Here’s Part 4 of our WrestleMania Retrospective series, looking back at past WrestleMania events as we march towards WrestleMania 29 on April 7th.

WrestleMania IV (1988)
Tagline: What The World Is Watching!
Date: March 27, 1988
Venue: Trump Plaza, Atlantic City, NJ
Attendance: 18,165
America The Beautiful: Gladys Knight

At the first Royal Rumble in January 1988, Hogan and André had their official contract signing for a WWF Championship rematch.The main feud heading into WrestleMania was between Hulk Hogan and André the Giant. At the first Survivor Series in November, André, One Man Gang, King Kong Bundy, Butch Reed and Rick Rude defeated Hogan, Paul Orndorff, Don Muraco, Ken Patera and Bam Bam Bigelow in a Survivor Series match.

Their rematch took place on the first-ever edition of The Main Event in February, where  André controversially won the title from Hogan in a screwjob involving a twin referees.

Immediately after winning the title from Hogan, André sold the title to Ted DiBiase; President Jack Tunney nullified the decision,  vacating the title.

André became the shortest reigning WWF Champion with a reign of only 47 seconds as he sold the title to Ted DiBiase and received a large sum of money.

Andre revealed, in an arena interview with Dibiase a few weeks before the event. that he planned to take a year off and go on a cruise with the money Dibiase was paying him once he secured the title for him at WrestleMania IV, further explaining why Andre would sell off the belt he had wanted himself at WrestleMania III just a year earlier. WWF President Jack Tunney, however, vacated the title and ordered it to be decided in a 14-man tournament at WrestleMania IV.

Hulk Hogan and André the Giant went to a draw by double disqualification in this event. This would be Hogan’s first WrestleMania match in which a disqualification occurred. This was Hogan’s first and only time going to a draw at WrestleMania.

Hogan and Andre also have the distinction of being the first two wrestlers in the history of the event to have a WrestleMania rematch. They had wrestled each other the previous year at WrestleMania III in what many deem the most famous

Bad News Brown turns on Bret Hart, at the 20-Man-Battle Royal

wrestling contest of all time.

The first match was a 20-man battle royal and the winner would receive a large trophy. After fourteen eliminations, the final three participants were Bad News Brown, Bret Hart, and JYD. JYD hit both Hart & Brown with several headbutts before they both decided to cooperate and they eliminated JYD. Hart decided that he and Brown would share the trophy but Brown betrayed him and hit him with a Ghetto Blaster and pounded on him before eliminating him over the top rope to win the battle royal. Brown was presented with the trophy, but Hart attacked him from behind and broke the trophy, thus turning babyface.

The Ultimate Warrior making his PPV Debut.

In his pay-per-view debut, The Ultimate Warrior faced Bobby Heenan’s client Hercules. Warrior snapped Hercules’ chain and chopped him in the corner. Hercules tried to fight back and he hit three clotheslines on Warrior, who no-sold Hercules’ clothesline. Hercules fell to the mat each time during his unsuccessful clothesline attempts. The powerhouse Warrior countered a Hercules clothesline and hit a clothesline of his own. He pounded on Hercules outside the ring before reentering the ring where Warrior hit a forearm club. In the corner, Warrior hit him ten-count punches but Hercules made a comeback with an inverted atomic drop. He hit a half nelson suplex on Warrior who got his shoulder up first, as the referee counted, giving Warrior the win.

Baseball great Bob Uker getting more than he deserved when interviewing Andre The Giant

The main event was the tournament final for the vacant WWF Championship between Randy Savage and Ted DiBiase. Savage was tired due to his semifinal match against the big One Man Gang while DiBiase took advantage of his freshness as he had received a bye in the semifinals. He dominated most of the match but in the end, Savage made a comeback and tried to hit a Savage Elbow on DiBiase but DiBiase moved out of the way. He applied a Million Dollar Dream on Savage.

With the referee distracted due to interference by André the Giant, Hogan (who had been brought down mid-match by Miss Elizabeth on request by Savage to neutralize Andre’s presence) took advantage and nailed DiBiase with a steel chair.

Savage climbed up the top rope for a second

Randy “Macho Man” Savage with Miss Elizabeth Celebrating his WWF Championship Win

elbow drop attempt and this time, he successfully hit Savage Elbow. He followed it up with a pinfall victory. He won the tournament and vacant WWF Championship. After the match, Hogan, Miss Elizabeth and Savage celebrated Savage’s WWF Championship win.

Although the event was promoted as being at the Trump Plaza, it was in fact held in the adjacent Boardwalk Hall.

This WrestleMania featured 16 matches, more than any other WrestleMania.

WrestleMania IV Results

Over the top rope 20-Man-Battle Royal

• Bad News Brown won an by last eliminating Bret Hart.

Participants : Bad News Brown, The Bolsheviks (Nikolai Volkoff and Boris Zhukov), The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart), The Killer Bees (B. Brian Blair and Jim Brunzell), Danny Davis, George Steele, Harley Race, Hillbilly Jim, The Rougeau Brothers (Jacques and Raymond), The Young Stallions (Paul Roma and Jim Powers), Junkyard Dog, Ken Patera, Ron Bass, Sam Houston, and Sika.

