In Defense of… 04.05.06: Hulk Hogan (Part 2 of 4)
Posted by JP Prag on 04.05.2006
Let me tell you something…
In Defense of…
By JP Prag
Issue #49
Hulk Hogan (Part 2 of 4)
Intro
Hello people who realized that at 1:02:03 am/pm it will be 01:02:03 04/05/06, and welcome back to In Defense Of…! Well, Wrestlemania is behind us, so we can start making the bid for next year's matches. The question is: will our man Hulk Hogan have a match? We'll see at the end of this case how far he's come. Everyone who has had a case in this illustrious article has made a major appearance or bit of news shortly after being in here (see: Steiner, Scott), so why not Hulk Hogan? Now go back and read Part 1 of this case.
Ok, back to what you came here for. For those new to the concept, this article has a pretty simple premise:
Certain people, events, organizations, and storylines in wrestling history have gotten a bum wrap. Some writers have presented overtly critical comments and outright lies as fact, and others have followed suit. Well no more! "In Defense of…" has one reason: to bring the truth to the wrestling fan!
And that's what I intend to do.
Me? I'm the One and Only JP, and I am going to see the Red Sox play for already the second time this year. Traveling for a living does have its benefits.
Stenography
But before getting on another jet plane, Stenographer, why don't you tell us what we already know?
Sure thing, JP. Last week we started crazy case number five of five because the readers demanded it. Or demanded it not be done, which means that it had to be done. Hulk Hogan began running wild over this article, but not in the way you would think.
You see, long before the "birth" of Hulkamania in 1984 (a disputed point we'll get to), Hulk Hogan was a man named Terry Bollea. Terry was mostly un-athletic growing up, weighing 195 pounds by the time he was 12. When the family relocated to Tampa, FL about when Terry was 14, his life changed. He got involved in a Christian Youth Ranch which helped bring his life into focus. He began to work on his interests in guitar and baseball more seriously than he ever had, becoming quite proficient at both. And most importantly: he discovered a gym and began to sculpt his body was flabby nothingness to one of the most defined bodies in the world at that time.
But Terry was not satisfied with just having cultivated his body, spirit, and interests, he also wanted to cultivate his mind. It was with his innate determination that he enrolled in college to study business.
Despite his wants and desires, college and life were expensive for the poor Hogan, but that would not stop him. Although involved in body building, that would not pay the bills, so he was also a full-time bank teller, part-time bouncer, part-time musician, and all around busy guy. Terry was determined to make his dreams happen, but more importantly put in all the work necessary to make them happen.
Terry never did get to complete his degree, though, because another destiny came calling. He had become acquainted with the Brisco Brothers, who encouraged Terry to begin training as a professional wrestler, and even sought out a trainer for him. That trainer would be Hiro Matsuda, who promptly broke Terry's leg. Terry wasn't sure what to do next with a broken leg, but continued playing with his band until he heeled up. He then went back to Hiro, earning the veteran's respect and the proving his undeniable spirit.
Under Hiro, the future Hogan (I'm calling him Hogan from now on since we are talking wrestling) not only demonstrated a quick affinity for wrestling, but also for connecting with the audience. That is why a year later (1977) he was able to make his pro debut as… THE SUPER DESTROYER! Wrestling the independents and changing his name around, Hogan realized he was spinning his wheels. As a man determined to get ahead, wrestling seemed to be holding him back from his rock and roll dreams and the ability to complete his education. Having enough for a while, he took a job as a longshoreman for a while. But then Terry Funk came to Hogan and convinced him to rejoin the circuit.
Already three wrestling legends had urged to be a part of the sport. They saw the potential in Hogan, though probably never thought he would transform the entire industry. This trip back into the industry proved worth it as Hogan's stock climbed in the independents, most notably SECW where he eventually captured the South East Heavyweight Title. Of course, through most of this Hogan was a hated heel. Moving on to NWA Georgia in 1978 he even got two shots at the NWA Championship.
