyone has read how he "really is" behind the scenes, but at this point its old news. Old Hulkamania fans such as myself should just try to look at the wrestler and what he's brought to the business over the past 30 years.

 

[SpecialFNK]

did I read that right, Randy Savage put over Hulk Hogan? that's a huge load of BS right there. no disrespect to the late Randy Savage, but he's not even close to being an icon as Hulk Hogan.
you don't even have to be a wrestling fan to know Hulk Hogan. there are grandmothers out there who have never once seen a wrestling show, but they know who Hulk Hogan is. he is/was that big. many non wrestling fans knew the name Hulk Hogan, and could even recognize him when they saw him.

Hulk Hogan is what I think wrestling was then and is now and always will be in the future. you do not have to be a great wrestler inside the ring to ever be considered great in the wrestling business. it's always been about entertainment. Vince McMahon knew that right from the beginning. that's why there were celebrities in the 1st Wrestlemania with the likes of Mr T and Cyndi Lauper.
Hogan didn't need to be great in the ring. he had way too many other things that made him great. he had an incredible look/image. he was a great face, telling people to say their prayers and eat their vitamins. he was great on promos. he had the sayings you remember. whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you! brother! he was great after a match when he would use his hand to call to crowd and then pose for each side. he had great music with the song I am a real American. when that song came on it gave you chills. Hogan was just a special character. he didn't need to be a great wrestler. he had his moments in the ring that will always be remember. being beaten down, only to start to shake before taking one last shot and stopping, then pointing YOU, then going on the offense. he had a big finisher with his leg drop.

I think it was how big he was in the WWF that allowed him to have the impact he had in WCW when he turned heel and formed nWo. he was soo good as a face for so long that nobody could have imagined him turning heel. in wrestling for awhile now there have been plenty of shocking/surprising heel/face turns, but at the time Hogan was someone you never would have thought to turn heel. then the leg drop on Savage to turn heel, was like the biggest exclamation mark in wrestling history. it was so unbelievable, that was shocking.

if you're ranking the all time wrestlers, not only is Hogan number 1. but he would be ranked himself in the 1-10 spots before anyone else even got ranked, because he was that good and no one else is that close to him. I wouldn't put anyone currently in wrestling on the level of Hogan, and that's including the likes of Rock/Triple H/Undertaker/Cena/Sting or even Flair. the WWF and wrestling would have never been what is was in the 80's with Wrestlemania if they did not have Hogan. he fit perfectly for the character he was. Hulk Hogan is/was bigger to wrestling than Babe Ruth was to baseball.

I'm not surprised that fans of today might not rank/understand how great Hogan is/was in wrestling. it's been a while since Hulkamania started back in 1984.

it's unfortunate that his former bitch is doing what she's doing. she shouldn't be getting anywhere near the money she's getting. she wouldn't be who she is today without having been married to Hulk Hogan. she should be very thankful she ever met him. I find it hard to believe anything she has to say, even if it is true. all she wants right now is to hurt and humiliate Hulk Hogan.
someone should tell that ungrateful bitch to shut the hell up.

 

[Defekt]

Everyone has personal problems. Most people just aren't big enough stars for the whole country to care. Linda made alot of baseless claims about Hulk, and he feels he should sue her in order to clear his name. It's unfortunate.

I think Hogan will be remembered fondly. He made a huge impact on pro wrestling, and made many people alot of money.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I'll think of Hogan as a legend who stayed too long at the fair. It isn't a question that he should have disappeared from the public eye after the Hulkamania era, but he never should have presented himself as the feature attraction in whatever production he was appearing after his WCW days.

I could see him lending his famous name to various commercial enterprises, in the way Muhammad Ali did. No harm there. Certainly, the recognition factor of his name would jack up interest in whatever he was advertising or presenting. That should have been enough: instead, he kept his name in the public arena with his stupid reality TV show, the hypocrisy of which was proven in the end.

Worse, though, was his vision of thrusting himself to the forefront of TNA. I'll always wonder whether Hogan understood the folly of taking big bucks from the struggling organization and promising they'd bump WWE from their perch.......or did Hogan realize all along it was ridiculous thing for TNA to expect, but if they were dumb enough to buy into it, well.......

