Hulk Hogan: Real American Trailer

[Chili]

Double post, but just seen this from our @IANdrewDiceClaythat makes me respect Jimmy even more and because it probably really pissed off Terry Taylor. G'wan Jimmy!

 

[d-d-d-dAz]

I've finished it. I think i've got a higher opinion of it than a lot of the reviews i've seen.

I sort of take the point they could have spent more time on the racism or the sex tape or whatever, but not without it being to the detriment of the story they were telling. And the story wasn't a positive one for Hulk.

It played to me about a story about a man who had everything, but ruined it all by not being able to walk away. By being greedy and vain and arrogant, and ultimately quite bitter that time had the temerity to get the better of him.

I thought it was a staggeringly sad documentary at times. 

I don't know what they'd have gained by hanging around on him being a horrible racist. He was. In the grand sceme of his story it wasn't that influential, because by that point he was already a parody irrelevence and that was the bigger, broader story. 

The old prick knew it as well. He knew he'd fucked everything up the wall. There were times watching him where I genuinely wanted to burst into tears because you could see the sadness of a legacy squandered, and you could see occasionally the glimpses of a boyish smile; the kid that dreamed of conquering the world, did and has no one to share it with.

At the end, when they asked when he was happiest and he - a married man - said when he and Linda were together; I think that is as much as i've ever pitied someone watching a documentary. I wasn't sad for him as a person, I didn't feel sorry for him... I pitied him. In his big empty house, his family smashed to pieces, his new trophy wife recording her interviews separately (with about 1% of the noticeable affection for Hulk that Linda had), fans hating him, pretty much the only talent willing to do talking heads being the ones that'll do anything. Awful. What a state for Hulk Hogan to have got into.

And then, when he died, Triple H had to say to a room of writers that no wrestlers were to be forced into appearing at the bells salute. At the end of it all, he had absolutely nothing. He couldn't even get a full house at his own tribute.

Horrible. Feel empty for watching it. It was a documentary that needed shoots of light at the end, but there were none. Just a weird noncey billionaire inappropriately hulking up in front of a half full theatre-church hybrid at his funeral. What a fucking epitaph that is.

The other thing that really stood out was that Linda and Hogan were made for each other (for good and bad). It's very sad that - because they both seemingly refuse(d) to accept aging - they traded each other in for younger versions, as that is a couple who should have stayed the course. I think their love for each other really shone through.

Jimmy Hart, as always, came across really well and even in death was concerned with Hulk's happiness and how he'd have loved all the old boys being back together. Jimmy is a man who, for all the hair dye, seems completely at peace with his run and the fact it's over, and seems utterly gutted his tragic, perma-mid life crisis mate couldn't be.

Decent documentary, well put together. Do not recommend. Far too sad. A man who had everything and slowly frittered it away to the point where he couldn't walk unaided, was cutting promo's about karaoke in his basement and everyone hated him.

What a waste.

Edited April 27 by d-d-d-dAz

[herbie747]

I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Especially the earlier 2 episodes, because we got a lot from Linda and a good insight to the earlier years, especially with all the home video footage which was new to us.

So many Hogan docs (A&E, etc) just rehash the same bullshit stories over and over. I felt Hulk was mostly honest here. He talked about feelings more than embellished (or made-up) stories.

We all know he's a dirty racist though. That's not even up for debate anymore. Despite him admitting on camera that he was (in the leaked Gawker video), he doubled down and unapologetically confirmed it for the past few years of his life by being a hardcore MAGA. Maybe if he just did the former, he could try to pass it off as making a mistake 10 years ago which he regrets; but publicly supporting a racist paedo solidified exactly what he was.  

Also, that wrestling journalist they had on... never heard of him. Did anyone else know him? 

 

Edited April 27 by herbie747

[BomberPat]

that's Keith Elliot Greenberg, he's written a few wrestling books, co-wrote a few wrestler autobiographies, as well as writing for some wrestling magazines. I would say he's an author more than a journalist, but he does work with WWE a lot, pops up on a few documentaries when they need a talking head. 

[gmoney]

I've seen him as a talking head on stuff enough to know his name, and I have never knowingly read anything he's written. 

[AshC]

I'm not convinced he was Republican, let alone racist. I think he would tell the people around him, in whatever scenario, what those people wanted to hear, having been in a business where that was a key to success for decades. MAGA was seemingly the last big audience that was open to him being an active player in the last year or so, thus I can understand him going all-in.

The first part of this had a load of footage I'd not seen and was thus my favourite, the soundtrack and editing was great as well. It was poignant for sure, a tale of aging and mortality in the end. It's always interesting to see what gets left out in these things. Zero mention of Bill Goldberg for instance, and I'd argue that was far more of a notable match than the Shawn Michaels one. I guess the latter helped fill out the last part a little.

