Post by Shatter Machine on Aug 3, 2017 16:19:50 GMT -5
I had this one put together for a long time, but it needed a major editing job. I sat down and found match times and looked over my star ratings to make sure they jived with my spreadsheets and my reviews if the matches are on major shows. I’ve really come around on early-era Hogan. He was just so charismatic when he wasn’t working the formula match against the monster heel of the month. When he was in there against smaller guys who could work, he was always game. If he had to, he could carry bigger guys to matches that brought the crowd to their feet. It wasn’t until about late-87, when he was in the ring against Kamala, who was terrible, and One Man Gang (who was cashing a paycheck, and was colossally unmotivated) that he started doing the same thing night after night. These tapes really give a great look at what Hogan’s first title reign looked like. They’re just so much better than the DVD set that came out in 2006.
HULKAMANIA (1985)
This is the first of a long set of Hogan highlight tapes, and it has some surprisingly good matches on it. It’s hosted by Vince McMahon in a WWF control room. The thing I like about this tape is that ALL of the matches have dates and locations before them. It’s something that was missing from virtually every single other WWF release on CV.
08.08.84
Philadelphia, PA
WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan Vs Greg Valentine
Gorilla Monsoon does commentary here, but it seems to be added on in postproduction. Gorilla says that Valentine is Intercontinental Champion, but a quick check shows that he wouldn’t win that title for another month and a half. Hogan no-sells some early offense, but Valentine sneaks a knee in on a test of strength. Valentine goes to a rear chinlock, but Hogan runs him into the corner. They brawl to the floor, and Valentine regains control with a cheap shot coming back in. Nice body slam by Valentine. He goes to a double toehold, and begins working Hogan’s knees. Valentine positions Hogan’s knee on the apron, and throws a chair at it! What was the referee doing? He goes for the figure four, but Hogan kicks him off. Valentine nails some elbow drops, then Hogan fires back. Clothesline sends Valentine to the apron, and Hogan suplexes him in. He hits an atomic drop, but telegraphs a backdrop. Valentine goes right to the old heel stand by: he chokes Hogan. We are clipped, and Valentine is dropping elbows. He goes to the top, but Hogan slams him off. Hogan goes down, too, and Valentine goes for the figure four. Hogan kicks out of it, hits a clothesline, and drops the leg for the pin. Clipped to about nine minutes. (** 11:18)
12.10.84
East Rutherford, NJ
WWF World Title / $15,000 Slam match:
WWF Champion Hulk Hogan Vs Big John Studd (with Bobby Heenan)
This one is confusing, with Gorilla and Howard Finkel of all people doing commentary. In addition, Gary Capetta does the ring intros. They trade slam attempts. Hogan hits a boot, but still can’t slam him. Studd pounds Hogan in the corner. Clipped here, Hogan goes for a slam, but Studd makes the ropes. They brawl to the floor, and Studd runs Hogan to the post. Nice close-up of Hogan hiding under the ring while blading, and then Studd runs him to the announce table, then to the rail. Clipped again, and Studd is going to the top for a forearm, as Heenan yells “Finish!” Clothesline by Hogan for two, and we’re clipped again to Studd slamming Hogan. He boots him to the floor, but we get the Hulk up and he slams Studd on the floor (therefore not earning the $15K, since it had to be done in the ring) and Hogan beats the count back in for the win. It was clipped to shreds, but what we saw was better than most Hogan – Big Man matches. (** 10:01)
They show Hogan on TNT with Vince and Lord Alfred, and Hogan makes protein shakes.
6.17.84
Minneapolis, MN
WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan Vs “Dr. D” Dave Shults
They call this the “Minneapolis Massacre” for reasons unknown to me. Gene Okerlund and Gorilla on commentary here, right in the heart of AWA country. This was the WWF’s first foray into Verne’s territory. Hogan, of course, sold the place out, after two years of Verne Gagne screwing him out of the AWA World title; he came in as WWF World Champion six months later. He’s wearing a T-Shirt that says on the front “The Real World’s Champion” with “The Affair Lives On” on the back. Shults attacks, choking Hogan down. Clipped to Shults knocking him to the floor. He nails Hogan with a chair, and Hogan blades. Hogan is knocked down, and stashes the gig in his trunks. Back in, finally, and Dr. D drops the elbow from the top for two. Hogan powers out and Hulks up. Clipped to Hogan nailing a clothesline, then pulling him up at two. He hits the slam, then the legdrop, and pulls him up at two again. He tosses Shults to the floor, picks him up on his shoulder, and RAMS his head to the post. Clipped (again) to Shults missing the elbow from the top (then they show a replay mid-match), and Hogan nails him with a clothesline for the pin. We saw about nine minutes, but it looked to be about twenty. Really good, though, with juice from both guys. Shults steals the world title belt, and tries to put it on. Hogan waffles him and takes it back. ***
4.6.84
St. Louis, MO
WWF World Title Cage Match: Hulk Hogan (champion) Vs. Big John Studd
This, I’m guessing, is the WWF’s first run in St. Louis. You can see how early it is in Hogan’s reign, as he still has the big, ugly belt he won from the Sheik. Clippage right away, as Studd runs Hogan to the cage. Hulk does an A+ blade job here, to the delight of the St. Louis fans. This is the TALLEST cage I’ve ever seen, looking to be a legit 15’ tall. CLIP! Hogan runs Studd to the cage! CLIP AGAIN! Studd has bladed, but hits a clothesline out of the corner. He drops a forearm from the second rope, and tries to leave, but Hogan saves. Studd climbs up, but Hogan saves again. He rams Studd to the cage, then drops the leg, and heads for the door. Hogan has to kick him off a few times, but manages to escape with the title. Clipped down to 8 ½ minutes. * ½ -ish
Nice long interview between Vince and Hogan, taped specially for this cassette.
1.23.84
New York, NY
WWF World Title: Hulk Hogan Vs the Iron Sheik (champion, with Freddie Blassie)
Hogan attacks right off, and throttles the Sheik for a couple of minutes. He misses a charge, and the Sheik goes right after his back. He slams him, then a backbreaker. Sheik loads the boot, stomps, loads, kicks. Sheik gets a Boston Crab, but Hogan escapes. Gut wrench suplex gets two for the Sheik. He puts Hogan in the camel clutch, but Hogan powers out of it, runs the Sheik into the corner, drops the leg, and Hulkamania is born at 5:40 with the pin. Match was too short to be anything good, but this was a HUGE moment. (* 5:40.)
The Bottom Line: This is full of good stuff, especially as far as Hogan’s match quality goes. He gets a bad rap for his later, more formulaic stuff, but this stuff all took place before they HAD a formula for him.
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THE HULKSTER (1985)
This was one of my earliest tape reviews, and one of the first wrestling VHS tapes ever released. My old review is REALLY BAD, so I decided to hunt down the matches and rewatch them, to give them a proper review. This tape runs about 45 minutes, but everything is pretty good. I initially thought that it was just a cut-down version of the two-hour “Hulkamania” VHS, but it’s totally different matches.
1985.02.16
Philadelphia Spectrum
WWF Championship:
Hulk Hogan
Vs
Brutus Beefcake (with Johnny Valiant)
Hogan jumps Beefcake right away, and I can’t figure out why Beefcake, who was a lower mid-card heel, got a title shot at a major arena. Maybe it was because he was Hogan’s buddy and Hulk was throwing him a bone because he needed some cash or something? Beefcake stalls like mad, and GODDAMN are those some loose ropes. Beefcake hits a powerslam for 2. He focuses on Hogan’s knee through most of the match, but Hogan Hulks up, hits the big boot, then a body slam and the legdrop, but Johnny V is on the apron to distract Hogan. Beefcake rolls Hogan up for 2, but Hogan’s leg is under the bottom rope. They celebrate like they’ve won, so Hogan rolls Beefcake up from behind to get the pin at 9:45. Beefcake and Valiant jump him after the bell, but Hogan runs them off. Decent, if a bit slow. *
This tape has highlights of the Iron Sheik’s title win over Bob Backlund in December 1983, but I’ve got the whole thing, so here it is, as a little bonus:
1983.12.26
MSG
WWF Championship
Bob Backlund (Champion, with Arnold Skaaland)
Vs
The Iron Sheik (with Fred Blassie)
Backlund had been hurt by Sheik the week before when he was beaten with the Persian Clubs. Sheik jumps him right off, concentrating on the neck and back. The armbar he gets looks incredibly painful. Nice job of selling here, as every time Backlund uses his arm, he hurts himself. Backlund is obviously not in any shape to be facing the Sheik here. Commentators Gorilla Monsoon and Pat Patterson talk about how the Sheik is only a few years older than Backlund. Sheik gets a three-quarter nelson, and that gets several two counts, then goes to the surfboard. Backlund eventually escapes, and dishes out some punishment. He eventually hurts himself with a move. Backlund can’t execute a suplex, and the Sheik stretches him. Sheik ties him up, and goes back to the surfboard. Backlund reverses, but falls on a slam attempt. Surfboard again, Backlund reverses again, and Sheik reverses him. They do that spot a couple of times. Sheik maintains it, putting his knee in Backlund’s back. Backlund reverses into a pin combo, and they go for the bridge into the backslide, but Backlund’s back gives out. He goes for the rolling reverse with the bridge, but can’t do that, either. Sheik gets the camel clutch, and it’s only a matter of time. Arnold Skaaland throws in the towel at 11:50, and the Sheik is the new WWF World Champion after almost six years. That was a well-planned, historical match. *** ½
1984.01.24
MSG
WWF Championship
The Iron Sheik (Champion, with Fred “Ayatollah” Blassie)
Vs
Hulk Hogan
Same match as the one listed above.
