411’s Hulk Hogan: Real American Report – Episode Two: ‘Hulkamania’

-Written: 4.22.26
-Source: Netflix
-Run Time: 56:42

-We continue with the second of four episodes. We left off with Hogan just getting back to the WWF with Vince making promises of Hogan becoming the biggest star in wrestling history. Hogan admitted he wasn’t ready for the responsibility.

-Plugs: My essay on Hogan’s death from last year, Episode One

-We start with Linda and see home video of Hogan and her in 1983. They had been dating for a year and he wanted to make it serious. She says he was getting famous and his lifestyle was nuts. He wanted to get serious and live together, but she didn’t want to move and then get left. He didn’t call her for two weeks and she felt she messed up and should have just lived with him. He called back and was stiff on the phone. He asked her to fly up to Oakland and they met in a hotel. He didn’t want to lose her and says he didn’t want to live without her. Hulk got down on one knee and proposed and Linda breaks down as she talks about it. I can understand her emotion. She had to call her mom and then of course they had sex. We see the wedding video mixed in with wrestling footage. There was no time for a honeymoon as Hogan had to go to New York.

-Hogan is going through a storage unit he has, and it is filled with all kinds of Hogan memorabilia. He has a suitcase filled with books that had his schedule written down. They pull out a calendar from 1984 and written on Jan 23, “Madison Square Garden.” That’s awesome. We know that is the day wrestling changed forever.

-Jan 23, 1984: Hulk Hogan is given a shot at the WWF Title in MSG. They talk about the political feelings. We see a news story about the protests over the Iranian Hostage situation. Hogan says he wasn’t political then, but you couldn’t miss what was happening. We see people in the streets burning Iranian Flags. It was the perfect time for an American Hero as The Iron Sheik (Hossein Vaziri) just defeated Bob Backlund for the WWF Title. Hogan mentions Sheik was a bodyguard for the Shah of Iran. Bob Costas pops up and says wrestling has always been a soap opera and it’s not supposed to have shades of gray. Tell that to the Attitude Era. He talks about the heat The Iron Sheik would draw and it was perfect in a way.

-Hogan cuts a promo with Gene before the show and is all American and anti-Iran. Hogan says the timing could not have been any more perfect. Linda remembers Hogan was out of body that morning. He was already in another world. Hogan says his parents were there. His father loved America and President Reagan. He never went to Hogan’s shows as he thought it was the circus, but he went there that night. You can see Hogan was a ball of nervous energy in that match. The match is absolutely perfect in what it needed to accomplish and look at that crowd reaction when Hogan drops the leg and gets the three count. Again, wrestling history changed forever that night. Hogan says it was overwhelming to have his Mom and Dad there. We see the promo backstage with his parents and he hands his dad the Championship. He says his dad never got over him passing on college, but he understood what it meant for Hogan that night. He took them out to dinner and his father told him he was proud of him, he loved him, and he made the right decision. Good! I keep finding at the center of a lot of these wrestling documentaries are sons who just want their dad’s love and approval.

-I chuckle as they show a Hogan promo and he calls Vince, “Vicious Vince.” Bruce Prichard is here and says pro-wrestling was a dirty word and didn’t have national coverage. We talk about it not being considered legit sport or even entertainment.

-1985: Hogan says he saw he was more than just a wrestler. Vince had the idea of doing their version of The Super Bowl. Prichard says WrestleMania I was the most important event in wrestling to ever take place. We talk about the celebrities that were brought in and focus on Mr. T. He was the top TV star in the United States and see him with Nancy Reagan. The idea was Hogan/T vs. Piper/Wonderful. The hope was the fans were watching for wrestling and the spectacle.

-Voice of Vince McMahon as he isn’t part of this as far as a new interview. He says there was a lot of risk because it was extremely expensive and he mortgaged everything on the show. Hogan says Vince’s house and life were on the line. We see Vince directing a T/Hogan promo. They went crazy to get Hogan and T both out there with whatever press they could find. Hulk Hogan and Mr. T host Saturday Night’s Main Event and we see Hogan and T cracking up during one of the skits. That’s funny! Hogan says he was beat up and spent.

-Five days before Mania, Vince told Hogan he was booked for a show called Hot Properties with Richard Belzer. Hogan was told by Vince there would be kids in wheelchairs at the show to meet him and Mr. T. They got there and no kids, which annoyed both of them. Hogan says Belzer was condescending and has Hogan show him a wrestling hold. He protected the business and put Belzer in a front face lock and Richard gets choked out. He falls and cracks his head. Hogan says he knew he went too far. Linda says Belzer was skinny and that’s why he passed out. Old footage of Belzer who says he collapsed backstage and went to the hospital to get eight staples in his head. Linda says Hogan didn’t feel bad at all because someone was spitting on his business. A few days later a half million-dollar lawsuit comes in. Hogan and Linda weren’t living the lavish life and this just put more pressure on WrestleMania working.