Also while in SECW he picked up the nickname "The Wrestling Hulk" and while in Memphis he teamed with the future Brutus Beefcake known then as Dizzy Hogan. Wait… Hulk… Hogan… I thought those were McMahon inventions?!?! Well, it seems like not.
In 1979, the newly christened Hulk Hogan made his way up north to the WWWF. Hogan was doing well and was involved in high profile feuds with the champion Bob Backlund, Tony Atlas, and Andre the Giant. Then, in 1981 something really interesting happened. Hogan was personally offered the role of Thunderlips in Rocky III (well before Vince Jr. came into the picture). Concurrently, Vince Sr. was planning on loaning Hogan out Crockett down in the Carolinas. McMahon wanted Hogan to just be a wrestler and do what he was told, but Hogan knew a golden opportunity when he say one and took it. The two parted ways as Hogan worked on the movie and spent some time in Japan, where he was very well received.
As Rocky III was in post-production in 1981, Hogan returned to the states to join Verne Gagne's AWA. Although he was a heel, the fans took to him, especially after his movie premiered. Hogan would go on to have two title victories for the AWA championship that were reversed on him. Much like with RVD in the WWE today, the AWA refused to pull the trigger on his title win. His frustration with the glass ceiling grew to the point where he could not take it anymore. Instead of just complaining, he headed back to Japan in 1982/1983 and then gave his notice to the AWA.
In Japan, Hogan employed a more mat-based arsenal then most in the states were used to seeing from him, but was even more well received by the Japanese crowd. He became the first every IWGP Champion by defeating legend Antonio Inoki by knockout in the finals of the tournament. The two would together go on to earn the MSG Tag League tournament twice. Hogan also released a rock album while in Japan, well before Rock-n-Wrestling ever existed.
Back home, Vince McMahon Jr. had bought his father's company for an insane upside, but planned on making it the first ever national organization. He lured Hogan back to the States to spearhead this effort. Having seen Hulkamania (before the word existed) running wild in the AWA and Japan, McMahon knew that Hogan was the multi-media star he wanted at the head of his organization. The Iron Sheik then won the title from Bob Backlund, who in turn dropped the title a month later to Hulk Hogan.
It was January 23, 1984, and wrestling would never be the same again.
Thanks Stenographer, but it's not like wrestling just became a pop-culture phenomenon over night!
And so the true American Icon is born
From Mathew Sforcina's Evolution Schematic of Hulk Hogan:
At first, Hogan was merely just very, very popular. He was not an icon, or a legend, or a part of Americana. He was merely WWF Champion. And for a few months, that was all he was, as he wrestled in both the USA for the WWE and in Japan for New Japan, as he still had commitments there, including defending his IWGP Title.
See, after last year's tournament to crown a new champ, the 1984 tournament was held, and the winner would then get to fight Hogan for the title, it still being a yearly deal back then. Adrian Adonis, Andre The Giant, Dick Murdoch, John Quinn, John Studd, Ken Patera, Masa Saito, Masked Superstar, Otto Wanz, Riki Choshu and Tatsumi Fujinami all vied for the honor, but in the end, last year's runner up Antonio Inoki won the tournament, and got the right to fight Hogan. And he did so on the 14th of June, 1984. And Inoki, having learnt from last year, avoided getting knocked out and managed to beat Hulk Hogan to win the title, although the WWF title was not on the line.
You see, it wasn't just like Hogan won the title and then the WWF became the center of pop culture, as many WWE DVDs would have you believe. There was a significant transition period. Hell, let us not forget how UNSUCCESSFUL Wrestlemania was in comparison to future versions. Cable was in its infancy and PPV did not exist. Wrestlemania was seen in select markets on Closet Circuit TV systems, IE you paid a ticket to go to an arena and watch the big monitors (which really weren't that big in that era). Some arena did well, others did not. But it was not like getting 900,000 buys like last year, not even close.