Jimmy Hart seems just wonderful and I'm sad seeing him so down. Hope wrestling will look after him from here.

Edited April 27 by AshC

[The Reverend]

54 minutes ago, gmoney said:

I've seen him as a talking head on stuff enough to know his name, and I have never knowingly read anything he's written. 

The name you probably wouldn't know, but you probably would've read his stuff. He did the Flair, Blassie and Superstar Billy Graham books - but where you may know him from is the WWF magazine. He was involved in that from around 1985 right through the 90's I believe. 

[SuperBacon]

23 minutes ago, AshC said:

I'm not convinced he was Republican, let alone racist

Hogan was definitely a racist.

[Chris B]

32 minutes ago, AshC said:

I'm not convinced he was Republican, let alone racist.

He was so racist, he managed to be racist in a sex tape. His post-nut clarity was hoping that his daughter didn't date n*******s.

[Hannibal Scorch]

29 minutes ago, AshC said:

I'm not convinced he was Republican, let alone racist. I think he would tell the people around him, in whatever scenario, what those people wanted to hear, having been in a business where that was a key to success for decades.

Saying racist things because you feel that’s what the people you’re around with want to hear means you’re a racist with racist mates.

Also, maybe it’s just me, but this bollocks about there would be no wrestling without Hulk Hogan and we wouldn’t be fans is just that. 
 

If Hogan would have stayed in the AWA, Vince would have just made someone else that star. Hogan was my introduction to wrestling, but it was Macho Man, Mr Perfect, Ultimate Warrior, even the Bushwhackers who were the draws for me. It’s like saying Star Wars wouldn’t have been a hit with Mark Hamill. The explosion into the mainstream has as much to do with Mr T and Cyndi Lauper than it does Hulk Hogan.

[AshC]

I loved those guys as well, but Hogan was the biggest star and draw. And they tried with other guys on top, but they came back to Hogan. Even as late as 2002, however briefly. He was a once-in-a-lifetime star. 

It is, of course, an interesting question, who they would have ran with if Hogan didn't exist. Savage is probably the answer, I couldn't see Dusty hitting the same notes, nor Kerry, as great as both were. I actually think the guy they didn't scratch the surface of, on a global scale, was JYD. 

[SuperBacon]

Some good discussion in this thread.

I don't think wrestling in the 80s, and beyond, would've been the same without Hogan. The rewriting, or revising, him out of just how important he was is complete bollocks for me.

Perfect combination of Reaganomic era politics, America clanging and banging their superpower status, a feverish patriotism after the 60s/70s/Vietnam etc and then this living embodiment of ROCK FLAG AND EAGLE comes along. Real American indeed. No one would've come close to building that. Without Hogan, wrestling then (now, forever?) is drastically different. 

I've never been a Hogan fan, but I've always said how could anyone see him as a kid facing off with say Warrior at the Rumble or Mania and not immediately fall in love with wrestling.

[AshC]

I actually said the other day how you can tell the story of modern America through Hogan, Austin and Cena as your flagbearers. At least up until 2016 when it all went mad. 

[Chico Torres]

2 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Saying racist things because you feel that’s what the people you’re around with want to hear means you’re a racist with racist mates.

Also, maybe it’s just me, but this bollocks about there would be no wrestling without Hulk Hogan and we wouldn’t be fans is just that. 
 

If Hogan would have stayed in the AWA, Vince would have just made someone else that star. Hogan was my introduction to wrestling, but it was Macho Man, Mr Perfect, Ultimate Warrior, even the Bushwhackers who were the draws for me. It’s like saying Star Wars wouldn’t have been a hit with Mark Hamill. The explosion into the mainstream has as much to do with Mr T and Cyndi Lauper than it does Hulk Hogan.

Very wrong my friend. Hogan wasn’t interchangeable, him and Vince made the WWF what it is and he was the star who made it happen.

[Roy]

3 hours ago, AshC said:

I'm not convinced he was Republican, let alone racist. I think he would tell the people around him, in whatever scenario, what those people wanted to hear, having been in a business where that was a key to success for decades. MAGA was seemingly the last big audience that was open to him being an active player in the last year or so, thus I can understand him going all-in.

I don't think there's any doubt at this point that Bollea was a racist. He was caught privately using racist language or slurs about black people on at least two separate occasions. He refused Mark Henry's help to begin atoning for this within the black community. Even as the Hulk Hogan character, he referred to Tony Atlas as a spear-chucking, shoe-shining, watermelon-eating spider monkey when he was a heel and referred to Yokozuna in a promo as a 'Jap' as a face. I seem to recall him making using the term 'Jiggly Jiggly Jew' on WCW that made the air once. And then he goes and endorses Trump.

Short of wearing a hood and burning a cross, I don't know what more he could do to prove his character.