First Round Tournament for the WWF Championship

• Ted DiBiase (with Virgil and André the Giant) defeated Jim Duggan.
• Don Muraco (with Billy Graham) defeated Dino Bravo (with Frenchy Martin) by disqualification.
• Greg Valentine (with Jimmy Hart) defeated Ricky Steamboat (with Little Dragon).
• Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeated Butch Reed (with Slick).
• One Man Gang (with Slick) defeated Bam Bam Bigelow (with Oliver Humperdink) by countout.
• Rick Rude (with Bobby Heenan) and Jake Roberts fought to a time-limit draw

Singles Match
• The Ultimate Warrior defeated Hercules (with Bobby Heenan)

Quater Finals Tournament for the WWF Championship
• Hulk Hogan and André the Giant (with Ted DiBiase and Virgil) fought to a double disqualification.
• Ted DiBiase defeated Don Muraco (with Billy Graham).
• Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeated Greg Valentine (with Jimmy Hart).

Singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship
• Brutus Beefcake defeated The Honky Tonk Man (c) (with Jimmy Hart and Peggy Sue) by disqualification.

Six-man tag team match
•The Islanders (Haku and Tama) and Bobby Heenan defeated The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) and Koko B. Ware.

Semi-Finals Tournament for the WWF Championship
•Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeated One Man Gang (with Slick) by disqualification.

Tag team match for the WWF Tag Team Championship
•Demolition (Ax and Smash) (with Mr. Fuji) defeated Strike Force (c) (Rick Martel and Tito Santana)

Tournament finals match for the vacant WWF Championship
•Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth and Hulk Hogan) defeated Ted DiBiase (with André the Giant).

Here’s Part 3 of our WrestleMania Retrospective series, looking back at past WrestleMania events as we march towards WrestleMania 29 on April 7th.

WrestleMania III (1987)
Tagline: Bigger! Better! Badder!
Date: March 29, 1987
Venue: Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
Attendance: 93,173
America The Beautiful: Aretha Franklin
Hall Of Famers: Bob Orton, DON Muraco, Mr. Fuji, Bobby Heenan, “King” Harley Race, The Fabulous Moolah, The Junkyard Dog, Greg “The Hammer”, Roddy Piper, Jimmy Hart, Bret Hart, Tito Santana, Koko B. Ware, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, The Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, Hulk Hogan, André the Giant, Gorilla Monsoon, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Mean Gene Okerland, Howard Finkel

93,173 Fans At WrestleMania III

WrestleMania III held the the record for 23 years as being the largest recorded attendance for a live indoor sporting event in North America with 93,173 in attendance. The record was broken February 14, 2010 when the 2010 NBA All-Star Game with an attendance of 108,713 at Cowboys Stadium.

The WWF generated $1.6 million in ticket sales ($3.1 Million in 2012 dollars) Nearly one million fans watched the event at 160 closed circuit locations in North America. With

Andre Vs Hogan: One of the most iconic mathes in WrestleMania history.

several million, watching on pay-per-view. Pay-Per-View revenues were estimated at $10 million. (Almost $20 million in 2012 Dollars)

The main feud from WrestleMania IIi stemmed from André the Giant’s turn and betrayal of his ally, the WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, which began when Hogan was presented a trophy for being the WWF Champion for three years. André, his friend at the time, came out to congratulate him.

Shortly afterwards, André was presented a slightly smaller trophy for being “undefeated in the WWF for 15 years” and Hogan came out to congratulate André, but

One of the greatest matches in WWE history. Randy Savage Vs Ricky Steamboat

ended up being the focal point of the interview. Annoyed by this, André walked out during Hogan’s congratulation speech and not long after that, on an edition of the interview segment Piper’s Pit, Bobby Heenan, a long-time Hogan adversary, announced himself to be André’s new manager. André then challenged Hogan to a title match at WrestleMania III and attacked Hogan, ripping off Hogan’s T-shirt and crucifix necklace.

While Andre vs Hogan will go down as one of the most iconic matches in WrestleMania history, if not the most. One legendary match, that is widely revered to be one of the best WrestleMania matches of all time, saw the late Randy “Macho Man” Savage vs Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, for the Intercontinental Championship.

Rock singer and Detroit native Alice Cooper was in Jake “The Snake” Roberts’ corner during his match with The Honky Tonk Man, at WrestleMania III. The Honky Tonk Man

Jake Roberts with Alice Cooper at WrestleMania III

 had attacked Roberts with a guitar on Roberts’ interview segment The Snake Pit, which legitimately injured Roberts’ neck.This event began Roberts’ turn into a babyface as well as the feud between the wrestlers, which culminated in their WrestleMania match.

Twenty years later, the WWE returned to Detroit for WrestleMania 23, showing footage from WrestleMania III, having Aretha Franklin sing “America the Beautiful,” and having Kane scoop slam The Great Khali.

