Instances of face Hulk Hogan being a jerk?

[LBGetBack]

This is entirely kayfabe. Focusing mainly on his 80s and early 90s WWF run.

1. Survivor series 1987...Hulk got counted out. Andre the Giant ended up being the sole survivor after eliminating Bam Bam Bigelow. Hogan comes running out and attacks Andre with the belt and then does his usual pose routine.

2. SNME Event cage match against King Kong Bundy. Hogan beats him, but that's not enough. He runs after Bobby Heenan, drags him into the ring and beats the hell out of him.

3. 1992 Royal Rumble. Sid Justice eliminates Hulk Fair and square. Hulk acts like a sore loser and tries to pull Sid out, allowing Flair to eliminate Sid and win the title. And they make Sid go heel off that? LOL.

4. Getting way too involved with Elizabeth, his friend's girlfriend. Cmon, you don't act like that with your friend's girl! Savage was rightfully pissed.

5. Running out and pretending to be concerned about Bret Hart after he got salt thrown in his eyes and lost the title at WM 9. Cmon, him and Bret had never once been on screen buddies in their careers. Hulk ran out there feigning concern, but he really just wanted in on that title action. Self-serving glory bound. LOL.

List more!

 

[Nate DaMac]

That time in WCW, fairly early on during his run, when Macho Man won WW3 despite Hogan not being properly eliminated. Obviously he should have been upset but he whined for way too long and shit all over Macho winning the belt. Cena wouldn't have done that.

Or when he kicked out right after 3 when Warrior pinned him. Not really kayfabe though.

 

[jpickens]

Using a helmet to headbutt Bad News Brown and other heels during house shows.

 

[CrunKSinatrA]

Normally, babyfaces fight w/ honor and heels cheat.

But face Hulk Hogan would do a lot of eye gouges, back rakes, and chokes.

I can't even imagine John Cena doing a back rake.

Although it also wouldn't surprise me if there's a video out there of John Cena back raking someone.

Does getting a bigger trophy than Andre for a shorter winning streak count?

I guess since Hulk didn't choose to award himself a trophy and over shadow Andre, it might not count against his character.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Emptying the urn and using the contents to blind Taker to win the title...

Sulking on the cart out after Warrior beat him/trying to argue the two count when it was clearly 3.

Taking the "bye" in the Mania 4 tournament. He and Andre should have Kayfabe gone into a cage outside the tourney with Hogan saying "this is more than the title" - whole tourney was lopsided because of it.

 

[relentless1]

Hulk was the original badass, he wasnt as clean cut and boy scoutish as people seem to remember; always back raking, eye gouging, giving rabbit punches in a headlock; I recall Jesse Ventura used to call him out on that all he time too.

 

[The Brain]

Sulking on the cart out after Warrior beat him/trying to argue the two count when it was clearly 3.

Taking the "bye" in the Mania 4 tournament. He and Andre should have Kayfabe gone into a cage outside the tourney with Hogan saying "this is more than the title" - whole tourney was lopsided because of it.

Both of these are a stretch. WM6 was one of the only times Hogan lost graciously. He presenting the belt to Warrior and raised the hand of the new champ. He wasn't sulking on the cart on the way out. He looked disappointed and defeated. That image made the moment even better.

As for WM4, I really don't understand what you're talking about. If you wanted to see Hulk vs. Andre in a cage instead of the tournament that's fine, but Hogan was not a jerk at all from a kayfabe point of view. He was screwed out of the title and wanted and deserved a chance to get it back. As a matter of fact, he had a legitimate gripe that the other twelve guys didn't deserve a shot and he should have gotten a singles rematch. There was nothing wrong with him taking the by due to the circumstances.

So while I disagree with the two just mentioned, there are other examples. The 1992 Royal Rumble was mentioned in the OP, and that is probably the best example there is, but he did pretty much the same thing at the 1989 Rumble. He was eliminated by the Twin Towers fair and square but of course Hulk had to stick around ringside and wait for the opportunity to pull Boss Man out. Hulk is generally a sore loser, especially when it comes to battle royals. He also threw a fit when Andre eliminated him from one on SNME shortly before WM3.

 

[HeenanGorilla]

Taking the "bye" in the Mania 4 tournament. He and Andre should have Kayfabe gone into a cage outside the tourney with Hogan saying "this is more than the title" - whole tourney was lopsided because of it.

I can't believe you still feel this way. Can you please explain how the tourney was lopsided? If Hogan defeated Wrestler A in Round 1 and Andre defeated Wrestler B in Round 1, Hogan faces Andre in Round 2--which happened. They simply didn't have to face Wrestler A and B. I don't understand how people don't get this. The DiBiase and OMG byes were not needed because of some lopsided bracket. They were time savers.

