Written by: Tom Hopkins
This came out when Hulk was once again in the good graces of Vince McMahon back in 2002. Of course, they had a falling out and Hogan is once again not working for the WWE but for the few months that he did, we got a pretty awesome DVD out of it and in my opinion the first of a string of awesome WWE DVD’s based on certain wrestlers.
The Main Program
Of course, as with all WWE DVD’s we get some commercials shilling their new DVD’s (like nWo: Back in Black) and usual, don’t try this at home. Moving along, the main program is a little over an hour long.
We start with a video done to Voodoo Child showing some Hulk highlights over the years. Hulk talks about the past life of Terry Bolea and how he started as a rock star. The Brisco brothers first got Hulk involved in wrestling and they go way back in time with some early footage. He quit and went back to working on the docks and the Briscos asked Hogan to meet a guy named Vince McMahon (Sr). Hogan went up there and Hogan agreed to work for Vince Sr. They show clips of his first WWWF match (from 79) which is included in full later on. Freddy was his first manager but Freddy and Hogan had two different ideas on what to do. They built him up to a feud with Andre but Hogan got an offer from Hollywood to do Rocky III which ended up in him getting fired by Vince Sr.
He ended up in AWA in Minnesota where Hulkamania started but couldn’t win the title. Meanwhile, Vince Jr. bought the WWF from his father and called Hogan. They show Iron Sheik winning the title via screwjob against Bob Backlund and months later Backlund brought Hogan back to the WWF to fight the Samoans to a huge pop from the crowd. Hulk gives an electric interview afterwards.
This of course led to Hulk winning the title at MSG to a huge pop. He’d go on to carry that title for four years until two refs and a bad count made him lose it. Hulkamania was officially born that year. Hogan starts talking about how it was only him and Vince who carried the WWF at that time. Vince was the brains, Hogan was the brawn. Hogan starts talking about crossing territorial lines which was a very serious issue at that time. They didn’t mind later though when they got more money for it, explains Hogan.
This leads to the first Wrestlemania at MSG and Hogan starts talking about Piper and how he always looked out for number one and Hogan believes they could’ve done serious business if he let his guard down a bit. The next big fued for Hogan was against Bundy who he’d face at Wrestlemania 2. Hogan says he worked really stiff but says Bundy is a great guy.
Hogan then talks about the Orndorf fued which was really a great fued that made them both millions. Hogan says Paul was really competitive and they’d take it to the extreme in the ring. Hogan says how Orndorf would hit Hogan on the back of the head so he told him not too but he did it anyway. So Hogan had to lay into him. They show many clips of their various matches including the cage match. Hogan says he is still numb in his fingers and he owes it to Orndorf.
The next big fued for Hogan was against Andre the Giant. Hogan always said he was so scared and nervous to wrestle him. Hogan talks about having to shoot on Fujinami in Japan to, “take care of business.” Hogan says that Andre started respecting him after that. Hogan says he looked up to Andre so much. They show clips of the WM3 match.
Hogan starts talking about scouting new opponents and he discovered Randy Savage and he became the Macho Man. They were best of friends until Elizabeth decided she didn’t want to be married to him and it was Hogan’s fault. He basically says Macho was ignorant.
Hogan says that Vince came to him and said it was time for Hulkamania to wind down in the early 90’s. It was hard for him to take but people were tired of seeing it. Hogan says they ended it before it faded away and gave Hulkamania a break for 10 years. He joined the WCW in 1994 and called it a smaller version of the WWF. Hulkamania ran wild there and they started going up in the ratings. More WWF stars came down, and Macho Man called Hogan to get him a job in the WWF. Hogan got Macho signed, then Macho dated Gorgeous George and it was Macho’s fault. Macho thinks Hogan sabatoged his career and he still hates him to this day.
They went to a meeting and decided Hogan would be a bad guy. Hogan went to the ring and legdropped Savage in what is still a gigantic moment in wrestling. The numbers went up and they ruled wrestling for three years. The NWO worked so well because Hogan was the leader. Hogan says his favorite piece of business was wiping out their whole talent pool.
The Monday night wars were on and Hogan would have two monitors in his dressing room, one of Raw and one of Nitro. Hogan would book Nitro based on Raw. Hogan says one of the big mistakes was bringing in Russo. Hogan thinks Russo was still working with the WWF and they go to clips of Hogan’s last match. He went to Ted Turner and said they were making big mistakes and they didn’t listen to him and Vince won the wars. WCW was purchased by the WWF and that was the end of WCW.
We go to Vince McMahon’s speech about WWF dying and having to bring back the nWo. Hogan knew it would work because it wouldn’t be watered down. Vince told Hogan he had to get along with the guys who didn’t know him. Hogan had to go out and talk with the Rock in the ring. They show the interview where the fans chanted half for the Rock and half for Hogan. He said that Rock gave him his props. They go to their WMX8 match and Hogan says Rock took booing really well and better than he would’ve taken it. Hogan says Rock went from great to greatness in that match. At the end of the match, at the handshake, Hogan passed the torch to the Rock and Hogan won his fans back.
The following night, Hogan got such a huge ovation that he had to leave nWo. He went back to the red and yellow and they had no choice but to put the title on Hogan. And that’s what they did. Hogan talks about how HHH is such a great wrestler.
Hogan was the new champion and in Montreal the fans cheered like crazy. It actually moved Hogan to tears and he had to calm them down but they wouldn’t stop! They show some clips of Hogan at Toys R’ Us in Times Square and Hulkamaniacs saying how they love Hulk Hogan. Some members of the WWE talk up Hogan and then Hogan talks about how Hulkamania is giving people a second chance and that ends the program.
Main Program Review
Total fluff piece and you can see what a self-gratifying prick Hogan really is. Fortunately, this wasn’t the reason to buy the DVD, it’s the 27 matches/segments that are included as extras. It’s amazing what they put on here. So much rare stuff. We’re here to talk about the main program which is totally passable. Watch it once at most for a laugh but I don’t think it has any replay value.