They do include Gene Okerlund interviewing Hogan after the title win, as well as Andre, Tony Garea, Ivan Putski, and Rocky Johnson. Gene introduces Hogan’s parents as “The Hogans”, which I find incredibly hilarious for some reason.
1984.05.05
Philadelphia Spectrum
WWF Championship
Hulk Hogan (Champion)
Vs
The Iron Sheik (with Fred Blassie)
Instead of the B.S. clipped to shreds version that’s on the VHS tape, I found the full version online, complete with original commentary from Dick Graham and Lord Alfred Hayes and “Eye of the Tiger” as Hogan’s theme. Hogan gets to the ring through this incredible throng of people, and Sheik jumps him right away, pounds him down, and spits on him. He takes his robe off and chokes Hogan with it, and the crowd starts with the “USA” chant. He whips Hogan with the title belt and spits on him more. He whips Hogan into the corner, but Hogan gets his foot up and starts firing back. This crowd is INSANE. He takes Sheik down with his t-shirt, then bites Sheik’s forehead. AXE BOMBA! He drops the elbow and plays to the crowd, and Hogan might be the most charismatic man I’ve ever seen in the ring. He throws Sheik around, and Sheik begs off, but Hogan is having none of it. Big boot, and he shoot Sheik into the corner and nails an elbow. He sets too early on a backdrop, and Sheik kicks him. Sheik loads the boot and kicks him, then chokes him in the corner. The kick from the loaded boot has busted Hogan open, and Sheik goes to work on the cut. Gut wrench suplex gets a long 2, then Sheik bites the cut. Guess they didn’t care about AIDS or Hepatitis back then. Hogan blocks and reverses a vertical suplex, and both men are down. Hogan starts Hulking up, fires off punches, and levels the Sheik. Huge slam, then Hogan drops the leg. That’s not the finish, though, as Hogan goes for the boot, eventually getting it off him after a few tries. Sheik bails out, and Hogan follows him and nails him, busting him open. The bell rings for the end of the match at 10:47, and they continue brawling, with Hogan absolutely massacring the Sheik with the boot until the locker room empties to break it up. Wow. What a fucking match. It was literally non-stop from the time the bell rang. The result is announced as a double count-out. ****
1985.06.21
MSG
WWF Championship Cage Match
Hulk Hogan (Champion)
Vs
Magnificent Muraco
In their first match, Muraco used some shenanigans to win by countout, then in the Rematch, Hogan won by DQ. They decided to settle up in a cage. This is before the big blue cage, so the visual is okay. They fight over the belt, and Muraco eats steel. Hulk keeps trying to run Muraco into the cage, but can't. Muraco beats the Hogan down, but can't escape the cage. Lots of brawling, and we get double juice. Match is clipped to an utter blood bath. It appears that Hogan has apparently severed an eyeball while blading, as there's just blood EVERYWHERE. It's pretty nasty. Muraco does his contractually obligated "Head caught in the ropes" spot, and Hogan beats him down and manages to escape from the cage with very little struggle at 9:05. This is clipped down so much that I can’t really rate it, but the guys at the PTBN reviewed the full match, and they LOVED it.
This tape is an excellent intro to the early years of Hogan.
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HULKAMANIA 2 (1987)
Gene Okerlund hosts, and the tape was produced in January 1987. Hogan had been champion for three years at this point, and would hold the title for another year or so, before losing it to Andre the Giant in February of 1988. (and he’d go on to hold the title another five times for a total of 2,185 days, well short of Bruno Sammartino’s total of 4,040 across 2 reigns. (Bob Backlund is third with 2,138 days))
4.22.86
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
Hulk Hogan & Hillbilly Jim Vs King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd (with Bobby Heenan)
Hillbilly gets pounded by the heels early on. Hogan comes in, and he gets pounded in the corner. Studd slams him a couple of times, and then Hogan slams Studd and Bundy as well. The slam on Studd is worth $15,000, since the challenge was still in effect. (Gorilla notes that Bobby Heenan has never paid anyone who slammed Studd, and now owes $130,000.) CLIP Hogan nails a clothesline, but can’t slam Studd again. Studd goes to a bearhug, but Hogan fights his way out. Hogan with a running elbow to Studd’s head. Hot tag to Hillbilly, but Bundy cuts that right off with a clothesline and a kneedrop. Hillbilly plays face in peril, getting trapped in another Studd bearhug. He breaks it with a headbutt, and Hogan comes in, hitting an atomic drop. He drops the leg, but Heenan breaks it up for the lame DQ. (10:30 DUD)
10.6.85
Boston Garden
Boston, MA
WWF World Championship
Hulk Hogan (champion) Vs King Kong Bundy
Hogan jumps him right at the bell, but Bundy drops a knee. He tosses Hogan to the floor. Hogan drags him out, and they brawl. Back in, Hogan hits headbutts (the only time I’ve seen him do that), then a boot, then two elbows. He calls for the slam, but hurts his back on the attempt. Bundy hits an elbow drop, then goes to a rear chinlock. Hogan fights out, but can’t do more. Bundy squashes Hogan with the avalanche, but it only gets two. Hogan no sells a second avalanche, and powerslams Bundy out of the corner for the pin. That was actually pretty good. (** 6:11)
6.27.86
Boston Garden
Boston, MA
WWF World Championship
Hulk Hogan (champion) Vs Randy Savage (with Elizabeth)
Savage attacks, nailing Hogan with the belt. Hogan fights him off, stealing the shades off his head, and throwing him over the top rope. They brawl on the floor, and Hogan does the ramrod to the post. Back in, and Hogan hits the running clothesline and a back suplex. He grabs Savage around the neck and does the choke lift. Liz climbs up on the apron, and the ref ejects her from ringside. Notice the woman in the white hat sitting in the front row. The announcers say that Savage is I-C champion, but he doesn’t have the belt with him. I wonder if they were making the new belt at this point. (edit: no. Santana had the new belt when he lost the title to Savage in February) Anywho, Savage dumps Hogan to the floor, then brings him back in and hits the flying elbow. Hulk up, and Hogan finishes with the usual. That lady in the white hat turns out to be Adrian Adonis in drag, and he attacks Hogan. Hogan eventually runs the heels off and poses in the ring. (** 3/4 7:12)
Hogan and Paul Orndorff make their appearance on the “Flower Shop,” Adrian Adonis’ replacement for “Piper’s Pit.” Everyone looks silly, since they have to talk into a bouquet of flowers
Poughkeepsie, NY
06.24.86
Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff Vs King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd (with Bobby Heenan)
They’d been teasing an Orndorff heel turn for weeks, since he was jealous of Hogan. Hogan charges past Orndorff to the ring, and early on, Orndorff tries to slam Studd, but can’t. Hogan, of course, comes in and slams Studd right away to show up Orndorff. What a dick. Hogan hits an atomic drop on Studd, but gets clotheslined on a blind charge. Hogan gets clobbered, and accidentally nails Orndorff, knocking him off the apron. The bell rings for the DQ at 6:04 (why, I’m not sure, but it’s unimportant). Orndorff helps him up, then the big turn! He raises Hogan’s hand, and then clotheslines him out of his shoes! Orndorff hits a piledriver, and invites the other heels in for the big beatdown. Mike Rotunda, Danny Spivey, Tonga Kid (Tama) and Siva Afi make the save. Backstage, it turns out this was all planned by Heenan and Orndorff, as well as Adonis and Jimmy Hart. This particular program, between Hogan and Orndorff went on for SIX MONTHS and made everyone involved a ton of money. It also pretty much ended Orndorff’s career, as he suffered a nerve injury to his arm, but didn’t want to take any time off, since he was making $20K a night working with Hogan. ** for the match, ***** for the angle
SNME #9:
Taped 12.14.86
Televised 1.7.87
Hartford Civic Center
Hartford, CT
WWF World Title Cage Match: Hulk Hogan (champion) Vs Paul Orndorff (with Bobby Heenan)