WrestleMania returned to Detroit
20 years after WrestleMania III

WrestleMania III Results
• The Can-Am Connection (Rick Martel and Tom Zenk) defeated Bob Orton and The Magnificent Muraco (with Mr. Fuji)
• Billy Jack Haynes and Hercules (with Bobby Heenan) fought to a double countout
• Hillbilly Jim, The Haiti Kid and Little Beaver defeated King Kong Bundy, Little Tokyo and Lord Littlebrook by disqualification
• “King” Harley Race (with Bobby Heenan and The Fabulous Moolah) defeated The Junkyard Dog in a Loser Must Bow match
• The Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) (with Johnny Valiant and Dino Bravo) defeated The Rougeau Brothers (Jacques and Raymond)
• Roddy Piper defeated Adrian Adonis (with Jimmy Hart) in a Hair vs. Hair
• The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) and Danny Davis (with Jimmy Hart) defeated The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) and Tito Santana
• Butch Reed (with Slick) defeated Koko B. Ware
• Ricky Steamboat (with George Steele) defeated Randy Savage (c) (with Miss Elizabeth) for the WWF Intercontinental Championship
• The Honky Tonk Man (with Jimmy Hart) defeated Jake Roberts (with Alice Cooper)
• The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff (with Slick) defeated The Killer Bees (B. Brian Blair and Jim Brunzell) by disqualification
• Hulk Hogan (c) defeated André the Giant (with Bobby Heenan) to Retain The WWF Championship

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H_RbnnX-II

– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon joined Twitter over the weekend and can be followed at @VinceMcMahon. His daughter Stephanie (@StephMcMahon) and son-in-law Triple H (@TripleH) also joined the social media service in the past week.

– Former WWE & WCW Champion Sid Vicious is currently in the hospital, according to his son, independent wrestler Gunnar Eudy. Gunnar noted on Facebook that Sid was just released from the hospital a few days ago following complications with his heart.

– Hulk Hogan has responded to Bret Hart’s recent comments that he and Eric Bischoff are incompetent and are killing TNA. He tweeted:

@BrockLesnarUFC1 feel bad for Brett he sends out the old, bitter, tired vibe,hopefully he will have a happy life from this point foward HH

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) March 4, 2013

Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff will be hosting a special presentation of “Hulk Hogan Uncensored” on Friday, April 5th from the Beaton Theatre in New York City. Hogan is advertised to appear at a TNA live event the same night in Westbury, New York (an hour away), so it looks like he’ll be opening the show in Westbury and then heading straight to Manhattan for this show.

Hulk Hogan Uncensored
The Beacon Theatre
Friday, April 5th – 10pm

“Hulk Hogan Uncensored”, a popular show which has toured the country, stops at the historic Beacon Theatre for one night only on Friday, April 5th at 10pm.

American Made professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan will be joined on stage in this intimate theatre setting by wrestling personality and television producer Eric Bischoff. Hulkamaniacs will enjoy many behind the scenes stories from throughout Hulk’s career and life on the road, and then Wrestling announcer David Penzer will moderate a unique fan Q & A where all questions for Hulk are welcome.

The limited number of VIP seats also include a post-event VIP Meet and Greet with autograph and photo opportunity.

The presale starts TODAY, March 1st at NOON and will end Saturday, March 2nd at 11am. Get the best seats before the public! USE CODE: HOGAN.

* VIDEO: Hulk Hogan Exposes Himself In Front Of His Daughter Brooke, Brother!

– TNA President Dixie Carter and Jason Hervey recently met with producers from the Activision video game studio in Santa Monica, California about developing a new TNA game.

– TNA has announced a second WrestleMania weekend show, on April 6th from Atlantic City, NJ. They will be in Westbury, NY the night before. Hulk Hogan will be making rare TNA live event appearances at both shows.

– Speaking of Hulk Hogan, he tweeted a few days ago that he could have a new reality television project in the works:

Very grateful for attracting a new reality show where I get to work with family and a few good friends that always wanted to be in show biz,

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) February 23, 2013

Hulk Hogan Exposes Himself In Front Of His Daughter Brooke

– WWE will turn back the clock this Monday on Raw as the program is being branded as an “old school” episode. Aside from the likely return of The Undertaker, the episode is being internally considered a throwaway show and undercard matches for WrestleMania will not start to take shape until at least the following week.

– WWE ring announcer and songstress Lilian Garcia revealed on Twitter Wednesday that she is in Nashville, Tennessee working on an upcoming album.

“Soooooooo excited my #LilRockers! Just got 2 Nashville 2 work w some amazing songwriters this wk! Writing songs 4 my new album!! #LoveMusic,” she wrote.

– Donald Trump appeared on the daytime talk show The Wendy Williams Show this morning with daughter Ivanka and did not mention his upcoming induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. During the appearance, Williams asked the Trumps what they have in common. Ivanka said they both enjoy real estate and golf. Donald said they both enjoy sex. Williams then remarked that Donald’s response was “Hulk Hogan creepy.”

(source: F4WOnline.com)

Last month, Hulk Hogan sued the Laser Spine Institute in Tampa, Florida, for $50 million in damages for unnecessary surgeries that he claims prevented him from wrestling John Cena in a WWE dream match. During a newly published interview with Fighting Spirit, the wrestling legend clarifies remarks he said then linking the earnings loss with potential money-making matches in WWE, stating they were taken “out of context.” Hogan explained the details behind the match with Cena.