DVD Features
A) The Extras
1) Hulk Hogan vs. Ted DiBiase
This would be Hogan’s WWWF MSG debut and it took place waaaaaaay back on Dec. 17th, 1979. Ted looks very different than how we know him now, he’s beardless for one thing. Hogan is wearing the white trunks tonight and has a cape on and has considerably more hair. They circle to start and lock up. Hogan pushes DiBiase off to the corner, showing his power. They circle some more and attempt to lock up but DiBiase ducks under and gets Hogan in a full nelson which Hogan breaks with his great strength. They lock up and DiBiase tries to hit an armbar but Hogan pushes him off again. They lock up and Hogan takes him down but Dibiase escapes and armdrags Hogan a few times causing Hogan to bail. Hogan stalls for what seems like forever until they lock up again. DiBiase gets Hogan in a headlock. Hogan breaks by sending DiBiase to the ropes and shoulderblocking him. DiBiase charges but Hogan sidesteps and uses DiBiase’s own momentum to send him outside. DiBiase makes it to the apron but Hogan charges him and knees him back to the outside. DiBiase makes it up to the apron again and Hogan, again, charges him and knees him back to the outside. DiBiase goes back to the apron and Hogan suplexes him inside. Hogan drops the leg, but since this is 1979 and that wasn’t Hogan’s finisher yet, DiBiase kicks out. He bodyslams DiBiase and drops an elbow but again DiBiase kicks out. Hogan sends him to the rope and an elbow sends him to the mat. Hogan applies a chinlock and the bell rings, but the match hadn’t ended. The ref does the usual drop DiBiase’s arm one time and second time it doesn’t go down so DiBiase starts to power out, until Hogan holds it on tighter. DiBiase manages to escape by charging the turnbuckle and ducking in time so Hogan hits it headfirst. Hogan is up first but misses an elbowdrop. DiBiase gets up and works Hogan over with rights and lefts. He sends Hogan to the ropes and hits a nice dropkick and follows with another one. He sends him to the turnbuckle and charges at him shoulderfirst. He does it again but Hogan moves and DiBiase hits the ringpost. DiBiase is officially dead now and Hogan hits a backbreaker and bearhugs DiBiase for the submission at an unmanageable 11:12. Just an extended squash match. ½*.
2) Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant
This is from Shea Stadium, August 9th, 1980. Of course, if this were 1987 WWF this match would’ve never taken place since they only first met in 1987 when Andre the Giant was undefeated. Andre is looking incredibly fit here compared to the usual view wrestling gans have on him, think late 80’s when he was more overweight and shorter. Hogan and Andre stare each other down for a long time before locking up. Andre shoves Hogan off into the turnbuckle, infuriating Hogan. They lock up again and Hogan grabs a side headlock. Andre pushes him off the ropes and the two collide, but neither fall down. Andre grabs the side headlock know and Hogan pushes him off to the ropes, they collide again and again, no one budges. Such furious action here. Andre starts stretching the arms of Hogan out and headbutts him in the back a few times. Andre’s hair is absolutely out of control here. Andre continues stretching Hogan’s arms out from behind and Hogan tries to power out, but fails. Hogan backs into a turnbuckle and breaks the hold. They punch for a bit and Hogan gets Andre into a bearhug. Mere minutes later, Andre breaks the hold with a single, solitary headbutt, which sends Hogan outside. He comes up to the apron and Andre suplexes him inside. He goes for a diving headbutt but Hogan slips away. Hogan pounds away on the stunned giant. Hogan goes for a bodyslam but Andre blocks. Andre bodyslams him but Hogan’s errant foot hits the referee knocking him out. Andre goes to attend to the referee so Hogan Pearl Harbors him. Hogan bodyslams Andre and goes for the pin, but there’s no ref. Andre gets up quickly and bodyslms Hogan, then splashes him for the three count at 7:42, even though Hogan clearly kicked out at 2. Hogan attacks Andre after the match and hits him in the head with his elbow, causing Andre’s head to split wide open. Really boring match. DUD.
3) Hogan Returns from the AWA
They start off by showing Backlund wrestling one the Samoans on 12/83 which was supposed to be a tag match with a Backlund mystery opponent against the Samoans, but Albano wouldn’t allow it, so Backlund wrestled by himself. Backlund retreats to the back since it’s the three Samoans and Albano against him and comes out with Hulk Hogan to an immense pop. Hogan polices the outside while Samoan #3 wrestles Backlund. Backlund hooks on the chicken wing and the Samoans rush the ring leading to Hogan getting in there and cleaning house. Backlund won by DQ and then afterwards they give an interview. Backlund says Hogan has changed his ways and Blassie is no longer his manager and that Hulkamania is running wild.
4) Hulk Hogan vs. Iron Sheik(c) for the WWF Title
This is what started it all. It’s from 01/23/84 and took place at MSG (where else?). Iron Sheik had been the reigning champion for quite some time now and Hogan finally got his shot at the title. To this day, you’d be hardpressed to find a more rambunctious crowd than the one heard here. The bell rings and Hogan attacks from behind while Sheik still had his ring gear on. Hogan uses the Sheik’s own robe to choke him. Hogan basically demolishes him for a few minutes until he misses a blind charge to the corner. Sheik hits a backbreaker but only manages a two count. Sheik starts loading up his magic boot and kicks Hogan in the abs. He puts on a Boston crab but Hogan powers out. Sheik hits a gut wrench suplex which gets a two and then goes for the camel clutch. He hooks it in and Patterson reminds us that no one has ever escaped from this move. Hogan starts feeling the power of the thousands in MSG, stands up and backs into the turnbuckles knocking Sheik off of him. Sheik is lying on the ground and Hogan bounces off the ropes and connects with a leg drop at 5:40 to end the title reign of the Iron Sheik and start Hulkamania. Not a good match (*) but one of the most historically significant in wrestling history as the pop in the crowd when Hulk won showed that this guy could carry the promotion into uncharted territories. They show the post-match interview/celebration with Andre the Giant, Ivan Putski and Rocky Johnson. Later they interview his parents (Ruth and Pete Hogan) which is pretty funny actually.
