Rough first draft from our upcoming book; The Complete WWF Video Guide (Volume I)
JD
- This is a tape from Columbia House rather than Coliseum Video, and like most
of the tapes they brought out, it is just a collection of matches found on
other related comp tapes. There is nothing on here than you can't find on the
other Hogan tapes, but Ste and I will do the reviews again for the matches we
have not covered, for the sake of posterity.
ES
- There were four Columbia tapes in this volume that we could have done, and
you volunteered us for the Hogan one! We have already done more Hogan tapes
than anyone else as it is!
JD
- Well, you should be used to it by now then shouldn't you! Don't ruin another
tape by being negative all the way through. I tell you what; I only want to
hear positive things from you in this review, ok? We have all heard your
thoughts on Hogan countless times.
ES
- Ok, fine! I will be positive throughout on the promise that we don't have to
do anymore Hogan tapes or DVD's for any other volume again,
JD
- Deal. There is no way you will make it through.
WWF Championship
The Iron Sheik (c) vs. Hulk Hogan
JD - This appears on the very first
Hulkamania video, which has been covered by Lee Maughan elsewhere in this book.
We start at Madison Square Garden in January 1984, for one of the most famous
and historically significant matches of all time. There is no hyperbole
involved when I say that there has probably never been as important a match as
this.
ES - Absolutely, it changed the course of the
WWF and wrestling in general. Hogan was something completely new and fresh, and
even if some didn't rate him as a worker, his charisma and presence was
unquestionably huge. Hogan was money, and Vince was smart and saw that, when
Verne Gagne did not.
JD - Hogan jumps Sheik to start and dominates
him as the crowd goes crazy. Hogan hits the big boot but doesn't hook the leg,
and Sheik kicks out. An elbow to the top of the head and an elbow drop yields
the same result. Sheik is yet to connect with a single offensive move.
ES - There is a constant deafening din in the
air all the way through the match, there are few matches like it where the
crowd is just absolutely willing the babyface to win. This is one of them, and
that is because the set-up was perfect. Sheik was universally hated, Hogan was
new and exciting and by contrast, was adored by the fans. They knew that Hogan
winning the title here would change everything, it was obvious to everyone.
There had never been a champion like Hogan before, even Superstar Billy Graham,
for all his charisma, didn't have the sheer presence of the Hulkster.
JD - You are doing well so far. Sheik does
take control and throws Hogan around with suplexes and a back breaker, before
locking on the Camel Clutch. Hogan impressively powers to his feet and rams
Sheik into the buckles, then hits the Legdrop and covers him for the win and
the title.
ES - The crowd goes absolutely crazy, it is
an unmatchable reaction and impossible to recreate. The face of wrestling was
changed forever in just under six minutes. Not much of a match, though certainly
more than passable by Hogan standards. But either way, this is required viewing
for any wrestling fan.
Final Rating: *1/2 [add an extra
star or so because of the historical significance for the purpose of algorithm]
WWF Championship
Hulk Hogan (c) vs.
Andre the Giant w/ Bobby Heenan
JD
- From one incredibly famous match to another, this of course being the main
event of the historic WrestleMania III. It is probably the most recycled match
of the era as far as making repeat appearances, and it can be found on various
other tapes throughout this book.
ES
- Jesse Ventura calls it the biggest match in the history of professional
wrestling, and for once, that is not hype. The stare down at the start alone is
dripping with intensity. This level of match has never been recreated, because
it was the two biggest stars of the decade, on the biggest stage in front of
the largest crowd. Nothing had come close in terms of spectacle since, and
probably never will.
JD
- Most wrestling fans can probably watch this match with their eyes closed and
recite every spot, so there is no need to do much in the way of play-by-play.
If you want that, you can read Arnold Furious' review of Mania III elsewhere in
the book. Instead, I am interested Ste in why you think this will never be
matched.
ES
- Well, stars are created in different ways than they were in the 70's and
80's. Andre and Hogan had both been around the circuit, all over the world, for
many years before this match. People believed that Andre had never been beaten
in fifteen years, even if it was revisionist history. Hogan had an aura of
being unbeatable as well, he had been the WWF champion for three years, which
again is a reign length that will not be matched again. When you combine their
respective histories and legendary statuses with the personal issue in kayfabe
world that they used to be friends, and no-one ever expected Andre to turn on
him, and you have magic. Other matches since have been huge, epic and
historical, but none to the level of this. The slam at the end from Hogan is
also something that they have tried and failed to recreate, but it can never
happen. Having Kane slam Great Khali at WrestleMania XXIII was not even on the
same planet.
