Yes, it's very interesting and if that opening segment was a preview of things to come, yes please TNA. This is exactly how Paul Heyman turned nobodies into stars, he let them do their own thing and build their own gimmick, and it's also why stars in WWE can't get over, because they're more restricted in this aspect. Perfect example, CM Punk. Give him an open mic and look what he does.
Can you give me one good reason that Hogan is to be despised? Honestly, I think the IWC just hates Hogan for the same reasons they hate Cena, because it's cool, so please, prove me wrong.
It'll probably be a novel, but here goes. Speaking totally for me, I've never been able to stand him. Admittedly, I had little exposure to him pre-WWF. Most of my exposure was to Owen's in Portland, until basic cable came to town with WTBS, so I got to see a lot of the guys I read about in Apter mags. Probably Grade 8, 1979ish, but I'd been watching Owens and Silverstein's promotion since Grade 2. With basic cable came some occassional WWWF and AWA, but it was worlds past what I'd been watching. So, as a kid, it was cool to see Hogan in the Rocky movie and to see him bloody up someone...I just can't remember who. But he was a heel, which is always glossed over in tales of his career for some reason.
So we start getting WWF product more regularly a couple of months before Hogan saved Backlund from the iron Sheik, beginning the ushering in of Hulkamania. Which led to a dark era of cartoons and wrestling garbagemen. Not Hogan's fault, and I certainly don't fault him for jumping on that ride. Anyone would have. That said, I couldn't "believe" the character. He was too "good". To the point and beyond of corny. There was no humanity. It was one dimensional. You could believe Magnum TA was a guy, a real person. But, OK, Vince had a lot to do with the Hulkster character. Very true. The problem was that Hulk Hogan, as a wrestler, was not believable. Big entrance, get his ass kicked, hulk up, leg drop, big exit. Again, Vince's hand was in there, I'm sure. But still, the wrestler just wasn't very good. At that point, I just didn't care about him. He was just another part of the F's horrible product.
Flash forward to him signing with WCW. Yeah, it was kind of exciting, the potential for big changes. The same old promos, the same old matches. Yawn. But also a little anger because he was bringing that style to the product I was watching to avoid the sub par content the F was producing. With, as i understand it, more control over his character than he had in the F. So, my dislike went up a tad. Still not much, because he was used pretty sparingly.
The Outsiders. Totally bought it. A still fairly lucid Scott Hall and the ever witty Kevin Nash capering around. What was not to love? They were so believable. And Hogan as the 3rd guy? I marked like a 10 year old. He gave his "why I turned heel" promo and it was so believable. The best heels think that the evil they do is justified. He believed his evil was justified. OK, I'm jacked. This is good stuff. They wheel him out the Monday after the heel turn. Growing a beard. As an old school fan a beard meant it was official. I was totally there.
His next TV appearance was the debut of the painted on beard. Wait. What? OK, a minor hiccup. Someone will tell him he looks like a fool. It didn't happen. And at the moment it became apparent the painted beard was here to stay, he lost me. The coolest angle of the era was watered down by this idiot, with creative control over his character, who thought a painted on beard was anything other than just stupid. Sure, one could say "if it made you hate him, he was doing his job". But I didn't hate him in the way one would hate Ivan Koloff...I just pulled him out of thin air. You didn't hate Uncle Ivan because of his creative, at the time, facial hair. Although it was a little part of the deeper character. The core of why Ivan was hated was because he was a plain and simple bad guy who did bad things. I hated Hogan because he diluted a great, believable angle with a piece of self indulgence that was just stupid. He looked stupid. Once again, there was no humanity, there was no depth. Still grooved on the first few months of the nWo. Spiking Rey, Jr into the production truck. Mugging folks left and right. It was glorious. Except for this fool with a painted on beard.
We all know his actions after that, but it was the Wild West then. And I think after Turner sold out a lot of people saw the writing on the wall. The new bosses were embarassed to own a wrestling company and no amount of profit would fix that.
Fast forward to Jarrett mugging him in Japan. Beautiful. A work of art, so to speak. Light colored clothing, lots of blood. Maybe this time Hogan will get some dimension. That died, but I've never been sure why. Net effect: zero.
So he finally comes to TNA. And it's all about the Hulkster. Hulkster being bad, stealing the fed, all that. The problem is now there was too much depth to the character thanx to that abortion of a reality show. Wandering half crippled through that house being a general all aound ass. Being Hulkster 24/ 7. Puke. So when he starts talking about getting the younger guys over, it's all bullshit. It's all about getting his broke, crippled face in front of the cameras, younger guys be damned. But now it's not a surprise he's working you, because it's obvious that's all he knows how to do. The person, the real Terry, doesn't give a tinker's damn about getting the fed over, the young kids over, the older guys over. He cares about getting Terry over. I get it's a tough wirewalk to make, but if the other guys don't get over, if the fed doesn't get over, you have no fed. But he doesn't care. He gets his check and calls Vince for another gig.
In a business full of self centered pricks, he is their king.
Warned you it'd be a novel. But it's a little beyond hating Hogan to be cool. I get the Cena comparison, and I really like Cena. Sure, it's cool that half the audience boos him. It's unique in an industry where repetition is the coin of the realm. But with Hulkster, he and I go back aways, and it's been a long trip to this point. Not some nonsense someone online told me.
Agree or disagree. But please give me a tad more credit than just following a trend.
