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The Independent
30 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Hulk Hogan's greatest moments in professional wrestling 'run wild on you'
Hulk Hogan's back had weakened, a failed early attempt at slamming all 525 pounds of Andre the Giant left the 'Immortal One" unsteady as the World Wrestling Federation champion once more needed to rally to beat another of wrestling's baddest bad guys. Andre wrapped his tree-trunk arms around the champ and tried to wring the final breaths out of Hogan with a bear hug so tight that more than 90,000 fans in Detroit almost witnessed the final day of Hulkamania. But, wait! This was Hulk Hogan. Wrestling's biggest star had more late comebacks than fellow 1980s sports stars John Elway or Michael Jordan combined. Hogan had some gas left in the tank, some extra bite in those 24-inch pythons, and hammered away at Andre. One right hand, then another one, and another! Wrestling fans roared as they knew the bad news that was coming for Andre. Hogan fought back — much as he did against those 1980s baddies out of the Cold War or Iran — and finally body-slammed Andre the Giant. Hogan hit the hopes and delivered his famous leg drop on Andre's chest to get the three count. Hulk Hogan won again at WrestleMania. He always won, of course. It's what the story called for and there was no reason for WWF owner and pro wrestler puppeteer Vince McMahon to ever deviate from the plan of Hulkamania running wild. Why would he? Hogan had the hulking size, the charisma and catchphrases — 'What'cha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you?' — that led the industry out of gyms and regional arenas and into NFL stadiums, like that 1987 night when Hogan beat Andre at the Pontiac Silverdome in WrestleMania III. 'There he is,' announcer Gorilla Monsoon said, as Hogan played to the crowd, 'the greatest professional athlete in the world today.' Whether you break out an eye roll or crank up Hogan's ' Real American ' anthem to that statement depends, of course, on one's ability to suspend disbelief. There is no denying, though, just how real Hogan's impact was on professional wrestling and pop culture in the 1980s. He stood toe-to-toe with Rocky Balboa. He fought side-by-side with Mr. T. He hosted 'Saturday Night Live' and flexed on the cover of Sports Illustrated. 'He did what he set out to do,' WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter said Friday by phone. 'He became the most recognized, not only professional wrestler and sports entertainer in the world, he's probably top-five of anybody you'd recognize when you saw him.' WWE has long claimed the paid attendance of WrestleMania III was 93,173, a number some historians claim is as artificially inflated as the chemically-enhanced biceps of that era. What can't be disputed, when the two had their match in 1988, live on national television, more than 33 million fans tuned in to NBC, still far and away the record for largest viewing audience in American televised wrestling. Making money and moving merch. That was the real power of Hulkamania. Hogan, who died Thursday in Florida at age 71, left behind more than three decades of memorable matches that captured the spirit of those little Hulkamaniacs to the ones that loved to hate him in the 1990s as 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan in the New World Order. Here are some of his best moments. He beat the Sheik Hogan wasn't some upstart when he returned to the WWF (now WWE) in late 1983. He tested the waters of Hulkamania in the old American Wrestling Alliance and made his famous appearance as Thunderlips in 'Rocky III,' when was beckoned back to WWE and became an instant contender to face the champion, the hated Iron Sheik. Hogan broke out of the dreaded camel clutch and pinned the Sheik to become the new champion on Jan. 23, 1984, at Madison Square Garden — the building paid tribute to Hogan on Thursday night — and set the course for Hulkamania. He was champion for 1,474 days before losing to Andre in 1988. Slamming Andre Back before the internet spilled behind-the-scenes secrets, and there was easy access to watch wrestling around the globe, WWE created its own version of wrestling history. If the company said Andre the Giant had never been slammed, and had never been pinned over a 15-year undefeated streak, then it was believed to be true (neither were, of course). Yet, the faux hype set the stage for the match that changed wrestling forever. 'Andre the Giant was a momentum-shifting moment where he passed his torch,' Hogan said in a 2009 interview with the AP. 'He was like the icing on the cake. Once he blessed me, it was up to me to mold that business and carry it through.' You can call this the New World Order of wrestling, brother By 1996, Hogan's good-guy, beats-the-odds character had grown stale as he made the shift from WWE to Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling. Hogan even started to get booed as wrestling fans clamored for a new direction, a new star on top. They got one. 