Hulkamania is dead

[air_raid]

5 hours ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

He'd not make my top 10, but if we're carving four big stone heads to represent contribution to the industry hes going to be all of them.

Right paddy going on at the minute on Twatter claiming everyone claiming Hogan changed wrestling is an exaggeration, just because the old WWE spiel about “taking it out of the smoke-filled bingo halls” is bollocks. But we’re not talking about the popularity of pro wrestling among wrestling fans and yes, Mid Atlantic, World Class etc were doing big gates regardless of who was drawing in New York, we’re talking about it becoming a national and global phenomenon. We’re talking about Cyndi Lauper, Mr T, the lads getting themselves on MTV. We’re talking about competing with Transformers for shelf space at Toys R Us, getting a Nintendo game, being the reason a whole generation of parents over here had to get Sky for their kids. I watched Gremlins 2 for the first time since childhood s couple of months ago, I forgot The Hulkster was in it and pissed myself when he showed up. He was the icon in wrestling and making it mainstream in our lifetimes.

[d-d-d-dAz]

24 minutes ago, air_raid said:

Right paddy going on at the minute on Twatter claiming everyone claiming Hogan changed wrestling is an exaggeration, just because the old WWE spiel about “taking it out of the smoke-filled bingo halls” is bollocks. But we’re not talking about the popularity of pro wrestling among wrestling fans and yes, Mid Atlantic, World Class etc were doing big gates regardless of who was drawing in New York, we’re talking about it becoming a national and global phenomenon. We’re talking about Cyndi Lauper, Mr T, the lads getting themselves on MTV. We’re talking about competing with Transformers for shelf space at Toys R Us, getting a Nintendo game, being the reason a whole generation of parents over here had to get Sky for their kids. I watched Gremlins 2 for the first time since childhood s couple of months ago, I forgot The Hulkster was in it and pissed myself when he showed up. He was the icon in wrestling and making it mainstream in our lifetimes.

It's nonsense how people always need to work backwards from 'not liking someone personally' to 'turns out, fortunately, they're actually massively overrated anyway so it's fine.'

I tried thinking about the Mt Rushmore thing, but looked at through the lens of trying to pick the people that had the biggest impact on establishing the industry as it is. But I could only really get to Vince and Hogan definitely needing to be on there. Everyone else is still playing in the sandpit they built, and it's subjective as to who is more important between a handful of guys. But... Hogan and Vince? They built the thing as we know it. They're still using that template today. Cyndi Lauper may as well be the guest ring announcer for the Jelly Roll match.

So yeah, Vince and Hogan is your Mt Rushmore. Absolutely awful tourist destination, full of absolute cretins. But still.

 

Edited July 26, 2025 by d-d-d-dAz

[Chili]

People trying to claim Hogan's legacy is an exaggeration has a bit of "Graham Linehan's a cunt now so did he actually write any of the good jokes in Father Ted?' energy.

[DavidB6937]

Yeah you can't erase history. You can stop enjoying it. You can stop liking it. You can stop consuming it. But you can't change it. Despite whatever Hulk/Terry may have said or done whenever, it absolutely doesn't change what he did for the industry. Same with Vince. Legacies get tarnished but they don't change factually.

[Arch Stanton]

5 hours ago, Cousin Jim Bob said:

 

Are you just talking celebrities ? Because there is certain politicians who 90% of the whole planet would instantly recognise the name and face off. Especially US presidents like Reagan in the 80's or Trump now.

I did qualify my ponderings by saying 'maybe not so much in recent years', specifically because Trump's got an equally recognisable gimmicked up head. Before Trump was president though, I'd be putting Hulk up against anyone in terms of worldwide recognition. I reckon more people on this planet could have put a name to Hulk Hogan's moustache than 99.9% of living politicians' faces.

Yes, I've dropped the word 'living' in there, because of course Hogan only had the second most famous racist moustache in history.

