[1996-02-11-WCW-SuperBrawl VI] Hulk Hogan vs The Giant

[Superstar Sleeze]

Hulk Hogan vs The Giant - WCW SuperBrawl VI Steel Cage

I enjoyed their Halloween Havoc match and I remember watching this one before. I was disappointed in this one after Havoc. The Havoc match was marred by the Yet-TAY and the Monster Truck Battle. I like the idea of Jimmy Hart turn, but even that was overly convoluted because he had to hit the ref first for the DQ clause storyline to work. So while I did the Halloween Havoc match was good. This match dragged and really did not get me excited. 

There is a loud Hogan sucks chant to start, but once that dies down, the crowd eventually turns into a pro-Hogan crowd by the end of the match. Hogan has a bad eye, which I think it due a spike heel, which was a common injury in the first half of 1996. Hogan launches a full-court press at the beginning of the match. It was very Hogan with the eye rakes, choking the Giant with the throat and throwing heel offense back at the heel and throwing the Big Man into the steel cage. Hogan goes for the Bear Hug, but hurts his back. Giant throws one of those swinging Double Axe Handles that stood out to me at Halloween Havoc, but he doesnt stick with that. Besides a couple flurries of Hogan offense, this heat segment drags in a way that Havoc match does not. The Knucklelock and the Bearhug can be effective spots in a match like but they just feel heatless in this context. It takes a while for Giant to start to work the eye much to the chagrin of The Brain who was championing their strategy, but that does add a little something to match and choking Hogan with the shirt...the more heel work the better. The one good hope spot is the Giant crashing and burning on an elbow drop. You feel like the bodyslam is coming, BUT nothing doing. Giant shifts his weight and Hogan collapses. Giant continues the heat segment but it missing that Oomph. Chokeslam. Classic Hogan No-Sell going into Hulk-Up. I figure this would piss off a lot of smart fans, BUT Giant does No-Sell, NOT One, Not Two, BUT THREE LEG DROPS! The Three Leg Drops did pop me! The finale sees Hogan throw Giant off top rope for the win. Honestly I thought the Three Leg Drops was enough. 

The match was mediocre, but was even worse than the match was the post-match. Sullivan whacks Hogan with a steel chair, nothing doing. Hogan grabs the chair and he beats not just Sullivan and Giant, but the whole Dungeon (Meng, Barbarian, Hugh Morrus, Zodiac, Shark and One Man Gang). I am all for babyfaces looking strong, but that was a little much even for me. Just like the NWO would become, the Dungeon had become really bloated as well. Seeing Hogan destroy the whole faction in the steel cage just really hurt the Dungeon. I assume this is to set up the Uncensored match that I have never seen, but I am planning to watch next week. At the very end, it looked like they were building towards Hogan vs Loch Ness who while heavy had nowhere near the size or presence of the Giant. I am really glad that never materialized and the Hogan went the way of the NWO.