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Fight fought 100 something! You’d know if you have the Hulk Hogan card; very few other cards can beat it. Probably Ric Flair, if my memory serves me right. If you grew up in the 90s, you’d know what these trump cards are. When Hulkster died on July 24, I felt another thread lost to my childhood. And it’s been happening for a while as I inch closer to my 40s. Sachin and Ganguly don’t open for India anymore. We are no longer challenging our friends’ intelligence by asking them full forms of H.D. Deve Gowda and V.V.S. Laxman.
It was heartwarming to see WWE paying a proper tribute to Hogan, serving us a comprehensive highlight video package followed by a 10-bell salute. Way before Roman Reigns, John Cena, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Hulk Hogan carried the WWE baton for a very long time. He was also among the first ones to become part of pop culture; that is why you know him or vaguely remember him. He’s definitely on the Mount Rushmore of wrestling.
The funny thing is, as a kid, I had always thought he was already old. Probably because of his bald head. Also, we did believe WWE was real. The betrayals, friendships, affections, and all that backstage drama—we discussed everything in school. I understand a lot of us have outgrown WWE, but I still follow it and unapologetically love it. And yes, I know it’s scripted. I know The Undertaker (Mark Calaway) and Kane (Glenn Jacobs) are not brothers in real life.
Hogan gave us several goosebumps moments. He created one of the most iconic WrestleMania histories when he slammed André the Giant at the third edition of the biggest annual wrestling event in 1987.
And long before Cena shocked the world by turning “heel” (a villain in WWE speak), Hogan shed his patriotic American “babyface” (hero/protagonist in WWE speak) image to join Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to start the notorious “New World Order” (nWo) faction in WCW, then a rival company to WWE. Another shocker was that he left WWE despite being considered a loyalist.
After his return to WWE (after it acquired WCW) in 2002, he gave one of the classics with a young Rock at WrestleMania X8. The live crowd, one of the loudest in history, turned on The Rock despite being pitted as the babyface. It was surreal.
Hogan’s life was not without controversies, which I think I should mention. He reportedly admitted using steroids during the trial of then-WWF Chairman Vince McMahon. This admission was huge considering it came at a time when steroid usage in wrestling was under major scrutiny. In 2015, WWE terminated its contract with Hogan and removed him from the WWE Hall of Fame after a leaked audio revealed Hogan made racist slurs. He was reinstated in the Hall of Fame in 2018 after apologizing.
The list of controversies or scandals is long. But as a WWE fan and a kid sitting in front of his CRT TV, I know the Hulkster in the ring. A connection to my childhood. A lot of us have ripped our tees like he’d do. And yes, that signature move with raising hand to ears and flexing muscles. The epic line: “What you gonna do, brother, when Hulkamania runs wild on you?”
R.I.P. Brother!
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