5) Mean Gene Learns the Ropes
These are segments that originally aired on Tuesday Night Titans on 08/21/84. Hogan mentions how Vince’s muscles are getting bigger (no way it’s the steroids though). So Hogan is training Mean Gene to get in shape basically. Hogan drinks some raw eggs and then he and Gene run two miles. They show them running and of course Gene can barely make it. Gene trys to get some beer but Hogan yells at him. The next day they hit the gym and more hilarity ensues. The third day they go to an empty arena and run up and down the stairs. The fourth day Hogan walks Gene around like a wheelbarrow which is kind of weird. Segment really doesn’t lead anywhere though.
6) Hulk Hogan(c) vs. Paul Orndorff for the WWF Title
This is from The Big Event 08/28/86 held in Toronto Canada. This is from Hogan’s and Orndorff’s very famous feud where they started out as friends until Orndorff couldn’t take Hogan’s showboating and me, me, me attitude anymore and after a match where Hogan stole all the glory (once again) he turned on him and piledrove him to the mat. Orndorff pearl harbors Hogan to start and the two go after each other pretty fiercely until a big right by Hogan sends Orndorff to the outside. Orndorff comes back in and charges but hits Hogan’s elbow. He bails outside and pulls Hogan outside. He tries to smash Hogan’s head into the apron but Hogan blocks and sends Orndorff face first into it. They head back into the ring where Hogan clotheslines then drops and elbow. He sends Orndorff to the turnbuckles and follows with a clothesline. He celebrates and when Hogan walks over to Orndorff he gets nailed in the stomach. Heenan distracts Hogan so Orndorff sneaks up from behind only to get atomic dropped. Hogan goes outside and chases Heenan into the ring where Orndorff is waiting and starts working over the Hulkster. Orndorff clotheslines Hogan to the outside. Orndorff follows him to the outside and suplexes Hogan. Hogan tries to head back to the ring but Orndorff charges and knees Hogan in the head. Orndorff is owning Hogan now and elbows Hogan who is hanging off the ring apron. Back in the ring and Orndorff punches Hogan down. He gets chastized by the ref for using a closed fist but he ignores him and covers Hogan for two. He slams Hogan and drops an elbow which gets a two count. Orndorff goes to the outside and basically jumps off the top and punches Hogan. Orndorff goes for a piledriver but Hogan reverses and flips Orndorff over. Orndorff is the first one up and works over Hogan some more. Orndorff is bewildered that Hogan hasn’t lost yet so he goes over and bites Hogan! Orndorff follows with a belly to back suplex and does an arrogant cover but Hogan’s foot is outside the ropes. Orndorff thinks he’s won and celebrates as Hogan revives. Hogan knees Orndorff in the back who collides with the referee and then picks up Orndorff, raises his hand and clotheslines him. Hogan sets up Orndorff for a piledriver but Heenan runs in and hits Hogan with his bar stool. Orndorff covers Hogan as the referee slowly revives. The referee taps Orndorff on the shoulder three times so Orndorff hops up thinking he’s won and Heenan brings in the title to give to him. They celebrate until the announcer tells that Hogan won via DQ at about 11:00 or so. Orndorff is incensed and attacks Hogan until Hogan hulks up and basically lays into Orndorff. It was actually a really energetic match despite the screwy finish. **
7) Hulk Hogan(c) vs. Andre the Giant for the WWF Title
This would be their historic match at Wrestlemania III (03/29/87) Jesse Ventura calls this the biggest match in the history of professional wrestling and for once he’s probably right. Hulk and Andre stare each other down for what seems like an eternity in one of Wrestlemania’s more dramatic moments and a shoving match ensues. Andre goes after Hulk with a huge right but Hogan blocks and attacks him. Hogan goes for a bodyslam early but Andre is just to big. Andre falls on top on Hogan and gets a near-pin. Andre thinks it was a three count but referee Joey Morella says it was only a two count. Andre wears Hogan down mercilessly with his usual offense. As a note, it’s really sad to see what happened to Andre in the time from this match to the previous one on this disc. He could barely wrestle now and by the end of 90 could barely walk. He would die 3 years later, becoming one of the few wrestlers who was bigger than the sport itself. He was the 8th Wonder of the World. Andre continues to wear down Hogan. This match is hard to describe, it’s probably the worst of all the Wrestlemania’s main events (though 9 probably beats it) but it still gives me chills everytime I see it. Hogan manages to escape Andre’s vise and comes back with a series of chops and rams Andre’s head into the top turnbuckle 10 times. Hogan tries to charge Andre but he hits Andre’s size 22’s instead. Andre with chops of his own and grabs Hogan in a bear hug. Hogan starts to pass out and the ref does the dramatic arm test. It’s down once, then twice then, NO, the arm is shaking, Hogan is breaking out of it! Hogan is pummeling Andre and shoulderblocks. Andre won’t go down. He shoulderblocks him again, still nothing. He charges again but Andre chops him down. Andre sends Hogan to the mat and follows close behind. He sends Hogan to the ringpost and tries to headbutt him but Hogan moves and Andre head smashes into the ringpost. Hogan lifts up the mat exposing the hardwood floor and tries to piledrive the Giant. Of course, it doesn’t work as Andre backbodydrops him onto the floor. Andre and Hogan go back into the ring and Andre sends him to the ropes. Hogan ducks a big boot and clothesline Andre, knocking him down. Hulk hulk ups and bodyslams Giant in one of the truly great moments in Wrestlemania history, then drops the leg to retain the title at 12:02. Horrible match but it’s so historically significant it has to be seen.
8) Drink This!
This was from TNT 08/21/84 and Hogan makes a nutritional drink for Lord Alfred Hayes and Vince McMahon. The ingredients seem to be natural spring water, fruits, whole eggs (with the shells) and a special ingredient that Hogan calls python powder (MUST NOT MAKE JOKES!). Hogan throws down some python packs of vitamins beforehand and drinks the drink. Vince tries it and says its actually very good. Alfred tries it too and almost pukes. Eh, skippable.