This is the big blowoff of the feud. Orndorff comes out to the strains of “Real American”, just to piss us all off. Joey Marella is referee, but heel ref Danny Davis comes out as well. Orndorff tries to exit the cage right off the bat, but Hogan makes the save. They take turns trying to escape, with Hogan choking Orndorff out with his headband. Hogan knocks him down, and goes for the door, but Davis has it locked. I like this. There’s actual suspense that Hogan might lose the belt. There never really was any suspense after about the first six months of his first reign that Hogan might actually lose, until now. The big, famous spot comes up, with both guys climbing the cage on opposite sides. They both come down, and both men hit the floor at the EXACT SAME TIME! Beautiful. Davis, of course, raises Orndorff’s hand, but Marella, the assigned official, raises Hogan’s. Hogan goes after Davis, and Orndorff catches him with a knee in the back, knocking Davis out. This match, of course, MUST CONTINUE! Orndorff uses a foreign object passed to him by Heenan. Hogan powers up and he runs Orndorff’s head into the cage four times! Ow. He hits a backbreaker, then the legdrop. He goes to climb, but Heenan comes into the cage. Hogan runs him into the cage, hits Orndorff with an atomic drop, and climbs up and over the top for the big win. That was great! *** ½
8.17.85
Capitol Center
Landover, MD
WWF World Title: Hulk Hogan (champion) Vs. Brutus Beefcake (with Johnny V)
Hogan manhandles him, nailing an atomic drop. Brutus bails. This is not great; mostly because Hogan was good enough to hang with talented guys, but not good enough to carry someone on his own. They brawl to the floor, and Beefcake posts Hogan. Back in, and Beefcake goes to … the bearhug? WTF? Hogan comes out of it, and he’d better, cus it’s the worst bearhug in the history of wrestling. Hogan hits the boot, and the legdrop, but Johnny V is on the apron. He goes after him, but dodges a knee from Beefcake, and rolls him up for the pin. That was really bad. This was essentially the same match that was on “The Hulkster”. (½ * 12:35)
8.9.86
Boston Garden
Boston, MA
Hulk Hogan and George Steel Vs Randy Savage and Adrian Adonis
There’s a huge brawl to start, as Savage runs and runs and runs. Steele plays face in peril for a bit, but there’s not a lot going on. He tags Hogan, who gets caught in Adonis’ sleeper. Adonis lets it go, and a four-way brawl erupts. Hogan drops the leg on Adonis for the pin. That was almost offensive, considering the talent involved on the heel side. (1/2 * 10:28)
12.26.86
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
WWF World Title: Hulk Hogan (champion) Vs Kamala (with the Wizard and Kim Chee)
The Wizard is King Curtis Iukea. This is joined in progress, which is never a good sign. Kamala pounds away on the champ. He nails him with a foreign object, then the slam and splash for 2. Hulk up, and he runs Kamala to the turnbuckle a few times, and then hits the clothesline. Slam, and Hogan goes for the legdrop, but the Wizard trips him, and holds him down while Kamala hits a couple of splashes. The ref sees all this and DQ’s Kamala. Hogan runs the heels off. (* 6:39)
09.22.86
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
Hulk Machine, Big Machine and Super Machine Vs King Kong Bundy, John Studd, and Bobby Heenan
Big Machine is Blackjack Mulligan, and Super Machine is Bill Eadie. I notice that Eadie is HUGE at this point, nearly as large as Hogan. Heenan is great fun as the sneaky heel. Bundy hits an avalanche on Super Machine, but Hogan does the switcheroo with him while the ref is distracted, and wins the match with a slam and legdrop on Studd. Good enough. (** 8:45).
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Hulkamania 3: The Inside Story on the Giant Betrayal (1988)
This is hosted by former WWF interviewer and reporter type Craig DeGeorge, along with Hulk Hogan, on Hogan’s boat during the spring or summer of 1988. They pop in every now and then and supply some narrative to keep the story flowing.
What had happened was that Hogan’s big money program with Paul Orndorff was over, and they needed something big for Wrestle Mania III, which was expected to draw 80,000+ fans to the Pontiac Silverdome outside of Detroit. Who better for Hogan to face than fellow good-guy and superhero Andre the Giant? A few things needed to be done, turning Andre heel, and then getting him over as a heel. The turn was easy, getting him over was even easier, with the help of bad-guy manager and thorn in Hogan’s side, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. The wheels were set in motion in early 1987 on Piper’s Pit:
WWF President Jack Tunney comes out to give a trophy to Hulk Hogan to mark the third anniversary of his winning the title from the Iron Sheik. Andre comes in, says a few words, shakes Hogan’s hand, rather stiffly, and leaves.
The following week, a trophy was given to Andre celebrating “Fifteen Years of Being Undefeated,” which was an outright lie, but for the sake of the story, we go along with it. Hogan, of course, comes out to steal the spotlight say a few words on Andre’s behalf. Andre leaves, without saying much, and Hogan and Piper give each other quizzical looks.
Next time, the guest is Jesse “The Body” Ventura. He has a secret, but oh, no, he’s not gonna let anyone in on what it is. He hints that when Andre was reinstated at the end of 1986, Andre was not at the meeting, but Bobby Heenan was. Jesse and Piper tease a fight, but Jesse gets out of it by getting Piper to promise to produce Hogan the next week. Jesse says that he can produce Andre.
Piper comes on, Ventura comes on, and here’s Hogan. Out comes Andre with…Bobby Heenan? People were flabbergasted at this back in the day. Andre demands a WWF World Title match at Wrestle Mania III, then to cement the heel turn, he tears off Hogan’s shirt and crucifix.
Hogan comes out the next week, and he has an answer for Andre: Yes.
We cut to the contract signing, with Gene Okerlund, Hogan, Heenan, Andre, and Tunney. Heenan demands a new belt be made, that would fit Andre. Hogan talks about how he always wanted to be like Andre, and Andre cuts a promo in French, signs the contract, then leaves.
03.29.87
Wrestle Mania III
WWF Championship: Hulk Hogan (champion) Vs Andre the Giant (with Bobby Heenan)
They go toe-to-toe early on and Hogan goes for the early slam. Andre falls on top of him for two, since, according to Hogan, Andre weighed like 600 pounds at this point. (Seriously, Hogan has this convoluted story that Andre was like nine feet tall and half a ton, and didn’t decide to let Hogan know he was putting him over until they were on their way to the ring) Andre, being smart, goes after the back. He slams him a couple of times, and then he STANDS on him. Guh. Andre tosses him around, shoulder blocking him in the corner. Heenan calls for the head butt, and Andre obliges. He headbutts the corner post when Hogan dodges. Hogan mounts the comeback, running him to the buckle a bunch of times. Hogan charges, and eats a boot. Andre puts him in a bear hug. Hogan starts going unconscious, but fights his way out. Hogan charges him a few times, but gets chopped to the floor. Andre backdrops Hogan during a piledriver attempt. Back in, and Hogan clotheslines Andre down. Hogan SLAMS ANDRE! Hooooooly Shit! Hogan drops the leg and gets the pin. (* ¾ 12:01)
Hogan and Craig talk about the aftermath of the Andre match, which has grown to legendary proportions in the nineteen years since it happened. Andre was nowhere NEAR six-hundred pounds, although he might have been close to the 7-foot mark. He was big, just not as big as the legends around him might have said.
Andre and Heenan bitch about the near fall at the beginning of the match, and how WWF officials always side with Hogan on everything. Andre says that he was cheated, and Heenan demands an investigation.
Hogan explains that he wasn’t set right, or some dumb bullshit about how he wasn’t low enough when he went to slam Andre, and Andre fell on him. Hogan claims, rightly, that he rolled his shoulder up at two, and Andre’s GIANT GUT concealed it from the ref.
Clip of Andre interfering in a Hogan – King Kong Bundy WWF Title match on Saturday Night’s Main Event. Andre is ejected from ringside, mowing over a cameraman as he leaves. Later, Hogan slams Bundy out of the corner, and they brawl to the floor. Bundy goes back in, but Heenan grabs Hogan’s leg, and the ref counts Hogan out. This almost NEVER happened back then, as Hogan always went over clean. Following the match, Hogan chokes Heenan and tosses him around, leading to Bobby wearing a neck brace for the rest of 1987, and into 1988.
Ted DiBiase shows up in mid-1987, and tells us that everyone has a price for the Million Dollar Man. This was such a great character for Ted, since he does asshole so perfectly. He offers to BUY the World Heavyweight Championship from Hogan.
Jack Tunney isn’t sure that’s legal.