JD
- Ok thanks for that. And again, you remained positive!
ES
- It has been easy to be so far. This is obviously a horrid match for workrate
fans, but that is not what it is about. The match content didn't matter, it was
all about the spectacle. Again, required viewing for all wrestling fans. This
tape has got it right so far and hit two home runs with the selection choices.
Final Rating: **1/2 [add an extra *
or so because of the historical significance for the purpose of the algorithm. I
am going to go back and do this for mania 3 and wherever else it appears also.
sometimes stars don't tell the full story]
WWF Championship
Macho Man Randy Savage
(c) vs. Hulk Hogan
JD
- This is from WrestleMania V, and is covered fully by Arnold Furious elsewhere
in this book. Instead of just repeating the play by play, I will instead hand
you over to Evil Ste and Lee Maughan, who have some thoughts on the finish:
LM
- Hogan-Savage at Mania V
had the wrong finish. If you look at the numbers, Hogan was on the A-shows and
doing 18-20,000 a night, and Savage-Honky or Warrior-Rude or whoever would main
event the B-shows and do 10-15,000 a night. Savage got the belt because Hogan
was doing No Holds Barred, and suddenly, Savage-DiBiase and Savage-Andre were
doing Hogan numbers. Then Hogan came back and his matches against Boss Man
would draw 18-20,000 sell out crowds, but Savage vs. DiBiase would do the same.
They had A and B house shows doing comparable numbers all summer long. Even
when Savage turned, he worked with Warrior and did 18-20,000 houses with the
title, and Hogan did it without the title. Then Hogan beat him and the B-shows
went immediately back down to 10-15,000. They put the title on Hogan, who
didn't need it and took it off Savage, who the numbers proved was a bigger draw
as the champion than not. If they'd put Savage over on a screwjob and not just
beaten Hogan flat out, they could have had a second summer with two mega-draws,
and come back with a cage match, for SummerSlam perhaps. Instead they jobbed
out Savage and lost a ton of house show ticket and merchandise revenue, and
tried to put ZEUS over instead!
ES -
Yeah, but remember, Hogan had never really lost then. If he was beaten, he
might have lost his star power and aura, as he did a little when Warrior beat
him. Plus, it was a different world in '89. Vince had to end Mania on a babyface
win.
LM - I
don't think he did really. He already wanted DiBiase to leave Mania IV with the
title.
ES - Yes,
but he didn't do it in the end. In fact, he didn't do it until WrestleMania
XVI!
LM - Yeah,
but that's adding another 11 years of history to a decision that was made in
1989. I mean, they still hit big numbers after Mania, but that period with
Savage as champion and Hogan back working was their peak, and they never got
there again. If worst comes to the worst and Hogan stopped drawing after a
screwjob, which he hadn't done after Andre beat him, they could easily put the
title back on him at SummerSlam.
ES - I
think there is more to it than that. The ethos of WrestleMania might have been
damaged by it. Although, I guess that doesn't really matter, especially if
Savage is still a draw. He might have become an even bigger draw after screwing
Hogan, because the fans would have been desperate for him to lose. I am coming
around to your logic to a point, for business it could have been good. I think
it would have been very bold in '89 to do that finish at Mania though.
LM - Well,
certainly by the standards of the WWF insisting on long-term face champions. Sammartino,
Backlund and Hogan set the precedent really, but they were actually an anomaly,
the NWA always had heel champions.
ES - Sure,
but NWA was different because the heel champion toured the territories and
worked the top local babyface. WWF was self contained, and with them touring
the country, it made sense to have a face champion for the fans to come and
see, rather than a heel champ they wanted to see get beat. They were completely
different business models.
LM - Yeah
but a lot of the territories would have top heel champions locally. It's gotta
be easier to book a "thrill of the chase" angle too. But saying that,
I get Hogan being champion for so long, what with being a cartoon show and all.
Plus, how can Superman NOT be the champion?
ES -
Well, that is the exact argument against Hogan losing.
LM - Yeah,
and that's probably why they did it. Although, I honestly think they could have
held off, especially because No Holds Barred was about to come out. They didn't
have to promote Hogan as "WWF Champion", just call him "the star
of No Holds Barred". In fact, there's your gimmick: Hogan gets his
rematches at house shows and Savage takes count out wins, so on the second go around,
they run No Holds Barred matches that are non-title and Hogan wins.
