| Say
what you will about Hulk Hogan, and the good Lord knows we've
said many things about the poor guy on the site over the years,
but there is one completely undeniable fact: Hulk Hogan IS wrestling.
You say "wrestler" to Johnny Sixpack (now there's
a ring name that needs to be used), and the first thing they
will say won't be Stone Cold or Rock or Triple H...it will be
Hulk Hogan.
That's
the kind of impact the guy has made not only on this business,
but on the world in general.
That
may sound silly, but really...where would wrestling be if there
were no Hulk Hogan? At the time he hit it big in the WWF, it
was the perfect storm: the country needed a hero, and Vince
McMahon was there to give it to them in the form of a jacked
up, musclebound apple pie eating good guy. And Hogan was perfect
in his role.
But this All American Hero image that was a staple of the wrestling
and popular culture would be torn to shreds at Bash at the Beach
1996 and his new persona of the villainous "Hollywood"
Hulk Hogan would breathe new life into his career.
Here's
a fun fact for you, though: Hulk turning bad? That was actually
tried before, in WCW, no less, just under a year prior to the
infamous Bash. Even ditched the yellow and red for black and
white, if you can fathom such a thing. See, Hogan was feuding
with the goof troop known as the Dungeon of Doom, and well...he
went wacky. And I does mean wacky, running around in dark caves
and sticking his fingers in water whilst proclaiming "IT'S
NOT HOT!" to no one in particular.
Like
I said, WACKY.
This short-lived phase of his career has been dubbed "The
Dark Side of Hulkamania".
I'm not sure Darth Vader or The Midnight Express would be pleased
with this blatant rip off but eh, let's take a look at it.
A
WACKY look at the WACKINESS of it.
Hulk
comes out for an interview with Mean Gene in a neck
brace resulting from an earlier assault from The Giant
Paul Wight.
I
wish he would've come out in that 3 story condominium
neck brace that Gary Wolf (Pitbull # 1) wore in ECW
after Shane Douglas broke his neck.
Seriously,
that chimney was so big Santa Claus could have climbed
down it.
This?
This is just a Bobby Heenan special.
No
offense, Brain.
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Despite
being uncomfortable and incapacitated, he still manages
to freak out and cut another nonsensical Hulk promo,
in which he breaks the record for number of times the
words "brother" and "big stinky giant"
are uttered within the span of 45 seconds. Hulk promises
one of his little "Hulkamaniacs" that's in
the hospital awaiting a "double lung transplant"
that he's going to beat up that "big nasty giant".
Hold
on, a DOUBLE lung transplant?
Was
that the best you could come up with, Hulk?
Get
creative! How about a kid with Rosey Grier's head attached
to his shoulders?
Worse
yet, apparently the kid told Hulk to, and I am quoting
here, "Belly up to the bar."
That's
just weird. I can't imagine a small child, a small child
in need of TWO NEW LUNGS, giving Hogan such advice.
But
maybe that's just me.
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| On
his way to kill that "big stinky giant", Hulk
decides to go around the ring and high-five the fans.
Alright, now I'm suspicious cause Hulk usually avoids
guardrail reachers like they have cooties.
Or
are Australian.
(Note
to the Aussie and Kiwi Crappers out there: We're just
kidding and we love you. We've seen Young Einstein
many times.
Well,
at least *I* have. :)).
(Note
from RD: That makes one of us.) |
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But
chicanery is afoot as an old lady at ringside throws
powder in Hulk's eyes and beats him with her cane, as
Mean Gene generously provides a running commentary of
her assault on Hulk. She's still angry that Hulk was
playing backstage politics causing Frank A. Gotch to
lose his big push.
Because
he's old, ya see. And WCW...
...I'll show myself out.
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Bobby
Heenan makes a few Psycho references that RD
and I appreciate but are most likely lost on the majority
of the viewers as The Giant and The Zodiac (not the
Bay Area serial killer but Ed Leslie in yet another
gimmick designed to keep him right on Hulk's tail in
the main event program) come out to help with the beat
down.
(Note
from RD: And I do appreciate the Psycho references.
Hitchcock rules.)
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Surprise! The old lady is in fact The Taskmaster Kevin
Sullivan, who comes up with the most evil, diabolical
plan this side of The Riddler spraying the Superfriends
with Stupid Ray: he's going to get rid of the source
of Hogan's orange power.
HIS
MOUSTACHE!
Eric Bischoff reacts with abject horror, as if Hulk
is being raped in the middle of the ring by a member
of the Harlem Globetrotters.
What
the Hell IS IT with hair cutting/trimming angles in
wrestling that inspires such a horrified reaction?
"OH
MY GOD! THE HAIR IS LEAVING THEIR HEAD/FACE! THEIR DIGNITY
AND SELF-WORTH IS BEING COMPROMISED!"
By the way, when I watched the footage for this angle
and saw the description, "Hulk Hogan is shaved
by an elderly woman", I stopped dead in my tracks
and proceeded with very careful caution, lest I have
terrifying nightmares.
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At
one point, mid-shave, Sullivan just seems to stop for
a few seconds, as if to either admire his handiwork.
That
or he was contemplating how funny it would be to leave
it at this point, thus making Hogan look like the world's
most jacked, blone Adolf Hitler impersonator.
Sadly,
discretion is the better part of the Taskmaster's valor
on this night.
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This
non-consensual loss of facial hair causes a change in
Hulk wherein he and his manager/current boyfriend Jimmy
Hart begin to wear black instead of Hulk's traditional
yellow and red. Mean Gene says, "In all my years
I have NEVER seen anything quite like this".
