Dark Pegasus Video Review: Hulk Hogan's Unreleased Collector's Series (Disc One)

Posted by J.D. Dunn on 11.15.2009

All the stuff we missed during TNA star Hulk Hogan's first two DVD collections.

Hulk Hogan's Unreleased Collector's Series (Disc One)

by J.D. Dunn
Twitter.com/jddunn411
Brightkite.com/jddunn411
Facebook.com/jddunn411

The Path to Immortality: He put it all together – the catchphrases, the memorable moments. You know the drill. We gloss over Sterling Golden and jump straight to his WWF career.

Hulk Hogan vs. Harry Valdez (11/13/79).
You know, I've always said the path to immortality runs through Harry Valdez. Poor Harry looks like a normal human being, so I don't give him much chance here. Hogan tosses him around like a ragdoll and finishes with the bodyvise at 2:52. Harry would rejoin his brother Juan in their coffee bean business shortly after this. 1/4*

Hogan calls for superstars, not scrubs. A scrub is a man who can't get no love from Hogan.

First Major Obstacle: And Hogan did get matches with those superstars. In fact, not long after, he'd challenge for the WWF Title.

WWF Heavyweight Title: Bob Backlund (w/Arnold Skaaland) vs. Hulk Hogan (04/12/80).
Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler provide commentary for this one. The opening pretty cool in that Hogan is so prideful that he tries to wrestle with Backlund rather than overpower him. Backlund, of course, takes him to school on the mat. Hulk gets upset and turns into Mr. Cheatypants, but Backlund outsmarts him there too, grabbing a headlock so Hulk can't get any momentum. That leads to mat-wrestling… which Hogan dominates with a keylock. Dear Lord. Backlund hulks up but gets caught in the bearhug. That goes on for a while, but Backlund manipulates it into a piledriver (?!) for two. Ross is pretty funny, riffing on the camera angles and beverage guy in the background. I can't blame him for being bored. Backlund powers Hulk up into an airplane spin, but Hulk is so heavy that they both fall to the floor. Backlund continues the spin but falls over. That allows Hulk to squirt back in and pick up the countout victory at 28:56. Hogan is shocked that he doesn't receive the belt. The match felt every bit of the near 30 minutes, but I can appreciate that they at least told the story logically. **

Handicap Match: Hulk Hogan (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. Steve King & Angelo Gomez (09/10/80).
Hogan didn't have much to do between the time when he was "not ready for the title" and "too over to job to anyone," so he just squashed little guys in handicap matches. He does get a pretty impressive double bearhug. I remember when Andre the Giant used that on Tito Santana and Jim Powers. Hulk gives one guy a backbreaker and stacks him on the other guy to pick up the pin at 2:35. Hulk is big and powerful. That's your takeaway. 1/4*

After the match, Blassie talks about securing Hogan a centerfold. Hogan talks about how he slapped Andre the Giant around… b-but they didn't face off for another seven years. THAT'S NOT TRUE! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!

Oh wait…

Andre the Giant vs. Hulk Hogan (w/Freddie Blassie — 09/22/80).
From MSG. Gorilla Monsoon is your special referee. These two met a few weeks earlier at Shea Stadium, and Andre is PISSED. He goes after Hogan before the bell and squashes him in the corner. Hogan reverses, so Gorilla grabs him by the hair and pulls him back. Um, that's not your job referee. That's what the count is for. You never lay your hands on a wrestler! Some WWF announcer used to say that… a lot. Hogan grabs Andre in a bearhug, which is impressive. This plays a lot like their 1987 match only with Hogan holding a long bearhug. He goes to work on the back, including the big legdrop on the back. PSYCHOLOGY?~! The fans are getting antsy because it looks like Andre might have met his match. Andre chops his way back but misses a big splash. Hogan picks Andre up and bodyslams him. Granted, Andre was much lighter back then. Hogan tries again but collapses under Andre's weight and gets pinned at 12:19. Yes, there exists a Bizarro World in which people gasp in horror as Hulk nearly beats Andre and in which Hulk Hogan can't muster the physical strength in the end to bodyslam his opponent. This had some decent psychology to it with Hogan working the back, but it's not particularly thrilling. **

