State Your Case: Why do you love Hulk Hogan (for all of eternity)?

[James Steele]

As a child who grew up in the 90s, I never understood Hulk Hogan's popularity. I understand he is a pop culture icon and is the undisputed synonym with the phrase "pro wrestling".

I just don't understand how he got over to this degree. His matches sucked, his promos are garbled energetic bullshit, and he did the same shit for over a decade. The heel run was ok, but it was the same repetitive horseshit only he did heelish things instead of babyface things. My favorite Hogan matches are vs Vince at WMXIX and vs Michaels at SummerSlam 05. For all the shit we give Cena or Rock, they can fucking deliver.

I assume Gerty or Seth82 can explain this to me. What was it about society/culture at the time at led to Hogan being such a fucking big deal? Austin and Rock fit with the late 90s culture, and they are the only ones comparable to Hogan's level of fame. I can only assume that Hogan fit perfectly with some major thing in 80s culture. Did it fit in with the "America is here and we're gonna own the fucking world!" of Reagan's America? Surely more than a shallow patriotism gimmick led to Hogan becoming such a huge superstar.

[Lock Jaw]

I was never really into Hogan when he was around (with the exception of the early days of the nWo up until the fiasco with Sting).... but I have to say that I now love him in a nostalgia way. Watched his matches with Ultimate Warrior and The Rock recently....

It was just so simple. Huge muscled dude, blonde chinese hair, skin of a hot dog, loved America, would get beat down and miraculously come back to life in a fit of shaking....

[Vastardikai]

He understood his audience and catered to them.

Even in Japan...

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[James Steele]

Holy shit, Hogan did an armbar and drop toe hold in Japan!

[Anybody Thrilla]

Ugh, fuck that dude.

[Bad News Gertner]

He's the greatest of all time. LOVE Hogan. Gonna make. Some bacon and eggs and I'll get into. This more.

[Bad News Gertner]

WWF really made an aggressive move to go national, which had been done but not to this scale. Now America loves them some America and Hogan pretty much was America: larger than life, charismatic, patriotic. Combine this with its partnership with MTV which was the cool new thing and bam you have the launch of Hogan. People complain that Hogan's matches were all the same, but if your audience wants steak and you give them chicken, then you're being dumb. Hogan's promos just drew you in. He was a real life superheroo and when I say he was everywhere, he was everywhere. I've heard that Hogan didn't sell as much merch than Hogan, but in order to buy a Hogan shirt you pretty much had to attend an event or order from the WWF magazine. You couldn't just walk into Wal Mart like you could with Austin. Also, you have to remember with Hogan, his time came during the birth of ppv, so he didn't have as many avenues than Hogan. Hogan was just the complete package at the time and it's retarded when people say you could have just plugged anyone in there with that gimmick and got the same result. He was probably one of the top 3 most recognizable people in the world during the 80's. There will never be a bigger star than Hogan. He was just awesome.

[Kingofdaswing]

Hogan knew what he was, you didn't see him try and hit a something that he wasn't able too because he knew it would look like shit ( see John Cena trying a drop kick.) He played to his audience which was the average American. Like the previous poster said, a Hulk Hogan was America.

His promos were excellent, and you believed what he was saying. That's the problem with the promos today, you can tell it's totally scripted, and half the roster doesn't believe in what they are saying. With Hogan, you could tell he believed, and all of the fans believed in what he was saying.

Everything he was apart of felt big time, had that big fight feel. Hogan vs Warrior, or Hogan vs Rock (100x better than Cena vs Rock not necessarily because of the in ring action, but because of the fans and how much they bought in to what Hogan and Rock were selling).

Hogan revolutionized the business a couple of times, Hulkamania, and then the nWo. He was the biggest star in the business for 20 years, maybe more. No one will ever be as big as he was.

That is why I like Hulk Hogan

[Fignuts]

I am a child of the 80's and I was at Wrestlemania 18. That's why.

[whiteyford]

Was never a fan, pretty much for all the reasons stated here.

[dronepool]

I don't love him, he's entertaining and knows how to work a crowd but I was never "a fan". I don't like the whole "America Fuck Yeah" thing he has/had.

[Vastardikai]

Holy shit, Hogan did an armbar and drop toe hold in Japan!

There's another match from Japan vs. Hansen where he busts out a Crossbody Block and an Abdominal Stretch.

My point was, he played to his audience better than anyone in his era. In the US he could strut around the ring and flex and get by. In Japan, they expect a bit more substance. And he delivered.

Maybe the problem during his long run in WWF/WCW wasn't so much his shitty ability. Maybe it was just shitty fans.

[Bad News Gertner]

Why would Hogan bust out risky moves where he could get injured when he could wrestle a simple match and get an insane reaction? Plus he's very under-rated in his selling ability. It made his "hulking up" friggen awesome.

[MoFo]

No matter how old or crippled he gets, everytime he steps in a WWE ring it feels special and every match he has feels huge.

I never got that feeling with guys like Flair, or even Austin & Rock.

[#1-norm-fan]

Hulk Hogan was the perfect guy at the perfect time for what Vince was trying to do with wrestling.

[weather vane]

Hogan was mint. Would love to see him come back. Just wish he would dye his eyebrows blonde.

[MIZantine Empire]

I was never really into Hogan when he was around (with the exception of the early days of the nWo up until the fiasco with Sting).... but I have to say that I now love him in a nostalgia way. Watched his matches with Ultimate Warrior and The Rock recently....

It was just so simple. Huge muscled dude, blonde chinese hair, skin of a hot dog, loved America, would get beat down and miraculously come back to life in a fit of shaking....

I can not stop laughing at your line "blonde Chinese hair, skin of a hot dog"

[Shisen Kopf]

He understood his audience and catered to them.

Even in Japan...

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What the hell was that for Hogan's entrance music?