9) Hulk Hogan/Brutus Beefcake vs. Zeus/Macho Man Randy Savage
This is from the second ever Summerslam (held on 08/28/89) and would be in the middle of the whole Hogan/Zeus feud that pretty much sucked. They start off by showing a Hogan/Beefcake interview that goes nowhere. Everyone makes their ring entrances, which takes a good 6 minutes themselves and Elizabeth is introduced as a surprise. Everyone starts off with fist a flying and Brutus and Savage go brawl outside. Hogan squares off with Zeus in the ring but Zeus is no selling everything! Hogan and Beefcake can’t hurt him! Zeus grabs Hogan in a bearhug and Savage comes in for some double teaming. Savage comes in and bodyslams Hogan. He goes to the top and hits Hogan with a double axehandle to the back of Hogan. Savage with a high knee to Hogan’s back then a clothesline for a two count. Savage grabs a reverse headlock and keeps that on until Hogan breaks the hold and shoulderblocks Savage down. He goes off the ropes near the heel corner and Zeus knees him in the small of the back. Zeus overpowers Hogan and gets Hogan in a bearhug. And he keeps him there. He brings him over to the heel corner and Savage tags in. Savage jumps over the rope and drops Hogan’s throat across the top. Savage hits a belly to back suplex on Hogan but that only gets a two, and Jesse Ventura complains of a two count. Savage misses a few elbow drops on Hogan and Hogan manages to make the hot tag to Beefcake who goes to work on Savage. Brutus gets his sleeper on Savage but Savage sends himself into the turnbuckles and ducks out in time so Beefcake’s head hits the top. Savage tags in Zeus but Beefcake eyepokes him and gets a sleeper on him. Heel chicanery ensues as Savage hits Beefcake in the back of the head with Sherri’s purse. Savage tags in and covers Beefcake but Hogan, sportsman that he is, reaches in to grab Savage’s leg. He does it again and this he chases Savage around the ring. Savage runs into the ring and tries for another cover and again, Hogan grabs Savage’s leg to break the count. Zeus is tagged in again and basically just chokes Beefcake. After a while Savage tags in as Beefcake gets a sudden burst of energy and the two clothesline each other knocking each other out. Beefcake makes the hot tag to Hogan and goes to work on Savage. Hogan hits the big boot on Savage who falls on the outside. He brings him up to the apron and suplexes him back inside but Sherri pulls Hogan’s leg so Savage lands on top of Hogan getting a two count. Hogan gets clotheslined down by Savage and Savage makes the tag to Zeus then drops the big elbow from the top, but Hogan hulks up. He atomic drops Savage out of the ring as Zeus comes in. Hogan starts working over Zeus and Zeus finally falls down to one knee after a Hogan clothesline. Macho Man goes to the top with thepurse wanting to hit Hogan from behind but Beefcake trips him up, and the purse falls into the hands of Hogan. As referee Earl Hebner is distracted by Savage and Beefcake brawling on the outside, Hogan hits Beefcake with the loaded purse, bodyslams him then drops the leg for the pin and the win at 15:07. Afterwards, Hogan atomic drops Sherri and Elizabeth hits her with the loaded purse. Beefcake cuts off her ponytail and everyone goes home happy. Not a bad match as far as Hogan is concerned though the parts with Zeus sucked. **.
10) Hulk Hogan vs. Ben Ortiz/Angelo Gomez
This would be from All-Star Wrestling 01/02/80 and it’s a handicap match if you couldn’t tell. So the 6’6 Hulk Hogan takes on two short Puerto Rican wrestlers and you can guess how that goes. It’s an extended squash that sees Hogan hit a suplex on Ortiz, cover him, then pick him up which usually spells disaster for heels, but Hogan is wrestling jobbers so it doesn’t come into play. Hogan butchers a backbreaker submission hold where he drops the poor jobber and almost kills him, he does it again and that gets the finish at 4:57. DUD. Hogan later gives an interview that says he is the new wrestler of the decade. Hogan was always a pretty good talker, but here he was awful. He also calls himself the best technical wrestler too.
11) Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair(c) for the WCW Title
This is from Bash at the Beach 1994 (07/17). This was Hogan’s first match in the WCW I believe and he’s looking noticeably trimmer than his usually roided up self. They staredown to start until Flair pushes Hogan. They lockup and Flair grabs a headlock which Hogan breaks with a whip to the ropes and a shoulderblock. They stall around a bit and Hogan mocks Flair. Flair starts to actual wrestler and the Hulk is lost. Flair starts working on Hogan’s arm. It’s like an old WWF episode, there’ Hogan of course but also Sherri and Jimmy Hart at ringside. Hogan does something resembling wrestling so Flair bails and hides behind Sherri. They head back into the ring and Hogan dominates. He goes for the big boot but Flair bails and hides behind Sherri again. Hogan shoves her out of the way but Flair wisely gets back to the ring before Hogan and attacks him as he comes in. Flair chops away as we take a quick cut it appears. Flair goes for a knee but Hulk hulks up. We get another crowd shot as Hogan rams Flair’s head into the turnbuckles. Hogan comes off the ropes so Sherri grabs his leg, allowing Flair to take advantage. Flair chops Hogan to the outside and Sherri tries to attack Hogan with a chair but Hart stops that from happening. They head back in and Flair goes to the top, and actually hits a punch from the top. Flair drops a knee to the bald head of Hogan. Flair starts chopping away at Hogan but Hogan starts chopping right back. Flair begs for a time out then they sort of grab at each other which ends up with a Flair pin attempt, complete with feet on the ropes. Flair grabs a reverse chinlock as we take another look at the crowd. Flair turns the chinlock to a sleeper as we look at the crowd again. Hogan is almost knocked out but somehow manages to revive himself, break the hold, shoulderblock Flair down a few times and start pummeling him. He send Flair to the corner and Flair flips over, ending up running on the apron so Hogan clothesline him out to the ring. Outside, Hogan hits a belly to back suplex. Flair gets to the apron before Hogan suplexes him back in. Hogan goes for the leg drop but Flair rolls our of the way. Hogan starts selling his hurt leg so Flair goes for the figure four, only to get small packaged for two. He tries again but Hogan kicks him off. He tries again but Hogan kicks him off again. Flair stops trying for the figure four and suplexes Hogan instead, but Hogan hulks up. He hits the big boot on Flair and covers, but Sherri pulls the ref out before he can get to three. Flair chopblocks Hogan as Sherri hits a flying splash from the top rope. Flair puts on the figure four which would end the match on most normal circumstances, but this is Hogan we’re talking about. Hogan makes the ropes so Flair has to break the hold. The ref has to push him off for Sherri chokes Hogan with her pantyhose. Hogan tries to get up but his leg is hurting. Flair chops him away in the corner but Hogan hulks up again. All of sudden, Flair’s shots have no effect on Hogan. Flair manages to elbow Hogan down as Sherri goes up for another splash but misses. Flair was at the top rope so Hogan tosses him off, then clothesline the both of them and puts the figure four on Flair. Sherri tries to interfere again but Mr. T brings Sherri to the back. Flair has some brass knuckles though and nails Hogan with them. He covers but Hogan kicks out and hulks up AGAIN! He no-sells more Flair shots and big boot and legdrop finish it at 21:17. Boring match that never got off the ground. **.