Handicap Match: Hulk Hogan vs. Nick Bockwinkel & Bobby Heenan (05/02/81).
Fast-forward about nine months, and Hogan is the biggest babyface in the universe. The heels swarm him before the bell, but Hogan throws them off like the mighty Hercules breaking his shackles. Heenan goes flying. The heels play Keystone Cops, not being able to get out of each other's way long enough to use their numbers advantage. Finally, Bockwinkel jumps Hogan from behind to give the heels the advantage. They don't get much offense in, though. The ref gets bumped in all the chaos, and Heenan's attempt to use a foreign object backfires. Oh, poor Brain. There goes Bobby. Big boot to Bockwinkel. Legdrop. And we're out. Hogan gets the big non-title win at 14:36. The first real Hogan match on the disc, and it's like a nice warm blanket. It's much more comfortable seeing him squash heels than trying to overpower hapless babyfaces. Bockwinkel and Heenan were awesome bumpers too, so this worked out just fine. **1/2

WWF Heavyweight Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth — 04/26/86).
Savage tosses his robe in Hogan's face and tackles him. Ha ha! That's just super. Savage blitzes him and hits a double ax-handle off the top without even taking his glasses off. Elizabeth actually pleads for mercy for Hogan, prompting Savage to slap her lying whorish mouth. Well, actually he just threatens to. That allows Hogan to recover and knock Savage silly. He tosses Savage into the barricade but gets distracted by Elizabeth again. Savage jumps Hogan as he's getting back in the ring and hits a double ax-handle from the top to the floor. Savage is just VICIOUS at this point. He hits another double ax-handle. And another. Flying elbowdrop! ONE, TWO, THRE-yeah, you know the rest. Savage goes over the top, and Liz gets in the way briefly. Hogan sets her aside and takes a boot to the sternum. Savage goes for another flying elbowdrop, but Hogan gets his boot up to Savage's jaw. Savage is knocked silly (sillier), and Hogan gets the pin at 11:47. After the match, Savage blindsides Hogan with the belt and tries to steal it. Hogan chases him down and takes it back, though. Glorious match with Savage being just that – savage. He really took it to Hogan, and it says something about Savage's respect that Hogan didn't just polish him off with the usual. ***1/4

Hulk Hogan & Junkyard Dog vs. Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy (w/Bobby Heenan — 05/04/86).
Man, Bundy and Studd really were victims of that Paul Orndorff heel turn, weren't they? Throughout 1986, they faced Hogan and every partner from Hillbilly Jim to Andre the Giant in main events throughout North America. The last one was Orndorff, though, who turned on Hogan during one of those matches. Once Hogan segued to Orndorff, Studd and Bundy became obsolete. Anyway, the crowd is JACKED, and they become even more jacked when Hogan slams both of the behemoths. JYD adds some rolling headbutts to blow the roof off the place. We get some mini-face-in-peril segments before Hogan makes the quickie comeback. Heenan saves Studd from taking the pinfall, but that's a DQ at 9:37. I would have liked to have seen more from Hogan and JYD as a team. Talk about over! **1/2

Hogan appears on The Snake Pit to talk Andre the Giant (03/29/87). Hogan would polish off Andre, leaving him with heels like…

WWF Heavyweight Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Kamala (w/Kim Chee & Mr. Fuji — 06/26/87).
This is one of those "bigger locally than nationally" matches. Kamala was a huge star in WCCW, and with that company on the downslide, he jumped to the WWF and went right to the top. Kamala physically dominates Hogan early and chokes him down with Fuji's cane. Hogan makes the comeback but goes after Kim Chee. Kamala jumps him from behind and applies the PECTORAL CLAW! Hogan fights out of that. Big boot. Slam. Leg drop. That's the end of Kamala at 6:40. Fairly typical Hogan match as he really started to rely on formula after WrestleMania III. Hogan makes his own save after Fuji and Kim Chee attack. **

WWF Heavyweight Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Killer Khan (w/Mr. Fuji — 09/12/87).
Hey. Duke Dougherty on commentary. All right. Why not just bring in Gilbert Gottfried and Bobcat Goldthwaite while you're at it? Khan attacks during the prematch patdown. The ref gets in his way, so Khan SPRAYS HIM WITH THE GREEN MIST! Screw you, referee! A new ref just slides in as they take the other one to the back. Hogan roars back and chokes Khan with his wrist tape. Khan slows him with the Trapezes Claw before the real hulk-up comes. In a silly-but-brilliant spot, Hogan actually blocks the Green Mist with his hand and shoves it back in Khan's face. That leads to the leg drop at 9:41. Extra points for the creative finish. Plus, Khan was a pretty cool villain. **1/2

The 411: It delivers what it promises, a supplemental series of matches that didn't make the other two major releases. More to come.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]