The following week, Hogan comes out, and after some thought, gives us a “HELL NO!!!!!” I was ten and a half at the time, and I was marking out so bad my head nearly exploded.
DiBiase is not happy, and he promises to get the belt from Hogan one way or another.
Holy shit, an actual match!
01.25.88
Madison Square Garden, NYC
Ted DiBiase and Virgil (with Andre the Giant) Vs Hulk Hogan and Bam Bam Bigelow (with Oliver Humperdink)
Vince McMahon does commentary here, along with Bobby Heenan and Lord Al Hays. This must have been during the month that Gorilla Monsoon took off following his heart attack. The good guys attack right off, and DiBiase gets ping-ponged around by them for a solid five minutes. Ted, of course, sells like mad for both guys. Hogan taunts Andre, who promptly trips him from ringside, allowing DiBiase to get control. Andre chokes Hogan when the ref isn’t looking, of course. DiBiase clotheslines Hogan, and tags in an incredibly buff and ripped Virgil. He pounds Hogan, and taunts the crowd, and chokes Hogan on the ropes. Andre chokes Hogan out with the bottom rope while DiBiase distracts the ref. DiBiase tosses Hogan out of the ring, sends him to the guardrail, and then Andre sends him back in. Virgil does a throat thrust, and a clothesline. DiBiase goes to a chin lock, and Andre screams at the referee to ring the bell. This is the most animated I’ve ever seen Andre during a match. Hogan fights out, and they do a double clothesline. Hot tags all around, and Bigelow comes in and press-slams Virgil. He does the falling head butt, then an elbow. DiBiase tries to break it up with an elbow, but hits Virgil instead. While the ref puts DiBiase out, Hogan drops the leg, and Bigelow does the splash, and gets the pin. (** 9:26) Andre comes in, and he sends Hogan to the floor, and I’m sensing a heel beat down, but it doesn’t happen, as Bigelow knocks Andre out of the ring with a dropkick, and Hogan and Bigelow sit in chairs in the ring, taunting the bad guys.
On Saturday Night’s Main Event, Hogan has defeated King Kong Bundy, and he challenges Andre, who was at ringside. Andre blows him off, and Hogan, like an idiot, turns his back to pose. Andre attacks, choking Hogan out. The British Bulldogs try to make the save, but Andre disposes of them. Jake Roberts, Junkyard Dog, and Strike Force come out, and they can’t stop Andre. Nothing can, until Hacksaw Duggan comes in and clobbers Andre with a 2×4, which was gimmicked to break, but didn’t.
DiBiase is out for an interview, and he announces that he’s purchased Andre’s contract from Heenan, and Andre promises him that he will deliver the title to him. The best part of all of this was Heenan’s brilliance. He sold Andre’s contract to DiBiase for $1,000,000, and bought it back for $100,000.
At the first Royal Rumble (Rumble Royale, in 1988), they sign a contract for the first Main Event show on NBC on February 5, 1988. Andre, of course, flips the table over on Hogan at the end.
02.05.88
The Main Event
WWF Championship: Hulk Hogan (champion) Vs Andre the Giant (with Ted DiBiase and Virgil)
We’re clipped to a few minutes in, with Hogan fighting out of the Andre chokehold. Hogan hits a SECOND ROPE CLOTHESLINE! LUCHA HOGAN! He goes for the leg drop, but Virgil grabs him. The ref, Dave Hebner, turns to admonish Virgil, and Hogan drops the leg on Andre. No count, he’s still yelling. Andre hits a suplex-like maneuver, and comes down on Hogan. 1, Hogan’s shoulder comes up, but the ref keeps counting, 2, 3! New Champion! This was a holy shit moment for me as a kid, since Hogan had been champion since I was 6. I nearly cried that night. Andre, a man of his word, turns around after being champion for two minutes, and surrenders the title to DiBiase. Even Jesse Ventura is a bit dubious about this, but there’s no time to talk about it, since there are now TWO Dave Hebner’s in the ring. (One is actually his twin, Earl, fresh from JCP) The evil one clobbers the good one, and Hogan tosses the evil one like 32 feet out of the ring clearing DiBiase, Virgil, Andre, and some of the agents standing there. They try to catch him, but they all fall to the ground. The match itself was about *, but the whole thing was a five-star affair. (* 9:08)
Hogan whines to Mean Gene about losing the belt, and DiBiase gloats about getting it. Andre just wants money.
Jack Tunney announces on TV a few weeks later that he referee’s decision is final, regardless of any shenanigans, so Hogan is not WWF Champion. However, since Andre surrendered the belt publicly, he isn’t champion, either. DiBiase did not win the title in the only two ways allowed, by pinning the reigning titleholder or making him submit, so HE isn’t champion, either. The title is vacant, and will be put up in a tournament at Wrestle Mania IV. Hogan and Andre will receive a first-round bye, and face each other in the first match of the second round.
Andre and DiBiase punk out Randy Savage on SNME, Allowing DiBiase to defeat Savage via countout. Elizabeth runs to the back, and Hogan makes the save.
03.27.88
Wrestle Mania IV
Second Round
Andre the Giant (with Ted DiBiase and Virgil) Vs Hulk Hogan
Hogan storms the ring, but Andre catches him on the mat. Hogan eventually clotheslines Andre, who ties himself in the ropes. (This was apparently Andre’s favorite spot.) DiBiase and Virgil free Andre, who catches Hogan in a bear hug. Andre goes to the choke, and eventually to the Vulcan neck pinch. Hogan fights out, and goes to slam Andre, but Virgil distracts the ref. DiBiase comes in, and clobbers Hogan with the chair. Hogan grabs it, and nails Andre. Andre steals it away, hits Hogan with the edge (“plink”) and the ref calls for the bell. Hogan gets it away, levels Andre, and chases DiBiase and Virgil off. DiBiase throws Virgil to Hogan and runs, and Hogan executes the most careless suplex of all time on Virgil on the floor. The ref has disqualified BOTH men, eliminating them both from the tournament. Hogan slams Andre, and poses for the fans. This was clipped a bit, but the whole thing is still a DUD. (5:22)
This was key for DiBiase to advance in the tournament, since both guys were eliminated; he needed to win just one match to get to the finals. He does, pinning Don Muraco with a hot shot.
Meanwhile, in the bottom half of the bracket, Hogan’s friend Randy Savage has advanced to the finals, by pinning Butch Reed and Greg Valentine, and winning by DQ against One Man Gang.
They cut to the end of the match, with Andre constantly interfering on DiBiase’s behalf. Savage sends Liz back for reinforcements, and the crowd knows it’s Hogan. Andre grabs Savage, but Hogan flies around the corner, and levels him. DiBiase is caught and slammed off the top, but Savage misses the elbow. DiBiase goes to the sleeper, but Hogan runs in while the ref admonishes Andre, and nails DiBiase with a chair. Savage drops the elbow from the top, and gets the pin at about ten minutes, of which we saw about five. The full thing is about * * * ¾
Hogan gets the last word, vowing to get his title back, but he’ll do it the right way, by trying to steal his best friend’s wife and his title from him. beating all the challengers and winning the title honestly.
The Wrap – Up:
This is an excellent overview of the entire Hogan – Andre – DiBiase affair, but I wish there had been a sequel that was done in the same style, wrapping up the Mega – Powers / Mega – Bucks feud.
A few things were skipped completely, like Hogan saving Savage from a beating at the hands of The Hart Foundation and The Honky Tonk Man, and Hogan’s team losing to Andre’s team at the first Survivor Series, but that shows a Hogan loss, so I can understand why they wouldn’t show it.
(The funny thing is that Savage was not initially scheduled to go over in the tournament. It was supposed to be DiBiase winning it, then dropping it to Savage at Summer Slam, but that finish was changed when Honky Tonk Man held Vince up with the Intercontinental Title at the first Main Event. Honky Tonk basically said that if they put the title on Savage, he’d leave with it and show up on Ted Turner’s show the next day. So that was changed to a Savage DQ victory, and he was given the WWF title to make up for it, which worked out better in the long run.)
The Hogan/Savage – DiBiase/Andre feud would come to a head at Summer Slam ’88, when they would battle in the main event. The Mega – Powers went over, of course, with Liz showing us a little more leg and ass then we were used to. Andre would feud with Jake Roberts, and DiBiase would be left without a program for a while, until he started HIS program with Roberts. Hogan and Savage would feud with the Twin Towers, Akeem and the Big Bossman, until they split at Main Event #2 in February of 1989. Hogan would regain the WWF Title from Savage at Wrestle Mania V. The best part of the Hogan – Savage feud was that Savage was RIGHT! Everyone cheered Hogan, but Hulk was obviously lusting after Elizabeth the entire time. Just look at him. Savage was great as a completely paranoid champion, thinking that he just couldn’t possibly be Hogan’s equal. The thing was, he really was Hogan’s equal in the eyes of the fans, and his paranoia, in character, about Elizabeth was the only thing holding him back. The two – year period from Wrestle Mania III to Wrestle Mania V was possibly the best of the WWF’s expansion era, with great feuds all over, great characters, title switches, new villains, new heroes, and an all-around great time to be a fan. Which I was.
