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With Hulk Hogan joining TNA today, we are running a series of columns from pro wrestling's hands-down best writer over the last 20 years, Pro Wrestling Torch's own Bruce Mitchell. He has followed Hulk Hogan's career as closely as anyone and has written about every twist and turn in his career with his highly-regarded columns. This Flashback goes all the way back to 1993 after Hogan first left the WWF and had a lot of options to consider.
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"Where does Hulk Hogan go from here"
Originally published: October 30, 1993
Pro Wrestling Torch Weekly newsletter #250
The future plans of Hulk Hogan have now become one of the most intriguing issues in wrestling today.
Hogan, whose relationship with Titan Sports is at its lowest ebb since he secretly signed with Capital Sports (then the parent company of the WWF) a decade ago, is weighing a number of options. Some of these options could change the balance of wrestling financial power in a fundamental way, both on this continent and around the world.
Hogan, perhaps wisely, is playing things close to the vest. His next move may very well help to decide whether his career, the most successful in North America in several decades, will move to a new plateau or fade to an even paler ghost of past glories. To maintain his mainstream semi- celebrity status will take an eye to the future, and some luck.
A key to Hulk Hogan's decision is his long desired wish to establish himself as a real draw in the mainstream of entertainment instead of just the king of a trash sport that no one takes seriously. Hogan is going to be most attracted to whatever wrestling option best compliments his Hollywood career.
Hogan, like some stars in and out of wrestling, has tried to merge his worked public persona with his "Terry Bollea" private life. And Terry Bollea would obviously like to establish Hulk Hogan as the movies' family man tough guy - a character there is simply no real market for now. As Randy Savage, or Poffo - talk about trying to merge public and private personas - accurately pointed out on Radio WWF, all of the movies that centered around Hogan arrived DOA at the box office.
Hogan is not quite at the top of Hollywood producers' A-list, or even on it. His seeming refusal to break character and play heavies, preferably of the non-verbal variety like "Arnold" did, limits him even further.
On The Bright Side Of The Flop
But it is shortsighted to consider that piffle "Mr. Nanny" a disaster for Hogan's non-wrestling career. Hogan appeared on Jay Leno, Larry King Radio, Regis and Kathy Lee, and various other "Lite" broadcast shows before, not after, the movie landed on theaters with a thud. No one saw "Mr. Nanny" or knows how bad the Hulkster was in it, but they very well might remember that silly picture of Hogan in a tutu that ran in everything from Newsweek to the National Enquirer. The "Mr. Nanny" publicity obviously did not help the movie's box office, but it did give Hogan serious national exposure at a time he desperately needed it - just months before the debut of his new television series "Thunder in Paradise."
"Thunder in Paradise," syndicated in nearly a hundred television markets, may actually be Hogan's best shot at acting success. Produced by the same people who do "Baywatch," the world's most popular television show, it has a real chance to catch on, particularly in the foreign markets that are "Baywatch's" strength. These are people who know how to design a television show based on good looking bodies in great looking locales. When a busty model in a bikini is walking by every ten seconds viewers may not notice that Hogan can't act, even by David Hasselhoff standards.
These types of shows are made to kill an hour without thought. Hogan probably will not be called upon to deliver soliloquies on steroids, or any other subject.
And it is those soliloquies on steroids that feature Hogan's all-time greatest acting and ironically, if justly, may limit his performing options to infrequent tours of countries that have never seen Hulkamania up close. As the personification of pro wrestling in the public eye, Hogan's image may suffer as much as Vince McMahon's if the Justice Department justifies the time and money spent on its Titan Sports investigation with a raft of indictments and the heavy-hitters such as NBC News and "60 Minutes" continue their stories. Hogan could be sunk much further by his own lies.
The length of this on-going investigation, now closing in on two years, is an indication of the strength of the case, not of its weakness. How much damage will be done to Hogan's image is now only open to incomplete speculation, but there are things he can do to limit the harm.
