Hulkamania Turns 30

[klunderbunker]

January 23, 1984 - Hulk Hogan defeats the Iron Sheik for the WWF Title in Madison Square Garden.

[youtube]U-9y1wu1_9M[/youtube]

This is the match that started modern wrestling. All of a sudden, the world champion was a 6'7 power guy with more charisma than he knew what to do with. Also the match was almost a squash with Hogan shrugging off Sheik's finishing move and pinning him in the middle of the ring. Everything changed and wrestling would never be the same.

Hogan would go on to become the biggest star in the history of wrestling and is still someone with some name value today. When you consider the second biggest name of all time, Steve Austin, was only around for about twelve years (debuted in 1991, gone save for special appearances by 2003) and the third biggest (the Rock) debuted less than eighteen years ago, the amount of time that Hogan has been around has been remarkable.

He's still the first name a lot of people say when they're asked to name a wrestler and is still an icon in entertainment. It all started thirty years ago today and it was clear he was something very special.

What are your general thoughts on Hulkamania? Were you a Hulkamaniac? Are you still today? What are you favorite/least favorite memories of his time in the red and yellow?

 

[Odisho]

Hulkamania will live forever. Even though we always hear stories about hulk hogan being a douche, theres also stories of him being classy. Douche or not, he put wrestling on the map and he deserves the biggest thank you from vince mcmahon because without hulk hogan who knows where WWE would be right now.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

I was a kid growing up in the 80's so naturally I was a Hulk Hogan fan. I remember me and my best friend at the time used to argue because he was an Ultimate Warrior fan.

Hulkamania is probably the greatest fandom(?) that has ever hit professional wrestling. No matter who you talk to, wrestling fan or not, they know who Hulk Hogan is because he was just that popular. It's funny because there's another thread that just got created pointing out how TNA fans were chanting "screw Hulk Hogan" before he showed up but during the rumor time. Yet when he came out, almost every time, he got the loudest pop of the night. His popularity through the 80's and early 90's are also the reason he pulled off the greatest heel turn in the history of this business. Say what you want about how the NWO turned out, but it was clearly on fire that night.

I'm still a fan of his today, but I'm at a point where I also understand that wrestlers today need their spots. A lot of people think it was way too much about him in TNA and I can see that. But you also can't deny that he at least tried to put others over. At his age, I'm just hoping for his Legend contract to be finalized so we can get the occasional appearance. He will always be one of the greatest wrestlers and legends of all time, but let's keep him out of the ring from now on.

I'll be happy to hear that insane pop that will likely happen when his music hits again in the WWE.

 

[$Mr. 100%]

I was a hulkamaniac big time until he joined nwo. I was a teen(yea i know lame)and was disgusted seeing hulk turn on da fans and wcw. I remember hoping hulk would turn back immediately but of course it never happened. As i continued 2 watch hogan wrestle it became clear 2 me da man could barely wrestle even n da 80s. As a grown man now i respect what he's done 4 wrestling and his entertainment value back n da day. I still look at his old wwf matches w/andre savage etc w/fondness. Happy bday hulkamania and many more

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

The thing that I always found appealing about Hulk Hogan as a kid was that he was literally, a superhero. He was the guy who was always going to win and kick the bad guy's ass in the end. This was in contrast to the NWA where the action was more gritty and bloody (also appealing to a 10 year old kid), but in the end, it always seemed like the bad guys won. Ric Flair was the king of the mountain. The closest they had to superheroes were the Road Warriors, I felt.

For a kid, I think it's important to see the heroes win eventually. I never felt like I got that watching NWA. That made Hogan all the more special, IMO.

As I got older, I started to look at it all differently, and of course, the appeal of Hulk Hogan wore off, and especially as his role never seemed to change.

 

[relentless1]

Hulk Hogan was the man, he single handedly (along with vince behind the scenes) revolutionized wrestling, as someone said on here earlier, i don't know where the WWF/WWE would be today had it not been for Hulkamania. He brought utmost prestige to the World Championship, being the record title holder for the MODERN ERA. He was involved in some of the biggest angles in the 80s and the 90s, the guy was front and center stage for almost 20 years, IMO he eclipses Steve Austin or anybody else in pro wrestling by his popularity and longevity and its a shame when I see Vince Mcmahon shit all over his legacy when he isn't around.

 

[ajdb]

Hulk Hogan made wrestling what it is today. Personally, I think Vince gets too much credit for Hulkamania, because Hulk was destined to be huge. His looks and charisma would've made him a star anyway. All Vince did was provide the platform and capitalized on the popularity.

Remember, we were one moment of good sense away from the AWA being the biggest wrestling company in the world.

But back on subject, Hulkamania is the single greatest idea the wrestling business has ever seen. Hulk Hogan might have been an a-hole behind the scenes, but what he did not only for wrestling but people in general is what Hulkamania was, is, and will always be about.