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan. For weeks, two former WWE stars had 'invaded' WCW and claimed they were taking over the company. That led to a six-man tag-team match where the two outsiders, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, promised a third man to help with their cause. No one showed to help the two until the end, when Hogan walked out in his red-and-yellow attire, and stunned the crowd when he put the leg drop on Randy Savage. Hogan was third man. He ditched his traditional colors for black-and-white, sunglasses, dark facial hair and embraced the 'Hollywood' heel persona. Much as he did a decade earlier, Hogan led WCW to new heights and the company would defeat WWE in the TV ratings for 83 straight weeks in what would be known as the 'Monday Night Wars.' Hogan lost as much as he won without his Hulkamania powers. He still moved the needle where it mattered most and made WCW must-see TV every Monday night. It's icon vs. icon against The Rock With WCW out of business and bought by McMahon, Hogan kept a low profile until he made a comeback with WWE in 2002. He returned with Hall and Nash as the NWO but at this point, WWE fans wanted their old Hulkster back. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson was WWE's baby-faced crowd favorite when he met the villainous Hogan at WrestleMania in an 'Icon vs. Icon' match in WrestleMania in 2002. One problem, the Toronto crowd decided to back Hogan. 'When we hit the ring, 70,000 loyal people didn't want to hate Hulk Hogan,' Hogan said in 2009. 'Everybody kind of started to panic and I just said, 'Brother, stick with me and I'll get you through this.'' After the match, the cheers for Hogan called for a last-second change of plans, with his former NWO allies running down to attack him. The Rock helped Hogan fight off the NWO and the two men posed together to riotous cheers. 'As I raised his hand and said he's the greatest wrestler in the world, they had to turn me back red and yellow immediately,' Hogan said. 'It's kind of interesting, that was going to be the nail in my coffin. It turned out to be the fountain of youth for me.' ___
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hulk Hogan Stayed In Character to the End
The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. The world of professional wrestling includes many types of characters: the tough guy; the masked acrobat; the silent killer; the undersize underdog; the wild man; the high-flying heartthrob; the sex god. Over the course of a pro-wrestling event, which may last a few hours and feature several matches, these roles work in tandem as a type of variety show, giving fans many flavors of entertainment. But over the past half century, the headlining star—the one whose name tops the marquee, and who is paid the most money—has usually been someone like Hulk Hogan. Hogan himself was uncommonly tall, blessed with biceps bigger than a baby's head, a booming voice, dozens of repeatable catchphases, and a 1,000-watt personality that could be felt from the cheap seats. Both visually and in his affectations, he was what you might come up with if you were to ask 100 strangers on the street, or ChatGPT, to draw the prototypical 'pro wrestler.' Hogan, who died yesterday at the age of 71, is by many objective metrics the most famous pro wrestler of all time. Pro wrestling, as entertainment, has existed since at least the early 20th century. But in the 1980s, Hogan popularized a brash and cartoonish style that became swiftly synonymous with the form, at least in America. When the promoter Vince McMahon built up the company now known as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which transformed the business by becoming the first to broadcast its wrestling show across the country, Hogan was his agent of change—a muscle-bound pitchman who sold a patriotic vision of strength, heroism, and integrity. (As his theme song went: 'I am a real American / Fight for the rights of every man.') Hogan's superpower was his pure conviction; he embodied outlandishness without a trace of irony, imprinting himself onto the hearts and minds of millions of people, many of them children who would carry their adoration into adulthood. Most pro-wrestling fans will freely admit that the entertainment is at least a little ridiculous. We're talking about half-naked men and women in leather underwear and fake tans who pretend to fight one another, their beefs based on storylines as simplistic as I don't like you. But the unbelievability is part of the point. Pro wrestling offers a digestible fantasy in which good guys usually triumph and villains get their comeuppance. The bad guys aren't acquitted on technicalities or rewarded for their deviousness; they're