HULKAMANIA (1985)
This is the first of a long set of Hogan highlight tapes, and it has some surprisingly good matches on it. It’s hosted by Vince McMahon in a WWF control room. The thing I like about this tape is that ALL of the matches have dates and locations before them. It’s something that was missing from virtually every single other WWF release on CV.
08.08.84
Philadelphia, PA
WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan Vs Greg Valentine
Gorilla Monsoon does commentary here, but it seems to be added on in postproduction. Gorilla says that Valentine is Intercontinental Champion, but a quick check shows that he wouldn’t win that title for another month and a half. Hogan no-sells some early offense, but Valentine sneaks a knee in on a test of strength. Valentine goes to a rear chinlock, but Hogan runs him into the corner. They brawl to the floor, and Valentine regains control with a cheap shot coming back in. Nice body slam by Valentine. He goes to a double toehold, and begins working Hogan’s knees. Valentine positions Hogan’s knee on the apron, and throws a chair at it! What was the referee doing? He goes for the figure four, but Hogan kicks him off. Valentine nails some elbow drops, then Hogan fires back. Clothesline sends Valentine to the apron, and Hogan suplexes him in. He hits an atomic drop, but telegraphs a backdrop. Valentine goes right to the old heel stand by: he chokes Hogan. We are clipped, and Valentine is dropping elbows. He goes to the top, but Hogan slams him off. Hogan goes down, too, and Valentine goes for the figure four. Hogan kicks out of it, hits a clothesline, and drops the leg for the pin. Clipped to about nine minutes. (** 11:18)
12.10.84
East Rutherford, NJ
WWF World Title / $15,000 Slam match:
WWF Champion Hulk Hogan Vs Big John Studd (with Bobby Heenan)
This one is confusing, with Gorilla and Howard Finkel of all people doing commentary. In addition, Gary Capetta does the ring intros. They trade slam attempts. Hogan hits a boot, but still can’t slam him. Studd pounds Hogan in the corner. Clipped here, Hogan goes for a slam, but Studd makes the ropes. They brawl to the floor, and Studd runs Hogan to the post. Nice close-up of Hogan hiding under the ring while blading, and then Studd runs him to the announce table, then to the rail. Clipped again, and Studd is going to the top for a forearm, as Heenan yells “Finish!” Clothesline by Hogan for two, and we’re clipped again to Studd slamming Hogan. He boots him to the floor, but we get the Hulk up and he slams Studd on the floor (therefore not earning the $15K, since it had to be done in the ring) and Hogan beats the count back in for the win. It was clipped to shreds, but what we saw was better than most Hogan – Big Man matches. (** 10:01)
They show Hogan on TNT with Vince and Lord Alfred, and Hogan makes protein shakes.
6.17.84
Minneapolis, MN
WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan Vs “Dr. D” Dave Shults
They call this the “Minneapolis Massacre” for reasons unknown to me. Gene Okerlund and Gorilla on commentary here, right in the heart of AWA country. This was the WWF’s first foray into Verne’s territory. Hogan, of course, sold the place out, after two years of Verne Gagne screwing him out of the AWA World title; he came in as WWF World Champion six months later. He’s wearing a T-Shirt that says on the front “The Real World’s Champion” with “The Affair Lives On” on the back. Shults attacks, choking Hogan down. Clipped to Shults knocking him to the floor. He nails Hogan with a chair, and Hogan blades. Hogan is knocked down, and stashes the gig in his trunks. Back in, finally, and Dr. D drops the elbow from the top for two. Hogan powers out and Hulks up. Clipped to Hogan nailing a clothesline, then pulling him up at two. He hits the slam, then the legdrop, and pulls him up at two again. He tosses Shults to the floor, picks him up on his shoulder, and RAMS his head to the post. Clipped (again) to Shults missing the elbow from the top (then they show a replay mid-match), and Hogan nails him with a clothesline for the pin. We saw about nine minutes, but it looked to be about twenty. Really good, though, with juice from both guys. Shults steals the world title belt, and tries to put it on. Hogan waffles him and takes it back. ***
4.6.84
St. Louis, MO
WWF World Title Cage Match: Hulk Hogan (champion) Vs. Big John Studd
This, I’m guessing, is the WWF’s first run in St. Louis. You can see how early it is in Hogan’s reign, as he still has the big, ugly belt he won from the Sheik. Clippage right away, as Studd runs Hogan to the cage. Hulk does an A+ blade job here, to the delight of the St. Louis fans. This is the TALLEST cage I’ve ever seen, looking to be a legit 15’ tall. CLIP! Hogan runs Studd to the cage! CLIP AGAIN! Studd has bladed, but hits a clothesline out of the corner. He drops a forearm from the second rope, and tries to leave, but Hogan saves. Studd climbs up, but Hogan saves again. He rams Studd to the cage, then drops the leg, and heads for the door. Hogan has to kick him off a few times, but manages to escape with the title. Clipped down to 8 ½ minutes. * ½ -ish
Nice long interview between Vince and Hogan, taped specially for this cassette.
1.23.84
New York, NY
WWF World Title: Hulk Hogan Vs the Iron Sheik (champion, with Freddie Blassie)
Hogan attacks right off, and throttles the Sheik for a couple of minutes. He misses a charge, and the Sheik goes right after his back. He slams him, then a backbreaker. Sheik loads the boot, stomps, loads, kicks. Sheik gets a Boston Crab, but Hogan escapes. Gut wrench suplex gets two for the Sheik. He puts Hogan in the camel clutch, but Hogan powers out of it, runs the Sheik into the corner, drops the leg, and Hulkamania is born at 5:40 with the pin. Match was too short to be anything good, but this was a HUGE moment. (* 5:40.)
The Bottom Line: This is full of good stuff, especially as far as Hogan’s match quality goes. He gets a bad rap for his later, more formulaic stuff, but this stuff all took place before they HAD a formula for him.
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THE HULKSTER (1985)
This was one of my earliest tape reviews, and one of the first wrestling VHS tapes ever released. My old review is REALLY BAD, so I decided to hunt down the matches and rewatch them, to give them a proper review. This tape runs about 45 minutes, but everything is pretty good. I initially thought that it was just a cut-down version of the two-hour “Hulkamania” VHS, but it’s totally different matches.
1985.02.16
Philadelphia Spectrum
WWF Championship:
Hulk Hogan
Vs
Brutus Beefcake (with Johnny Valiant)
Hogan jumps Beefcake right away, and I can’t figure out why Beefcake, who was a lower mid-card heel, got a title shot at a major arena. Maybe it was because he was Hogan’s buddy and Hulk was throwing him a bone because he needed some cash or something? Beefcake stalls like mad, and GODDAMN are those some loose ropes. Beefcake hits a powerslam for 2. He focuses on Hogan’s knee through most of the match, but Hogan Hulks up, hits the big boot, then a body slam and the legdrop, but Johnny V is on the apron to distract Hogan. Beefcake rolls Hogan up for 2, but Hogan’s leg is under the bottom rope. They celebrate like they’ve won, so Hogan rolls Beefcake up from behind to get the pin at 9:45. Beefcake and Valiant jump him after the bell, but Hogan runs them off. Decent, if a bit slow. *
This tape has highlights of the Iron Sheik’s title win over Bob Backlund in December 1983, but I’ve got the whole thing, so here it is, as a little bonus:
1983.12.26
MSG
WWF Championship
Bob Backlund (Champion, with Arnold Skaaland)
Vs
The Iron Sheik (with Fred Blassie)
Backlund had been hurt by Sheik the week before when he was beaten with the Persian Clubs. Sheik jumps him right off, concentrating on the neck and back. The armbar he gets looks incredibly painful. Nice job of selling here, as every time Backlund uses his arm, he hurts himself. Backlund is obviously not in any shape to be facing the Sheik here. Commentators Gorilla Monsoon and Pat Patterson talk about how the Sheik is only a few years older than Backlund. Sheik gets a three-quarter nelson, and that gets several two counts, then goes to the surfboard. Backlund eventually escapes, and dishes out some punishment. He eventually hurts himself with a move. Backlund can’t execute a suplex, and the Sheik stretches him. Sheik ties him up, and goes back to the surfboard. Backlund reverses, but falls on a slam attempt. Surfboard again, Backlund reverses again, and Sheik reverses him. They do that spot a couple of times. Sheik maintains it, putting his knee in Backlund’s back. Backlund reverses into a pin combo, and they go for the bridge into the backslide, but Backlund’s back gives out. He goes for the rolling reverse with the bridge, but can’t do that, either. Sheik gets the camel clutch, and it’s only a matter of time. Arnold Skaaland throws in the towel at 11:50, and the Sheik is the new WWF World Champion after almost six years. That was a well-planned, historical match. *** ½
1984.01.24
MSG
WWF Championship
The Iron Sheik (Champion, with Fred “Ayatollah” Blassie)
Vs
Hulk Hogan
Same match as the one listed above.
