Why was he so over? I didn't really grow up with my earliest I seen him was NWO Hollywood Hogan. And dont get me wrong I remember liking him but if look up videos of him in the 80s people are losing their fucking minds and I dont get it
Look at him
>>21253307Okay hes big. Lots of people are big
>>21253299Who else looks like Hulk Hogan? Not just the muscles, he's a weird looking guy in general and that draws dimes.
>>21253314Not just that. Look at his overall appearance. Who else looks like that?
>>21253299electic energy in the ringcoke fueled promosknew how to work a crowd better than anyonebig and strong enough to slam andreawesome theme songbright colorsstrong media presence outside of the ringtoys
>>21253316>>21253317That doesnt make any sense. You cant just be universally loved because youre big and weird looking. Andre was big and weird looking but Hogan was more over
>>21253321We're talking about Hogan not Macho
>>21253323Hogan was smaller than Andre and he was able to body slam him. Other guys like Kamala did it but it wasn't as widely broadcast or available like footage is today, so there was a perception for young marks that Hogan was the biggest and best. He wore red and yellow specifically to draw more attention to himself. And he cut a great/memorable and exciting promo. It's really that simple.
>>21253330they fall into the same categoryI was 5 years old in 1990 so they were basically like living action figures/superheroes to me
one in a million look, knew how to play up a crowd, knew how to appear as both the good guy and the bad guy, came out big for the US during the heightening of the cold war in the late 70's and 80's (which is funny in hindsight because by that point the US has objectively surpassed the USSR in everything and the USSR was in a march to inevitably), made sure to go to Hollywood as a wrestler-turned-actor instead of just an actor like other wrestlers did before him, and also kept up worldwide appeal especially in Japan
>>21253299He was extremely charismatic and knew how to work a crowd Also look at his matches, he knew how to make the guys he wrestled look like a million dollars by selling like death because that's how you draw money.
>>21253299He was something else. If all you saw was NWO Hollywood Hogan, you didn't even catch him in his heyday. He was an absolute cultural icon back in the 80s, especially among kids. We're talking lunch pails, toys, cartoons, stuffed dolls, the whole shebang. He was larger than life and omnipresent. It's perhaps hard to understand today exactly how big pop-culture figures could be in pre-Internet times, before everyone was sort of plugged into their own thing. He was a household name.
>>21253330Savage was a midget compared to Hogan. They had to add buckles to the title belt so he could wear it.
>>21253388Thats literally the point of my thread.
>>21253299he had IT. one of the best examples
>>21253422But what is IT
>>21253299He was bigHe was strong The entire company was built around him since December 1983 He was funny He was charismatic He got catch phrase over He got poses over He body slammed the biggest of the big fat fatties He didn't fucking lose When he did lose, it was because the odds were stacked against him All of the good guys were his friends All of the bad guys were his enemies He prayed to the Christian God as the cross was central to his character (even as Hollywood, he would wear a gold cross and a black cross) The fake announcers would glaze him The heel announcers would roast him It was the Hulk Hogan Show featuring your favorite Superstar pals
>>21253388a lot of wrestling fans now only know Hulk from his 00's run in WWE or even TNA where he waa either just a tribute act (WWE) or he was just taking the piss (TNA). They don't understand how much of a icon he waa in the 1980's and how that carried onto 1990's where he did the most risky wrestling reinvention of all time
>>21253299>not getting hulk hogangrim. its just dudes in underwear on a screen to you, isnt it?
>>21253299Watch his match against Iron Sheik. The way dude was able to tell a compelling story in a little over 5 minutes is quite incredible
>>21253299Charisma mostly. He's not a particularly great wrestler but he knew how to sell and make matches feel important. He could promo. Pretty amazing babyface and but I don't think people were prepared for him to be a great heel as well. He has an electric quality about him that you can't deny. One of those once in a lifetime kind of performers.