punched in the mouth, before a roaring crowd of thousands. When Hogan became wrestling's brightest star, this was his essential promise—he was not just a do-gooder who said the right things about loving God and eating your vitamins; he also almost always won. He was like a one-man Harlem Globetrotters, a dazzling showman guaranteed to come out on top. He remained beloved even when he became a bad guy, in the 1990s, popularizing a new archetype of 'cool scoundrel' that upended the entire business by making it unclear which side of the good-versus-evil conflict fans should root for. In his case, it was obvious: You rooted for Hulk Hogan. This success brought millions of dollars, worldwide fame, acting roles, a few restaurants—even as Hogan himself remained something of a cipher. Today, WWE produces hours of behind-the-scenes documentary programming in which its wrestlers speak as themselves. But in that earlier era, when it was not yet publicly acknowledged that the entertainment was predetermined, men like Hogan were careful to stay in character, lest they be judged as phonies. The WWE admitted that the wrestling wasn't 'real' as far back as 1989, but still, Hogan never quite shed the role of 'Hulk Hogan'—never casually transitioned into being known by his birth name, Terry Bollea. Even his reality show, which purported to depict his everyday family life, was called Hogan Knows Best. (His ex-wife Linda; his son, Nick; and his daughter, Brooke, all adopted 'Hogan' as their public surname, too.) Hogan generally seemed to be living out some version of his wrestling identity. In a courtroom, he might admit that 'Hogan' was a character he played for a living; still, he would say this while wearing his trademark bandanna and bleached-blond goatee. As the years went on and he spent more time out of the wrestling ring—his last match was in 2012, but he hadn't been a regular performer since 2002—he extended the logic of his character into real life. When in 2013 he sued Gawker for publishing a tape that showed him having sex with his friend's wife (with the friend's consent), and eventually won a $140 million judgment, he dominated the court of public opinion by portraying the website as just his latest adversary to overcome. (That the behind-the-scenes circumstances of his lawsuit were more complicated didn't matter much.) When audio of Hogan using wildly racist invective, from that same tape, was leaked in 2015, he was excommunicated from WWE—'It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it,' he said in a statement—but negotiated a triumphant return to its programming just a few years later. He was sometimes down, but never out; he behaved as though the fans would always be there for him, and they usually were. This ability to wave away the past and shamelessly present himself for renewed applause was an especially American trait. Like a carnival barker or a veteran televangelist, Hogan wielded his charisma as a cudgel against all criticism. The sordid, tasteless incidents never dinged him for long. Whatever happened then did not matter as much as what was happening now. If he could present as the Hulkster, his muscles rippling and his bandanna tightly strapped on, he could pretend to be the conquering hero even when the truth was more troublesome, more dreary, more human. In pro wrestling, the ability to stay in character is highly valuable; in real life, it's sort of obnoxious. (Try affecting the loudest version of your personality, all of the time, and see how many of your loved ones stick around.) But if your paying customers don't care, there's little downside to maintaining the illusion for as long as possible. Today, America is inundated with public figures who loudly insist they are one thing when they're really something else, who stick around mostly because they refuse to go away. We are surrounded by Hulk Hogans, boisterous personalities who commit to their bit as they try to sell something and unabashedly ignore the truth. Even by the standards of his wrestling peers, Hogan's ability to stretch the truth was something else. And his belief in himself was rarely shaken; no matter the occasion, he could always snap into character and launch into a bravura monologue. Slowly, though, the covenant between Hogan and those paying customers began to crack. The racist tapes were a major blow, even after WWE brought him back; several Black wrestlers refused to accept his apology, calling him insincere. The ugliness of his remarks is still shocking to revisit today—for many fans, they will be his enduring legacy. And his public alliance with President Donald Trump, which included an absurd pro-wrestling-style speech at last year's Republican National Convention ('I know tough guys but let me tell you something, brother, Donald Trump is the toughest of them all'), was just as polarizing. When Hogan made his last WWE appearance earlier this