[Chili]

10 minutes ago, Arch Stanton said:

I did qualify my ponderings by saying 'maybe not so much in recent years', specifically because Trump's got an equally recognisable gimmicked up head. Before Trump was president though, I'd be putting Hulk up against anyone in terms of worldwide recognition. I reckon more people on this planet could have put a name to Hulk Hogan's moustache than 99.9% of living politicians' faces.

Yes, I've dropped the word 'living' in there, because of course Hogan only had the second most famous racist moustache in history.

I reckon for people that literally anyone could regonise you'd have Hulk Hogan, Michael Jackson, Elvis, Ronald McDonald and Peter Sutcliffe.

[Cousin Jim Bob]

3 hours ago, Arch Stanton said:

I did qualify my ponderings by saying 'maybe not so much in recent years', specifically because Trump's got an equally recognisable gimmicked up head. Before Trump was president though, I'd be putting Hulk up against anyone in terms of worldwide recognition. I reckon more people on this planet could have put a name to Hulk Hogan's moustache than 99.9% of living politicians' faces.

Yes, I've dropped the word 'living' in there, because of course Hogan only had the second most famous racist moustache in history.

 

In the 80's China and India had next to no access to WWF or Hogan at the height of Hulkamania. The combined population of the two countries at the time was around 1.8 billion people. So about 38 percent of the worlds population.

During the cold war.. 

Billions, worldwide at the time will have known who Ronald Reagan was with nuclear war hanging over the planet's head.

 

Edited July 27, 2025 by Cousin Jim Bob

[Surf Digby]

Peter Sutcliffe and the cold war. It's fair to say that this thread has gone in directions I was not expecting. 

I heard that he did Enziguris in Japan.

[Guest]

12 hours ago, Chris B said:

Nobody's denying how important Hogan or McMahon were to wrestling. It's why we give a shit about the racism etc.

On initial reading of this post I missed the "the" before racism and thought you were claiming that Vince and Hogan taught us all what racism was. 

 

The Mount Rushmore of wrestling is Vince, Hogan and the Young Bucks. I think we can all agree with that.  

[BigJag]

I was lucky enough to see Hogan live 3 times.

Once at the NEC, in I think 1989. Hogan and Hacksaw vs Macho and Dino Bravo.

Again at the HOF for WM 21. I'd flown over to LA with a ticket for the HOF only. I wasn't even intending to attend WM. I was able to buy a sixth row seat in the and witnessed Hogan blow the roof off the place. 

His impact on pro wrestling cannot be denied.

[FUM]

12 hours ago, Cousin Jim Bob said:

Billions, worldwide at the time will have known who Ronald Reagan was with nuclear war hanging over the planet's head.

Ronald Reagan didn’t have the longevity, brother.

In all seriousness, I think the comment is mainly related in the context of pop culture as opposed to actually knowing who someone was. Of course everybody knows the US president. On their own, walking down a street, Hulk Hogan was likely being recognised before Ronald Reagan.

[mim731]

9 hours ago, Surf Digby said:

Peter Sutcliffe and the cold war. It's fair to say that this thread has gone in directions I was not expecting. 

I heard that he did Enziguris in Japan.

If anything I'm surprised it took this long. All we need now is some story about Hogan shitting incorrectly and we've hit the full UKFF bingo card. 

[Merzbow]

But at least he loved his dog.

 

[Supremo]

Looking back at Hogan’s career, one of the maddest things is how little time there is between him looking absolutely washed and useless in 2000 WCW, doing the Stone Cold Hulk Hogan act, with that shitty, “F.U.N.B,” jacket, and then being in one of the biggest, most memorable matches of all time against The Rock at Wrestlemania 18.

It’s enough to make me suspect Vince Russo was a bit of a hack.

[TheBurningRed]

19 minutes ago, mim731 said:

If anything I'm surprised it took this long. All we need now is some story about Hogan shitting incorrectly and we've hit the full UKFF bingo card.