But I digress. The point was that wrestling was still wrestling. "Sports Entertainment" as we know it had not been born yet, and the WWF was just some northeast promotion that was paying well. The country and world was still divided into territories, and Hogan was an old school guy who was working his areas. And as an old school guy, he finished his commitments first, putting over a Japanese man before putting over the WWF. But with his head and responsibilities finally cleared, he could at last concentrate on the WWF and the vision Vince McMahon was talking about.
Sadly, though, McMahon did not have what it took to make his dream com true. You see, Vince McMahon was not the wrestling genius we know and love/despite today. First off, unlike Shane and Stephanie, Vince did not grow up entrenched in the business and did not actually meet his father until he was twelve years old. Although the two grew close after meeting, Vince Sr. discouraged his son from getting involved in wrestling, and at the very least convincing him not to become a wrestler (Wonder why in his mid-life crisis Vince started wrestling? Because his daddy denied him in his youth.). Vince Jr. was working as a traveling salesman in 1971 when his father gave him the opportunity to promote a card. Staying in his father's business, he even began doing play-by-play in 1972. He would stay involved in promoting cards through the 1970's, and created his own business (Titan Sports) in 1980, which eventually bought out his father's company.
But in reality, Vince Jr.'s experience with all facets of wrestling was limited, and the idea of national promotion was beyond reproach (and against his father's wishes). With his father's death also in 1984, Vince was without any type of adviser who knew one of the most important things: how to manage and develop talent. Luckily, that is where Hulk Hogan came in. From HoganResoucez.com:
In the early stages, Vince Jr. did not have as much knowledge of the wrestling business as his dad. Hogan, by this time a veteran and the star, helped him out. He gave McMahon what he needed to keep the WWF company running, he gave him ideas and help, but most of all he gave McMahon himself. He did what ever he had to for McMahon; he even took risks for McMahon.
Let us not forget, Hogan was a multi-media world star well before McMahon got his hands on him. Even more than that, though, was Hogan knew people. And on top of all that, he had a score to settle.
Through Hogan, Vince was able to make his contacts to wrestlers in the AWA and other promotions. From Wikipedia:
[M]uch of the AWA's other top talent, including announcer "Mean" Gene Okerlund, manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, and wrestlers Ken Patera, Jim Brunzell, and Jesse Ventura, among others, also left for the WWF.
And from 411mania's own Ron Sarnecky's History of Vince McMahon's Wrestling Empire:
From Texas, [McMahon] grabbed the Fabulous Freebirds. He took the Junk Yard Dog from the Mid-South territory. Georgia Championship Wrestling said goodbye to men like King Kong Bundy, and Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Jim Crockett lost Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, Bob Orton Jr., and Greg Valentine. Other stars from around the country that went to the WWF included Paul Orndorff, Sgt. Slaughter, Randy Savage, the British Bulldogs, Mike Rotundo, Barry Windham, and Brutus Beefcake.
Quite the impressive roster, and just what Vince and Hogan needed moving forward.
So no matter what Vince may tell you retroactively, he created almost none of the stars of the early 1980's. There were men who had been around for a long time and had made themselves great by traveling the territories and the world.
Hulk Hogan was one of those men. But in order to become immortal, he needed to help the WWF reach a height that none even thought existed.
Time to really start running wild
Hogan was garnering a lot of attention as champion, and Vince was garnering a lot of hatred by continually invading other territories. Hogan was legitimately threatened on more then one occasion, but he knew he could handle it. He was willing to take that risk because he believed in Vince's dream and wanted to become the first true superstar. And was Hogan at home, sitting their collecting money? Of course not! He was on the road almost everyday, defending that title at least once a day (sometimes more!). But something huge needed to happen to push the WWF and Hogan into the mainstream forever.
That something was Rock ‘n' Wrestling.
In 1984, the WWF began a co-promotion program with MTV, the young and fresh cable network. MTV was about three years old (sort of, depending on how far you want to trace the history back, but we'll call it three years) and had recently reorganized and had its own IPO. As part of their bold new vision, they thought nothing would drive the youth market like teaming up with pro-wrestling. They were right.