“It was part of a 25-year deal (with WWE)”, Hogan said. I was filming Hogan Knows Best, and Vince McMahon and I started negotiating. It was at a time when I was coming back for the one-off shows with Shawn (Michaels) and Randy (Orton).”

“But it’s wrong about Cena – that was just part of the whole thing where I would show up once in a while and wrestle. It was one of those times where Vince and I were in love one day, and fighting the next. We were negotiating a 25-year deal, and part of it was me wrestling Cena in Orlando at Wrestlemania. I called Vince and said, ‘I’m good to go’. I’d just had my first back surgery, and everything was supposed to be perfect, but just before I was due on TV, my back went. I was scared to call Vince, but when I did, I was like, ‘Dude, my back has gone out again’. After more surgeries, instead of a morphine pump to ease the pain, they inserted a battery (into my back) that was made by NASA for the space shuttle, and lasts forever.”

For more on the interview, click here.

TNA star Hulk Hogan and WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart have a well-documented rocky relationship, dating back to 1993 when Hogan was supposed to drop the WWF Championship to Hart at SummerSlam ’93 but allegedly refused to do so before leaving the company. During a recent interview with Fighting Spirit Magazine (Issue 90), Hogan fired a brutal shot at “The Hitman”, claiming that Hart drove down the salaries of future WWF/WWE champions by agreeing to work for less than everyone else.

“The main-event guy made the most money when he had the belt,” Hogan explained. “When I was the (WWF) champion, I made the most money. It was an old rule that Vince (McMahon) Sr. had that, thank god, was passed on for quite a while. That changed when Bret Hart became champion; he’d work for a lot less than anybody else, so it changed everybody’s pay.”

Later in the interview, Hogan also implied that he felt that Hart was two-faced, stating:

“The last time I saw [Bret], he was flying around in my Learjet with me, and playing with my kids in the pool. Then, all of a sudden, we’re not cool.”

The six-page interview with Hulk Hogan is in Issue 90 of FSM, available on Thursday, February 21.

* CARTOON: Bret Hart Draws Picture of “STEROID KING” Hulk Hogan

– WWE.com has a new “Wayback Wednesday” feature up looking at “10 moments you never expected to see in WWE,” including Shane McMahon appearing on the final WCW Nitro in 2001, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels hugging on Monday Night RAW, Eric Bischoff debuting on WWE RAW and hugging Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino’s WWE Hall of Fame induction announcement.

– Earlier this week, a fan asked Hulk Hogan on Twitter what he thinks about John Cena. Hogan replied:

@_Al3Li_ yes I love John Cena,you can always depend on him to deliver,do business and work harder than anybody else. HH

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) February 10, 2013

– Below is footage of The Rock’s altercation with Damien Sandow after Monday’s RAW:

– TNA star Bully Ray tweeted on Monday that he might have suffered a torn quad muscle during last month’s Impact tapings from the UK:

Still trying to re-hab my quad muscle. Might have a slight tear. Happened in Table Match last week. Gotta work through the pain.

— Bully Ray (@bullyray5150) February 11, 2013

– TNA will be running 3 shows in West Virginia this weekend, on Friday (2/15) from Huntington, Saturday (2/16) in Beckley and Sunday (2/17) from Morgantown. A steel cage match and the following card is advertised for all 3 shows:

* World Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries
* TV Champion Devon vs. Bully Ray
* Bobby Roode vs. James Storm
* Matt Morgan & Joey Ryan vs. Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez
* Knockouts Champion Tara vs. Velvet Sky

– Hulk Hogan has will be appearing at TNA’s live events during Wrestlemania weekend. TNA will be in Westbury, NY on Friday, April 4th. TNA will be running another show the following day, but has not announced a venue yet.

* SPOILERS For Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING From London

During a recent interview with the UK’s Daily Star newspaper, Hulk Hogan made some interesting comments about Dixie Carter’s role as the leader of TNA Wrestling and her vision for the company’s direction.

“It’s either hold ’em or fold ’em. You’re either in the wrestling business or not. Is Dixie Carter really in the wrestling business, or this is just a hobby? You either make the move or you don’t. You’re at that point now. It’s the same place we were with WCW – you either run with the big dogs or be a little dog and stay on the porch. The destiny of this company is in her hands. It can stay TNA, a powerful little company, or she can make the decision to move on to greatness.”

Hogan says that TNA made some good decisions recently by cutting back on their number of pay-per-view  events and finally taking Impact on the road.

“To limit to four major PPVs will give us a chance to make the wrestlers more important to give the fans a chance to choose who they love. I think it gives you a chance to sink your teeth into the characters and the company.”

Hulk Hogan says that many of the wrestlers currently on the roster would be “bagging groceries” back when he was headlining shows (awesome), but the business has changed and he admits it’s for the better:

“Twenty years ago most of the wrestlers who are in this business now wouldn’t even be here. They’d be bagging groceries somewhere. When I was wrestling I was a medium sized guy. King Kong Bundy was 450 and John Studd was 400 and Earthquake was 400 and Andre was 550 and I was 330, Don Muracco was 300lbs.”

The business has changed and it’s for the better. It’s more exciting because the guys can do more moves and are more athletic than we were.”

