Hulkamania is Still Running Wild

The Cornell Daily Sun ^ | April 15, 2002 | Matt Flahive

[The American]

Hulkamania! I love it! Yeah he's getting up there in age (the article says 49) but he can still bring it. Step aside, Rock, Hogan is the man!

[AppyPappy]

Hogan was the most talentless wrestler in history. If you look at his first match in the WWF and his latest match, they will look exactly the same. Twenty minutes of some poor slob carrying Hogan around the ring while Hogan refused to sell his stuff. His big match with the Ultimate Warrior was deemed "the battle of the used car salesmen".

He was living proof that hype is greater than talent.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Isn't he "Hollywood" Hogan now, due to some legal issue with Marvel Comics?

[GraniteStateConservative]

It wasn't a legal issue. Marvel could care less. They just demanded to be paid when he used "Hulk" in his name, and the promoters would rather keep the money themselves.

[GTXfan]

The Ultimate Warrior/Hulk Hogan was better than the Hogan/Rock match at the last wrestlemania... both total no sells. Triple H/Hogan will be a decent match because TripleH sells better than anyone.

[TomB]

They just demanded to be paid when he used "Hulk" in his name

Talk about a day late and a dollar short.

How long has Hogan been around, 25 years? And they just get around to this now?

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Actually, I think GSC hit it pretty much on the head.

I remember, even in the 80s, Hulk Hogan's TV shows, merchandise, even WWF, had a little disclaimer at the end noting that "Hulk" was copyright Marvel comics. So I always assumed WWF, etc., had to pay Marvel a royalty (that being the legal issue of which I spoke).

They probably got tired of doing so and, wha-la, enter "Hollywood" Hogan.

[billbears]

Hey Appy you got to admit, it's better seeing him in the ring than it is Ric Flair. Now that's somebody that needs to go away from wrestling and quick!!

[southern rock]

They probably got tired of doing so and, wha-la, enter "Hollywood" Hogan.

Yeah, but he goes by "Hollywood Hulk Hogan" anyway, so it really doesn't matter.

Anyway, the REAL role model is Stone Cold Steve Austin!!!

[AppyPappy]

I haven't seen much of the Rock. But Hogan should have retired years ago. I can't imagine that he is still generating heat with a 20 year-old gimmick.

[southern rock]

TripleH sells better than anyone.

In other words, he's a total ham.

[TomB]

I see. Although I find it hard to believe that greedy ba**ard Vince McMahon would pay a penny to anyone unnecessarily.

[AppyPappy]

Ric Flair could sell anything. I remember when he was the baddest heel in all of wrestling. I saw him and Valentine beat the Andersons for the belts in Greensboro in 1976. The crowd was STUNNED when 300 young fans rushed the ring and celebrated. It was the first time that pushed heels got a pop from fans. You could see Jim Crockett(along with all the old farts in the stands) scratching his head and wondering what was going on. They had done everything right (including the dreaded foreign object causing the win) and here was Flair and Valentine being mobbed in victory. It was real turning point. From that moment on. Flair had a solid following when he appeared.

But the last time I saw Flair wrestle, which was years ago, he looked really worn out. It was embarassing.

[Morgan's Raider]

Anyway, the REAL role model is Stone Cold Steve Austin!!!

WHAT?

[billbears]

LOL. You're going back to Black Jack and the Wahoo days, and the original Four Horseman. Yeah, I've heard he looks pretty bad now. Don't watch wrestling like I used to back in the 70s but I heard he was still in wrestling now with the WWF. That's so sad. He just needs to quit

[Malacoda]

No one, and I mean NO ONE, works the stick like Flair. He can't wrestle anymore, but dammit, he needs to be on the mic!

Who can forget -- "If you want to BE the Man, you have to BEAT The Man! Whooooooooo!"

[AppyPappy]

That was before the 4 Horsemen when Jim Dillon was a jobber. The 4 Horsemen was the peak of wrestling when you had real competition adding variety to wrestling. On a given Saturday, I could watch Texas (Von Erichs), the AWA, the NWA Mid Atlantic, the NWA Georgia, Florida Wrestling (With Gordon Solie), and the WWF. It forced them to keep the gimmicks entertaining. When they all shook out and consolidated, the gimmicks became more like circus acts.

But the 4 Horsemen could work a crowd. Even Jimmy Valiant could generate heat with some good gimmicks(remember Charlie Brown From Outa Town?)

[Clemenza]

I used to root AGAINST Hulk Hogan back in the 1980s. I remember being royally PO'd when he beat Roddy Piper in Wrestlemania III.

It was that day, that I decided to stop watching wrestling.

[Clemenza]

I take that back, Hulk defeated the late great Andre the Giant in Wrestlemania III.

[Rodney King]

As an apparent long-time wrestling fan, maybe you can answer me something:

What happened to the 20 seconds out of the ring rule? When I was a kid and Hogan was still big along with Jimmy Superfly Snuka, Kamala the Ugandan Giant, and my personal favorite - Rowdy Roddy Piper, if a wrestler was out of the ring for twenty seconds, that was a disqualification.

Even my nintendo games had the twenty second rule.

Today, the whole match is fought out of the ring. Was the rule officialy changed, or is it just widely ignored?

At least they still have steel turnbuckles.