They do include Gene Okerlund interviewing Hogan after the title win, as well as Andre, Tony Garea, Ivan Putski, and Rocky Johnson. Gene introduces Hogan’s parents as “The Hogans”, which I find incredibly hilarious for some reason.
1984.05.05
Philadelphia Spectrum
WWF Championship
Hulk Hogan (Champion)
Vs
The Iron Sheik (with Fred Blassie)
Instead of the B.S. clipped to shreds version that’s on the VHS tape, I found the full version online, complete with original commentary from Dick Graham and Lord Alfred Hayes and “Eye of the Tiger” as Hogan’s theme. Hogan gets to the ring through this incredible throng of people, and Sheik jumps him right away, pounds him down, and spits on him. He takes his robe off and chokes Hogan with it, and the crowd starts with the “USA” chant. He whips Hogan with the title belt and spits on him more. He whips Hogan into the corner, but Hogan gets his foot up and starts firing back. This crowd is INSANE. He takes Sheik down with his t-shirt, then bites Sheik’s forehead. AXE BOMBA! He drops the elbow and plays to the crowd, and Hogan might be the most charismatic man I’ve ever seen in the ring. He throws Sheik around, and Sheik begs off, but Hogan is having none of it. Big boot, and he shoot Sheik into the corner and nails an elbow. He sets too early on a backdrop, and Sheik kicks him. Sheik loads the boot and kicks him, then chokes him in the corner. The kick from the loaded boot has busted Hogan open, and Sheik goes to work on the cut. Gut wrench suplex gets a long 2, then Sheik bites the cut. Guess they didn’t care about AIDS or Hepatitis back then. Hogan blocks and reverses a vertical suplex, and both men are down. Hogan starts Hulking up, fires off punches, and levels the Sheik. Huge slam, then Hogan drops the leg. That’s not the finish, though, as Hogan goes for the boot, eventually getting it off him after a few tries. Sheik bails out, and Hogan follows him and nails him, busting him open. The bell rings for the end of the match at 10:47, and they continue brawling, with Hogan absolutely massacring the Sheik with the boot until the locker room empties to break it up. Wow. What a fucking match. It was literally non-stop from the time the bell rang. The result is announced as a double count-out. ****
1985.06.21
MSG
WWF Championship Cage Match
Hulk Hogan (Champion)
Vs
Magnificent Muraco
In their first match, Muraco used some shenanigans to win by countout, then in the Rematch, Hogan won by DQ. They decided to settle up in a cage. This is before the big blue cage, so the visual is okay. They fight over the belt, and Muraco eats steel. Hulk keeps trying to run Muraco into the cage, but can't. Muraco beats the Hogan down, but can't escape the cage. Lots of brawling, and we get double juice. Match is clipped to an utter blood bath. It appears that Hogan has apparently severed an eyeball while blading, as there's just blood EVERYWHERE. It's pretty nasty. Muraco does his contractually obligated "Head caught in the ropes" spot, and Hogan beats him down and manages to escape from the cage with very little struggle at 9:05. This is clipped down so much that I can’t really rate it, but the guys at the PTBN reviewed the full match, and they LOVED it.
This tape is an excellent intro to the early years of Hogan.
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
HULKAMANIA 2 (1987)
Gene Okerlund hosts, and the tape was produced in January 1987. Hogan had been champion for three years at this point, and would hold the title for another year or so, before losing it to Andre the Giant in February of 1988. (and he’d go on to hold the title another five times for a total of 2,185 days, well short of Bruno Sammartino’s total of 4,040 across 2 reigns. (Bob Backlund is third with 2,138 days))
4.22.86
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
Hulk Hogan & Hillbilly Jim Vs King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd (with Bobby Heenan)
Hillbilly gets pounded by the heels early on. Hogan comes in, and he gets pounded in the corner. Studd slams him a couple of times, and then Hogan slams Studd and Bundy as well. The slam on Studd is worth $15,000, since the challenge was still in effect. (Gorilla notes that Bobby Heenan has never paid anyone who slammed Studd, and now owes $130,000.) CLIP Hogan nails a clothesline, but can’t slam Studd again. Studd goes to a bearhug, but Hogan fights his way out. Hogan with a running elbow to Studd’s head. Hot tag to Hillbilly, but Bundy cuts that right off with a clothesline and a kneedrop. Hillbilly plays face in peril, getting trapped in another Studd bearhug. He breaks it with a headbutt, and Hogan comes in, hitting an atomic drop. He drops the leg, but Heenan breaks it up for the lame DQ. (10:30 DUD)
10.6.85
Boston Garden
Boston, MA
WWF World Championship
Hulk Hogan (champion) Vs King Kong Bundy
Hogan jumps him right at the bell, but Bundy drops a knee. He tosses Hogan to the floor. Hogan drags him out, and they brawl. Back in, Hogan hits headbutts (the only time I’ve seen him do that), then a boot, then two elbows. He calls for the slam, but hurts his back on the attempt. Bundy hits an elbow drop, then goes to a rear chinlock. Hogan fights out, but can’t do more. Bundy squashes Hogan with the avalanche, but it only gets two. Hogan no sells a second avalanche, and powerslams Bundy out of the corner for the pin. That was actually pretty good. (** 6:11)
6.27.86
Boston Garden
Boston, MA
WWF World Championship
Hulk Hogan (champion) Vs Randy Savage (with Elizabeth)
Savage attacks, nailing Hogan with the belt. Hogan fights him off, stealing the shades off his head, and throwing him over the top rope. They brawl on the floor, and Hogan does the ramrod to the post. Back in, and Hogan hits the running clothesline and a back suplex. He grabs Savage around the neck and does the choke lift. Liz climbs up on the apron, and the ref ejects her from ringside. Notice the woman in the white hat sitting in the front row. The announcers say that Savage is I-C champion, but he doesn’t have the belt with him. I wonder if they were making the new belt at this point. (edit: no. Santana had the new belt when he lost the title to Savage in February) Anywho, Savage dumps Hogan to the floor, then brings him back in and hits the flying elbow. Hulk up, and Hogan finishes with the usual. That lady in the white hat turns out to be Adrian Adonis in drag, and he attacks Hogan. Hogan eventually runs the heels off and poses in the ring. (** 3/4 7:12)
Hogan and Paul Orndorff make their appearance on the “Flower Shop,” Adrian Adonis’ replacement for “Piper’s Pit.” Everyone looks silly, since they have to talk into a bouquet of flowers
Poughkeepsie, NY
06.24.86
Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff Vs King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd (with Bobby Heenan)
They’d been teasing an Orndorff heel turn for weeks, since he was jealous of Hogan. Hogan charges past Orndorff to the ring, and early on, Orndorff tries to slam Studd, but can’t. Hogan, of course, comes in and slams Studd right away to show up Orndorff. What a dick. Hogan hits an atomic drop on Studd, but gets clotheslined on a blind charge. Hogan gets clobbered, and accidentally nails Orndorff, knocking him off the apron. The bell rings for the DQ at 6:04 (why, I’m not sure, but it’s unimportant). Orndorff helps him up, then the big turn! He raises Hogan’s hand, and then clotheslines him out of his shoes! Orndorff hits a piledriver, and invites the other heels in for the big beatdown. Mike Rotunda, Danny Spivey, Tonga Kid (Tama) and Siva Afi make the save. Backstage, it turns out this was all planned by Heenan and Orndorff, as well as Adonis and Jimmy Hart. This particular program, between Hogan and Orndorff went on for SIX MONTHS and made everyone involved a ton of money. It also pretty much ended Orndorff’s career, as he suffered a nerve injury to his arm, but didn’t want to take any time off, since he was making $20K a night working with Hogan. ** for the match, ***** for the angle
SNME #9:
Taped 12.14.86
Televised 1.7.87
Hartford Civic Center
Hartford, CT
WWF World Title Cage Match: Hulk Hogan (champion) Vs Paul Orndorff (with Bobby Heenan)