-WrestleMania I: We get interviews from fans outside the arena and one gentleman mentions he has never seen a wrestling event in his life, but he’s at the show. We see highlights of the Tag Main Event and it had celebrities all over the place including Liberace and Muhammad Ali. Hogan says they tore the house down and accomplished the mission. Linda and Hogan both say it changed everything.

-Hogan says that was the beginning of the global juggernaut. We get footage of Hogan in commercials, on talk shows and working in packed stadiums all over the country. Linda and Hulk were told by their bookkeeper that they had a million dollars in their bank account. They celebrated per Hulk, but Linda makes sure we know that means they had sex. We see Hogan buying a speedboat and having a good time on the water. Pro-wrestling is taking over the mainstream and Hogan says they were able to bring in the families. Yep, I was one of those kids! We see footage of the famous cartoon and Hogan with Dolly Parton. WrestleMania 2 with Bundy inside the cage. Hogan mentions it helped other guys get on the train and get better deals to bring more money back home to their wife and kids. He’s not lying! It wasn’t Hogan money, but it was more than they were getting. It’s why everyone wanted on Hogan’s card.

-Jake Roberts is here and says Hogan is The Golden Goose. “You wanted to wrestle Hogan because that is where the money is at.” Ventura says Hogan was where the money was and working with him meant more money. Not as much as Hogan was making, but still enough and says they need to give credit where it is due. Bret says everyone was praying and crossing their fingers to hope they were on the same show as Hogan. Jimmy says it was a different level and Dibiase says Hogan elevated wrestling like it had never been. Hogan says money doesn’t mean everything but it does make things easier.

-Hogan loved spending the money and would give gifts. They loved being on the water and Linda says it was constant good times. The success and money turned into a lifestyle of partying. They both admit to getting into the drug scene including cocaine. Jake says whatever you think they did, they did because they were running hard. Linda says you needed the uppers and downers because they were running on one hour of sleep to get place to place and make all the towns.

-1986: They were at a Gold’s Gym and Linda saw a biker pull up claiming to be Hogan’s brother. Hogan says it was his brother Allen and they weren’t close. His brother was a biker and got in trouble in Florida. He moved out to Oakland and he would see Hogan at the shows out West and had Hell’s Angels with him. Allen was getting out of rehab and asked Hogan for some money. Hogan went to wrestle and says he didn’t take his brother with him. He got an emergency call and his brother had overdosed. Hogan breaks a little as he says he should have taken his brother with him instead of just handing him money.

-Hogan says he tried to go to the funeral, but couldn’t handle it. His parents weren’t there either. Hogan gets emotional and asks the producer to stop as he is digging way too much for him. Hogan says he was running hard and in the drug and alcohol scene too much. He admits to not knowing the responsibility of being Hulk Hogan the role model. We see him interacting with kids and they adore him. Again, that was me! Hogan says it did matter to him what the people thought and wanted to be closer to the Hulk Hogan character.

-Make A Wish Kids started requesting him and it went from one kid at a time to 10 or more. Again, hate the man, but even his most hardened critic has put over what he did with these kids. Linda says he was amazing with the kids and always put them first. Cody Rhodes says Hogan was able to capture the fan’s imagination and it was a combination of his size and his ability to overcome facing monsters.

–WrestleMania III: I just did a new review of the show and you can click the link. We see Andre congratulate Hogan after winning the WWF Title. We get the Piper’s Pit where Andre ripped off Hogan’s cross and it leads to Pontiac. Hogan says Andre was 600 lbs and Keith Elliot laughs as he says Andre gains 100 lbs every time Hogan tells the story. That’s funny! It is the biggest match in wrestling history and nothing has touched it. Hogan says he was telling Andre he loved him and thanked him while he was getting fired up at the start of the match. The story is nobody had slammed Andre and it was seen as impossible. Hogan thought Andre was pissed off and figured he was dead. Hogan talks about GOATS and challenges anyone in the business to do one move better than he did that night. He says what he did that night will live forever. There is truth as him hitting a basic bodyslam got a bigger response and is remembered far longer than any “twisty deal off the top,” as Hogan called it. Jimmy told Hogan he would never be Terry Bollea again.

-Back to the storage shed as Hogan sees as pair of his boots and said he had 12 pairs and told himself he would quit when he went through them. Then he ordered 12 more and then 12 more. Everyone knew Hulk Hogan and we see him with various celebrities including Donald Trump. Wow, they actually got Trump for this series. “I have a big Russia meeting going on.” Trump says Hogan is a good man and is doing this interview because Hogan asked him too. He talks about WrestleMania in Trump Plaza. Trump says a good word for Hogan was “showman.” He saw him wrestle numerous times and we see WrestleMania V where The Mega Powers explode. Trump says Hogan is a loyal guy with a big heart. I love the Hogan/Savage match from Mania V. The producer wants Trump to show the Hogan finger wag, but he laughs that he has shown enough. Trump: “He was the biggest ever in this world of pro-wrestling.”

