Friday - celebrate the birth of Hulkamania

[$heriff Tom]

Enough with Laura, enough with fuckin' Roe vs Wade. On Friday, Hulkamania was sparked.

January 23rd, 1984. 25 years ago. Hulk Hogan vanquished the nefarious Iron Shiek, and the rest is history.

On January 23, 1984, Hulkamania was born. After defeating the Iron Sheik, and becoming the first person to escape the camel clutch, Hogan won his first WWF championship at Madison Square Garden. Immediately after the match, commentator Gorilla Monsoon proclaimed “Hulkamania is here!”

This is a special day on and around this board. Parts of this board are dressed accordingly. Bear with us. This is up early cause I may be too busy in the morning to alert you all to this milestone. I also want you going to bed tonight thinking how lucky you are to be in a World that has Hulkamania gurgling through it.

[thecaptain15]

I cannot believe 25 years have passed since I sat ringside and attended this historic event. It is probably the loudest I have ever heard MSG for an event.......Where has the time gone?

[$heriff Tom]

I regret not taping the entire card when it was shown on WWE Classics a few months back. Im not sure what happened there. Im going to hunt down the DVD from one of my trader buddies.

I think its quite cool that you were in house for such a monumental time on this Earth, Cap.

[thecaptain15]

Times sure have changed....That is for sure......

[Chris]

Was I the only one a little pissed when they had Rocky beat up Thunderlips?

[massyanksfan]

Wow, 25 years. What a great match that was. As much as people have been on Hogan for not being able to wrestle, he sure changed the sport.

[$heriff Tom]

I have never seen the Rocky movie with Hogan in it.

[yanksgooner]

it must be cuddle time w/ Baloo in Turks & Caicos.

[$heriff Tom]

Balls picked this week so he could miss Obama's inaugaration and Laura's birthday.

[thecaptain15]

I thought Rocky and Thunderlips fought to a no contest.....

[sancho231]

yes it was a draw. and let us look back at 25 years of Hulkamania.the world titles, the Wrestlemania main events, the humbling loss to the Warrior at WM VI, His singing with WCW and almost having his run over. Till he turned to the Darkside formed the NWo and saved his career , to his WEE return the great match vs the Rock and his Hall OF Fame induction . and let's not forget his AWESOME matches in japan. His WM 3 match with Andre the largest gate in American history.
Basically HULK RULES

[cactusjames]

Ladies and Gentlemen....The Golden Calf. God this is lame. It could be the darkest day on earth today.

The only thing I agree with his he changed wrestling.....for the worse. I'm glad his ex wife is taking him to the cleaners, even though it will eventually lead to another painful Hogan match down the road, the one thing Hulkamania can get beat by is his wife. Some Real American he is, getting bitched out by a broad.

[$heriff Tom]

Yes, James, but through it all - unlike SOMEONE we all know - he never "lost his smile."

[cactusjames]

Very true. How could one lose his smile if he didn't care enough about his craft and give 110% each and every time he performed? It's hard to burn out when you don't try.

You don't want to do this dance with me Tom, I've done it too many times, I can't lose. I said my peace, now you guys can have your day and idolize a fake comic book hero. Although, I feel I should point out, in some religions, you'd be executed for worshiping someone who isn't a God. Personally, I think anyone who goes on and on about vitamins before cutting a promo on Sgt. Slaughter should be executed, but who am I to judge.Oh yeah, one more complaint, Hogan doesn't say Brother enough. It's just so effective.

[Chris]

This is pretty amusing. James' calling out a wrestling icon as a fraud.

Ehhhhh.....James.....his "craft?"

What craft would that be? Acting?

You do know this shit is, entertaining as it may be, fake.....right?

[Ms. Jericho]

Of course he knows it is "fake" in that it is scripted. But that does not mean anyone can do it nor does it mean that it doesn't require a great deal of athleticism.
The wrestling is fake arguement doesn't make much sense to me.
That said, Hogan sucks. What a stooge!

[MSBNYY]

Words cannot express the greatness that is Hulkamania. In honor of the Hulkster, on Friday, I did the atomic leg drop into the pool. However, I have to say that I am disappointed in myself, because I did not bring my Hogan shirt on the trip. It was a sad week, with Obama taking office, yet I know that with the power of Hulkamania lighting the world, America will survive even this latest threat.

