Tag Archives: Hulk Hogan

Mar 27

Overanalyzing Wrestlemania: Historical Themes Part VI: Do You Smell What’s Cooking?

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Welcome to the fifth post of a series here at Blade Jobs of Steel. In the countdown to Wrestlemania XXVIII, we’ll be looking back at a few different topics related to the big event, and giving it more analysis than most sane people would give to a worked sport.

In this post, we’ll be exploring an idea first presented in 2009 by a former writer at 411mania.com, Jake Chambers, Wrestlemania Themes. He postulated that hidden in every trilogy of events there is a theme. We’ll expand this a little bit more and look at some different themes and stories that have been present in the different trilogies. In this post, we’ll look at the themes in the sixth trilogy, spanning from the 16th to 18th editions of the event.

WRESTLEMANIA XVI-XVIII

DO YOU SMELL WHAT’S COOKING?

Wrestlemania XV ended with Stone Cold Steve Austin winning the WWF Title over Vince McMahon’s corporate champion, The Rock. Fast forward twelve months and things were of course, very different.

First Steve Austin had re-aggravated his neck injury and had to be “hit by a car” and would miss almost a year of action. The Rock was also cast out of The Corporation and was once again “The People’s Champion” and very clearly filled Austin’s place as top babyface in the company.

The Main Event for Wrestlemania XVI (called Wrestlemania 2000) ended up being a four-way elimination match between The Rock, Mick Foley, The Big Show, and WWF Champion Triple H as there was a McMahon in every corner. While Foley and Big Show were given prominent roles, it was obvious that the two big stars here were The Rock and Triple H.

They ended up as the final two in the match, it seemed like The Rock was destined to win, but Shane and Vince McMahon allied with Stephanie and cost The Rock the match. This made Triple H the third person to defend his title successfully at Wrestlemania, and also the first heel to leave the event with the top belt.

But don’t let that fool you, the top star was clearly The Rock, and he showed it the very next month winning the WWF Title from Triple H at Backlash. After a few other interruptions to his run, he would enter Wrestlemania X-7 with his then record setting sixth WWF Championship reign. To take on the record setting three time Royal Rumble winner, Stone Cold Steve Austin.

For the third straight year The Rock went on to lose the Main Event at Wrestlemania, but this one was especially significant. In a clear battle between two men at the absolute top of the wrestling world, it was the former rebel Steve Austin who needed to seek help. He needed Vince McMahon’s help in order to beat The Rock. The message was clear, The Rock was the top star now, Austin could only hope to be second best.

The Rock got to be such a big star that he would leave the business for almost six months in 2001 to film The Scorpion King, his first full feature film.

By the time Wrestlemania X-8 came, things were rather different. After the purchase of WCW, the company saw a huge glut of new talent come in, but none of them a bigger name than Hulk Hogan, who came in February 2002. He immediately set his sights on The Rock and an Icon vs. Icon match was set for Wrestlemania X-8 in Toronto.

The Rock finally ended his losing streak at the Big Event with one of the biggest wins in history. He defeated Hulk Hogan clean as a whistle in this multi-generational showdown. Despite his two tainted losses, The Rock was clearly established as The Man. Many said that day, and many more have said since then that Hogan-Rock should have closed the show. Were that the case, The Rock would have tied Hogan’s streak for closing the event four straight times, but it was not meant to be.

The Rock was such a big star that the WWF would be forced to lose him. Not long after he defeated Hogan, The Rock went back to Hollywood, where he would more or less stay from then on. Sure he would have a few more matches in the coming years, but nothing concrete.

The company was forced to do the same thing that happened when Hogan left, find somebody new, and that of course would take time.

Mar 22

Overanalyzing Wrestlemania: Historical Themes Part III: Hogan Strikes Back

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Welcome to the second post of a series here at Blade Jobs of Steel. In the countdown to Wrestlemania XXVIII, we’ll be looking back at a few different topics related to the big event, and giving it more analysis than most sane people would give to a worked sport.

In this post, we’ll be exploring an idea first presented in 2009 by a former writer at 411mania.com, Jake Chambers, Wrestlemania Themes. He postulated that hidden in every trilogy of events there is a theme. We’ll expand this a little bit more and look at some different themes and stories that have been present in the different trilogies. In this post, we’ll look at the themes in the third trilogy.