-Jesse talks about all the merchandise Hogan had. Jake says the real money is in the merch and not putting asses in seats. Hogan says he is the greatest in the world because of all the money he drew for the business. He talks about merchandising and being able to talk the language while also being able to speak to women and kids. He goes over some of the merch he had and yes, I had those Hulk Hogan underwear as a kid. I did not have the potty chair. He had a Hulk Hogan vibrating action figure and “that had to get knocked off right away.” HA! He rolls his eyes as he says he has no idea why. We see The WrestleMania NES Game and man, is the nostalgia just flooding back. Sure, it only had ropes on three sides of the ring, but I didn’t care.

-We move to footage of Hogan filming the famous Right Guard commercial on the beach. He would do commercials, promos, wrestle and then the 1-800 line in the same day. Linda came to him and stated she wanted to have a baby. Nine months later, Brooke was born. We get home video of Hogan and Brooke. Hogan says his whole reason for living changed instantly. Linda says Hogan became more of a family man and I can only imagine what Brooke is feeling watching this. Of course we get home footage of Linda in a bathing suit shaking her tits trying to seduce Hogan. It seems Nick wasn’t planned as Linda’s grandma lets slip that she is pregnant. Hogan questions her and she says she just decided to quit taking her birth control. Hogan: “Okay, cool.”

-Nick is born and Hogan is ecstatic to have a son. He says he wanted to make sure his kids didn’t grow up like him. He says that’s not to say his parents weren’t great, but he wanted his kids to know that he loved them. We see footage of Hogan wrestling with the kids mixed in with him and Nick working out in the gym. Hogan says Nick has stuck around and been with him the longest. He admits to using Nick to help keep him on balance when he would be out in public. He says it’s embarrassing and an ego thing.

-Nick says he doesn’t remember Hulkamania because he was too young. His friends would ask him if his had would be there. Nattie is here and says she was at one of Hulk’s kid’s birthday parties on a yacht and of course we have home video of Nattie there at 9 years old. She says her dad was part of that very special era and he pops up in the videos as well. That’s kind of cool! Nattie says that Hogan was the guy and she has never met a top guy in the business that had an easy road. She mentions she saw her dad on TV more than in real life and that was the same for Nick and Brooke. Jimmy notes Nick and Brooke had to share Hulk Hogan with the world and other kids.

-More home video including Hogan calling home just to be able to talk to Nick. Linda says Hogan was gone for 12 days and would be home for two days. His kids would start crying when he would leave and they show Brooke in tears one time. Linda knows it was hard for him and Hogan says it was killing him. He went to Vince and said it was time to start winding down, but Vince asked how he was going to book these cities without Hogan’s name on the card. They figured they needed another star: The Ultimate Warrior.

-Cody says he bought all in on The Ultimate Warrior. Hogan notes Vince put Warrior in brighter colors than the red and yellow. The idea was to give Warrior the big push and Hogan says, “it was probably one of the worst ideas in the history of pro-wrestling.” Well, not going to win anyone over with a comment like that. Jake is a little more blunt as he calls Warrior, “The Ultimate Shit.” Vince audio saying it was supposed to be a changing of the guard. Nobody really knew what to do with Warrior after he wins. Linda says Warrior doesn’t have the walk or talk and didn’t do well being sent to stores and public appearances. Even Bret says that Warrior was not the guy and could not carry it. Dibiase says Warrior was not liked at all. We see Warrior messing up promos and screaming ‘fuck” a lot. Bret says they were looking at Hogan to let him know he was still the guy.

–WrestleMania VI: Match is just so epic. Bret says Hogan put Warrior over like the office wanted. Ted says Warrior could not wrestle and needed someone leading him step by step. Hogan brings up the story that Warrior was blown up and wanted to go home early. Jake says it had to be like pulling teeth. Yes, you can watch and see that Hogan carried that match, which says something. Cody says the story to him as a kid was more about Hogan losing and not Warrior winning. Bruce says the crowd could see Warrior was no Hulk Hogan.

-Warrior loses the WWF Title to Sgt. Slaughter and Keith says when Vince isn’t drawing what he wants, he goes back to the familiar. That leads to a repeat of Hogan vs. Sheik with Hogan vs. Slaughter. Hogan notes they should have found someone to take his place, but his run ended up longer than Vince thought it would be.

-Back to the storage locker as we see more memorabilia. It’s probably staggering how much money the stuff inside that unit is worth. Hogan says there was a period where life was so clear and clean and he question where it went. “How did it go so fast?”

-As he locks up the unit we hear about the steroid scandal and Hogan lying. They ask a kid what’s going to happen to Hulkamania. “He’s going to die.” Well, that’s a rather down note.

-Credits set to Hogan rapping about being being a Hulkamaniac.

-Not much new covered here though Linda and Hulk were both up front about their drug use. This turning into a Warrior bashing episode wasn’t on my list, but Jake and Ted have always been ones to take shots at Warrior. Bret is still just being Bret and it’s what we have always heard. Hogan was seen as the Golden Goose and one of the boys more than Warrior. For those wanting the fall from grace and drama that seems to be coming up next. Again, I will have final overall thoughts after the last episode.

-Thanks for reading!