If in the NCAA March Madness bracket, the #1 seeds were given byes instead of having to easily beat the 16 seeds, would that make it lopsided? No. The tourney goes on as normal from that point on.

I agree with Hogan at Survivor Series 87, WMIV, WMVI, Royal Rumble 92. The use of the urn was another good call. I'll try to think of some others but this WMIV tourney thing just baffles me. PLEASE explain.

 

[FlairFan2003]

The 92 Rumble is a great example of Vince misreading the audience. He automatically assumed fans would turn on Sid for dumping Hogan out of The Rumble and Hogan would be cheered as the heroic good guy done wrong by his friend as he confronted him.

Problem 1 was the fact The Rumble was designed and promoted as "Every Man For Himself", the appeal of the match is the idea fans get to see friends & allies FIGHT each other to win the match. This is why fans tune in, and the way the Hogan-Sid was scripted and played it by that standard Sid did no wrong, faced with having both Hogan & Flair with their backs turned and prone, he dumped Hogan first, the larger, physically stronger of the two who had been in the ring a fraction as long as the weary, exhausted Flair. Not only did Sid's action not violate the spirit if the match, it made perfect sense!

Problem 2: The confrontation after Hogan is dumped, Hogan never cleared the ringside area (direct violation of match rules) and he is the one who initiates the argument. Hogan's argument itself made no sense as Sid did nothing wrong (which he proclaims to the whole audience). By any normal standard of behavior Hogan is acting as the jerk, his legendary hero status notwithstanding, and slowly the crowd turned on him as he continued to badger Sid post match.

Meanwhile, no one in WWE bothered to criticize Flair for dumping Sid for the win as he was distracted by Hogan, in reality given the scenario playing out, it made
perfect sense. WWE hailed Flair's cunning for taking advantage of the situation at the same time they EXPECTED fans to punish Sid for essentially the same move simply because he executed it against Hogan. That DID NOT make perfect sense.

Many of the other "incidents" mentioned are moments Hogan "got tough" against rulebreakers who consistently did as much if not more to him, I dont count those as "jerk moves" by any stretch and historically other wrestling heroes have done the same to their villainous antagonists.

 

[Wrestlemania75]

I forget which ppv this was at, I think at the No Holds Barred 89 with the Macho King in a cage match, but I distinctly remember Hogan grabbing Scary (Sensational) Sherri and ramming into the cage hard. Maybe clotheslining her first as well. Anyone?

 

[LBGetBack]

The 92 Rumble is a great example of Vince misreading the audience. He automatically assumed fans would turn on Sid for dumping Hogan out of The Rumble and Hogan would be cheered as the heroic good guy done wrong by his friend as he confronted him.

Problem 1 was the fact The Rumble was designed and promoted as "Every Man For Himself", the appeal of the match is the idea fans get to see friends & allies FIGHT each other to win the match. This is why fans tune in, and the way the Hogan-Sid was scripted and played it by that standard Sid did no wrong, faced with having both Hogan & Flair with their backs turned and prone, he dumped Hogan first, the larger, physically stronger of the two who had been in the ring a fraction as long as the weary, exhausted Flair. Not only did Sid's action not violate the spirit if the match, it made perfect sense!

Problem 2: The confrontation after Hogan is dumped, Hogan never cleared the ringside area (direct violation of match rules) and he is the one who initiates the argument. Hogan's argument itself made no sense as Sid did nothing wrong (which he proclaims to the whole audience). By any normal standard of behavior Hogan is acting as the jerk, his legendary hero status notwithstanding, and slowly the crowd turned on him as he continued to badger Sid post match.

Meanwhile, no one in WWE bothered to criticize Flair for dumping Sid for the win as he was distracted by Hogan, in reality given the scenario playing out, it made
perfect sense. WWE hailed Flair's cunning for taking advantage of the situation at the same time they EXPECTED fans to punish Sid for essentially the same move simply because he executed it against Hogan. That DID NOT make perfect sense.

Many of the other "incidents" mentioned are moments Hogan "got tough" against rulebreakers who consistently did as much if not more to him, I dont count those as "jerk moves" by any stretch and historically other wrestling heroes have done the same to their villainous antagonists.

Maybe "jerk" was the wrong move for some of these, but Hulk was opportunistic, petty, and could get as vicious as anybody. I remember him busting King Kong Bundy open, and then repeatedly punching him quickly in the head to bust him open more....something heel HHH would later use many times.

It blows my mind why WWE books it's faces the way they do now. It's like they learned nothing from how they booked Hogan, Austin, and Rock....their 3 most popular wrestlers ever.