At the spearhead of this effort was one Cindi Lauper. From Cool Dudes and Hot Babes:
Cindi Lauper was a club singer from New York who had recently made it big with a hit record in the charts. It's not clear who came up with the idea (perhaps Lauper's manager Dave Wolf), but one evening out of the blue she turned-up on a WWF television show where an altercation broke out between her and long-time wrestler/personality, Lou Albano. After several weeks of of this routine and a lot of hype on MTV, they decided to settle their differences in the ring. Of course Lauper had no intentions of wrestling Albano so she needed a stand-in. This angle gave birth to the so-called "Rock & Wrestling" connection. Richter would represent Cindi Lauper against Albano's stand-in, "The Fabulous Moolah", for the world title in Madison Square Garden.
And from an interview with Lauper with Michael Lano and Evan Ginzburg:
ML: Do you feel your association with pro wrestling negatively affected your career at the time, or did you take some positives from it?
CL: No, it was positive. Me with Hulk at the Grammies just got more attention from different areas than from people watching MTV. My ex, Dave Wolf, was always into the wrestling. He loved it. I remember watching Bruno and my Ma loved wrestling. Dave just thought we could reach out to a bigger and different audience by getting involved with the wrestling. He did everything, and set it all up. He still loves it, but I don't follow it as much. It's not like it used to be. Poor management and my pr guys not doing their job was what hurt me, I think. Not the wrestling. I enjoyed my time with it. If it was up to Dave, I'd still be involved with the wrestling. He and I are still friends, and talk. Who said it was a negative? P.R. is P.R. and I will always look at it as a positive. Dave just wanted more p.r., but we were doing pretty good airtime on MTV then. I learned a lot about hype and production from the wrestling, I have to say.
Lauper was particularly close with Hogan who, as we discussed last issue, had an affinity for music therefore could connect with Lauper better than most.
With the attention of the world, Vince and Hogan came up with the plan of plans: to have a supershow! But not like any supershow. The NWA's Starrcade had already around for years, so that was nothing new. No, Wrestlemania would be broadcast around the country on closed circuit TV in arenas around the country.
Hogan, with Mr. T, guest hosted Saturday Night Live beforehand to help promote the show. Hogan was becoming a crossover star in every sense of the word.
And once the numbers came in and it looked like the WWF would live another day, Hogan boomed again.
You see, everyone wanted Hogan, and was sure to oblige. The man got his own Saturday morning cartoon show in "Hulk Hogan's Rock ‘n' Wrestling". He followed that up by being the first and last professional wrestler to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The man became t-shirts, posters, toys, and light-switches. Yes, light-switches! I still have mine.
Austin and the Rock like to claim they are the highest dollar generating superstars ever in wrestling, and to an extent they are right. Depending on how you look at it, either Austin or Rock generated more money for the WWE than anyone. But here's the context: Hogan has one shirt for ten years. And that shirt certainly did not cost $25. He did not come out with a new design every three months, he did not have DVDs, PPV barely existed and did not cost $40 an event when it did. There were no arm bands, glasses, jerseys, anything! If you look at it on an item per capita adjusted for inflation and availability—no one, and I mean no one, has ever come near the Hogan level of drawing people and money.
Hogan's legacy became finalize at Wrestlemania III. Over the years he was defending his title successfully, packing the arenas and making everyone take their vitamins. But it is Wrestlemania III that will go down as Hogan's defining moment. He slammed Andre the giant in front of 93,000 (or 78,000 people depending on your perspective or which conspiracy theory you believe). Almost everyone wanted to see Hogan take on Andre, and when he defeated the Giant it set him in stone forever.
As Hogan himself said, Andre only let you beat him if Andre wanted you to. Andre believed in Hogan and was willing to lay down for him and pass the torch. The marks of the world got to see their hero do the impossible. The smarks (before the term existed) and boys in back who doubted Hogan finally realized that he was the real deal, and that he had earned their respect.