Remembering The Twin Hebner Angle And Hogan’s First Title Loss

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, HULK HOGAN LOSES HIS MIND (AND THE WWF TITLE)
by The Solomonster (thesolomonster@gmail.com)
Podcast | Twitter | Facebook

“HOW MUCH MONEY DID THEY SPEND ON THE PLASTIC SURGERY??!”

Those infamous words were uttered by Hulk Hogan on national television 25 years ago today. And astonishingly, Hulk wasn’t referring to his (now ex) wife and her friend when he said that. No, you see, he was referring to the evil trio of Ted DiBiase, Andre the Giant and… EARL HEBNER! What? Earl Hebner, evil? Bret Hart would find out years later exactly how evil Dave Hebner’s baby brother really could be, but let it be known that Hulk Hogan was the original Screwjob victim way back in 1988 when INXS had the #1 hit single in America and the Road Warriors made it cool to wear Zubaz pants.

Here in 2013, Chris Daniels and Frankie Kazarian are trying hard to make Zubaz cool again, but it’s just not the same.

So, why then was the Hulkster ranting and raving like a mental patient about plastic surgery? Let’s set the stage. The date was February 5th. The WWF had been airing taped “Saturday Night’s Main Event” specials on NBC for a few years by this point. As a young wrasslin’ fan, I have fond memories of those shows. The sight of Andre the Giant sneaking up behind an unsuspecting Hogan, following his victory over King Kong Bundy, and wrapping his massive hands around Hogan’s throat, squeezing the life out of him, gave me nightmares. But this show was different. This show, dubbed simply “The Main Event”, aired live on Friday night (back when Friday was perhaps the best night for television) and would feature the first singles meeting between Andre and the champion since their epic encounter at WrestleMania III the previous year.

WWF and NBC hit a homerun that night. The show would do a 15.2 rating, good for 33 million viewers (that number is a bit skewed and likely also includes international viewers, so figure half that number were watching in the U.S. – still impressive), making the Hogan vs. Andre sequel the most watched wrestling match in history, a record that still stands today. Hulk Hogan had headlined as WWF champion for four consecutive years and was arguably at his peak of popularity. Andre, on the other hand, was clearly in physical decline and had long past his peak. In fact, he was barely mobile. One memorable spot from their match saw Andre simply fall face down in what the announcers could only describe as an attempted headbutt (he missed). And maybe it was, but it looked terrible. In fact, as a wrestling match, this pretty much sucked. But with these two guys in the ring, it was never about workrate. That’s what guys like Savage and Steamboat and Santana were there for.

As the match drew to a close, Andre grabbed Hogan and flung him around in the worst excuse for a hip toss I’ve ever seen in my life. As he covered the champion and the referee began to count, Hogan got his shoulder up off the mat, but Hebner kept counting. Just like that, Hogan’s run came to a screeching halt at 1,474 days and Andre was awarded the title.

I guess in hindsight, CM Punk’s 14-month reign ending on a People’s Elbow doesn’t seem nearly as ludicrous.

After the match, Gene Okerlund interviewed Andre, who inexplicably talked about winning the World tag team championship (?!!) and proceeded to surrender the tag team title (don’t look at me, that’s what he said) to Ted DiBiase. And I must say, the title looked awfully good around DiBiase’s waist. I believe he got to defend the title at some house shows in the days that followed before Jack Tunney officially declared the title vacant, but it really is a shame he never had a run on top.

As Hogan stood flabbergasted by what had just taken place, THE GOOD HEBNER emerged to confront his evil twin. It’s funny because, while Dave and Earl do look very much alike, I never had much trouble discerning one from the other, even as a kid. Dave was always the pudgier one. Maybe he was simply big-boned. Whatever the case, when Hogan turned around, he could not believe his eyes, nor could he tell one from the other. He figured it out when Earl knocked his brother to the mat and caved in his ribcage with a wicked kick (supposedly breaking a rib legit). Now, Hogan figured it out. He hoisted Earl high above his head, got a running head start, and proceeded to overshoot his target by a country mile, sending Earl SOARING into the aisleway over everyone’s head (including Andre, and he was a giant!). They were supposed to catch him, but hey, shit happens.

Backstage with Mean Gene, Hogan was a wreck. He was so distraught, he was literally in tears over this grave injustice that had just been committed. It’s too bad The Shield came 20 years too late. Maybe they could have helped prevent all of this. As Hogan whined and cried about plastic surgery, he talked about seeing both Hebners for the first time, exclaiming, “When I turned around, they were identical. IDENTICUUUUULLLL!!!!” Moments later, as they showed a replay in slow-mo of the finish, Hogan desperately tried pointing out to us all the hundred dollar bills falling out of the referee’s pocket. Okerlund didn’t have the heart to tell the big guy that, in fact, there were no hundred dollar bills. As hilarious as this all was, Hogan was a pathetic mess here. Between this and his temper tantrum at the 1992 Royal Rumble when he helped Flair eliminate Sid (who did nothing wrong!), I’m not sure how I was ever a fan of this man.