I'd say we will remember Hogan well for his ground-breaking influence in the 1980's and his re-birth with WCW. Beyond that, I wish he would have just made commercials with Troy Aikman and signed a legends deal with WWE. It would have been more dignified and realistic......and he could have still made money, which he desperately needs.

 

[schaeffershawn]

I grew up as a hulkamaniac. I loved the guy through the 80's and early 90's. I said my preyers, took my vitamins and all that crap. I even dressed up as the guy for Halloween. But like most childhood heros eventually reality steps in and you find out what kind of a person that hero is. For me that cae when he admitted to the steroid use. Then in the mid 90's I started to hear stories about him screwing Bret out of a SummerSlam match, I also began to see hist matches for what they were snore fest. It was the proudest day of my uncles(who had worked for the old ECW) life when I renounced Hulkamania, and started cheering for HBK, Shane Douglas and Steve Austin, as well as other guys who could actually go.

Now to compare Hogan to Babe Ruth is almost aking to comparing a souther baptist bishop to Jesus Christ himself. Its not even close. Babe Ruth was a world wide name before internet and television. 200 years from now people will still remember Babe Ruth. Most people will have forgotten Hulk Hogan within another 20 years, the same way most people have forgotten the original nature boy buddy rogers, gorgeous geroge and Lou Thez.

I certainly cannot speak for everyone, but to me Hogan will always be the lying hypocrite who broke my heart when I was 9 years old. He will also be the guy who showed virtually no remorse after his bastard son left a US marine a potato for teh rest of his life. And while I know soem will defend Hogan on this bottom line he is Nicks father and did not stop his underage son from drinking and driving, which makes him just as accountable as a parent who has loaded guns in the house and has not taught his kids gun safty.

 

[ilapierre]

I read some of this thread and I read a very interesting comment by the OP that could be its own thread. That Macho Man actually put Hulk Hogan over. I read one poster denounce that notion and go on to praise Hogan as being, by himself, the entire top 10 best wrestlers of all time. I think its an interesting way to look at it but the OP has a point. Savage really did put Hulk Hogan over. I was a huge Hogan fan, I loved Hogan even more when he was Hollywood. He is the best wrestling entertainer hands down. He will never be forgotten. Everyone's grandma knows who he is. Hogan is not Lou Thez or any old the old guys because the WWE/Hogan era was the first big mainstream era for wrestling. Baseball was big before Babe Ruth but when baseball got massive Ruth was obliterating home run records like Hogan was dominating the WWF. And Lou Thez and Bruno etc will never be forgotten by wrestling fans. Anyone with any knowledge of wrestling history knows who the legends of wrestling are. You can't compare Hogan's mainstream recognition to those guys either because they didn't have the same exposure as Hogan. The Hogan era changed wrestling more than any other era and wrestling is what it is today thanks to him.

As for Hogan the man, I agree with the last comments made by schaeffershawn. He appears to be the biggest hypocrite alive. The way he showed no remorse for what his son did to his friend is what ruined Hogan as a man for me. The audio of what he told his son was perhaps the most disgusting thing ever and revealed what we all kind of assumed about him as a person. Macho Man was right all along, his song hit the nail on the head.

As for Savage putting Hogan over, i agree totally. Mind you, Hogan was pretty over as an entertainer in the era before Savage when the main competition was overweight monsters. But Savage was ushering in a new era of heavyweight champion, he helped make it easier for guys like Hitman, Michaels, Stone Cold, Benoit, Jericho, Guerrero, Cena, Miz, Punk, etc to be taken seriously as smaller world champions. Savage was by no means small, but he represented perhaps the most agile and exciting 'wrestling' world champions in wrestling history by 1988. The guy put on some of the best wrestling matches in history and was one of the most exciting guys to watch in the late 70s to early/mid 80s before he even blew up. In a world where there was no Hulk Hogan, the Macho Man could have been the biggest and best known wrestling personality.