You've
never seen anyone wear black before?
What
kind of rainbow hued world do you live in, Okerlund?
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Anyways,
Hulk tells Gene and Jimmy to stop groveling for a moment
so he could talk. He says he's dressed in black to beat
Kevin Sullivan at his own game....whatever that means.
And that he's gonna beat up Andre's "son",
"that no good stinky giant, brother!"
Why
does Hogan keep saying that the Giant is "stinky"?
Did
Paul Wight just never bathe during this portion of his
career?
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Hulk
then goes to explain the "history" of Hulkamania,
and what a fascinating tale this is. Apparently, and
try to follow along her, a certain "promoter in
the New York City area, brother" had an ego that
"got too big for the wrestling business".
And now that certain promoter is "dying and choking
on his own ego" because he underestimated the power
of Hulkamania.
I'm
sure glad Hulk never went back to work for that promoter
with a big ego from New York City in 2003, 2005, 2006
and counting.
Hogan
then compares his mustache to the Washington Monument
and Old Glory.
It
sounds so glorious that I wouldn't be half surprised
to see it show up on upcoming US currency.
It
would look nice on the back of a California penny, come
to think of it.
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It's
very weird because Hulk proclaims that he's undergone
a change and that he's "evil, brother!", all
the while still wearing a Christian symbol of goodness
around his neck and still telling kids to say their
prayers, eat their vitamins and ask their parents for
plenty of Hulk merchandise.
I
hate to be a skeptic, but seriously, nothing has changed
about Hulk at all, except he lacks a mustache and wears
black.
Is
this his idea of going "goth"? Cause he's
far too orange and meaty to be goth.
You'll
be laughed right out of Hot Topic looking like that.
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For
some reason, Hulk decides to bring Macho Man and Sting
into the mix, claiming that they're not his friends
and look at him with jealous eyes.
Maybe
if you'd let them, I don't know, main event a PPV now
again they wouldn't be, Hulkster!
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| All
this "dark side" tension comes to a head at
Halloween Havoc 95 in Detroit, where Hulk "accidentally"
pushes The Giant off the roof of Cobo Hall.
He
falls off the parking lot side but the river side is shown.
Great going, Mr. Director. |
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Back
at the announce table, Eric Bischoff and Bobby Heenan
are shocked and appalled at what just happened. No one
calls the cops or ambulance or anything. They just talk
about how terrible it is and Bischoff says they're sending
security up there to find out what happened.
Sending
security to find out what happened.
HE
FELL OFF THE ROOF, YOU DUMB CLUCK!
Bobby tries to keep a dialogue going by asking if The
Giant went over on the river side or street side. Bischoff
responds with, "you got a parking lot and a river,
what difference does it make?"
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Causing
Bobby to facepalm and think, "this is the stupidest
thing EVER. I need a stiff drink".
Giant,
of course, would escape unharmed, which will leave forever
unanswered the question to if the cause of death on
his death certificate would have been "revenge
for shaving man's moustache off."
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Alas,
that would not be the stupidest thing Bobby has ever seen.
THIS
would be the stupidest thing he's ever seen.
The
"Yet-tay" who is a used toilet paper Mummy that
walks in normal stride then does a Frankenstein walk at
random, comes out to make a Hulkster sandwich with The
Giant and dry hump Hulk from behind as Tony Schiavone
and Bobby Heenan look on in amazement.
Meanwhile
in ECW, Steve Austin was sowing the seeds for his "Stone
Cold" persona, Raven sought blood vengeance against
Tommy Dreamer and The Gangstas murdered the Public Enemy
with electrical appliances on a nightly basis.
Quite
a difference there, don't ya think? |
Backstabbed
and abandoned by Jimmy Hart, Hulk now turns to his sometimes
friend, sometimes enemy (depending on what month it is
and how much money is at stake), Macho Man Randy Savage
for an alliance.
I
should note they're wearing black cloaks and Zorro masks.
I've seen Eyes Wide Shut and this is going down a very
dark and scary path.
Oh,
and don't ask me to transcribe their promo because I haven't
done enough Mexican speedballs and co-friggin-caine in
my lifetime to understand what
the Hell they're saying. |
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This
very confusing storyline would be resolved...sorta...kinda...at
World War 3 '95 with Hulk finally casting off "The
Dark Side of Hulkamania" and promising to be Sting
and Macho Man's BFF.
Considering
the number of times Sting has formed an alliance with
Ric Flair and then been turned on by him, I'm not surprised
he totally believes Hulk.
And
Randy Savage is getting an extra generous payday by working
with Hulk so he doesn't give a crap. |
Hulk
then impresses the smart marks by breaking out a copy
of The Wrestling
Observer newsletter (but it looks more like a
folded piece of notebook paper, I don't think Hulk subscribes),
burning it in the fire with his black clothing and compares
that "rag sheet" to a "dinosaur, brother!"
(hey, look who's talking, fella! I mean, brother!) and
praises the internet for having "all the scoops,
brother!"
I
wonder how long Hulk's love for the internet lasted.
I
have a feeling it was a brief affair and it ended bitterly.
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Oh
great, now you've hurt Dave and his hairstyle's feelings,
ya big bald orange roid meany.
(Note
from RD: On the plus side, Observer subscriptions
likely rocketed thanks to Hogan giving Dave free publicity
to millions of folks who had never heard of such a thing
as a
wrestling newsletter.) |
Hulk's
new autobiography is coming out soon. I hope there are at least
three chapters about the Darkside of Hulkamania and what the
Hell that was all about.
If
not, I ain't buyin'.
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