By the way, there’s a little “easter egg” of sorts to watch for on this show. Prior to his title defense, WWF shot to a pre-taped Hulk Hogan interview backstage. In it, he can be seen wearing what has since been dubbed as the “Hogan ‘87” belt. Yet moments later, when he emerges from the curtain, he’s wearing the Winged Eagle belt that would become synonymous with the company over the next decade. Not sure if the ’87 belt held out for more money before Hogan walked out or mouthed off to the wrong person, but it was never seen again.

A quarter century ago on this date, history was made. Hogan lost his smile. The plastic surgery was bought and paid for. And Andre won the tag team title. A memorable night, indeed.

thesolomonster@gmail.com
@solomonster

TNA star Hulk Hogan recently spoke to Sky News Radio to promote TNA’s UK tour. Here are some highlights of what Hogan said about:

Wrestling Again: “Well, I’ve learned in this business to never say never. As time goes by, I live vicariously through the younger talent. I was telling my wife Jennifer the other day that I’m in the U.K. and I can’t believe that I’m not ego-talking and I’m not the main event. I can’t believe I’m not wrestling Kurt Angle or I can’t believe I’m not wrestling Jeff Hardy.

“But, that was just the young heart talking. Then, I took a good look in the mirror and I realized that the old man couldn’t do it. I mean, I never say never. If there was a situation where my daughter Brooke might get in a bad spot or something goes awry, you never know. I could roll in there, pick up a steel chair or throw a punch or something. So, you can never say never.”

How Wrestling Changed When He Won The WWF Title From The Iron Sheik 29 Years Ago: “It was more than just my career, it was the turning point of the wrestling business to switch gears and fast-forward into the entertainment direction.

“It started with the world title on the line at Madison Square Garden: Hulk Hogan vs. The Iron Sheik. It was the pefect storm. Iron Sheik had just beaten the mainstay, Bob Backlund, who had been champion for five years. America was at conflict with Iran/Iraq as far as the political situation between the countries. Hulk Hogan was viewed as the American hero and all the elements lead to the very, very perfect confrontation between good vs. evil.

“But, what came out of that was a different performance level. It wasn’t just a wrestling match with good vs. bad with good prevailing. it was the birth of entertainment in this business. As I looked to the crowd, the look and the reaction from the crowd got just as much as acknowledgment as the move in the ring.

“As soon as I realized how important it was to interact with the crowd, I changed my whole mindset as far as my work in the ring. I realized that the crowd was living vicariously through me. I better acknowledge them and not just stay focused on my opponent. So, it was kind of like the beginning of the entertainment being born that day.”

Working with Paul Orndorff in front of 70,000+ Fans in Toronto: “Yeah, that night especially caught everyone off guard. I had never worked at the CNE Center and I figured we’d have 6,000-7,000 people. When we got there and it was 70,000+, I went, ‘Oh, my God.’ That was a nice surprise.

“But, I knew the chemistry was there with Paul Orndorff. It just depended on him and how good of a businessman he wanted to be and how big it could have gotten. Paul Orndorff was a businessman. He got a little stubborn at times, but basically he was a businessman and we did consistent business.

“His work was just so incredibly good. It was good and bad for me (because) I felt like I had been in a car wreck when I got out of the ring working with him. But, his stuff was so good, solid and intense that he just knew how to really turn that dial up and make people believe and make people hate him. Which made it easier for me as far as selling, making huge comebacks and making the buildings rattle.

“So, he was an on-going opponent that I made a ton of money with. He was really good at what he did.”

Wrestlers That He Never Worked Big Programs With: “Yeah, there was a situation because there was so many people to choose from. There was the ‘Macho Man’ and Kamala, who did great business everywhere. There was Bob Orton, Jr., Don Morocco. There were tons of guys — Earthquake, One Man Gang — I could go on and on.

“There were several guys where there would be a feel in the ring or you could tell right away. That’s how everything worked with me, I had to hear it and feel it with the instinct thing.

“I got into a situation with Jake ‘The Snake’ where he had his Piper’s Pit, I don’t know if the name of the show was The Snake Pit. It was an interview show. We did something there which was the beginning of a major story line for Jake and myself. We went to Providence and we worked one night and that was pretty much it. It was like we were at a funeral.

“I just kind of realized that something wasn’t clicking and we kind of move on and moved passed it. … I don’t know what it was. There was a Hulk Hogan style at the time that was real easy and there were several trains of thought with probably about six or seven ways to go to make things perfect.

“For some reason, Jake and I did not fit in any of those categories. I tried my best and he tried his best but we just couldn’t dance with each other. It wasn’t right. I just didn’t want to run this thing out for six months to a year when there were so many other people like the ‘Macho Man’ and everybody else and it was so red-hot. So, it just didn’t work for whatever reason.”

Hulk Hogan has addressed the backlash surrounding his controversial tweet on Sunday where he tweeted a revealing picture of his daughter Brooke’s legs.