Isn't it ironic, the man who wanted to put Hulkamania into a nose-dive to Parts Unknown, and was supposed to have "killed Hulkamania", and take the torch is getting put into the Hall of Fame on the 30th Birthday of Hulkamania?

No one will ever be as popular for as long as Hulkster was. I'd also like to throw a little credit to Gorilla Monsoon. Monsoon was the soundtrack to Hulkamania and his over the top reactions and the job he did putting over how amazing Hulk was cannot be underestimated. And trust me when Hulk returns in a few weeks to WWE it certainly "will be a happening"!

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Fuck, I forgot to get Hulkamania a present.

I started watching wrestling because of Hulk Hogan. Flipping channels on a Saturday morning learning about his win over Iron Sheik got me interested and Hogan and the rest got me hooked. I liked him so much I saw No Holds Barred in the theater. Slamming Andre meant more than simply beating Andre. The way he always got the better of Heenan made me feel good about being a good person. The cartoon was awful but I had to watch every single one they aired.

I really believed he was everything the show made him out to be. I was wrong but as a kid looking for good things in the world Hogan was up there on a pedestal.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Without a doubt, it's disappointing to think that Terry Bollea the man, and Hulk Hogan the character might not be a completely paralleled alignment. But in the name of all that's geared towards entertainment (which is turn is motivated by the almighty dollar), it's par for the course. I've enjoyed Hogan from the time I was a kid, in terms of the wrestling product he was a part of in WWF and WCW. I wasn't old enough to remember his time in the AWA, in fact most of it occurred before I was even born and by the time I was two, he was on his way back to the WWF. With that said, I've always been into Hulk Hogan as a wrestler/sports entertainer and nothing more. I'll admit No Holds Barred slightly amused me, and Rocky III, well his part was short enough, where it did no damage. And in that respect, it's what helped legitimize Hogan further. In fact his role in Rocky III that he accepted despite the consequence of being fired from the WWF in his first stint, was for the better. It got the AWA's attention, and while they started Hulkamania, they couldn't capitalize on it enough with their old school thinking trapping them. Too bad. Vince McMahon really utilized Hogan who carried the "banner of hope" as Hulk Hogan himself called the challenge the WWF faced in the 80s of national/global expansion.

Classic moments in the ring with Andre The Giant Bob Orton, Paul Orndorff, Roddy Piper, Don Muraco, Dr. D, Randy Savage, King Kong Bundy, Adrian Adonis, Dick Murdoch, Iron Sheik, Kamala, Rick Rude, and others were memorable! And that's just his first reign as WWF Champion!

Then of course you fast forward to other moments in his career such as his jump to WCW with the nWo formation. His appearances in Japan between were the stuff of legend too, they didn't call him Ichiban for nothing.

I wish I could say more positive things about his time in TNA. I would say most of his angles were pretty much "WTF". Like the Abyss Hall Of Fame ring fiasco. But knowing how TNA had Rhyno show up once with his "ECW Title", granted it was nowhere to be seen, except in its bag, I wasn't surprised.

I will say this about his TNA appearances, the few times I've got to a TNA show, he was very cordial to his fan base, yes you are indeed paying for this courtesy, but then again we pay these people to collectively entertain us anyway. So I spent a little more to meet some TNA guys backstage like Kurt Angle and The Hulkster. And to be honest, the man went above and beyond what he was advertised to do, I can dig that, and the last time I met the guy I got to have this happen. To give a context, I had taken the day off from work and had a last minute invite to the Boston bedroom community of Woburn, Massachusetts. A friend of man who also grew up a Hogan fan wanted me to have The Hulkster give her a shout out, so I indeed did that. As you can see, I was not expecting what would happen in this video to happen.

[YT]CafL0rPi3mo[/YT]​

So despite his flaws, and the talk of how he's used his star power to have clout in the world of wrestling, I still rate him as a top ten favorite of all time. Even with the fact he did that stupid sex tape, and he had that messy divorce. And of course has said a few off the wall things, he's still The Hulkster. He got so many people into wrestling, and the business overall is all the better for having him and someone like Vince McMahon to utilize and exploit the potential that Verne Gagne turned his nose up at.

Hulkamania, it might not be running wilder than it ever has before, but it ran long enough and hard enough to still mean something to this day.

 

[Pedigree1]

Oh hell yah Hulkamaniac 30 years young today.. Amazing and to the day is quite weird! MY favorite memory of his,when he became champion of course...... He is the man,the NO1 Icon,Legend and the reason why wrestling is still around to this day... Every kids superhero back then and even adults.. He was in every magazine ever imaginable,and the reason why so so many superstars became superstars to this day..