year, on the Netflix debut of the company's Monday Night Raw, he was resoundingly booed by the Los Angeles crowd. It was an ignoble final interaction with an audience he had helped create, though hardly surprising, given his recent reputation. Even so, he was willing to bet on being forgiven: This year he co-founded the wrestling company Real American Freestyle, whose first show is scheduled for August. Ticket sales were soft, and many pro-wrestling fans derided the concept; still, he was going for it one more time, committing to a character who was no longer believable to anyone but himself. Article originally published at The Atlantic Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Remembering Hulk Hogan: Uncrowned's complete coverage of the wrestling legend's death
The news of Hulk Hogan's passing on Thursday sent shockwaves through the wrestling world. One of the defining — and polarizing — figures in sports entertainment history, Hogan revolutionized the industry in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming a pop culture icon in the process. Uncrowned tackled Hogan's death from myriad angles, examining his path from wrestling powerhouse to pariah and everything in between. Here's a roundup of the team's coverage: Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan dies at 71 (Anthony Sulla-Heffinger) Video obituary: Ariel Helwani remembers Hulk Hogan on 'The Boys in the Back' (Ariel Helwani) President Trump, Vince McMahon, others offer tributes to Hulk Hogan (Yahoo Sports Staff) Hulk Hogan and the ugliness that changed everything (Kel Dansby) Hulk Hogan's legacy isn't as simple as our love for Hulkamania once was (Ben Fowlkes) Hulk Hogan wasn't just an American icon, he was America (Jay Busbee) The early days of Hulkamania were something to remember (Chuck Mindenhall) Hulk Hogan's legacy: 5 hidden-gem matches from his career (Phil Schneider) Hulk Hogan: The larger-than-life figure behind pro wrestling's global takeover (Robert Jackman) The heel turn that defined the entirety of Hulk Hogan's career (Anthony Sulla-Heffinger) Hulk Hogan's most iconic cards and collectibles (Mantel) Hulk Hogan was an original in the ring — and in sports marketing (cllct)
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hulk Hogan dies aged 71
Hulk Hogan, the legendary WWE wrestler and actor has died aged 71. Police have said emergency services responders treated Hogan at his home in Clearwater, Florida, for cardiac arrest before he later died in hospital. Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, is perhaps the most iconic star in WWE's five-decade history - known for his distinctive blonde moustache and colourful headbands. His charisma and theatrics in the ring are credited with helping to transform professional wrestling into a family entertainment sport. Hogan was the main draw for the first-ever WrestleMania in 1985 and was a fixture for years in its signature event, facing everyone from Andre The Giant and Randy Savage to The Rock and even company chairman Vince McMahon. He won six WWE championships and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 by Sylvester Stallone. WWE said in a post this evening: "WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away. One of pop culture's most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan's family, friends, and fans." Hogan was also able to transcend his "Hulkamania" fan base to become a celebrity outside the wrestling world, appearing in numerous movies and television shows, including a reality show about his life on VH1, "Hogan Knows Best". In 2024, he appeared at the Republican National Convention to endorse the presidential bid of Trump. Hogan said he made the decision to support the Republican candidate after seeing his combative, fist-pumping reaction to an attempted assassination on the campaign trail. In a reference to so-called "Hulkamania", he ripped off his shirt to reveal a Trump tank top and bellowed to a cheering crowd: "Let Trumpamania run wild, brother... Let Trumpamania rule again!" This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the latest version. You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan dies at 71