Yes Macho Man put Hogan over. Hogan was suppose to pass the torch to Savage and he wouldn't. Hogan fought the Andres and Bundys but when he fought the Pipers or Savages he needed Piper and Savage to make the match amazing. Hogan was in the right place at the right time and he was surrounded by lots of amazing and selfless personalities who wanted to do what was best for business and ride the money making wave that came about with Hulkamania. Savage put his career advancement on hold his whole career just so Hulk Hogan could milk his own character to death. And Piper never got to be a world champion! Sure, Hogan was money and the Hulkamania and Hollywood eras are the two that have best defined wrestling. But, there's no denying it. Savage PUT Hogan over with the legendary feuds they had in 1986 and again in 1989. Without Savage, Hogan's early career would have been spent beating Andre the Giant, King Kong Bundy, Paul Orndorff, Iron Sheik, Ted Dibiase, and Sergeant Slaughter. The guy couldn't beat credible icons like Piper or the Ultimate Warrior. He wouldn't wrestle guys like Hitman, Michaels or Stone Cold. Savage was the one really good wrestler who did Hogan a favour and ironically Hogan not only wouldn't return the favour but spent his whole career politiking so Savage could never outshine him. Funny thing is though Savage shone through and many wrestling fans look back at the old days with a much better respect for Savage the wrestler and for Savage the man. In retrospect, we'll all look at Hogan a bit different whether we know it or not. It's too late for Hogan to be a man. He'll still be considered the best wrestling entertainer of all time though.

 

[H33LTurn]

I cant really speak for his personal life or what he did in the wrestling business backstage but as far as the allegations against him this isnt the first time an ex wife does something like this. Whether its true or not its unfair to bring up something like that so many years later when the man has a wife and is no longer part of Linda's life. As far as being a man Hes doing just that and not letting the allegations deter him from his job. Is he a man I would want to be friends with, I dont know, but just because some people arent personally fond of his life choices shouldnt mean his accomplishments in the business should be forgotten.

 

[schaeffershawn]

ilapierre. Your points on Hogan being the first mainstream star are not accurate. Gorgeous George and Freddie Blassie were both huge cross over stars in the 50's and 60's as was Haystack Callhome. The general trend in society is to see the generations we live in as the greatest generation. But that is simply a perception. That is why when Jordan was in his prime, people aside from basketball purist forgot about Wlt Chamberlins domminace. Likewise when the Atlanta Braves had Smolts/Maddox/Glavin people forgot men like Warren Span. It is the same egocentricisim that exists with Hogan, Savage, Piper, Flair, Austin and Rock. People will always debate who was a bigger star or draw, while ignoring the drawing power of say Andre the Giant, and others. However, ultimately the only people who will really remember Hogan are those who grew up with him because while he crossed over he never had staying power in the mainstream like say the Rock.

 

[Larry]

I was born in 1985. When I was a little kid in the late 80's I knew a handful of names; Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, George Bush, and Hulk Hogan. I was a Hulkamaniac through and through and always will be. I don't care how much people smear him, I don't care what their allegations are, I don't care what people say, I LOVE HULK HOGAN. He gets a lot of heat for being a shrewd business man and a master manipulator in the politics of wrestling, I say tough shit to anyone who has a problem with it. Was anyone else going to look out for Hulk Hogan but him? No. Everyone else was doing the same damn thing, trying to get themselves over, Hogan just happened to do it better because he was the bigger attraction. Everyone else can bitch and complain, make their claims about how over they were in their own self delusion like they were ever going to be bigger than Hogan, that's just not the case and never was going to be. There was only one Babe Ruth, one Michael Jordan, one Michael Jackson, and one Hulk Hogan. These guys aren't on another level out of simple conspiracy and politics, they are there because they were, and/or are exceptional above the rest.

For all the people that want to talk shit about Hogan during Hulkamania not wanting to share the spotlight, maybe those people should shut their mouths and instead thank him for making sure they all had paychecks for all those years. Hogan made money not just for himself, or Vince McMahon, but for everyone in that company and every one of them owes him their respect for doing it, because none of them were slamming Andre the Giant at WrestleMania 3, none of them beat The Iron Sheik to become the biggest hero in wrestling history, or headlining every WrestleMania they were in as the main attraction, and so on. Hell, none of them were the caliber of superstar Hogan was on his way to becoming the World Champion. He was making them money before Hulkamania was even as big as it got. There's all this disrespect that gets put on him out of animosity from wanting to be the top guy.