At last, Hogan was wrestling.
How to build a Wrestlemania
As the organization grew and Wrestling became mainstream, everything began to revolve around Hogan. But that was all they needed. Hogan was all the draw the WWF required, and setting up confrontations was easy, but still loved. From the Ultimate Warrior's interview with Dan Flynn:
I mean, Hogan was popular, there was no doubt about that. In fact, buildups to previous Wrestlemanias were done by taking one of Hogan's buddies and having that buddy stab him in the back, turn the second hottest baby face heel. That's how they built Wrestlemanias.
And what were the Main Events of Wrestlemania? Well (all words below except roman numerals and colons from the Wrestling Information Archive):
I: Hulk Hogan and Mr. T defeated Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper when Hogan pinned Orndorff. Muhammad Ali was the special outside referee.
II: Hulk Hogan beat King Kong Bundy (11:00) in a "steel cage" match to retain the title. Robert Conrad was the special referee.
III: Hulk Hogan pinned Andre the Giant to retain the title (12:01).
IV: Randy Savage pinned Ted DiBiase (9:27) to win the vacant title. (JP Note: Hogan and Andre got double DQed during the World Title tournament earlier in the night. Which brings up another point: who said Hogan was not willing to give up the main event spot?)
V: Hulk Hogan pinned Randy Savage (17:54) to win the title.
VI: Ultimate Warrior pinned Hulk Hogan (22:51) to win the World title and retain the Intercontinental title. (JP Note: In a match considered by Warrior and his critics alike as his best match ever, of which most feel Hogan carried Warrior for 23 minutes)
VII: Hulk Hogan pinned Sgt Slaughter (20:26) to win the title.
VIII: Hulk Hogan defeated Sid Justice (12:44) by Disqualification.
IX: Hulk Hogan pinned Yokozuna (0:21) to win the title. (JP Note: This was after Hart lost the title to Yokozuna)
Two things to take away from this:
(1) Hulk Hogan did make other superstars. Guys like King Kong Bundy, Roddy Piper, and Ted DiBiase became regarded as some the biggest and best of all time DESPITE never winning the title from Hogan. And then guys like Randy Savage, Warrior, and Sid were completely legitimized by actually defeating Hogan. Hogan was willing to loose, so long as it made sense and helped everyone and the industry.
(2) These PPVs alone could not satisfy the audience's want of Hogan.
Survivor Series was created in 1987 specifically so Hogan and Andre could get in the ring together again but not give away another one-on-one match. It worked as the show drew 21,300 people to the Richfield Coliseum and a 7.0(!!!!) PPV buyrate.
And of course, this is just talking a couple of major events. There's about a decade worth of filler in there as well. But towards the end of that time, things were changing.
Hollywood! La la la la la la… Hollywood!
As the years moved on in the WWF, Hogan started defending his title less and less. But that was because he had found another calling making movies. His role in Rocky III had helped propel his wrestling career to new heights, so why could his wrestling career not propel his movies to new heights? Don't forget what we learned about Hogan in Part 1: that he motivated to continually be doing more. The man is a workaholic, always trying to bring it to the next level. He felt the real challenge for him was to try to be successful in Hollywood as much as he was in wrestling. And so the movies started. From IMDB:
No Holds Barred (1989) .... Rip
Suburban Commando (1991) .... Shep Ramsey
Thunder in Paradise (1993) (V) .... R.J. "Hurricane" Spencer
Mr. Nanny (1993) (as Terry 'Hulk' Hogan) .... Sean Armstrong
Let us not forget that when a movie comes out that it is just made. It takes months of pre-production, months of filming, more months of editing and post-production, and finally plans for final release. When was Eye Scream Man filmed? Or the Marine? Two years ago? And they are just coming out this year!
Speaking of production, Hogan was also executive producer of the former three movies listed there. So when filming was done, he still had tons of work to do.