The sun will rise on the United States again, and the sun will never set on Hulkamania.

[cactusjames]

Chris, anything that takes years to learn is a craft. Cooking, acting, snowboarding. And yes, wrestling and fighting. While you could jump in the ring tomorrow and have a better match than Hogan, you wouldn't be a master at wrestling. Outcomes scripted, yes. Years spent training to master needed skills, hell yeah.

Dana is spot on, the whole real fake argument is stupid. No matter how you feel about scripted outcomes, it's no secret not just anyone can jump into the ring and be a Flair or HBK. But we did learn from this thread if you wear red and yellow outfits and repeat Brother a million times in one half hour episode, you can have your own reality show and be beloved by a bunch of middle aged men who still love comic book heroes.

[MSBNYY]

Just make sure you never lose your smile.

[Chris]

I'm not really sure...well, no I guess I just don't understand wrestling enough to know why the "Wrestling is fake" argument is stupid.

I think I've watched enough wrestling to know that there are different kinds of wrestlers: bruisers, brawlers, acrobats, and even some guys who employ a lot of honest to goodness amateur wrestling moves.

I don't know that the Hulkster's "acting" in the ring is any less believable that a guy who flips around the ring at lightning speed like a Rey Mysterio. So, in that sense, I'm not really sure I understand why Hulk Hogan sucks - his shtick is one of the more cornier gimmicks I've seen so I guess maybe that's what you might be alluding to?

[Ms. Jericho]

That is exactly what I am alluding to. Hogan is ultra-cheesey and I don't get why he appeals to so many old dudes, (and yes dear, you are old) except for the nostalgia factor. Hogan is lame.

I think his "acting" is corny. His stupid posing in the ring for thirty seven minutes is lame and to top it all off, he can't wrestle. And even though wreslting is "fake" it helps if you know how to wreslte.

Forget, burisers and acrobats and all that. In my world there are three types of wreslters.

There are those that can't wreslte but are amusing or entertaining. They are guys like Santino who are only there for laughs.

Those who some would consider "boring" but are great technical wrestlers. The best example of that, and I hate to use him, but it is true, is Chris Benoit.

And finally, those who can do both like Edge, or Kurt Angle, or my man Y2J.

Jericho can wrestle and can cut a better promo than Hogan. ;D

[cactusjames]

Shit, Jericho was cutting better promos than goofy Hogan when they were both in WCW. Any real wrestling fan knows that man of 1001 moves is way better than Hogan. Fuck Hogan never even had Ralphus. Hogan sucks dick.

And I'll nutshell one step further than Dana, there are two types of wrestlers, those who can't, Hogan. And then those who can, everyone else. My thinking is the best wrestlers are those who can suspend your belief that it's fake or scripted or whatever. When you're watching a match and able to just enjoy the match and the action in the ring and not simplify everything, that's when you're watching a good wrestler. Wrestling doesn't have to be real or fake, black or white. It can be enjoyed for what it is, sheer entertainment. Sadly, while I can enjoy any match, I still can't help but look out for those inside things, the stuff you either learn about or read about. I mean soaps are really bad and predictable, but people love that shit. This just has way more and cooler action and hotter broads.

[Chris]

Well first of all, Dana, let me clear up one thing - Hogan doesn't appeal to me. I've never been a Hulkamaniac, and these days I am by no means even a casual wrestling fan.

The only wrestlers I can ever remember, in my lifetime, being really amped up over were Goldberg, The Road Warriors, and Bruiser Brody. Not sure any of them were technically sound...as a matter of fact I seem to recall many really long-time zealous wrestling fans saying that as a wrestler, Goldberg was awful. But he was entertaining as hell.

So, I'm probably too ignorant about wrestling to pick up on the nuances that separate a "good" wrestler from "bad" .... so with that admission, I guess I just don't see why the Hulkster would be considered so much worse than Jericho (he's the only name you mentioned that I recognize).

[Chris]

I'd do Susan Lucci over McMahon's daughter any day.

[cactusjames]

Because Jericho can have a different match every time he goes out there, Hogan had one formula to all his matches, and even worse, one speed, slow mo. Hogan has drawing power, but he can't tap into an audience and know what it wants like Jericho can. Jericho is more diverse, that's why he isn't worse than Hogan.