12) Classic Hulk Hogan on TNT
This is from TNT 10/18/85 and it’s Hogan talking where he gives away one of his belts. They show some clips of him against Tiger Chun Lee. Since Tiger is oriental, he does lots of karate kicks. Usual Hogan squash match which was actually pretty energetic. Hogan finished the match with a leg drop but actually didn’t hit the big boot beforehand. Match was only about 2 minutes but wasn’t bad. They go back to the show where Hogan says he can’t see a guy go down like that without taking off his clothes and saying it turns him on. OOOOOkay Hulkster. They talk about all the heels in the WWF and Hogan says he’ll be remembered for a long time. Lanny Poffo is dressed in knight’s armor in a pre-taped segment where he wrote Hogan a poem. This segment really overstays its welcome as it clocks in at over 12 minutes long.
13) Mean Gene Interview
Taped for the disc, Gene talks about the match where he’d wrestle in his hometown. Not much there.
14) Hulk Hogan/Gene Okerlund vs. George Steele/Mr. Fuji
This is from 08/26/84 houseshow in Gene’s hometown and Hulk is wearing the light blue trunks/boots this time out while Gene is decked in black. The crowd is super hot for this one. Hogan and Fuji start off and it doesn’t go too well for Fuji who quickly tags in the Animal. Steele hits Hogan with those dreaded closed fists and he pounds away the Hulkster until he hulks up in record time. Fuji comes in but Hogan sends them both bailing to the outside. Gene even gets in on some of the action by stomping on Fuji’s hand. Hulk and Gene high-five each other which leads to Okerlund being tagged in. He steps in the ring against Steele and runs away to quickly make the hot tag to Hogan. He does some work on the heels, including the double noggin knocker and sends Steele over tot Okerlund who bites the Animal’s head! He even eyepokes him. Hogan gives Steele the big boot and Steele crawls away to tag Fuji. Hogan and Okerlund to do some double teaming as Fuji gets hammered. Hogan goes for the cover but the Animal pulls him off allowing the heels to work over Hogan in their corner. Don’t worry, Hogan quickly revives. Fuji tries to throw salt at Hogan but Gene interferes to stop him. Hogan tags in Gene then bodyslams him on top of Fuji and Okerlund pins Fuji for the pin and the win at 6:24. Easily the most fun match on the DVD. **. Okerlund and Hogan celebrate in the ring afterwards.
15) Hulk Hogan vs. Undertaker(c) for the WWF Title
This is from This Tuesday in Texas held on 12/03/91. This was the Tuesday following the 1991 Survivor Series where Undertaker won the title from the Hulk to due Ric Flair’s interference. The WWF wanted to experiment with having a PPV on a day other than Sunday so they took that opportunity by putting it days after Survivor Series. So Undertaker was the champion and even in 91, the bongs got a pretty decent pop, despite the fact that Taker played heel here. Hogan runs in only to get attacked by Bearer and Taker. Hogan gets Bearer out of there quickly and goes to work on Taker. WWF President Jack Tunney is at ringside to make sure nothing screwy happens. Undertaker no sells most of Hogan’s offense until Undertaker takes over the match outside the ring. They go back inside and Undertaker chokes Hulk Hogan. I don’t know what was worse, watching this match or watching From Justin to Kelly earlier. Undertaker does his rope walk and chokes Hogan some more. Speaking of American Idol, Justin really got shafted from season 1. I mean, 4 people have record contracts from season 2, and three of them actually have had singles that’ve been played on the radio pretty frequently. Justin, he was second place in the first season, made a shitty movie, had his record come out the same day as Clay Aiken’s and Rubben Studdard’s first single. I mean, he was set up for failure from the get go where he’s left to complain on Fox how he was shafted. Hogan starts to revive and Undertaker bounces off the ropes and falls. Great going Mark. If that was ECW, a huge you fucked up chant would’ve started. Undertaker hits his flying clothesline that he probably was supposed to hit before pulling a Shockmaster in the middle of the ring. Taker covers but Hogan kicks out. Taker tries for the rope walk again but Hogan tosses him off. Hogan begins to hulk up as Ric Flair makes his way ringside. Tunney tries to hold him back as Hogan weakly clotheslines Taker out. Hogan sneaks up from behind on Flair and wallops him with a chair, causing him to collide with Tunney who gets knocked out. Back inside, Hogan and Taker exchange blows until Flair comes up with a chair. Taker is about to slam Hogan’s head into the chair but Hogan blocks and it’s Taker who hits the chair instead. Flair gets clotheslined off the apron by Hogan then hits a big boot on Taker. Taker gets up though as the referee looks after Flair. Bearer makes it to the apron and tries to use the urn on Hogan but he blocks and it hits Taker instead. Hogan knocks down Bearer, steals the urn, opens it, and tosses the ashes into Taker’s face. He rolls him up for the three count and the victory at 13:11. Really boring, *1/2.
The screwy Hogan win here would hold up the title, making it up for grabs at the 1992 Royal Rumble, and Undertaker didn’t win the title back until 1998.