Were these movies great successes? Not hugely. None blew away the box office like Lord of Rings did, but few movies do. These were low budget family-style movies. They made profit when it came to video sales and syndication rights more than they ever made in theaters, but that's how movies work anyway.
People act like Hogan was trying to become Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hanks, Gene Hackman, or Max von Sydow or something. Hogan was not looking for any awards, just looking to entertain and make some money. He saw a challenge and was willing to take it. Did he fail? No, it wasn't as successful as being a pro-wrestler, but it was still interesting. And it's not like it lead to the end of his tenure in the WWF.
Or did it?
The shot (to the vein) heard round the world
The year was 1993, and wrestling was in a turbulent point. Vince McMahon and the WWF were under scrutiny by the federal government during the steroid trial, business was way down, and the fans were booing or apathetic to Hulkamania. Hogan had tried to leave on many occasions, but Vince kept pulling him back. Finally, Hogan decided he no longer wanted to be in wrestling and wanted to set out in another direction.
Some people will tell you Hogan left because of his testimony against McMahon at the steroid trial. One problem with that: Hogan's testimony came almost a year and a half after he left the WWF. One had nothing to do with the other. Similarly, other people say that he left in 1993 because Vince McMahon was not happy with how he answered questions about steroid abuse in the WWF on the Arsenio Hall Show.
One problem with that one: That episode of the Arsenio Hall Show was in 1991, nearly two years before Hogan left the WWF. While it may have been a contributing factor, it was not the sole reason for Hogan's departure.
In a similar vein, others felt that since Vince was getting everyone off of steroids, Hogan was getting smaller and he did not want him around any more. The problem with this one? Hogan had not had any steroids in four years. From Hogan's testimony to during the steroid trial (courtesy of Hollywood Built):
Defense: You stopped steroids in 89?
Terry B: Around then, maybe a little bit after.
Defense: You and your wife have two children?
Terry B: Yes.
Defense: July 27, 1990 is the date of birth of your last child?
Terry B: Yes
Defense: Did you and your wife, in 1989, decide you would not be on any drugs?
Terry B: I would wind down and come off.
Defense: Did you use steroids after October 1989?
Terry B: Yes. We had an argument about her getting pregnant while I'm on drugs.
Defense reads GJ testimony of Hulk Hogan.
Q:When was the last time you used steroids?
A: About 4 to 4 and a half years ago. It was 9 months before our daughter was born.
Now, we'll get back to all this steroids stuff in Part 3, don't you worry. But the bottom line is Hogan was not cycling off in Steroids and getting smaller. He still had the 22" pythons (oh, I have the best quote for Part III. This Steroid Trial is full of hilarious testimony), that had nothing to do with it at all.
Of course, we know at the time of this testimony Hogan had recently contracted with WCW. From Slam! Sports:
It seemed like a glorious day for Hulk Hogan. July 17, 1994. It was his first match with the Atlanta-based World Championship Wrestling, and that day he won the WCW World title from Ric Flair in Orlando, FL. He was taking a break from his new television series, "Thunder in Paradise." He had brought back the magic that was "Hulkamania." It seemed like the best day of his life.
The week before was Hogan was not as glorious, though. He started the week off by promoting his new show, "Thunder in Paradise," and his match with Flair on "The Tonight Show" and "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee." But on July 14, Hogan had to testify in a a Uniondale, NY, court against his former boss, Vince McMahon.
The conspiracy theory is that Hogan was jumping to WCW and was going to turn against Vince and WWF. How ridiculous is this?
No, the truth of the matter is Hogan was tired of over fifteen years on the road, being the top of the business, literally carrying the company on his shoulders, and not spending any time with his family. So in relation to his Hollywood career, he began exclusively working on the television show Thunder in Paradise.