WRESTLEMANIA VII-IX

HOGAN STRIKES BACK

After both Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior failed to truly transcend the industry, the company seemed to have little choice but to go back to the well once more. Royal Rumble 1990 saw a shocking title change, as Sergent Slaughter defeated the Warrior, with a little help from Randy Savage. Setting up a chance for the All-American Hero to come back to the top of the card to take on the Iraqi Turn-Coat.

The undercard of Wrestlemania VII saw the two past chosen ones of Savage and Warrior face in a retirement match. While Savage didn’t stay retired for long, the symbolism was obvious. These guys failed and it was time for one of them to step back and let Hogan take over again, which he did in perhaps the most predictable Main Event in Wrestlemania history.

Then 1991 came as a very strange year for the company. They had tried the past few years to make new stars with limited success, so instead they go out and acquire stars. They made two very high profile signings when they acquired Sid Vicious (renamed Justice) and Ric Flair from WCW. By the time Wrestlemania VIII rolled around, those two were placed in feuds with the top WWF names, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage.

With hindsight being what it is, maybe they should have switched dance partners here, but for a variety of reasons, it was set that Wrestlemania VIII would feature Flair-Savage for the WWF Title, and Hogan-Sid in Hogan’s “Last Match”.

Despite Flair-Savage being for the Title, and being an absolute dream match, it was decided that Hogan and Sid would close the show to give the Hulkster a proper send off, and finally have the company move past him.

By the time Wrestlemania IX came, both Flair and Sid left the company, and the Main Event featured new comers to the top of the card in Bret Hart and Yokozuna. With Hogan returning from his year long retirement for a spot on the undercard. Making the last two year of Hogan Striking back a thing of the past, right?

Of course, Wrestlemania IX ended with the most confusing possible way. Yokozuna won the title over Bret Hart then lost it to Hulk Hogan less than a minute later. The company needed to have the Hulkster close the biggest show of the year, they didn’t know anything else.

But the ending of Wrestlemania IX was the bottom of the well that the WWF had gone to for so long. This was evident when Hulk Hogan signed with WCW a few months later.

With Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior both gone and Randy Savage nearing the end of his career, the company needed somewhere else to turn. Luckily for them they had a New Generation of talent to choose from. They had the very man that they nearly rendered irrelevant at the end of Wrestlemania IX, but that wasn’t all. There was the man holding the other singles title at Wrestlemania IX, a man who opened the show and was even able to stop it.

Together they would chart the course for the next trilogy.

Mar 21

Overanalyzing Wrestlemania: Historical Themes Part II: Star Search

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Welcome to the second post of a series here at Blade Jobs of Steel. In the countdown to Wrestlemania XXVIII, we’ll be looking back at a few different topics related to the big event, and giving it more analysis than most sane people would give to a worked sport.

In this post, we’ll be exploring an idea first presented in 2009 by a former writer at 411mania.com, Jake Chambers, Wrestlemania Themes. He postulated that hidden in every trilogy of events there is a theme. We’ll expand this a little bit more and look at some different themes and stories that have been present in the different trilogies. In this post, we’ll look at the themes in the second trilogy.

WRESTLEMANIA IV-VI

STAR SEARCH

At the end of Wrestlemania III, it was obvious that Hogan’s star was at its brightest. But this was clearly unsustainable, after all Andre’s health was deteriorated while Roddy Pipper had “retired” from wrestling, and there certainly must have been the fear that Hogan would follow suit.

The obvious course of action for the company was to find someone who could at least pose a believable threat to Hogan. The search was officially on for a new star.

Rumour had it that the plan was for the freshly debuted Ted Dibiase to leave Wrestlemania IV with the title, but the plan was reportedly changed. Instead, Dibiase was in the finals of a tournament against Randy Savage, who had recently bean to team with Hogan as the Mega Powers.

The show ended with Savage winning his fourth match of the night, this one for the WWF Title.  A star was born, or so we thought. Savage spent most of the rest of 1988 in the shadow of his partner and many wondered what would happen if, or rather when these two would face one another.

Fans finally got their wish at Wrestlemania V, when the explosion of the Mega Powers came to a head. Sure Hogan, the baby face, won in the end, but that should be seen as too much of a surprise, this was the WWF in the 80s. What’s important is that Savage was placed at the same level as Hogan and their match was very even, so it was set, Randy Savage could help carry the load as Hogan’s movie offers pilled up, right?