16) Hulk Hogan(c) vs. Big John Studd for the WWF Title
This would be from 10/15/85 and held outdoors in Puerto Rico. The two push each other off a few times to show how powerful they are and I should mention that the ring here is really small. It’s smaller than your average ECW ring. Studd tries to slam Hogan but Hogan blocks, and Gorilla tells us that if Hogan can slam Studd he gets $50,000 dollars. Hogan tries to slam Studd but fails. Studd and Hogan engage in a test of strength, a spot which has completely vanished in the WWE of today. Hogan starts to power back so Studd knees him in the gut. Hogan of course fights back until Studd grabs a bear hug. All of a sudden, it starts raining. It’s absolutely pouring and the ring is soaked. Studd still holds on with the bear hug until Hogan fights back. Hogan atomic drops Studd who trips on the way down. They “fight” on the outside and Studd gets pissed and just leaves, so the ref awards the match to Hogan at 7:45. Horrible match but it has to be seen.
17) Hulk Hogan(c) vs. Nikolai Volkoff for the WWF Title
This would be from SNME 10/05/85 and I think it may have been either the first or second SNME. The problem here was Nikolai singing the Russian national anthem and carrying the Russian flag. Hogan can’t stand seeing it so he’s bringing the US flag. Volkoff attacks Hogan from behind and slams his head into the turnbuckles a few times. He rips off Hogan’s shirt and chokes him with it. Volkoff tries to send Hogan to the turnbuckles again but Hogan reverses and whips him to the corner, following close behind with a clothesline. He Irish whips him and hits a running clothesline then drops an elbow. He headbutts Volkoff. He sends Volkoff to the ropes and hits a big boot, sending Volkoff outside. Hogan follows but gets sent into the ringpost. Volkoff takes advantage of this by working on Hogan’s back inside the ring. Nikolai does a pretty weak military press into a backbreaker but takes too long to cover and only gets a three count. Volkoff works Hogan over some more and tries to get Hogan into his backbreaker submission but Hogan reverses it into a back body drop. Volkoff recovers quicker and continues working Hogan over with clubbing blows. He bodyslams Hogan and cover for two but Hogan kicks out and revives. He pounds on Volkoff but an Irish whip to the turnbuckles is reversed. Volkoff charges Hogan but Hogan moves causing Nikolai to hit the ringpost headfirst. Hogan hits the legdrop and that’s all she wrote at 5:18. Afterwards, Hogan disgraces the Russian flag. After that they interview Hogan as he mentions a wedding, which was Uncle Elmer and some chick. Very energetic match. **.
18) Hulk Hogan vs. Mr Perfect.
This is also from SNME and it comes from the 04/28/90 show. They give the usual pre-SNME promo here and Hogan says he’ll beat Mr. Perfect. We sadly don’t get to see Perfect’s entrance. Perfect at this time was being managed by the Genius Lanny Poffo (making his second appearance on this DVD set). They start off and Hogan shoves Perfect almost halfway across the ring so Perfect bails to regroup. He comes back in and hiptosses Hogan. They lock up again and Hogan hiptosses Perfect issues him a pair of bodyslams leading Perfect to the outside. He comes back in after a brief breather and comes back firing away at Hogan. Hogan reverses an Irish whip and goes for the big boot but Perfect blocks and goes outside. Hogan follows and sends Perfect to the ringpost. Back inside and Hogan is in full control. He clotheslines Perfect down, whips him to the corner and follows with another clothesline. He sends Perfect to the ropes and hits a running elbow. He whips Perfect to the corner again and follows with an elbow, sending Perfect up over the top to the outside. He pummels Perfect outside but the Genius tries to sneak up on Hogan with the metal scroll. Hogan turns around and chases him off, allowing Perfect to nail him from behind with it. Perfect goes back inside and to the top but the referee stops him and we go to a break. Well, we were supposed to on SNME but this is a DVD, so no breaks here. We “return” with Perfect giving Hogan the perfectplex and Hogan kicking out and hulking up. He sends Perfect to the ropes, big boot, leg drop and that’s your match at 5:58. Genius comes in and hits Hogan from behind but Hogan military presses him to the outside. As with all SNME matches, it’s too short to amount to anything really good, but Perfect’s selling and the energy made it decent. **1/2.
19) Hulk Hogan/Andre the Giant vs. King Kong Bundy/Big John Studd
Continuing with the SNME matches, this one comes to us from 11/02/85. Even by 1985 Andre the Giant was seriously deteriorated. Hogan starts off firing and gets a quick pin on Bundy. He tries to bodyslam him but can’t. Bundy takes control for about three seconds before Hogan regains control. He tags in the Giant and the Giant does what he knows best, choke him. After that tiring act he tags in Hogan who goes to the second rope and hits a double axe-handle. They make their way to the heel corner where Studd cheapshots Hogan and then tags in. Hogan hits what kind of resembled and atomic drop and tags in Andre. Classic ***** match ensues as Andre inadvertantly hit the referee and a pier six follows. Hogan and Andre clear the ring as a new referee rolls the dead ref outside. We take a break and return with Studd and Andre continuing with the big man offense. Andre tags in Hogan who clotheslines Studd down. Andre (called the Big Bossman by Vince) is tagged back in and hits a big boot on Studd, who falls outside. Andre goes to follow but gets hit from behind by Bundy and ends up entwined in the rope. The heels batter the faces mercilessly which leads to a cheap DQ win for Hogan and Bundy. Hogan and Andre later recover to save face and send the heels running to the back. Bad match+shitty ending = ½*. Andre and Hogan complain that they left and they want more action.
20) Hulk Hogan(c) vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper for the WWF Title.
