Hulk Hogan

[urbanecowboy]

Hogan’s AWA run and the fact that he’s Hulk Hogan make him a lock for my list. I really would like to watch more of his 84-86 period because that’s stuff I haven’t revisited since the tapes when I was a kid. 

[Microstatistics]

Perhaps this is unfortunate timing from a political standpoint, but I've largely come around on Hogan and will likely rank him, a thought that would have been utterly preposterous in years past. 

His unrelenting motion approach did bring something extra to his matches by elevating the competitors and intensifying crowd heat. I have gained an appreciation for his basic offense, combined with some of the flashier stuff he could bust out, and he could even sell well when he focused on it. Still, certain fundamental criticisms do persist e.g., the Hulk-up which, in many instances, was awful because it involved completely blowing off all the damage sustained and rarely going back to selling. But, in his defense, that's what the audiences craved so it's a case of artistic merit vs. what draws the money.

He particularly excelled in brawls and spectacle matches and the MSG Desert Storm bout and Wrestlemania X8 are career highlights and should be enough to secure at least a 75-100 spot.

Also, it took me a while to fully accept it, but it's nearly undeniable now that he is the face of professional wrestling. There have been larger-than-life stars before (Jim Londos, Bruno, Backlund) and after (Austin with his 98/99 mega-peak, Rock and Cena with cross-over appeal, even Roman to some extent) but when non-fans think of wrestling, they think of Hulk Hogan. He was a case of right guy, right place, right time as his infectious energy and persona melded perfectly with the landscape of 80s America and immortalized his place at the top.