Sadly, that never seemed to materialize, maybe it was because he had just turned heel, maybe it was the influx of new talent, but Savage spent the rest of 1989 as a second fiddle in the Hogan-Zeus feud as terrible as that is. By the time Wrestlemania VI rolled around he was in a mixed tag match with Scary Shari against Dusty Rhodes’ polka-dots and Saphire.

So they needed to go to the well once more. Luckily for them there was an Ultimate opportunity. The Ultimate Warrior made his Wrestlemania debut at Wrestlemania V taking the first loss of his career to Rick Rude. He eventually reclaimed the Intercontinental Title at Summerslam ’89, and was gaining traction.

When Hogan and Warrior came face to face in the 1990 Royal Rumble it was obvious, these two had to face one another. This was most certainly a daring move on the companies part. The WWF was making a ton of money using the standard Good vs. Evil formula. This was a huge stretch, they went Good vs. Good.

Sure now with Rock-Cena, Taker-HHH, and Taker-HBK a Face vs. Face match seems typical, but it was not at the time.

The crowd was split at the time, and in the end Warrior won a very good, close match giving the Hulkster his first real, clean loss in ages. So problem solved, right? The company had their new star to replace Hogan, didn’t they?

While Wrestlemania VI ended with the Ultimate Warrior celebrating, Hulk Hogan received his share of cheers from the Toronto crowd. As the year went on Warrior didn’t get the same kind of traction that people intended.

After Savage and Warrior were unable to translate into true household names, there was only one real option. Go back to the well once more.

Mar 20

Overanalyzing Wrestlemania: Historical Themes Part I: Hulkamania Runs Wild

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Welcome to the first of a new series here at Blade Jobs of Steel. In the countdown to Wrestlemania XXVIII, we’ll be looking back at a few different topics related to the big event, and giving it more analysis than most sane people would give to a worked sport.

In this post, we’ll be exploring an idea first presented in 2009 by a former writer at 411mania.com, Jake Chambers, Wrestlemania Themes. He postulated that hidden in every trilogy of events there is a theme. We’ll expand this a little bit more and look at some different themes and stories that have been present in the different trilogies. In this post, we’ll look at the themes in the first trilogy.

Unlike many other forms of entertainment, professional wrestling is a different animal. It has been a continuous story. Most everything in the WWE today can be traced back in some way shape or form to what the company was like in the mid-80s. Through long story-telling involving a huge supporting cast, we can go from Hulk Hogan’s WWE Title win over the Iron Sheik all the way to the current build up between John Cena and The Rock. Sure we may take some long tangents involving Macho Man Ultimate Warrior, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Triple H, Batista, CM Punk and a ton more people, but the continuous story is still there.

In many ways, the Wrestlemania trilogies helps us track this story.

WRESTLEMANIA I-III

THE HULKAMANIA TRILOGY

It’s strange to think about it now, but the first Wrestlemania was a very big gamble. Wrestling was not a household name at this point, so the first one needed celebrity involvement from the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Mohammed Ali, Liberace, and of course Mr. T. But they couldn’t be the sole stars, there needed to be a professional wrestling character to take centre stage, to give people a reason to tune in on different nights.
Obviously Hulk Hogan was that man. Looking back it is rather amazing to go back and look at just how far Hogan’s star grew in that initial trilogy for Wrestlemania.
In the first event, Mr. T was brought in to pop the card, to make Hogan seem like a bigger deal than he perhaps was. By the second event, the first two portions of the card in Long Island and Chicago had celebrities featured, while the third part in Los Angeles didn’t need NFL Players or Mr. T, they had Hogan. He was and equal with many of these celebrities..
Fast forward another year and we have Hogan as an even bigger star. When he defeated Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III he was unquestionably the biggest star in the entire industry, and judging from the 93,000+ fans in attendance, he was among the biggest stars in the entire world.
But his stardom couldn’t last forever, no they needed to find someone else. While everyone bought Wrestlemania III to watch Hogan and Andre fight, there was no question that the best match on the card involved the other championship. The man who lost that match, Randy Savage, was definitely ready to take that next step.
But would it work?