This is from 11/07/85 and the Wrestlevision show. I don’t know much about Wrestlevision except that it was an elimination tournement held in Chicago. I don’t know if this was the result of the tournement or what. Anyway, they start off brawling on the outside right away and Piper gets the worse of that. Back inside, Piper takes over with some shots to the throat and an eye-poke. Hogan reverses a whip to the corner and follows with a clothesline. He hits a belly to back suplex and follows with a bodyslam, then a pair of elbow drops. Hogan pounds on Piper until Piper eye-pokes Hogan to regain his advantage. Pipe goes to the second rope and jumps right into a bear hug. Piper pokes Hogan in both his eyes to break the bear hug, which is a counter I’d like to see more often. Piper pounds away and gets a few pin attempts. Piper gets Hogan in his patented sleeper hold and Hogan is about to get knocked out but manages to hold on. He breaks the hold by sending the both of them barreling to the outside. Piper is up first and tries to hit a battering ram with Hogan’s head and the ringpost but Hogan pushes him off into the ringpost. Piper is up first and hits Hogan, but Hogan hulks up. They go inside and Hogan atomic drops Piper. He sends Piper to the ropes but Piper reverses and then sends Hogan into the referee, knocking him out. Piper goes outside and gets a chair and nails Hogan with it. He tries to do it again but Hogan blocks and hits Piper with the sleeper then grabs a sleeper of his own. The legend-killer’s daddy, Bob Orton, comes in and hits Hogan with the cast, causing a DQ at 7:16. Paul Orndorff comes in to save Hogan from more heel brutality. Match was eh, didn’t really click for me. *.
21) Royal Rumble 1990
This is from 01/21/90 and starts right before Hogan came out as number 25. Already in the ring was The Ultimate Warrior, Haku, Jimmy Snuka, Honky Tonk Man, Tito Santana and Rick Martel. Hogan comes in and quickly cleans house. He dumps Snuka, then dumps Haku. Meanwhile, Warrior eliminates Santana. Hogan and Honky pair off while Martel and Warrior battle. Shawn Michaels is the 26th man in as Hogan eliminates Honky. Warrior quickly disposes of Michaels and Martel and this leads to the famous first meeting of Warrior and Hogan. This would be a pre-cursor to Wrestlemania VI and would be a big mark out moment for many. They crisscross and a pull out the double clothesline spot, knocking them both out. Barbarian is our number 27 and goes to work on the already knocked out Hogan and Warrior. Rick Rude comes into the ring prematurely as number 28 and immediately goes after the Warrior. Rude hits a nice dropkick and then the two heels try to dump Hogan. Warrior gets up and saves Hogan as Barbarian and Hogan pair off again. Hogan is left for dead by the Barbarian but he starts to hulk up. The heels try to dump the Warrior so Hogan clotheslines the both of them causing the Warrior to be dumped. The heels battle Hogan as Hercules is the 29th man in. Hercules sends Barbarian and Rude into the big boot of Hogan. Hogan and Barbarian pair off once again with nothing of note going on. Hogan tries to dump Barbarian but can’t. He decides to go after Rude instead. Mr. Perfect finally breaks the monotony and enters as number 30. He goes right after Hogan as Hercules eliminates Barbarian.
Final Four: Hercules, Hulk Hogan, Mr. Perfect, and Rick Rude. Rude eliminates Hercules in short order leaving the heels two on one against Hogan. Heel miscommunication leads to Rude hitting Perfect sending him through the ropes to the apron and as he gets up, Hogan send Rude to the ropes. Perfect pulling on the ropes is enough for Rude to be ousted. Perfect stands up on the apron and gets slingshot back in but Perfect quickly takes over on Hogan. He hits a perfectplex and gets up to celebrate but Hogan hulks up and non chalantly throws him over the top for the victory. They only showed 13:08 of the hour long Rumble so I can’t really rate it, though the actual Rumble wasn’t really that good.
22) Survivor Series 1988
From the second ever Survivor series held on 11/24/88 we got Hulk Hogan, Hercules, Macho Man, Koko B. Ware and Hillbilly Jim taking on Ted Dibiase, Akeem, Big Boss Man, Haku and Terry Taylor. Savage and DiBiase start off and they go at it hard. I always loved when these two wrestled. Savage shoulderblocks DiBiase down and Savage comes off the ropes again only to get clotheslined. They exchange blows in the corner and Savage hits a clothesline. He tags in Hercules as DiBiase tags in Taylor. Taylor tries for a sharpshooter but Hercules blocks. He clotheslines Taylor down and tags in Koko. Koko sends Taylor to the corner but a blind charge hits Taylor’s boot. Akeem is tagged in who punches him a few times and then Haku is tagged in. Haku slams him but misses a drop kick. Koko makes it back to the face corner and tags in Hercules again. He goes to work on him then tags in the Hulkster. Hulk clotheslines him down then drops a pair of elbows. He sends him into Hillybilly Jim’s knee then tags him in. They hit a double big boot and somehow Haku kicks out. Haku makes his big comeback and tags in Akeem, The African Dream. Taylor is tagged in next and he tries to slam Jimmy. That doesn’t work so Jim slams him. Hillybilly tags in Koko and he powerslams Taylor for a two count. Taylor comes back with a kick to the gut but an attempt to send his head to the turnbuckle doesn’t work. He send Koko to the corner but Koko reverses it and hits a missile dropkick for two. Hogan is tagged in and he hits the big boot, then bodyslams him and tags in Savage. Savage hits the flying elbow drop and Taylor is the first man out at 6:09. The faces celebrate as the heels go to the outside to regroup. We stall for about a minute before Savage and Haku start the match again. They lock up but that goes nowhere. Hogan is tagged in and goes the two exchange blows. Haku hits a dropkick on Hogan but an Irish whip to the corner is reversed and Hogan follows with a clothesline. He slams Haku down then tags in Hercules. Hercules hits a pair of elbows and gets a two count. He grabs a side headlock but Haku reverses it into a belly to back suplex and tags in Akeem. Boss Man hasn’t even been tagged in yet. Akeem drops an elbow but Hercules rolls out of the way and tags in Hillbilly Jim. He hits a big boot but he doesn’t go down. Hillbilly goes for a bearhug but that doesn’t go to well. They exchange some fat people offense until Akeem hits a big splash and eliminates Hillbilly Jim at 9:51. 