>>21253299Ahhh idk. No one looks like that motherfucker and he was charismatic and memorable. HH saying brother is like a fact of life too. and for all the flak he gets about hulking his selling was good too. hulking was his spot but he was a good worker
>>21253299What isn't there to get? He basically had almost maxed out stats in everything needed for a megastar wrestler.
On top of everything mentioned, anyone with a patriotism gimmick in the 80s and early 90s was instantly mega over. Even complete shitters like Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Lex Luger would get the whole crowd chanting USA! Baby Boomers were in their 30s then and going to lots of shows. They still for that bullshit today.
>>21253299Threads like this remind me just how undervalued promo ability is in wrestling nowadaysForget his look for a second (which was a great look, even Shitman gave Hogan a 10/10 for his physical appearance as a wrestler)Hogan could also fucking promo like no other - something else that Shitman gave him a 10/10 forSure his Hulk character sounds kind of corny by current standards, but the amount of charisma and excitement that came out of his mouth whenever he talked was unparalleledFew wrestlers could do it on his level, and none could do it the way he didYou can search for damn near any 1980s 'Hulkamaniacs' promo from him, and easily tell how any kid from back then could hang onto his every word and root for him. He was the closest thing to a real-life superhero as they could possibly get, and even some of the adults couldn't help but root for him too
>>21253785>how undervalued promo ability is in wrestling nowadaysWhat's worse is that there's wrestlers these days who think they don't need to be able to promo at all
>>21253417I understand that, but I'm just saying there was a vibe about him that contributed to his popularity. This type of thing builds upon itself.I can't overemphasize how much of it was lack of options. Back then, if you wanted to watch something, you watched what was on, not necessarily what you wished was on. Which sometimes meant watching Hulk Hogan even if Wrestling wasn't your favorite thing because, even then, you liked it better than the rest of the shit that was on.But his charisma was off the charts. I saw him live on Smackdown back in 2003. I didn't think I would but I marked out harder for him than I ever marked out in my life. He just had an awesomeness about him.
>>21254078Most of them are scripted nowadays, so nothing feels organic or real. It might as well be read from a teleprompter.
>>21254219A huge part of the problem is that wrestling companies have lost the plot. The workrate marks are an oversized part of the audience and companies want to appeal to them, so they focus on workrate guys. But the problem is that the type of guy who goes out of his way to learn to be the best workrate wrestler possible is usually the type of guy who is boring as fuck personality wise.Workrate guys shouldn't be the focus. The focus should be guys who look the part, act the part, know how to engage an audience, are dumb enough to do stupid shit that might get them hurt, and who are at least *okay* in the ring if not great. You can make up with being *okay* by working a bit stiffer and, being tough guys, they can handle it. As I repeat often, shorter matches on TV shows, 3 to 7 minutes, with the main event being 10. Just have more matches and more opportunities for this type of guy to work off-the-cuff on the mic.The scripted promo shit is only necessary because, again, workrate wrestlers are boring fucks who focused on getting good at the wrong thing.
>>21254255>But the problem is that the type of guy who goes out of his way to learn to be the best workrate wrestler possible is usually the type of guy who is boring as fuck personality wise.Also that type of wrestler seems to go out of his way to avoid the gym at all costs
>>21254322These days yeah, although I was actually thinking of the Lance Storms and the Chris Benoits of the old days who paved the way for modern workrate shitters. And wrestlers need to know how to go at least a little bit. I watch wrestling for wrestling. But the guys who are "actually good" at it (not talking about workrate) were the ones who knew how to get you invested in them. And back to the point of the thread, the Hulkster really shined at that. Like, I might not like some of the shit he said and did later in life, and I do consider myself someone who watches for matches, but the Hulkster will probably always be my favorite. I often say that he had five moves, but they were the five moves everyone wanted to see and he did them right when the crowd wanted to see them. That matters a lot more than having dozens of dazzling moves in your repertoire and being able to do fancy flips. Part of being invested means being able to process what you're seeing.