 

[Wrestlemania75]

I forget which ppv this was at, I think at the No Holds Barred 89 with the Macho King in a cage match, but I distinctly remember Hogan grabbing Scary (Sensational) Sherri and ramming into the cage hard. Maybe clotheslining her first as well. Anyone?

I found a book online which covers many of the stories of Hogan using heelish tactics and being a sore loser during his golden era WWF face run. Here is the link and some excepts. I'm not affiliated with this book or website, just thought it's relevant to this thread.

The Mania of Hulk Hogan:The Very Worst of the Immortal One
https://www.amazon.com/Mania-Hulk-Hogan-Worst-Immortal/dp/1520172354

Hulk Hogan Repeatedly Assaulted Sensational Sherri
Hulk Hogan repeatedly physically assaulted Sensational Sherri. I'm not going to pretend like Sherri was some kind of angel because she certainly wasn't, and she would sometimes lay in some haymakers on male wrestlers that would make Mike Tyson cringe. But she's still a woman, and while no real man would EVER hit a woman, Hogan would flagrantly and gleefully lay Sherri out any chance he got. Hogan of course had a long history of beating up small, weak managers like Jimmy Hart, Bobby Heenan, and Slick, but attacking Sherri constituted crossing a line that was somewhat unbecoming for someone who presented himself as a role model for children.

Probably the most glaring example of Hogan's woman-beating prowess came at Summerslam 1989 when Hogan and Brutus Beefcake took on the Macho Man and Zeus. After hiding in the corner while Beefcake spent most of the match getting beat up, Hogan tagged in and, finding himself completely unable to hurt Zeus, stole Sherri's purse and used it to lay Zeus out and pin him.
Committing robbery in full view of thousands of spectators was bad enough, but then Hogan topped himself when he grabbed Sherri, gave her an atomic drop, and held her so Miss Elizabeth could knock her out with her own purse. Hogan still wasn't done humiliating poor Sherri after that, and closed the PPV by holding up the unconscious woman's ponytail so Beefcake could cut it off with a pair of hedgeclippers.

Fortunately, the show ended before Hogan could keep going and steal her cash and credit cards to boot, but this incident proved that there was very little Hogan wouldn't do to an antagonist he wanted to not just beat, but humiliate.

Hulk Hogan was determined to ruin Randy Savage's life.
Four years as champion can go to a guy's head, especially when the title is blatantly stolen from him thanks to a dirty referee. Hogan entered the tournament at Wrestlemania 4 expecting to regain his championship, but got disqualified in the second round and wound up on the outside looking in as the tournament progressed. Hogan wasn't about to let anyone else steal his spotlight, so even though he wasn't part of the main event, he would find a way to put himself squarely hack in the middle of things.

Hogan made a dramatic entrance late in the final match between the Million Dollar Man and Macho Man Randy Savage, appearing at the behest of Miss Elizabeth to prevent Andre the Giant from interfering on Ted Dibiase's behalf. Hogan did as Elizabeth asked, but then took it a step further and hit Ted Dibiase with a chair while he had Savage in the Million Dollar Dream. Savage would have been toast if Hogan hadn't gotten involved, and his eventual victory wound up becoming a hollow one since the knowledge that Hogan literally handed him the title was constantly hanging over his head. To further ruin Savages moment, Hogan ran into the ring with the belt and celebrated like he won the match instead of the Macho Man.

Hogan's false altruism had set the stage, and he would spend the next year fiendishly implementing a plan to drive a wedge between Savage and Elizabeth, manipulate Elizabeth to his side of the conflict, and thereby goad Savage into facing him for the title. He started getting a little too grabby with Elizabeth, putting his hand on her ass at Summerslam 88 and lifting her up in a big celebratory hug after Survivor Series 88 as Savage jealously glowered at him. Hogan took his plan to the next level at Royal Rumble 89, eliminating Bad News Brown and "accidentally" dumping Savage at the same time.

The final straw came on Saturday Night's Main Event, as Hogan and Savage teamed up to face the Twin Towers in a tag match. Savage accidentally wiped Elizabeth out and knocked her unconscious when thrown to the floor, and Hogan literally abandoned Savage to pick Elizabeth up and carry her to the back for medical attention. Savage was now left to fend for himself against Akeem and the Big Boss Man and he was not happy about it.

Savage immediately confronted Hogan upon returning to the locker room, finding him at the injured Elizabeth's bedside. Savage went off on Hogan like a Roman candle, playing right into Hogan's hand since he had set this all up to come out looking like a hero and make Savage look like an insane control freak. Savage attacked Hogan in front of a screaming helpless Elizabeth, giving Hogan the excuse he needed to challenge Savage to face him in the ring, and just in time for Wrestlemania 5 at that!

