There are a lot of people in the internet wrestling community that like to take swipes at some of the legends (some more than others) for a perceived lacking in their in-ring work. Hulk Hogan seems to be on the receiving end of a lot of this criticism. You would think, from the comments floating around on message board after message board, that Hogan’s status as THE most well-known, most legendary figure in professional wrestling is entirely undeserved. I take issue with that, which begs the question: If Hulk Hogan is such a legend, why do so many in the Internet Wrestling Community have it out for him? It might be just speculation, but here are my thoughts.
The internet is certainly not a new forum. But it is a fact that the internet didn’t come of age until well after Hulk Hogan’s prime. But 1995, when the internet was really starting to take off, the Hulk Hogan that sparked the imaginations of a new generation of wrestlers and fans across the globe was largely gone. A trimmed down, lean Hulkster saddled with ridiculous WCW-style storylines hung in there for a few years, but what ultimately supplanted by the notorious villain, Hollywood Hogan of N.W.O. fame. I can’t help but think that the internet truly predates most of us old-school wrestling fans, those of us old enough to have lived through the birth of MTV and the War to Settle the Score. If a fan’s first impression of the Hulkster was from Hogan vs. the Butcher (or any of the colossally awful Dungeon of Doom matches), I can see how they might not see Hogan for the legend he is.
There are a lot of folks who a very critical of the limited moveset that Hogan employed in his career. That is a fair criticism, although one that is not fairly applied. For example, Jake the Snake had a very limited repertoire of moves, but is generally well-regarded. The Undertaker spent the first years of his career using a blatant choke hold as his move of choice. I think the difference here is that we have a new generation of fans who don’t have the patience to watch a match with an 8 minute beatdown of the protagonist with the payoff being a 2 minute comeback and victory. But that was the psychology of wrestling back then. I would argue that psychology in wrestling has largely disappeared. Much of it died the day the curtain was lifted after the Montreal Screwjob. Hogan vs. Bundy at Wrestlemania 2 was not a great match. It was not a wrestling clinic. But it delivered on all the emotional aspects that it needed to succeed. It ended a long-standing feud between Bundy and Hogan. The match told a story. When was the last time a John Cena match told a story? (no disrespect to Cena).
Regardless of your opinion of Hogan outside of the ring, you cannot take away the fact that Hogan’s legendary status was cemented the day he slammed Andre the Giant at Pontiac Silverdome. There, to me, has never been a bigger Wrestlemania. You cannot judge his entire career based on the last three or four matches of his career. That would be like using every post-1989 Flair match to judge the Nature Boy’s career. As with most things in life, context is the key. For those that love him, Hulkamania will live forever. For those that hate him, John Cena awaits.