Their inability to cut promos wouldn't matter if they had even an ounce of aura. See: Yokozuna, early Taker, Kamala, Andre, etc.
>>21254393Those guys had managers who did the talking for them
>>21253299Because nobody will ever look like Hogan ever again. He walked into the room and he was almost always the biggest dude there.
>>21253425It's, it
>>21254439What is it?
>>21254322Twinks and "toned" guys because popular with fags and women, it makes more sense when you realize most wrestling promoters are fags, in touch with fag culture or half-fags aka bisexuals.Course sometimes you do get a straight promoter like Crockett, Watts, Von Erich, or Heyman.
>>21253299He mogged the fuck out of the old guard WWF guys like Backlund and Bruno, and made people believe in a Billy Graham look with a Dusty Rhodes attitude.
He was elite in every aspect that matters in drawing dimes in wrestling. Name one that he wasn't
>>21253317>Not just that. Look at his overall appearance. Who else looks like that?superstar billy graham.
>>21253299>it's another terry "the dead cuck" bollea threadREMINDER: terry bollea spent his last days paying for both the CAR driven as well as the HOUSE occupied by his wife's 19 year old boyfriend. this is also known as cuckoldry. he died as a self worshipping, disingenuous, backstabbing, chicken shit, racist, roid tranny cuck and there is literally nothing you can do about it.
>>21254563This is how he looked when Hogan was rising.
>>21254503>BrunoBruno was a total beast when he was younger/before the neck injury
>>21254587this is a picture of superstar billy graham when he won his first wwwf championship in ***1977***. hulk hogan didn't win his first wwf championship until ***1984***.you are a gay lying little faggot who can't accept that hulk hogan stole his entire look and spiel from superstar billy graham.
>>21254607Calm the fuck down, the other poster was obviously wrong but you don't need to be like that.
He mogged Rocketty (not that one the other one)
>>21254616>n-no, you don't get to be correct like THAT just because the "other" poster was blatantly lying>t.vae victis. cope. seethe. wipe your ass. go back. stay there.
Echoing other comments but:— Passed the Main Event “look” test. Big, strong, looked like a believable top guy. (Lots of guys have this, but Hogan did too).— Could cut an absolutely electric, charismatic, improvised promo without stumbling or rambling. (Some guys can do this, but Hogan was great at it.)— The original GOAT of connecting with the crowd and getting them involved during a match. His matches were sooo formulaic, lol, but by god it was a formula that worked. When he started hulking up, the crowd went nuts. Then the post-match posing and ear-circling crowd work was iconic.— Right Character, Right Time. Admittedly, a lot of this was timing. The 80s were an era where Americans still loved America, there wasn’t as much division, and crowds still loved a genuine Superman-like hero (as opposed to the Batman-like anti-heroes of the Attitude Era and the overall 2000s, or the cynical, “sympathize with the villain” heel-heroes of the 2010s). Hogan was a simple good guy that fit the time.He was very mid as a “wrestler,” but that didn’t matter. He understood he was a performer first. Overall, it’s not any of those things individually, but rather the combination of everything in one package. THAT’s what was rare about Hogan. He could do ALL the things that mattered most, whereas other guys only excelled at pieces here and there.
>>21254607>hulk hogan stole his entire look and spiel from superstar billy grahamSo did alot of other guys. Billy was ahead of his time and if Vince Sr. had half a brain he could of had his own Hulk Hogan a decade earlier.
>>21254659Learn some fucking manners.Why are you seething this hard for being called out. You're acting like a little bitch.