* VIEW HERE: Hulk Hogan Tweets CREPPY Picture Of “Brooke’s Legs”

Hogan received a ton of criticism on Twitter and on many websites, including TMZ.com and the Huffington Post. Hogan tweeted on Tuesday:

“Brooke works out for 2hrs a day,a fan takes a picture,Brooke love it,tweets back thank u,proud dad tweets it,creeps and perverts everywhere”

Fed up with the “haters” calling him out for his latest display of fatherly pride, he continued:

“Need a break from all the haters got more good positive stuff to do,bye see u much later. HH”

Brooke Hogan responded:

“A dad can’t even be proud of his daughter without sickos makin it something it’s not. Really?? Go back to your farm animals. #ignorant”

Brooke’s mother & Hulk’s ex-wife Linda said:

“@huffingtonpost @tmz Stop ! U u ppl need to relax!!! We both think Brooke and her legs are gorgeous ! We r parents !! # spare me”

View Here: Hulk Hogan Re-Tweets Message From A Fan Saying He Went “Balls Deep” In Brooke

Hulk Hogan tweeted a photo of his daughter Brooke in a revealing dress along with the accompanying caption, “Brooke’s legs.” After getting bombarded with tweets about how unbelievably creepy that is, the photo was quickly taken down from image hosting site Lockerz.com – but not before we got a screenshot!

A Twitter search of “Brooke’s Legs” shows hundreds of comments from fans wondering what the Hulkster was thinking. Frankly, we are wondering the same thing.

What do you suppose Ron Simmons would have to say about this?

Here’s the picture:

Hulk Hogan talked to Ireland’s Xpose Entertainment this week about his daughter Brooke Hogan getting in the ring:

“It’s my worst nightmare! But she’s really good, she’s really good in front of the camera, she’s a really great actress, she has great timing, she’ll take a half a breath and respond instead of having that knee-jerk reaction to what’s going on which is what most wrestlers do. It’s a pleasure working with her on camera, but my greatest fear has always been the evils of this business, and her getting in too deep and becoming full-time and getting hurt. I’d just hate to see that after what I’ve been through. And her passion is still music, she’s a songwriter now and she loves doing that.”

“She’s been in the ring one time messing about and she loved it – which scared me to death! I can understand it, it’s very addictive. Part of it is because I’m her father and part of it is that if you do get in the ring and take a few bumps it’s like being addicted to chocolate or drugs, you either like it or you don’t, it’s very addictive and I think she got into the ring and she loved it.”

“She’s been asking me about it and I told her, ‘Look Brooke you’re not 18 anymore you’re 24 so do what you want to do.’ If she does do it then it will probably be fun to watch but the business is tough.”

* Picture of BROOKE HOGAN’s Recent Wardrobe Malfunction

TNA star Hulk Hogan continues to drop hints of a potential in-ring return while doing a media appearance overseas in the United Kingdom this week.

During an interview with Kerrang! Magazine, Hogan said that he’d rather be focusing on wrestling than doing interviews:

“I love being here, but I miss getting in the ring. I miss being part of the action. I miss that desperately,” Hogan said.

Here’s video of the interview:

– Speaking to Montgomery Adviser, Daniel Bryan says he enjoys competing as a tag team wrestler because it gives him the opportunity to face wrestlers who he may not have otherwise squared off against, such as a wrestler he idolized in high school.

“We wrestled the team of Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara once and it was a lot of fun,” Bryan said while promoting WWE’s upcoming Raw live at the Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, Alabama. “Rey is one of the guys who I looked up to when I was in high school and wrestling him was just a dream come true.”

The full article is available here.

– The official WWE website has posted a lost episode of Raw originally scheduled for November 22, 1993. WWE explains, “WWE produced two episodes of Raw under the show number “41”. One of those episodes was never considered part of the shows historic 1000+ episode run. Relive this episode in its entirety featuring a huge WWE Championship match between Bret Hart and Yokozuna.”

Also featured is a match pitting Marty Jannetty against Irwin R. Schyster and Bruce Prichard impersonating Dusty Rhodes’ voice as Reo Rodgers in a segment with Shawn Michaels.

– At Thursday’s New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden, a “This Day In Garden History” graphic was shown on the video screens with a photo of Hulk Hogan facing The Iron Sheik displayed. The day marked as the twenty-ninth anniversary of the night Hogan won the WWF Championship at the venue.

Bully Ray, Taz, Dixie Carter and Hulk Hogan have responded to the events that transpired on Thursday’s Impact Wrestling during Bully’s wedding to Brooke Hogan. In response to Taz joining Aces & Eights and the biker gang beating the crap out of Bully and Hulk Hogan, Bully tweeted:

“What was supposed to be a night of celebration, turned into a nightmare. @TestifyDevon was 1 thing. @OfficialTAZ your dead to me scumbag.”

Taz responded to those comments, tweeting:

“@REALBully5150 dead? I just came to LIFE! All business big man.”

Dixie Carter then responded to Taz:

“Business?? Really, big man??”

Hulk Hogan, on the other hand, actually sounds relieved about the wedding not going down as planned

“Taz screwed everyone , the one good thing was the wedding came to an immediate halt,thank God. HH”

Meanwhile, Brooke Hogan experienced a wardrobe malfunction during the brawl that took place during her wedding between Aces & Eights, Bully Ray, Hulk Hogan and Sting –

– Several months ago we reported that Hulk Hogan was approached by Mexico’s Multimedios group to wrestle a match for a huge payday. While Hogan originally turned them down, word out of TNA is that Eric Bischoff recently approached the group to restart negotiations.