10 minutes into the match and Bossman hasn’t been tagged in. Akeem celebrates as Koko dropkicks him in the back. Koko tags in Hogan who after a few punches tags in Savage. He hits a double axehandle but he still won’t go down. Hercules is tagged in and Akeem still won’t go down. Koko is tagged in again who pounds away and dropkicks him into the corner. Koko goes for a splash but Akeem moves and tags in The Big Boss Man. He hits the sidewalk slam on Koko immediately and Koko’s gone at 11:43. Hogan comes and they lock up, but Bossman eye pokes him. Hogan comes back rather quickly with a clothesline, but Bossman won’t go down. He atomic drops him into the face corner who punch him around. He sends him to the corner and follows with a clothesline. Big boot but he still won’t go down. He bodyslams him but allows him to get back up. Shoulderblocks don’t work and Boss Man hits Hogan with a sidewalk slam. He tags in Akeem and the two hit a reverse elbow. Haku is tagged in and headbutts Hogan down for a two count. Boss Man is tagged in again and chokes Hogan using his foot. DiBiase is tagged in and he has his go at Hogan. DiBiase clotheslines him down and drops some fists into his head. DiBiase covers him for two but Hogan hulks up. He atomic drops DiBiase and tags in Hercules. I guess they had a feud at this time since the fans pop like crazy. He back body drops DiBiase out of the corner and attacks with a knee lift and a bunch of clotheslines. He goes off the ropes but Virgil trips him up from the outside. Hercules of course pulls Virgil up to the apron to pummel him but DiBiase proves why he’s smarter than Hercules by rolling him up for the pin, eliminating Hercules at 16:32. That leaves Hogan and Macho Man against DiBiase, Haku and the Twin Towers, 4 against 2. Of course, DiBiase laughs at Hercules on his way out, allowing Savage to come in and roll DiBiase for the pin and eliminates him at 16:54. So now it’s only 3 on 2. Savage and Haku square off now and Haku wins that battle. He goes for a head drop but Savage moves out of the way. Savage tags in Hogan who goes to work on Haku. He goes for a back body drop but Haku hits the token Oriental kicks and he tags in the Boss Man. He headbutts Hogan’s back and all appears doomed for the Hulkster. Boss Man slams the Hulk and goes for the pin, of which Hogan barely kicked out. Boss Man tags in Akeem and Hogan is still our face in peril. Haku is tagged in and he suplexes Hogan, covers, and gets a two count. Haku uses the Vulcan Nerve Pinch to get Hogan down as the match really starts to slow down. Hogan is almost knocked out but he manages to revive and elbows out of it, until Haku eye pokes him. Boss Man is tagged in and hits the bossman slam but doesn’t pin. He goes to the top rope but misses a horrible looking splash. Hogan manages to crawl into his corner and make the hot tag to Macho Man who cleans house. He goes off the rope but Slick trips up Savage and Savage is now our face in peril. Slick goes to yell at Elizabeth and manhandles her as Boss Man gets Savage in a bearhug. Hulk sees this and attacks Slick. The Twin Towers go to protect their manager and Boss Man hand cuffs Hogan to the bottom rope. But Bossman was the legal man and he’s been counted out at around 24:00. Boss Man brutalizes Hogan with the nightstick as Haku and Savage wrestle in the ring. Haku tags in Akeem but Bossman hits him with the nightstick in the back and comes in to choke Randy with it. Akeem splashes Savage but Akeem has been disqualified at 25 minutes or so. So that leaves Savage and Hogan against Haku, but Hogan is handcuffed to the outside of the ring. The Twin Tower finally leave ringside as Haku is killing Savage. Slick is still at ringside teasing Hogan with the key to the handcuff. Haku sends Savage to the ropes but misses a dropkick. Savage crawls to his corner to tag Hogan, but he’s not there! Haku continues his beating of Savage as Elizabeth tries to help Hogan. Slick grabs Savage for Haku, but Haku hits Slick instead, knocking him out near Hogan. Elizabeth reaches into his pockets and gets the keys for Hogan. He’s finally uncuffed and makes it to his corner. Haku goes to the top after bodyslamming Savage and hits a flying splash which gets a two count. Haku kicks Savage who goes flying into his own corner and Hogan tags himself in. He hits a big boot, bodyslams him, then drops the big leg for the pin and the win at 30:07. The sole survivors are Hogan and Savage and Hogan celebrates in the ring as Savage is dead from his beating. He picks Elizabeth up to the bewilderment of Savage. Anyway, really good match for the first 18 minutes but it fades quickly after DiBiase was eliminated. Still, it’s a half hour match shown uncut and it’s pretty enjoyable for most of it. ***.
23) Hulk on Harley Race
This was recorded on 03/12/88.
24) Hulk on The Genius
This is from SNME 11/25/89.
25) Hulk on the Big Boss Man
This comes to us from SNME 05/27/89
26) Hulk on The Honky Tonk Man
From SNME 07/29/89
All four of these are your basic SNME pre-match, pre-recorded interviews that last about 20-40 seconds each. Basically, the STAY TUNED FOR THIS MATCH Spots.
27) Hulk on A Cardboard Rock
This is our obligatory new Hogan stuff from 02/25/02. Hogan basically makes fun of a cardboard Rock and beats it up. This happened the week after the nwo attacked Rock and ran over his ambulance with a huge semi.
B) Audio/Visual
It’s presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 which really doesn’t come into play since it’s only wrestling. The video is something else though. As an avid tape collector I know what it’s like to get some of this stuff on 8th Generation tapes or something. Just having a collection of matches like this in this quality is awesome. I mean, I had a lot of the matches before but some of the rarer stuff needed a serious upgrade and this DVD is perfect in that regards. It’s all in fullscreen too.
C) Liner Notes
You get a four page insert that has the cover, a page of pictures and the chapter/match listings for the two discs. There is also the usual booklet featuring all the other WWE DVD’s available.
D) Easter Eggs
1) On disc one, go to chapters, and go to the third page of listings. Go to next and hit up, or highlight the Hulk STILL Rules logo with your mouse and hit enter to unlock the music video for “Real American.”
2) On disc two, go to the last page of extras (the one that has Hollywood Hulk Hogan On…) and highlight the Hulk Still Rules icon with your mouse or go to main menu and hit left. You will access a very special rendition of Mean Gene singing Tutti Frutti with the Hulkster on bass. This atrocity is from the 05/24/85 episode of TNT.
Overall Review
What can I say? The main program is totally crappy with WWE’s version of Hulkamania which is usually just a load. The extras are the reason to buy this DVD. Even if you’re not a Hogan fan you should pick up this set.
Overall Rating
9.0