On The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast, Tony Atlas stated he does not believe Hulk Hogan would have a hard time getting over today. Here are the highlights:
On if Hogan could get over today: “If you look at anything that Hogan did in the 80s, it doesn’t fit today and will not draw that same crowd. What people call exciting changed. What people called interesting changed. When I was a kid, I was scared of dinosaurs and what is a favorite thing of kids now? Dinosaurs. When I was a kid, I was afraid of zombies. Now, what is the greatest show out right now? The Walking Dead. Tattoos were never a big thing and tattoos were for convicts and bikers. Now, tattoos is a fashion statement (laughing) back when I was a kid the only guy who wore pants too big for him was Charlie Chaplin. Now, looking like Charlie Chaplin is in. When you look at Charlie Chaplin, and the way people dress now what is the difference? The world changed. Everything changed. Life changed, and your perception of life changed. What was good all of a sudden has become bad. What is bad all of a sudden has become good. Life’s a constant change.”
On if he saw Hogan getting over as the top babyface in the 80s: “Hogan was always huge with the fans; it was the promoter that Hogan had to convince. If you listened carefully when I was wrestling Hogan half of the fans were cheering Hogan, and the other half was cheering me. It took awhile for the promoters to see that. At the time, Vince Sr. had his eye totally on Bob Backlund and Backlund was his champion and not Hogan. It wasn’t until Hogan went away and made money someplace else and showed Vince what he could do, but Vince McMahon isn’t the one that gave Hogan his break it was Verne Gagne in Minneapolis, but Vince Jr. was smart enough to say: we’ve got to get this guy back and in his first big match back he beat the Iron Sheik for the title’.”