Terry 'Hulk Hogan' Bollea died on Thursday, WWE announced. He was 71 years old. Hogan is survived by his third wife, Sky Daily, and two children, Brooke and Nick. Hogan was married twice before, to Linda Claridge and Jennifer McDaniel. News of Hogan's passing was initially reported by TMZ. According to the Clearwater Fire and Police Departments, there was a call for a cardiac arrest at Hogan's Clearwater Beach address, and Hogan was treated by fire and rescue crews before being transported to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Although Hogan's professional wrestling career began in the late 1970s, his true explosion on the scene didn't come until the mid-1980s, when he helped Vince McMahon turn the then-WWF from primarily a northeast-based wrestling territory into a national brand, and eventually a multi-billion-dollar company. During his initial run with McMahon's promotion, Hogan's popularity surged, making him easily the most famous and recognized wrestler during the period. Hogan's entrance music ('Real American'), signature red-and-yellow gear, his catchphrase 'Whatcha gonna do, when Hulkamania runs wild on you?' and his dubbing of fans as 'Hulkamaniacs' helped make him arguably the most popular babyface of all time. Although Hogan's matches followed a simple formula — offense, near defeat, 'hulking up' before ultimately winning — he remained the biggest draw WWF had at the time. Hogan's most famous match came in 1987, when he wrestled Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III. Hogan and Andre had wrestled several times in the past, but none of the previous matches were met with the anticipation or stakes that their showdown at the Pontiac Silverdome did in that match. In an interview for the 2018 HBO documentary 'Andre the Giant,' Hogan recalled the build-up to the show, saying that he wasn't sure if Andre would follow the plan for the match, allowing Hogan to win and breaking his kayfabe undefeated streak. Hogan's bodyslam of Andre and ensuing victory were defining moments in professional wrestling history. Hogan's run at or near the top of WWE continued into the mid-1990s before he joined WWE's main competitor at the time, Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling. Turner, looking to make a splash and grow his brand beyond the southeast territory, brought in Hogan and several other big-name talents. Hogan's first few years with WCW were largely forgettable before he became a star for another generation. Once the top babyface in the business, Hogan would again transcend professional wrestling in 1996, turning heel for the first time in over a decade and forming the New World Order alongside Scott Hall and Kevin Nash at Bash at the Beach. The NWO storyline quickly became one of the hottest in not just professional wrestling, but pop culture at the time, propelling WCW to an 18-month run of beating McMahon's WWE in television ratings. When McMahon eventually bought WCW and Hogan returned to WWE in 2002, he did so as his NWO 'Hollywood' Hogan character and again captivated audiences at WrestleMania 18, wrestling Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in an instant classic. Hogan would leave WWE again in 2003, wrestling for numerous promotions, including TNA/Impact, over the next decade. Hogan appeared sporadically on WWE programming — mostly major events such as WrestleMania and anniversary shows — in subsequent years. Influential as a professional wrestler, Hogan utilized his status to cross over into Hollywood on several occasions. Hogan's first, non-wrestling role came in 1982's 'Rocky III,' where he played Thunderlips, a professional wrestler that Sylvester Stallone's character fights during a charity event. Hogan's most famous roles came in the 1993 film 'Mr. Nanny' and the 1994 television series 'Thunder in Paradise.' Hogan and his family also appeared on a reality television series, 'Hogan Knows Best,' in the mid-2000s. Myriad scandals plagued Hogan over the years. In 1985, Hogan was involved in an incident with actor Richard Belzer after Hogan placed Belzer in a chokehold at the star's request. Belzer passed out and suffered a head injury and sued Hogan. Nearly a decade later, Hogan offered testimony in the federal steroid trafficking trial against McMahon. Most notably, in 2012, a clip from a sex tape involving Hogan and Heather Clem was published online by Gawker. Hogan sued Gawker, and after yearslong litigation, eventually reached a $31 million settlement. Then, in July 2015, footage from the same sex tape was leaked to Radar Online and the National Enquirer where Hogan was filmed using racial slurs and claiming he was 'a little racist.' The incident caused WWE to cut ties with Hogan for several years before eventually reconciling. One of Hogan's most recent appearances, at Raw's Netflix debut in January, was met with an overwhelmingly negative reaction from WWE fans. In recent years, Hogan expanded his platform into a memorabilia shop in Florida as well as a beer company, Real American Beer, and was in the process of launching a freestyle wrestling company, Real American Freestyle, alongside his former WCW colleague, Bischoff. Hogan took a central role in the 2024 presidential election, delivering a speech at the Republican National Convention last August and introducing former President Donald Trump on the final night. Despite criticisms about his wrestling style and his transgressions, Hogan remained a major draw and influential figure for the industry. During his six-decade career in professional wrestling, Hogan won countless titles and was inducted into multiple Halls of Fame.
