Hulk Hogan Article

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Decent story on Hogan's status in the wrestling business, with a lot of comments from current TNA talents.

LEEInks » In Boston appearance, Hulk Hogan settles into role as GM of TNA Impact Wrestling

IN BOSTON APPEARANCE, HULK HOGAN SETTLES INTO ROLE AS GM OF TNA IMPACT WRESTLING

By Justin Barrasso


Hulk Hogan returned to Boston on Sunday night, but this visit was far different from his past trips. Instead of wrestling in front of a capacity crowd at the Garden, Hogan performed his on-screen role as general manager for TNA Impact Wrestling at Boston University’s Agganis Arena. Unlike Hogan’s trips to the Hub with the WWE, the show was not a sellout. The 59-year-old Hogan did not end the night by using his patented leg drop on an unsuspecting opponent. The pay-per-view Slammiversary event focused on building storylines and character interest for wrestlers like TNA champion Bully Ray, Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy. Yet Hogan’s presence still loomed. The biggest name in the history of professional wrestling may have lost a touch of its luster since the peak of Hulkamania, but Hulk Hogan’s incandescent glow still transcends the world of professional wrestling.

“Everything in life is a run,” said Hogan. “You could be wrestling for two years, or married for two years and have a two-year-run, or you wrestle for 10 years or be in the business 10 days and have a run. I’ve had a 35-year run.”

Still in the midst of his incredible “run,” Hogan remains the most discussed — and admired — man in the back with the boys.

“It’s something to do with that generation,” marveled Sting. “The days when Hulk was running all over the world, number one, he was it. He was it. He was immortal. Here he is all these years later because of that.”

The 54-year-old Sting, who, like Hogan, is an icon in the wrestling industry, has achieved a tremendous amount of success in the squared circle over the past 28 years. In the bowels of Agganis Arena, he still spoke of Hogan as part of the “generation before him.” This makes sense, as even though Hogan is only five years older than Sting, he has wrestled seven years longer and achieved fame much earlier. For the younger wrestlers (i.e., everyone else on the TNA roster), Hogan still inspires awe. Even TNA’s most popular superstars are willing to gush about the man who once implored his Hulkamaniacs to say their prayers, eat their vitamins and believe in themselves.

“Hulk is the reason I got into professional wrestling and he is the reason professional wrestling is what it is,” said Hardy. “He’s got a huge role in TNA. Now he’s backstage helping the younger guys and just being a great mentor. That’s huge for everybody that works with him.”


Hardy isn’t alone. Hogan also was part of the inspiration for Sting to enter the world of sports entertainment.

“I co-owned a health club at Gold’s Gym in Southern California and the big guy with blond hair used to come into the gym and work out, and people would freak out and say, ‘Do you know who that is?’ And I didn’t know,” said Sting. “It was my own health club. It was Hulk Hogan. I knew him from the “Rocky” movie, but I didn’t know him as Hulk Hogan the wrestler. The area of Southern California that I grew up in was just far enough out of LA that we didn’t have pro wrestling on TV. I didn’t even know what it was. Other people came in the health club, and one guy named Rick Bassman wanted to break into pro wrestling. He had three big guys and he wanted a fourth. It took him a few weeks but he finally recruited me. He took me to a match at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles where Hulk Hogan, Big John Studd, the British Bulldogs, the Iron Sheik, Adrian Adonis, I mean everybody was there, it was stacked. It was pandemonium. It was unreal. I knew right then, I wanted to do this.”

Hogan performed at the highest level for over three decades. Though his lack of technical in-ring skills often were criticized, Hogan found a way to entertain and make the most of each match. His success in the ring has, however, come at a price. Along with eight back surgeries, both of Hogan’s hips and knees were replaced. His last knee replacement took place this past January, and in a cruel twist of irony, Hogan’s leg drop actually did more harm to himself than to his opponents. Hogan’s tailbone absorbed a crushing blow whenever his 300-pound frame hit the mat and, because of that, his back is noticeably uneven. Yet even at an advanced age with a bionic body, his presence alone still demands reverence from his colleagues.

“Hulk brings a brand-awareness to the company,” said Tazz, the former “Human Suplex Machine” and current TNA television analyst. “Hulk Hogan is a household name. Let’s be honest, he is the Babe Ruth of pro wrestling. I’ve got nothing but the utmost respect for Hulk.”

“You’re talking about a man who’s had more success than any other wrestler,” said Angle. “He has the knowledge. He hung around with [WWE chairman] Vince McMahon for 15, 20 years and soaked it in. He understands the business and knows what gets over. When you have somebody like that mentored by Vince, he’s going to have a lot to give to the sport of pro wrestling.”

Hogan’s acumen and sharp sense for the business have evolved over the past 30 years.

“Every generation in wrestling has its style,” said Hogan. “The generation nowadays is a cross from getting wrestling boots from Santa Claus and getting to wrestling school and playing video games. When I broke in, and this was 35 years ago, you’d go down and try to become a wrestler, they broke my leg the first day. They beat me up for two years, then they sent me to Japan to learn submissions and hooks and all kinds of craziness. It’s just so different now.”

Earl Hebner remembers the way it used to be. The longtime wrestling referee made his debut in the WWE in 1988 as a part of an angle with Hogan and fellow wrestling legends Andre the Giant and the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase.

“I was there in the old Boston Garden with Hogan and he would raise the roof when he’d come out. And why wouldn’t he? He’s a legend. He’s a one-time, one-thing only. You can’t copy or remake that,” said Hebner. “It’s amazing how somebody can go so long and be loved that much in this business as much as Hogan has.”

Hebner’s favorite moment in the ring involves his very first night in a WWE ring, a night that included Hogan.

“The first day I came here with the twin deal in ’88 [on The Main Event, which aired on NBC, in Indianapolis on Feb. 5, 1988], that sticks out more than any other,” said Hebner. “That was my first night there [with the WWE]. Hogan launched me. When it was all over and said and done, I was out six weeks getting my rotator cuff replaced cause nobody — DiBiase, Andre and Virgil — caught me. I went over everybody’s head, hit the floor, and split my whole rotator cuff.”

With Hogan acting at the sport’s driving force, wrestling forever changed. It went from a carnival sport to, all of a sudden, mainstream. Hogan’s popularity took wrestling to a peak altitude that the business had not before touched.

“The mindset back when I started was that it was a big man’s game. When I started, I was about 320 pounds and I was considered a medium-sized guy. The whole business has changed. It moves much faster. There’s so many different choices for entertainment between cable and reality TV that the business had to reinvent itself. It’s so different now, and that’s why our company is on track. We’re keeping up with the times, plus we’re keeping it real as far as what wrestling should be like. All of our guys that are wrestling have an old-school mindset, but they can move quick and keep up with everything entertainment-wise.”

Hogan, who was no plans to exit the wrestling business any time soon, has nothing but fond memories of Boston, and the Real American is forever thankful to his fans in what he called “a real American city.”

“There are city places in the world, especially in the United States, that are hotbeds of professional wrestling,” said Hogan. “There’s Madison Square Garden, Boston and, believe it or not, Tampa, Florida. So to come here to Boston and be accepted early on in my career, I fell in love with Boston. The Boston-maniacs have been loyal through thick and thin throughout the last 35 years.”