Telling The Truth
Hogan is missing a chance to deflect some of that coming media criticism. He could beat the Justice Department to the punch and make a dramatic "confession" about his steroid abuse, complete with an emotional promise to stay straight. Hogan has never been linked to the sexual abuse side of the scandal unless it has been by his silence. "Confessions" about child molesting issues will not work even for the likes of Michael Jackson, much less Titan Sports. Assuming that Hogan was not involved directly in the distribution of steroids - jail time would finish his career for all intents and purposes - which will not be known unless he is indicted for it, he could turn into another self-serving celebrity comeback story. Hogan's steroid abuse could become a career move in yet another way.
America loves a shallow celebrity confession. What it does not love is an arrogant phony who obviously thinks he is above the public's judgement.
If Hogan continues to lie about his drug use and does not break his perceived link to Titan Sports, or even is lured back by the Jerry Jarrett-like staged "shoot" attacks on him by Vince's hand puppets Jim Ross and Randy Savage, he will be standing at the side of McMahon when the lighting bolts strike.
The Lex Luger push is an obvious flop, again. Titan wants to lure Hogan into a Wrestlemania main event, which they will definitely need by that point, or, barring that, somehow put Bret Hart and Savage over Hogan without a three count and damage Hogan's other plans.
The first step of this bizarre plan may have worked. Hogan is said to be quietly angry over Savage's comments. That may change to intrigue because of their box office potential.
Going back to Titan is risky not only from a scandal standpoint, but at the box office. If Hollywood catches on that even WWF fans no longer want to pay money to see the Hulkster, as they did not on his aborted last run, it will be a long time between Leno appearances this time. but since Vince and Hulk made each other's careers, an alliance between the two should never be ruled out.
Entering WCW Would Be A Bad Move
The WCW connection is a risk for many of the same reasons. Hogan in a new setting would be a short-term box office boon for Turner, as would anyone who sells tickets, but that heat-killing WCW touch would soon work its magic on Hulkamania, as it has on so many others. And Hogan's rumored asking price, which starts with the booking position and full control of the promotion, would actually put an enormous burden on the back of a guy who would much rather be on a soundstage. So much damage has been done to WCW that even Hogan would be doomed to fail.
One of the more intriguing possibilities bandied about is Hogan's long-rumored start of his own wrestling promotion. If Hogan claimed that McMahon required everyone to be on the juice, thus separating himself from Titan and deflecting some criticism, and that he could offer himself, Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, and Ted DiBiase on a television show backed by big money, he could easily take many of the WWF syndicated TV slots and more of WCW's. Match-ups with Flair and Piper have never really been exploited to their conclusion.
Again, however, thus would require a large amount of time and effort on the part of Hogan. At this point in his life he may not want to spend that much of either in wrestling. Hogan's own promotion would put his name on the line as an attraction as never before and make him a ton of enemies. He would also reap more of the benefits if it somehow succeeded.
The best option may be the proposal to make Hogan the American babyface of a New Japan move into the America - a proposal as revolutionary today as the WWF expansion was in 1984.
The New Japan Connection
Hogan could help New Japan secure television and then make the rounds of mainstream media appearances talking about how the Japanese style is more athletic and serious. He could keep a high profile, useful for selling himself in Hollywood, with a minimum of in-ring appearances - since New Japan could just adapt its Japan T.V. to the American market. Hogan could have the time he wants to spend with his family and work on his TV show. Hogan agreeing to a straight pinfall loss to someone other than that sleazy Antonio Inoki would also strengthen New Japan's hand, and his own. Hogan could still work the same stadium shows he has recently, but they could be used to sell PPVs to an American audience curious to see something new. The contrast between this employer and his old one, particularly in terms of athleticism and big-show atmosphere, would give the appearance to the casual viewer that Hogan is always at the top of something "hot." A serious, no frills style is the only thing that has a chance to succeed anymore in the U.S. Hogan could be the bridge between the tired traditional U.S. style and the next stage in the evolution of pro wrestling in this country.
Whatever option Hogan decides to take, it won't be long until his Hulk-size ego is back at center stage. Whether that choice is a wise one seems less likely. Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
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