Well guess what? There's only so much room at the top and when you are as big as Hogan there is little room for anyone else, and whoever IS there is going to have to prove that they deserve to be there. The problem here I see is that so few of the IWC have any real clue about how things really work in the business. Everyone in the locker room owes a debt of gratitude to the top earner because he ensures they have a job. You people generally don't seem to understand that. Hogan was that guy, and he didn't get nearly the respect that he deserved. Instead he had a bunch of jackals gunning for him and his spot, all the while he's doing everything in his power to make the company and the business bigger than ever, while they all overlook how he is directly helping them day in and day out by being Hulk Hogan.

He will be remembered as the biggest superstar to ever wrestle and the man who made the business bigger than ever. No one ever elevated the sport the way he did, and no one ever meant as much to it as he did. His personal life and those issues surrounding are irrelevant to him as a wrestler, his as Hulk Hogan, and irrelevant to his place in the history of wrestling and his impact on the business. He is the greatest of all time no matter how much Ric Flair wants to tell you otherwise, and Ric Flair could only dream of ever being as big at any point in his career as Hulk Hogan. I think he deserves a lot more respect and a if your not down with that I got two words for ya, Hulk Rules.

 

[SpecialFNK]

sorry, but to suggest Savage put over Hulk Hogan is just ridiculous. that's like saying Hogan NEEDED Savage. Hogan didn't NEED anyone. he was already a mega star before even wrestling with Savage. again I say it's not about wrestling, it's about entertainment and putting on a show.
when Hogan wrestled other wrestlers who maybe weren't great in the ring, I doubt many people were watching and disappointed because it wasn't a great wrestling match.

Hogan couldn't beat Warrior or Piper? it's not like he wasn't able too, it was scripted and written that way. it's not actual real wrestling. Hogan should be given credit for not beating the shit out of Warrior, along with McMahon too. before that Wrestlemania match Warrior wouldn't go out unless he got paid, and I mean paid. Hogan and McMahon should have laid Warrior out backstage and inserted someone else in that match, but at the time Warrior was a big plus to wrestling fans.

at the time when Hogan was wrestling Savage, Hogan should have "passed the torch"? as if Hogan was done? Savage should be grateful to Hogan for Hogan helping him. Hogan helped Savage in the final title match of the tournament where Savage won the belt for the first time. you could say Hogan did pass the torch to a degree. it was Hogan who lost the title to Andre, who then sold the title to Ted Dibiase. because of that Jack Tunney stripped Dibiase of the title and started a tournament. it was the title match there where Savage beat Dibiase with the help of Hogan who used a chair. Hogan and Savage together were the Mega Powers, then they started a feud with each other. WWF could have just as easily had Hogan win the title in the tournament, rather than getting double DQ in a semi final match with Andre eliminating the both of them. Savage and Warrior both had title reigns around the time, when Hogan himself could have continued to dominate as he did for a long time before then.

wrestling was around a long time before Hogan came along. but I think professional wrestling changed to a big degree once McMahon JR took over, and along with Hogan dropped the territories and began Wrestlemania. there were wrestling greats before Hogan, but none of them had the entertainment package world/country wide that became wrestling at the time when it did change. TV also had a big part in helping wrestling change. professional wrestling changed after Wrestlemania.

I don't specifically remember what Hogan had to say with his son Nick after the accident, but I'm not surprised to see a father completely back his own son regardless of what happened.

 

[rayz789]

Lmao @ Savage putting Hogan over. Hogan was selling out arenas all over the world way before Savage won his first wwf title at wrestlemania 4. Hogan is clearly THE MAN. In Hogan's prime from the wwf to wcw, nobody was a bigger draw then him pure and simple. Too me Hogan was a bigger draw back then, then Austin was in the attitude era. Hogan clearly save wwf from running out of business with his charactor, his in ring performance and his energy that he had with the fans. There was no one like Hogan. As far about Hogan son and his ex wife? Big deal. Too me i always hated linda cause i always thought she's a (you know). And look i listen to what hogan said to his son when his son was in jail and i dont think he said was bad. I remember he said to his son was to s4ck it up and be a man and live with your mistake. <<<Hogan was telling his son that he's grown up and start act like a man and not a baby. <<<I really dont know what is wrong with that? And The Warrior need to sh4t up cause everyone and i do mean EVERYONE hated the warrior from andre, heenan, slaughter, piper, hogan and way many more all say they hate working with the warrior cause of his attitude and other things.