Hogan made sure that Elizabeth was at ringside at Wrestlemania to throw Savage off his game, and that ploy succeeded in distracting Savage and making him angry enough to start making mistakes. Elizabeth was ejected from ringside in the middle of the match, but the damage was done: Hogan defeated the Macho Man and walked out of Wrestlemania with both the WWF Title and Elizabeth, leaving Savage with nothing.

 

[RIPbossman]

At Summerslam 91 Hogan used powder in the eyes behind the refs back (Sid Justice) to win the match.

 

[agentmichaelscarn]

The 92 Rumble was the first instance that came to mind. His actions led an 11 year old me to root for a heel for the first time. I just thought Sid got a raw deal. Hogan came across like such a baby during that time period and even made a kid like me kinda turn against him.

Yeah Flair put a chair down but Taker still had Hogan beat clean, even without the chair Hogan kayfabe probably wasn't getting up from the tombstone. So even though he loses, he gets an immediate rematch 2 weeks later? That never happened at that time, but Hogan somehow got .special treatment Then he cheats to beat Taker there.

So that's basically two losses in my book, then he gets eliminated cleanly by Sid in the Rumble, and instead of taking it he acts like a baby and helps get him eliminated. Then they announce the number 1 contender at Mania. Logic states that the guy that was undefeated and finished runner up in the Royal Rumble would get the shot(Sid), nope they announce it as Hogan. Again even as a kid you couldn't help but be upset with that call.

So yeah that whole time period immediately comes to mind, and I don't think it was a coincidence that the crowd started turning on him around then too.

 

[enviousdominous]

As lots of examples have already been mentioned; my only example is from WrestleMania 4. I don't think it's been mentioned that Hulk went balls out ape shit on Andre, unprovoked if I remember correctly.

My memory of the match goes like this:

Hulk and Andre are fighting, when Hulk flips out and brings a chair into the ring. Hulk beans Andre with the chair, and referee Earl/Dave Hebner disqualifies both of them. Andre is understandably all "what the fuck!?" and eventually gets the chair and hits Hulk with it, all the while Hulk is spazzing like Scarface on acid.

When Savage won the tournament, Hulk celebrates in the ring as if he had won the belt. Maybe that was to show support for his bestie, but it seemed way too gratuitous to be seen as support for his friend.

 

[agentmichaelscarn]

As lots of examples have already been mentioned; my only example is from WrestleMania 4. I don't think it's been mentioned that Hulk went balls out ape shit on Andre, unprovoked if I remember correctly.

My memory of the match goes like this:

Hulk and Andre are fighting, when Hulk flips out and brings a chair into the ring. Hulk beans Andre with the chair, and referee Earl/Dave Hebner disqualifies both of them. Andre is understandably all "what the fuck!?" and eventually gets the chair and hits Hulk with it, all the while Hulk is spazzing like Scarface on acid.

When Savage won the tournament, Hulk celebrates in the ring as if he had won the belt. Maybe that was to show support for his bestie, but it seemed way too gratuitous to be seen as support for his friend.

This kinda strays from the topic since I'm breaking kayfabe here but now that I think about it that was bullshit that Hogan was out there. I don't know if he made sure he was or Vince but it was totally unnecessary. Savage busted his ass for years and put on a show that night, they couldn't just let him have his moment and celebrate with just him and Liz while closing the show? Instead Hulk just had to interfere to help him and get in the ring and celebrate with him while Monsoon and Jesse spend just as much time talking about him as they do Savage. It's like he couldn't let anybody else get the spotlight.

 

[HeenanGorilla]

Another one that hasn't been mentioned is the end of Survivor Series '90. That is the one where Hogan, Warrior and Tito faced DiBiase, Martel, Hercules, Roma and Warlord in the Match of Survival to close the show.

Santana was eliminated, but the show ended with Hulk and Warrior being the survivors. (You CANNOT pluralize "sole survivor", despite what I have seen written over and over..) But, how did the match end? It ended with Warrior splashing Herc and getting the pin. And did Hogan accept that he wasn't involved in the finish? Of course not! He gets down and, along with the referee, counts 1, 2, 3. What a goof! It was as if he refused to let the eventual pop from the crowd be for Warrior. In his mind, they were popping for his 3 count too.

I understand how the business is cut throat and if you get the top spot, you do all you can to keep it. And this wasn't a crybaby move like Survivor Series '87 or Royal Rumble '92; but, it was right up there with the "hey, don't forget I'm still the man" nonsense from the end of WrestleMania IV.