>the "other" poster is still screeching after conceding defeatyeah it's just him running damage control for being quickly outed as a liar and a fraud
>>21254607And he took it from Muhammad Ali who took it from Gorgeous George.
hogan was more over in 1985 than 1987
>>21254589he was, but he was unfortunately also 5'7''
>>21253299https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm_aKikJ6T4this is prime America, this is prime Worldyou have to remember there is 4 or 5 channels and all are local in some way. Theres very little cable, video games are barely a thing, etc. And this big retard shows up on your show with rizz out the ass
Aside from all his talents, look and charisma, Hogan was also at the right place and right time. He was Americana. He was the cool, strong, tanned dude who fought evil and lived the big life with a larger than life presence. Its also why Austin worked out so well, the zeitgeist shifted to anti-authority, edginess, more vulgar so the foul mouthed, ass kicking beer drinking redneck who is fighting his asshole boss clicked with the times.
>>21254965Faggots gonna faggot, I guess, it's obvious you just can't help yourself.Peace.
>>21253299i never liked him, even at 3 years old, i could see all the things he was doing were hokey, i always liked earthquake and yokozuna pushing his shit in, I still went to see Suburban Commando when it opened though
>>21255073same with roman>barely shows>only has their looks>ethnically ambiguous>whole family acts like niggas
>the "other" poster has informed a thread that he will be running away like the gay lying little faggot he is, never to return out of sheer embarrassment because he lied like a bitch and lost like a fraudi accept this second concession as well. now be a good bitch and waddle on back and don't return you gay lying little faggot.
>>21255117a thread that doesn't care*; minor typo that i'm not deleting and reposting because the gay lying little faggot ran away and won't see it anyway lel.
>>21255117>>21255130I didn't run away. I'm still here. I'm just saying, you need to calm the fuck down dude.
>the "other" poster couldn't make it 2 minutes before letting everyone know he lied AGAIN about leavinglol
>>21253299Sometimes I wonder if Hulk Hogan was secretly like Cena or Roman where he drove off more fans than he brought and this is just years of gaslighting over his GOAT status and that I've also fallen for it. I hope that's not true.
>>21255180Calm the fuck down. You're ranting like a woman.
>the "other" poster started shitting his pants less than 50 fucking seconds after i pointed out that he once again lied about leavinglol
>>21255216Calm down.
>the "other" poster is already running on fumesthat's what happens when you shit your pants after being called out as a gay little faggot liar lol.
>>21255236Not reading a word you say until you calm down bro.
>Not reading a word you say until you calm down bro.
>>21253299>says nigger one time>he becomes the most hated wrestler ever>other wrestlers like Flair or Austin rape, beat their wives, or murder>no one cares
>>21255294Still waiting for you to calm down.
>>21255296Its an injustice for sure.
>Still waiting for you to calm down.
>>21255433You're still not being calm.
>>21255473Take your meds. Chill.
>>21254730>The 80s were an era where Americans still loved America, there wasn’t as much division, and crowds still loved a genuine Superman-like herohe wasnt really super American, sure hed bring the flag out vs a Russian or something but he wasnt wearing red white and blue every match
>>21253299he was the right gay guy at the right place at the right time
>>21255888Do you think Inoki, Jerry Jarrett, and later Vince made him go down on them?
>>21255929No “made” about it, Hogan volunteered. All the boys called him Gulp Hogan.
>>21253299Because he was larger than life compared to every other wrestler at the time. His promos back then are what made wrestling. You'd have had to have been an 80s kid to understand
>>21253785>Sure his Hulk character sounds kind of corny by current standards"Current standards"are Punk and Cody acting like a bitchy gay couple and a dimeless comedy midcarder like Sami Zayn being the champ. I'll take the "corny" 80s stuff anyday.
>>21256048literally known as Ichiban in Japan (Number One) and the first IWGP Champion, went over Inoki. Deal with it leftoid
>>21256127Yeah because he sucked Inoki’s cock. What do you think Ichiban referred to? Certainly not his wrestling.
>>21256149>blurp
>>21253323Andre was over as well and so was Macho >>21253330 and Flair and none had movie star good looks. But this was in the ere when Gene Hackman could lead a movie so who knows. it was just a better time