ES - I
wouldn't drag it out quite as long. I think if you have Savage win, then Hogan
can go right into the Zeus program on the house show circuit and SNME, keeping
him away from the title picture, but still drawing because of the film. That
feud didn't need the belt. Let Savage work with someone else on top for a few
months and do Savage-Hogan in a cage at SummerSlam. After that they can go to
the Ultimate Challenge at Mania VI just as they did. I don't know who Savage
could work between Mania and SummerSlam though.
LM - Beefcake.
ES - Fuck
Beefcake.
LM - Beefcake
in 89 man, he was over and he was having good matches at that point with Rude
and Savage. Other than that its Duggan or Jake I guess.
ES - Tito
even, if they had booked him better. They could have had great matches in '89,
and they had a lot of history too.
LM - I'd
probably do Savage-Tito on SNME or something, except they wouldn't play up
their history. Isn't it a piss-take how they try and sell you all these
historical DVDs, when they've spent a lifetime programming you to ignore it?
ES - I am
not allowed to say anything negative.
JD -
Sorry to break it up guys, but the match is over so that is your lot.
LM - I
would probably rate that higher than Furious did because I really liked it, but
that is romanticising it probably. The rating is probably spot on.
ES - I
agree, it was really good, but not quite great.
Final Rating: ***1/2
WWF Championship
Sgt. Slaughter (c) w/ General
Adnan vs. Hulk Hogan
JD - We
go to WrestleMania VII next for this. Anything to say Ste?
ES - Sgt.
Slaughter is probably the worst... erm... least best WWF champion of all time.
JD - You
are getting close.
ES - I
know. I'm not going to say anything about how long they are stalling for
either. I will say this though: they certainly didn't leave any room for fence
sitting as they had with Hogan against Savage at Mania V and then Warrior the
next year. This is as clear a good versus evil confrontation as you are ever
likely to see.
JD - This
is quite different to most Hogan matches at WrestleMania as well isn't it?
ES - Yeah
completely. Hogan is actually selling really believably, and the crowd buys
that he might lose. No-one thought Slaughter would beat Warrior, but he did and
changed the fans perception of him, and the crowd buys him as a credible threat
to Hogan too. They do a strange spot where Adnan distracts the ref as Slaughter
has Hogan covered for about a twenty count, and he still only just makes the
kick out when the ref counts it. A chair shot which busts Hogan open soon
after, adds to that belief that he might get beat. It is rare that you see
Hogan show so much weakness. I still think Slaughter was a strange choice to be
that guy, and after a year he became completely irrelevant in the WWF.
Slaughter actually almost kicks out of the Legdrop at the end, and it is a very
different end to a WrestleMania, with a blood soaked Hulkster. For years fans
had seen Hogan as Superman, but this made him human. Excellent story and a
really good match, it far surpassed anything I would usually expect from these
guys.
Final Rating: ***1/4
WWF Championship
Hulk Hogan (c) vs. The Undertaker w/ Paul
Bearer
JD - This brief encounter has featured on a
few different tapes, including Wrestling's Greatest Champions and more
pertinently, Hulkamania VI. We have already covered the bout in the former's
review.
ES - This is a strange choice, because they
do under five minutes and it is just a random bout from a TV taping. All the
others have been historical title wins or defences from major shows, but this
is neither. I guess they only had a few minutes left and it fit because it is
so short. Hey, at least it has a clean finish as well, which makes it 5 out of
5 on this tape. You can tell it is not a Coliseum release, because they never
even come CLOSE to a 1.0 batting average for decisive finishes on their tapes.
There, positive for the whole tape! Are you happy now?
JD - Congratulations. I promise I will never
make you do any more Hogan tapes or DVDs in future volumes.
ES - Hey, if they were all as good as this
tape, I wouldn't mind!
JD - So you will do others in future still?
ES - Not a chance pal.
Final Rating: 1/4*
Whoever was working at Columbia House and
putting these tapes together, deserves a hearty pat on the back. Aside from the
superb Hulkamania 3, no other Hogan comp puts together such a spot on
collection of his best moments like this one does. It is a best of Hogan tape,
so you want to see his biggest matches, his best matches, and you want to see
him win. This ticks all of those boxes, which sounds like a no-brainer really,
but few of the Coliseum tapes even come close. If you only own one Hogan tape,
make it Hulkamania 3. If you get another, make it this one.
Or on Kindle here:
(also available on amazon.com)
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