The condition of Hulk Hogan’s back remains the big issue as to whether he can wrestle a full match. Hogan has stated in recent interviews that his latest back surgery fixed his back and he does plan on wrestling again, but it’s more likely that he’ll simply appear at the show and get physical, opposed to working a full match.

– TNA’s developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling, taped their 700th episode of television this week. Several TNA stars taped congratulatory messages that will air on the show, including Hulk Hogan, Sting, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, Mr. Anderson and Tara.

– TNA World Champion Jeff Hardy will not be traveling to the UK for TNA’s annual overseas tour due to his felony conviction that prevents him from entering the country. As a result, Hardy will miss 4 weeks of Impact tapings, so it will be interesting to see how TNA handles the situation.

* The Latest On JEFF HARDY’s TNA Future: Will He Jump To WWE When His Contract Expires?

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– TMZ.com has an article about Hulk Hogan filing a $50 million lawsuit against the Laser Spine Institute in Florida. LSI performed several procedures on his back starting in 2009 to treat multiple lumbar spinal abnormalities including scoliosis and multiple bulging discs, but Hogan claims that the procedures actually made his back worse and says he was never informed that the laser treatment only provided temporary pain relief.

Hogan eventually underwent major back surgery with a different team of doctors and says he missed out on tens of millions of dollars in employment opportunities. If that’s not bad enough, Hogan says LSI used his name and image to promote their business without his permission.

– Samoa Joe will be hosting a seminar for the Ludus Wrestling School this Saturday (1/20) in Brooklyn, NY.

– Backstage at Sundays TNA Genesis pay-per-view from Orlando, morale among the locker room was high. Everybody felt like it was a solid show with a great main event and the roster feels like the company is moving in the right direction.

– TNA star Hulk Hogan is the latest person to comment on CM Punk’s “Pipe Bomb” promo from RAW. Hogan tweeted on Tuesday morning:

@Apex1989 I think CM PUNK has stepped up and proved he can hold his own with anybody in the ring and anybody on the mic,he's on a roll. HH

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) January 8, 2013

VIDEO of PUNK’s Latest PIPE BOMB Promo from RAW

– As previously reported, last week’s live episode of TNA Impact Wrestling drew a 1.14 rating, the show’s best audience since August 23, 2012. The show had hourly ratings of 1.14 and 1.23, with Hulk Hogan and Bully Ray drawing the highest quarter hour of the night (1.31).

The steel cage main event that saw the return of Sting and the unmasking of Mike Knox drew a strong 1.21 rating. The only segment that fell below 1.0 was the Hernandez vs. Joey Ryan match, which did a 0.99.

TNA star Hulk Hogan’s new Tampa-based restaurant, Hogan’s Beach, had its Grand Opening over the weekend, with Hogan tweeting the following:

I want yo thank the thousands of MANIACS that came to HOGANS BEACH for New Years Eve,now I know what to expect,we are on it and are going

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) January 1, 2013

To keep working hard to make it the hottest,most fun,craziest hot spot in the Tampa Bay Area,thank u for coming out,lets keep it rockin all

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) January 1, 2013

Through 2013,let the games begin at HOGANS BEACH,I can't wait to pull my lawn chair out with my banana hammock on and get my tan lets rockHH

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) January 1, 2013

– Meanwhile, Tampa’s local WTSP Channel 10 reported on the opening, including footage of Hogan (wearing a mask) talking about the new venue:

TNA star Hulk Hogan recently spoke to TampaBay.com about the Grand Opening of his new restaurant, Hogan’s Beach.

Pictures From HOGAN’s BEACH Restaurant

Here are some highlights of what Hogan said about:

The Concept: “It’s going to be Jimmy Buffett’s [Margaritaville] times 10; Hooters times 10. It’s a logical extension of the Hogan brand, with my image and likeness. We’re looking for something like Winter the Dolphin. In 36 years I’ve become so tangible to the public, and not just Americans. We have a chance to have an international draw.”

His Role at the Restaurant: “I see myself almost like a general manager, creatively. I play a fake general manager on Impact Wrestling. But this is for real.”

The New Year’s Eve opening was a huge success, with the restaurant doing big business in its first night open to the public. Among the pro wrestling names that were in attendance were Hogan, Ric Flair, Matt Morgan, Austin Aries, Jimmy Hart, Brutus Beefcake, Bushwaker Luke, TNA Knockout Rosita, former WWE developmental diva Melissa Coates and others.

If you’re in the vicinity of Tampa, Florida and are looking for some New Year’s Eve plans for tonight – you might want to check out the grand opening of Hulk Hogan’s new “Hogan’s Beach” bar/restaurant.

Hogan announced on Twitter that tonight’s New Year’s Eve Grand Opening party will be attended by himself, Ric Flair, Jimmy Hart, Matt Morgan, Jim Neidhart and one of the Bushwhackers.

Ed “Brutus Beefcake” Leslie and the Nasty Boys have also been invited to attend.

Hogan also confirmed that the pictures of he an Ric Flair and their children partying together this weekend were taken at the new restaurant.

* Pictures of the HOGANS & FLAIRS Partying Together This Weekend