This is the big blowoff of the feud. Orndorff comes out to the strains of “Real American”, just to piss us all off. Joey Marella is referee, but heel ref Danny Davis comes out as well. Orndorff tries to exit the cage right off the bat, but Hogan makes the save. They take turns trying to escape, with Hogan choking Orndorff out with his headband. Hogan knocks him down, and goes for the door, but Davis has it locked. I like this. There’s actual suspense that Hogan might lose the belt. There never really was any suspense after about the first six months of his first reign that Hogan might actually lose, until now. The big, famous spot comes up, with both guys climbing the cage on opposite sides. They both come down, and both men hit the floor at the EXACT SAME TIME! Beautiful. Davis, of course, raises Orndorff’s hand, but Marella, the assigned official, raises Hogan’s. Hogan goes after Davis, and Orndorff catches him with a knee in the back, knocking Davis out. This match, of course, MUST CONTINUE! Orndorff uses a foreign object passed to him by Heenan. Hogan powers up and he runs Orndorff’s head into the cage four times! Ow. He hits a backbreaker, then the legdrop. He goes to climb, but Heenan comes into the cage. Hogan runs him into the cage, hits Orndorff with an atomic drop, and climbs up and over the top for the big win. That was great! *** ½
8.17.85
Capitol Center
Landover, MD
WWF World Title: Hulk Hogan (champion) Vs. Brutus Beefcake (with Johnny V)
Hogan manhandles him, nailing an atomic drop. Brutus bails. This is not great; mostly because Hogan was good enough to hang with talented guys, but not good enough to carry someone on his own. They brawl to the floor, and Beefcake posts Hogan. Back in, and Beefcake goes to … the bearhug? WTF? Hogan comes out of it, and he’d better, cus it’s the worst bearhug in the history of wrestling. Hogan hits the boot, and the legdrop, but Johnny V is on the apron. He goes after him, but dodges a knee from Beefcake, and rolls him up for the pin. That was really bad. This was essentially the same match that was on “The Hulkster”. (½ * 12:35)
8.9.86
Boston Garden
Boston, MA
Hulk Hogan and George Steel Vs Randy Savage and Adrian Adonis
There’s a huge brawl to start, as Savage runs and runs and runs. Steele plays face in peril for a bit, but there’s not a lot going on. He tags Hogan, who gets caught in Adonis’ sleeper. Adonis lets it go, and a four-way brawl erupts. Hogan drops the leg on Adonis for the pin. That was almost offensive, considering the talent involved on the heel side. (1/2 * 10:28)
12.26.86
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
WWF World Title: Hulk Hogan (champion) Vs Kamala (with the Wizard and Kim Chee)
The Wizard is King Curtis Iukea. This is joined in progress, which is never a good sign. Kamala pounds away on the champ. He nails him with a foreign object, then the slam and splash for 2. Hulk up, and he runs Kamala to the turnbuckle a few times, and then hits the clothesline. Slam, and Hogan goes for the legdrop, but the Wizard trips him, and holds him down while Kamala hits a couple of splashes. The ref sees all this and DQ’s Kamala. Hogan runs the heels off. (* 6:39)
09.22.86
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
Hulk Machine, Big Machine and Super Machine Vs King Kong Bundy, John Studd, and Bobby Heenan
Big Machine is Blackjack Mulligan, and Super Machine is Bill Eadie. I notice that Eadie is HUGE at this point, nearly as large as Hogan. Heenan is great fun as the sneaky heel. Bundy hits an avalanche on Super Machine, but Hogan does the switcheroo with him while the ref is distracted, and wins the match with a slam and legdrop on Studd. Good enough. (** 8:45).
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Hulkamania 3: The Inside Story on the Giant Betrayal (1988)
This is hosted by former WWF interviewer and reporter type Craig DeGeorge, along with Hulk Hogan, on Hogan’s boat during the spring or summer of 1988. They pop in every now and then and supply some narrative to keep the story flowing.
What had happened was that Hogan’s big money program with Paul Orndorff was over, and they needed something big for Wrestle Mania III, which was expected to draw 80,000+ fans to the Pontiac Silverdome outside of Detroit. Who better for Hogan to face than fellow good-guy and superhero Andre the Giant? A few things needed to be done, turning Andre heel, and then getting him over as a heel. The turn was easy, getting him over was even easier, with the help of bad-guy manager and thorn in Hogan’s side, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. The wheels were set in motion in early 1987 on Piper’s Pit:
WWF President Jack Tunney comes out to give a trophy to Hulk Hogan to mark the third anniversary of his winning the title from the Iron Sheik. Andre comes in, says a few words, shakes Hogan’s hand, rather stiffly, and leaves.
The following week, a trophy was given to Andre celebrating “Fifteen Years of Being Undefeated,” which was an outright lie, but for the sake of the story, we go along with it. Hogan, of course, comes out to steal the spotlight say a few words on Andre’s behalf. Andre leaves, without saying much, and Hogan and Piper give each other quizzical looks.
Next time, the guest is Jesse “The Body” Ventura. He has a secret, but oh, no, he’s not gonna let anyone in on what it is. He hints that when Andre was reinstated at the end of 1986, Andre was not at the meeting, but Bobby Heenan was. Jesse and Piper tease a fight, but Jesse gets out of it by getting Piper to promise to produce Hogan the next week. Jesse says that he can produce Andre.
Piper comes on, Ventura comes on, and here’s Hogan. Out comes Andre with…Bobby Heenan? People were flabbergasted at this back in the day. Andre demands a WWF World Title match at Wrestle Mania III, then to cement the heel turn, he tears off Hogan’s shirt and crucifix.
Hogan comes out the next week, and he has an answer for Andre: Yes.
We cut to the contract signing, with Gene Okerlund, Hogan, Heenan, Andre, and Tunney. Heenan demands a new belt be made, that would fit Andre. Hogan talks about how he always wanted to be like Andre, and Andre cuts a promo in French, signs the contract, then leaves.
03.29.87
Wrestle Mania III
WWF Championship: Hulk Hogan (champion) Vs Andre the Giant (with Bobby Heenan)
They go toe-to-toe early on and Hogan goes for the early slam. Andre falls on top of him for two, since, according to Hogan, Andre weighed like 600 pounds at this point. (Seriously, Hogan has this convoluted story that Andre was like nine feet tall and half a ton, and didn’t decide to let Hogan know he was putting him over until they were on their way to the ring) Andre, being smart, goes after the back. He slams him a couple of times, and then he STANDS on him. Guh. Andre tosses him around, shoulder blocking him in the corner. Heenan calls for the head butt, and Andre obliges. He headbutts the corner post when Hogan dodges. Hogan mounts the comeback, running him to the buckle a bunch of times. Hogan charges, and eats a boot. Andre puts him in a bear hug. Hogan starts going unconscious, but fights his way out. Hogan charges him a few times, but gets chopped to the floor. Andre backdrops Hogan during a piledriver attempt. Back in, and Hogan clotheslines Andre down. Hogan SLAMS ANDRE! Hooooooly Shit! Hogan drops the leg and gets the pin. (* ¾ 12:01)
Hogan and Craig talk about the aftermath of the Andre match, which has grown to legendary proportions in the nineteen years since it happened. Andre was nowhere NEAR six-hundred pounds, although he might have been close to the 7-foot mark. He was big, just not as big as the legends around him might have said.
Andre and Heenan bitch about the near fall at the beginning of the match, and how WWF officials always side with Hogan on everything. Andre says that he was cheated, and Heenan demands an investigation.
Hogan explains that he wasn’t set right, or some dumb bullshit about how he wasn’t low enough when he went to slam Andre, and Andre fell on him. Hogan claims, rightly, that he rolled his shoulder up at two, and Andre’s GIANT GUT concealed it from the ref.
Clip of Andre interfering in a Hogan – King Kong Bundy WWF Title match on Saturday Night’s Main Event. Andre is ejected from ringside, mowing over a cameraman as he leaves. Later, Hogan slams Bundy out of the corner, and they brawl to the floor. Bundy goes back in, but Heenan grabs Hogan’s leg, and the ref counts Hogan out. This almost NEVER happened back then, as Hogan always went over clean. Following the match, Hogan chokes Heenan and tosses him around, leading to Bobby wearing a neck brace for the rest of 1987, and into 1988.
Ted DiBiase shows up in mid-1987, and tells us that everyone has a price for the Million Dollar Man. This was such a great character for Ted, since he does asshole so perfectly. He offers to BUY the World Heavyweight Championship from Hogan.
Jack Tunney isn’t sure that’s legal.
The following week, Hogan comes out, and after some thought, gives us a “HELL NO!!!!!” I was ten and a half at the time, and I was marking out so bad my head nearly exploded.
DiBiase is not happy, and he promises to get the belt from Hogan one way or another.
Holy shit, an actual match!
