Hulk Hogan and Me – By Wrestle G
Hey NoDQ.com readers, I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus recently as I tried to navigate some life issues and try and re connect with wrestling on a viewer level.
Having experienced personal loss this past year along with a host of friends having bad health diagnoses in their family I’ve been really reflective about the path I want to take in life and how to accomplish that.
So, when the news broke this week about Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan it got me in a place of real reflection about my influences and how the people, we see on screen shape us and our interests.
The Below column I have to caveat this because I know what some of the discussion will be around. The column I am about to write is a wholly personal piece; I am not ignorant of strength of feeling around much of Hulks later years.
The opinions I am writing about below are not designed to change anyone’s mind, or to Invalidate their feelings. Everyone will have their own opinions, and I don’t wish to pass comments on those personal reflections. Everyone is entitled to their have their own feelings based on their own journeys and experiences. This Column is simply about how this news has affected me. I will in the future maybe
I should also note that I have not yet read the other Hogan Columns on the site as yet as I wanted my column to be as much of me as possible, so apologies if I have covered similar ground. I will get to reading them all shortly.
So… here we go……
On Tuesday the news broke that Ozzy Osbourne had passed away, I loved Ozzy and him being from the UK I always had a soft spot for the working-class boy done good. For a 24-hour period I really sat and listened to some Black Sabbath in a way I never really had before, I immersed myself in the lyrics and riffs and really tried to pay attention. This will sound silly to people who are massive fans of music (I love my music but its more a passive than an immersive hobby) As I listened I started to really appreciate the influences Sabbath had and more importantly the impact and inspiration they clearly put forward to the next generation, they had essentially invented a new genre.
On Thursday afternoon of this week, we learnt of Hulk Hogans passing. And that’s when my research of Ozzy and his body work really started to make sense of what I had been seeing in tributes to the Prince of Darkness. When I saw murals being painted, when I saw people shedding a few tears on screen I got what it meant. As the news struck me about Hogan I took a moment. I didn’t shed any tears; I find that hard to do for people I don’t know personally. But I had a bit of an empty feeling and in the past 24 hours I think I have managed to reconcile why I feel a visceral effect of Hulk passing away.
I come from a small town in the Welsh Valleys in the UK. Growing up we had a few TV channels and local entertainment was generally the thing you did. Local sports teams and pubs were the people you cheered for. Without social media it was only your top worldwide calibre celebrities that really cut through as household names.
You Muhammad Ali’s, John Waynes, Elvis Pressley’s of this world had the ability to be world stars and not just local or national celebrities. It took someone or something special for your dad to say ‘I know who that is’ and so in my local video store amongst the blockbusters of the day in the early 90’s stood a small selection of VHS tapes with the visage of the Hulkster on them. Transfixed by the whole artwork of Summer Slam 1989 (yes even Zues!) I remember vividly the whole event selling to me that Hulk Hogan was the most important and entertaining person and entity in the world.
Without that image of Hogan on that box, I don’t think I become a wrestling fan. From the conduit of Hogan I dived deep into Wrestling and found all of my favourites. My first ever column on NoDQ.com was about wrestling being my happy place. And that Happy place started with Hogan and continued with the rest of my favourites throughout the decades.
As my reflections grew it became apparent to me that Hulkamania was bigger than Terry Bollea. Terry Bollea was a conduit and the man, and the character are intrinsically linked of course. But Hulkamania was a way of life for young people, the vitamins and the prayers were something kids actively did, people went to the gym to work on their own 24-inch pythons. Hulkamania brought the message that you looked out for your best friend in good times and bad. There is a long list of children from the Make a Wish foundation whose wishes came true by meeting the man draped in Red and Yellow.
It’s these things that struck me as sad when the news broke. That there are literally millions of people around the world whose lives were touched by one person who stepped through the ropes and cupped his hands to his ear and overcame the bad guys of this world. Hulkamania Became and is far bigger and far more influential than the man who embodied it. And now there are people who will never get to meet that hero.
That is a remarkable legacy. And I think that is what makes me the most sad about this whole situation, that in many ways there will never be another Hulk Hogan character. There may never be someone who so unites wrestling fans and non-wrestling fans alike under a banner of positivity. During those years between 1984 – 1992 the vast vast majority of fans were along for the ride together.
And it wasn’t just fans, much like the Riffs and sound of Black Sabbath influenced a new generation of Heavy Metal we see a lot of the best of the Hulk Hogan Character in the stars that followed. John Cena took the make a wish initiative and blew it out of the water with his kindness and time, the Rock took the connection with wrestling Audiences and cross pollenated it across mainstream media. Roman Reigns took the best of the hold of the audience in his arrogant greatness from the Hollywood Hulk Hogan character. As an on screen performer the influence of Hogan has been an amazing foundation for others to follow. In the same way Hogan used the foundation of others before him to hone his craft.
So, on Thursday the 24th of July, the little wrestling fan inside me who first saw the red and yellow ring attire on a VHS case and decided to find out why Wrestling was cool was sad. His Hero that he looked up to was gone. What was once a kid in a small town was transported to this bright vibrant new world where I was told that if I was good and if I followed the right path that I could achieve anything. Through thick and thin that message has always in some ways stuck with me. And when I reflect on my life achievements and experiences it is hard not thank my fandom of Hulk Hogan for playing a part in it.
I only hope that as wrestling continues and more young fans join the ride, they find similar inspiration in their heroes.
Until Next time,
Cheers,
G