It was on the set of Thunder in Paradise that Hogan even met Bischoff for the first time. From Wrestling 101:
During Hogan's departure from the wrestling world, he embarked on a new project, Thunder in Paradise , Hogan portrayed an Ex-Navy SEAL turned mercenary with a boat which had all the gadgets of Michael Knight's K.I.T.T, but unfortunately the boat never spoke. Anyway, the series was fairly successful for Hogan, but it was while he was filming at Universal Studios Hogan met Eric Bischoff. Bischoff had started filming WCW events from the Disney MGM studios in Florida, and he decided to approach Hogan, the pair got talking and Hogan eventually signed a very lucrative deal with Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling.
It was just happenstance that Hogan and Bischoff were at the same place at the same time, and it turned out the two got along famously. WCW had been in turmoil for years, and Hogan realized that he may just be able to create another super organization again. WCW was in trouble after all, and he might be their savior. From Gery Roif:
After all the damage had been done [in the early 1990s], the financial losses due to poor buyrates, nonexistant house show revenues, and generally insane spending habits from the controlling powers left WCW nearly 23 million dollars in the red at the end of the year.
And immediately after signing, Hogan made an impact. The Bash at the Beach PPV did a 1.02 PPV buyrate. Compare that to the previous PPV that did a 0.48, or Starrcade seven months earlier that did a 0.55. The premier PPV of WCW did half the buys on one Hulk Hogan match. He truly was the draw.
The PPV buys continued to stay mostly high… at least for a while…
There's a new Hogan in town
Hogan's return to wrestling in WCW helped lead the company out of the red and lend credibility to the organization. A year and a couple months later and WCW would be able to launch Nitro. With Hogan at the helm, Time Warner corporate felt more comfortable green lighting the program, much like Spike TV feels more comfortable with TNA now that they have Sting and Steiner (and might be even nicer if they get Goldberg).
The problem was Hogan was facing the same problem. The fans had tired of the unstoppable babyface, and WCW fans were not fully accepting of Hogan. After all, these were the fans that were supposed to want to see more mat-based wrestling. Hogan tried to reinvent himself wearing black and giving himself an edge, but it wasn't enough. There needed to be something more. But he was frustrated and needed some time away.
While away, he worked on movies. His contract was coming to an end, and he thought that maybe it was all over. Strangely, an old friend made an offer. From Gery Roif:
Terry's contract was done, just when he finished Santa With Muscles and 3 Ninjas with Lonnie Anderson, he was offered 4.5 Million from Vinnie Mac, and would've signed, but when he heard that the new Bret Hart contract that he signed instead of being the 3rd nWo man... Terry did not liked it, and somebody leaked it to him and resigned for 3 years….
You see, despite the accusations, Hogan never positioned himself to be the 3rd member of the nWo. He was actually away from wrestling, thinking about retiring or going back the WWF. Bret Hart and Eric Bischoff had already talked about him being the last man for the nWo (though it didn't have that name yet), and Eric Bischoff did not know what to do. He went to Hogan just to visit him and that is where they came up with the idea for him to be the third man. It would change wrestling forever.
RECESS!
Holy mackerel, could this guy have done more things? We are just getting to the nWo when I honestly thought we'd at least get through that this week. I guess not!
Well in that case, when we return it is the story of the nWo, the end of WCW, time away from the ring, the return to the WWE, Hogan's drawing ability today, his relationship with Bret Hart, and STEROIDS!!!!!!!
So tune in next week for our red and yellow and black and white edition of In Defense of… Hulk Hogan (Part 3 of 4)!!
Plus it'll be the fiftieth issue! Presents are welcome (Did I mention I really liked that signed Norman Smiley picture?).
Be sure to check out Hidden Highlights in the meantime! Don't forget to send JT and I your Hidden Highlights for RAW, SmackDown!, Heat, Velocity, iMPACT, or any other show you saw this week (that includes house shows and indy events, you know)!
Until then, the defense rests!
Know a particular person, event, organization, storyline, etc… in wrestling history that needs a defense? E-mail the One and Only JP at lookforme@mikefine.com, and I'll be glad to hear your case.