01.25.88
Madison Square Garden, NYC
Ted DiBiase and Virgil (with Andre the Giant) Vs Hulk Hogan and Bam Bam Bigelow (with Oliver Humperdink)
Vince McMahon does commentary here, along with Bobby Heenan and Lord Al Hays. This must have been during the month that Gorilla Monsoon took off following his heart attack. The good guys attack right off, and DiBiase gets ping-ponged around by them for a solid five minutes. Ted, of course, sells like mad for both guys. Hogan taunts Andre, who promptly trips him from ringside, allowing DiBiase to get control. Andre chokes Hogan when the ref isn’t looking, of course. DiBiase clotheslines Hogan, and tags in an incredibly buff and ripped Virgil. He pounds Hogan, and taunts the crowd, and chokes Hogan on the ropes. Andre chokes Hogan out with the bottom rope while DiBiase distracts the ref. DiBiase tosses Hogan out of the ring, sends him to the guardrail, and then Andre sends him back in. Virgil does a throat thrust, and a clothesline. DiBiase goes to a chin lock, and Andre screams at the referee to ring the bell. This is the most animated I’ve ever seen Andre during a match. Hogan fights out, and they do a double clothesline. Hot tags all around, and Bigelow comes in and press-slams Virgil. He does the falling head butt, then an elbow. DiBiase tries to break it up with an elbow, but hits Virgil instead. While the ref puts DiBiase out, Hogan drops the leg, and Bigelow does the splash, and gets the pin. (** 9:26) Andre comes in, and he sends Hogan to the floor, and I’m sensing a heel beat down, but it doesn’t happen, as Bigelow knocks Andre out of the ring with a dropkick, and Hogan and Bigelow sit in chairs in the ring, taunting the bad guys.
On Saturday Night’s Main Event, Hogan has defeated King Kong Bundy, and he challenges Andre, who was at ringside. Andre blows him off, and Hogan, like an idiot, turns his back to pose. Andre attacks, choking Hogan out. The British Bulldogs try to make the save, but Andre disposes of them. Jake Roberts, Junkyard Dog, and Strike Force come out, and they can’t stop Andre. Nothing can, until Hacksaw Duggan comes in and clobbers Andre with a 2×4, which was gimmicked to break, but didn’t.
DiBiase is out for an interview, and he announces that he’s purchased Andre’s contract from Heenan, and Andre promises him that he will deliver the title to him. The best part of all of this was Heenan’s brilliance. He sold Andre’s contract to DiBiase for $1,000,000, and bought it back for $100,000.
At the first Royal Rumble (Rumble Royale, in 1988), they sign a contract for the first Main Event show on NBC on February 5, 1988. Andre, of course, flips the table over on Hogan at the end.
02.05.88
The Main Event
WWF Championship: Hulk Hogan (champion) Vs Andre the Giant (with Ted DiBiase and Virgil)
We’re clipped to a few minutes in, with Hogan fighting out of the Andre chokehold. Hogan hits a SECOND ROPE CLOTHESLINE! LUCHA HOGAN! He goes for the leg drop, but Virgil grabs him. The ref, Dave Hebner, turns to admonish Virgil, and Hogan drops the leg on Andre. No count, he’s still yelling. Andre hits a suplex-like maneuver, and comes down on Hogan. 1, Hogan’s shoulder comes up, but the ref keeps counting, 2, 3! New Champion! This was a holy shit moment for me as a kid, since Hogan had been champion since I was 6. I nearly cried that night. Andre, a man of his word, turns around after being champion for two minutes, and surrenders the title to DiBiase. Even Jesse Ventura is a bit dubious about this, but there’s no time to talk about it, since there are now TWO Dave Hebner’s in the ring. (One is actually his twin, Earl, fresh from JCP) The evil one clobbers the good one, and Hogan tosses the evil one like 32 feet out of the ring clearing DiBiase, Virgil, Andre, and some of the agents standing there. They try to catch him, but they all fall to the ground. The match itself was about *, but the whole thing was a five-star affair. (* 9:08)
Hogan whines to Mean Gene about losing the belt, and DiBiase gloats about getting it. Andre just wants money.
Jack Tunney announces on TV a few weeks later that he referee’s decision is final, regardless of any shenanigans, so Hogan is not WWF Champion. However, since Andre surrendered the belt publicly, he isn’t champion, either. DiBiase did not win the title in the only two ways allowed, by pinning the reigning titleholder or making him submit, so HE isn’t champion, either. The title is vacant, and will be put up in a tournament at Wrestle Mania IV. Hogan and Andre will receive a first-round bye, and face each other in the first match of the second round.
Andre and DiBiase punk out Randy Savage on SNME, Allowing DiBiase to defeat Savage via countout. Elizabeth runs to the back, and Hogan makes the save.
03.27.88
Wrestle Mania IV
Second Round
Andre the Giant (with Ted DiBiase and Virgil) Vs Hulk Hogan
Hogan storms the ring, but Andre catches him on the mat. Hogan eventually clotheslines Andre, who ties himself in the ropes. (This was apparently Andre’s favorite spot.) DiBiase and Virgil free Andre, who catches Hogan in a bear hug. Andre goes to the choke, and eventually to the Vulcan neck pinch. Hogan fights out, and goes to slam Andre, but Virgil distracts the ref. DiBiase comes in, and clobbers Hogan with the chair. Hogan grabs it, and nails Andre. Andre steals it away, hits Hogan with the edge (“plink”) and the ref calls for the bell. Hogan gets it away, levels Andre, and chases DiBiase and Virgil off. DiBiase throws Virgil to Hogan and runs, and Hogan executes the most careless suplex of all time on Virgil on the floor. The ref has disqualified BOTH men, eliminating them both from the tournament. Hogan slams Andre, and poses for the fans. This was clipped a bit, but the whole thing is still a DUD. (5:22)
This was key for DiBiase to advance in the tournament, since both guys were eliminated; he needed to win just one match to get to the finals. He does, pinning Don Muraco with a hot shot.
Meanwhile, in the bottom half of the bracket, Hogan’s friend Randy Savage has advanced to the finals, by pinning Butch Reed and Greg Valentine, and winning by DQ against One Man Gang.
They cut to the end of the match, with Andre constantly interfering on DiBiase’s behalf. Savage sends Liz back for reinforcements, and the crowd knows it’s Hogan. Andre grabs Savage, but Hogan flies around the corner, and levels him. DiBiase is caught and slammed off the top, but Savage misses the elbow. DiBiase goes to the sleeper, but Hogan runs in while the ref admonishes Andre, and nails DiBiase with a chair. Savage drops the elbow from the top, and gets the pin at about ten minutes, of which we saw about five. The full thing is about * * * ¾
Hogan gets the last word, vowing to get his title back, but he’ll do it the right way, by trying to steal his best friend’s wife and his title from him. beating all the challengers and winning the title honestly.
The Wrap – Up:
This is an excellent overview of the entire Hogan – Andre – DiBiase affair, but I wish there had been a sequel that was done in the same style, wrapping up the Mega – Powers / Mega – Bucks feud.
A few things were skipped completely, like Hogan saving Savage from a beating at the hands of The Hart Foundation and The Honky Tonk Man, and Hogan’s team losing to Andre’s team at the first Survivor Series, but that shows a Hogan loss, so I can understand why they wouldn’t show it.
(The funny thing is that Savage was not initially scheduled to go over in the tournament. It was supposed to be DiBiase winning it, then dropping it to Savage at Summer Slam, but that finish was changed when Honky Tonk Man held Vince up with the Intercontinental Title at the first Main Event. Honky Tonk basically said that if they put the title on Savage, he’d leave with it and show up on Ted Turner’s show the next day. So that was changed to a Savage DQ victory, and he was given the WWF title to make up for it, which worked out better in the long run.)
The Hogan/Savage – DiBiase/Andre feud would come to a head at Summer Slam ’88, when they would battle in the main event. The Mega – Powers went over, of course, with Liz showing us a little more leg and ass then we were used to. Andre would feud with Jake Roberts, and DiBiase would be left without a program for a while, until he started HIS program with Roberts. Hogan and Savage would feud with the Twin Towers, Akeem and the Big Bossman, until they split at Main Event #2 in February of 1989. Hogan would regain the WWF Title from Savage at Wrestle Mania V. The best part of the Hogan – Savage feud was that Savage was RIGHT! Everyone cheered Hogan, but Hulk was obviously lusting after Elizabeth the entire time. Just look at him. Savage was great as a completely paranoid champion, thinking that he just couldn’t possibly be Hogan’s equal. The thing was, he really was Hogan’s equal in the eyes of the fans, and his paranoia, in character, about Elizabeth was the only thing holding him back. The two – year period from Wrestle Mania III to Wrestle Mania V was possibly the best of the WWF’s expansion era, with great feuds all over, great characters, title switches, new villains, new heroes, and an all-around great time to be a fan. Which I was.