Theres not enough words that can describe what he has meant to the business and to us,as fans.. Who in their right mind isnt to mark out when his music hits! I know i will

 

[closet_fan]

I was 8 years old when Hogan won the belt off the Sheiki Baby. Unfortunately, I couldn't see it as cable didn't exist in my part of the state (PA). So I was relegated to whatever they showed on tv at the time. My first wrestling memory was Corporal Kirchner, who I doubt most of this website would even remember. Hogan already had the belt, but I didn't know much history about wrestling until then.

Once I started watching it more, Hogan just burst out to me amongst everyone else. He was so in your face and was bigger than life, I was instantly hooked. Then my dad would get me magazines and I figured out how he became the champ, but didn't know he existed anywhere else. Hell I didn't even know he was a heel when he first joined WWF. Or that he was in the AWA. No other fed existed except WWE because that's all they showed on tv.

Once he sucked me in, I bought a lot of merch. My most fondest was a workout kit he had with a motivational tape (blue dumbbells, hand grip, jump rope, etc.) And I would park my ass in front of the tv every Saturday morning for the cartoon.

I'm sure my love for Hogan is like what kids feel like for Cena. Back then, you literally didn't know if a King Kong Bundy or a Big John Studd would take his belt. But to adults who had watched the Sammartino era, it was likely dumb to them the way he'd Hulk Up and win.

Plus the lack of internet and the insistence that wrestlers stayed in kayfabe as much as possible ensured that I wouldn't know of any surprises that were expected to happen or that Hogan was going to win.

It's a shame most fans of now only remember his work in WCW, the reality show, the TNA stint and his other "real life" problems because that's not how I will ever remember him.

I would not be surprised if I shed a bit of a tear when he makes his comeback. Fans my age don't get a chance to be an 8 year old kid again in regards to wrestling.

 

[Waylon Mercy]

When it comes crashing down, and it hurts inside,
ya' gotta take a stand, it don't help to hide,
Well, you hurt my friends, and you hurt my pride,
I gotta be a man; I can't let it slide,
I am a real American, Fight for the rights of every man,
I am a real American, fight for what's right, fight for your life!

Every time those opening guitar chords struck, and the curtain opened, it sent chills down my spine. I imagine a lot of other 15 year-old kids felt the same way I did. Hulkamania really was running wild back then. The Hulkster deserves every accolade he receives for elevating wrestling into the cultural zeitgeist.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

If I were to meet Hogan today, as a 30-year-old man, I'd still mark out as if I were eight years old and had just opened a Hogan Wrestling Buddy for my birthday. I was a raging Hulkamaniac as a kid and watched him anytime I had the chance to.

Don't get me wrong, I still watched the NWA on TBS and really liked Sting, too. But thankfully, the WWE was on opposite times usually on Saturday or Sunday mornings. Fact is, Hulkamania will never die. It might never be as big as it once was, but there are many generations that still bleed the red and yellow.

And that includes myself.

 

[8thwotwATG]

Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you!?!?!

This famous catchphrase never failed to grab your attention, and let you know you were going to see an entertaining matchup when you went to the house show that month for the latest title defense of the Hulkster.
I had just graduated from high school when the Hulk returned to WWF arenas to become the face of the company, so being the rabid wrestling fan that I was at that time, I saw Hogan perform at the then named Providence Civic Center many, many, many times during his first tile reign. Admittedly, I wasn't then the biggest fan of Hogan, but even at that time, you couldn't help but be sucked in by his presence and undeniable charisma. I grant you, it's been a long time, but to the best of my recollection, the pop that went off in the arena when he hit the midway was DEAFENING. He delivered mostly the same match sequence every two months; the initial matchup would see the heel of the moment giving hulk a rough time, maybe getting a countout victory, but the return match would see Hogan laying waste to his opponent, giving the fans what they came to see.
I find it hard not to call Hulk Hogan the greatest professional wrestler of all time. The man put more asses in more seats for more years than anyone before or since, and even now is arguably one of the single most recognizable names in wrestling. Just watch the pop he'll get if he shows at WMXXX. Hulkamania still lives and breathes. It may not run wild anymore it it still simmers along as an undercurrent to todays' wrestling business. Hulkamania started it, after all.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

This moment started something that didn't end until Wrestlemania 6... the synergy of Hogan and Vince McMahon... Vince had the brains, Hogan the brawn and charisma to make it work... while they stuck to that agreement it was pure energy, money in the bank and truly a golden age. This isn't a puff piece, nor hating on Hogan but if you look at it with true balance...

Where it went wrong was when Hogan began to believe HE was the bigger part of the pairing and trying to get involved creatively vetoing that didn't fit his view of his idiom. Rick Rude is a perfect example. In 1990 the stage was set for Warrior but it clearly wasn't working, even by Summerslam the decision was taken he was dropping the belt... As much as Warrior was responsible, Hogan was the one who finally killed the idea of Rick Rude being the one to take the belt as he felt him "too small"...

Hogan didn't want to work with DiBiase directly either, he had to have Andre in the mix to make it fit his thing of working with monsters. So he handpicked Slaughter as he was closer in size and Rude left in disgust at the creative ideas for him, sounding familiar to anyone we know?

In many ways Hogan did deserve his creative control, but on several occasions it led to poorer booked, worse received events that actually caused longer term issues for the company.

One, Slaughter v Hogan proved to be worse than even the Warrior's reign. Rather than selling out they had to shift venue... they claimed "someone threatened Slaughter" the reality is no one cared enough to want to go. For Warrior it was great, it led him to Savage and a better all round feud until his wacky antics took him out... but from Hogan's perspective the Slaughter feud left a bad taste for the fans... it was the first time a Hogan feud didn't deliver... and that they kept it going as long as they did make it worse, you could also say that it took a LONG time for another Hogan feud to satisfyingly deliver, even longer in the WWF!

WM7 and Summerslam 91 were in many ways the end of that Golden Age... Not cos Hogan had handed notice or Warrior was fired... but cos the magic was gone due to those two men's short-sightedness... by then if Hogan knew he was going would it have hurt to face Rude? No, but he didn't have to if he didn't want to... same for Bret 2 years later.

Rude issue he walked into WCW and literally was the best heel in the business for 10 years prior... better than DiBiase, Savage, even Flair of the time. That feud with Sting over the US TITLE was main event. Transplant that to the WWF at Mania 7 even if Rude manages to upset Hogan with an assist from someone, be it a Warrior heel turn, a debut or simply Heenan you have a heel EVERYONE wants to see lose... whoever achieves that (it wasn't going to be Hogan as he'd decided to go anyway) was going to be huge, not cos of mock patriotism but cos Rude cheated Hogan AND Warrior, two top faces out of titles at Mania and you then have a solid main eventer in who can plug into feuds with Savage or any other top face over time for years to come.

Hogan didn't want that... he wanted it to be about him, he got his wish and WWF suffered for years as a result. Once he hit WCW, similar things happened. He tried to claim credit for the NWO - it was happening with or without him and Sting would have been the 3rd guy. By the time he got to the tail end of WCW and actually was running the asylum he was outed as what he had actually started to become in 1990 - out of touch, arrogant, a very poor wrestling writer and not even a very good Hulk Hogan writer at times.

That being said, he deserves all the praise in the world for 1984 till perhaps early 1990 and Hulkamania was a legit phenomenon during that time that should be celebrated. Sadly after that he tarnished it time after time due to not doing the best for business but the best for Hogan.The few high points were not down to him as he believed but others ideas and creativity.

When he faced the Rock, it was the last time Hogan ever came close to what he had had pre-1990. It needed a big assist from the Rock, but it wasn't planned... if Hogan had done it his way he'd have stayed NWO and heel. Just imagine what could have happened if he'd let similar happen with Rude or Bret back in the day who were both more than capable of generating the same buzz for him, just smaller than what he wanted to face.

In his prime, which was when this video was and those few years after... no one could beat Hogan, he truly was the greatest... but once he lost sight that Vince was an equal if not 60/40 reason for that and that HE was the star above all else, he lost that edge he had gained and it nearly destroyed him.

 

[lowandmighty]

My general thoughts on Hulkamania are that it and Hulk Hogan made wrestling what it is. Hulkamania set off the need merchandising and turned wrestling from a road show to a world wide phenomenon. It raised awareness more than anything and Hulk Hogan became world famous and a household name. The title of WWF's first pay per view Wrestlemania was even inspired by Hulkamania.

I think Hulkamania's best moments were relatively early in Hulk Hogan's career, his match against King Kong Bundy at Wrestlemania was the stand out for me.
By the time Hogan went to WCW Hulkamania had run its race. It created a huge boom in WCW when he first arrived but the momentum died down quite quickly, a sure sign that an idea has lost its novelty. Luckily Hogan was still able to keep that momentum building by turning heel.

Same thing happened when Hogan returned to WWE in 2001 or 2002, can't really remember when that was exactly, big boom then died down again.

By the time Hogan went to TNA Hulkamania was just running on fumes and I think like a sports great near the end of a career, fans had lost faith and critics circled leading to the end.
I think when Hulk Hogan returns to WWE to host wrestlemania his pop won't be what lost of us old Hulkamaniacs will expect, it will be watered down. Wrestling and wrestling fans have changed and Hulkamania is now like playing an old classic tune to a group of young teenagers who just don't understand.

Of course I was a Hulkamaniac, I had one of those original rubber finger dolls and everything.

People complain that Hogan never put people over but if he did I don't think Hulkamania would have grown like it did. Everyone loves a winner.