Lifestyle > Sports & Entertainment
Wrestling backstage politics
M Dogg™:
I was always weirded out seeing old reports of Hulk Hogan holding down younger talent. Thoughout wrestling history, there has always been that one guy that's the big draw. When Hulk Hogan broke into wrestling, it was Andre the Giant. And though Hogan was the champ, in Wrestlemania III, if Andre wanted to, he could have said he wanted the title, and Vince and Hulk would have gave it to him. Reading on the backstage, everyone paid Andre respect, and called him boss, though he called them boss, there was no denying he was the Boss of the backstage. He was the reason Hulk Hogan could be, the same way Hulk Hogan is the reason the current generation can be. These oung wrestlers should be paying Hogan respect, the same way Hogan and others in the 80's paid Andre. I know in the WWE they do now, but I know in WCW they didn't. The young talened didn't know who put food in their mouths. Everyone knew in the 80's that Andre put the food in their mouths. In the 90's, they forgot that it was off Hogan's draw that they ate. Now I sense they know, and that the 90's left many stars that paved the way, not just a Hogan or Andre figure. But still, I think back and I think about how other wrestlers wanted things handed to them because they are young. Reading old backstage stories, it was hard to get respect.
On a side note, Triple H doesn't deserve the backstage power he has. Hogan and Andre made wrestling, and wrestlers millions off their drawing power. You see Hogan or Andre on the headline, you buy a ticket and wrestlers on that show get pad more. Triple H is not that type. His a great in ring worker, up there with Benoit and Angle. But to me, to have that kind of power, you need to have the drawing power, and Triple H ain't that deal. Now if he wrestlers Angle at Wrestlemania, I think he will become that deal, but right now.
BOX5 the best poster on this site yell:
you got some points,but sometimes you got to push talent in the bacc that work hard,regardless if you like them or not,cause thats where shit get fucc'd up at,come on man beefcake after his boating injury was shit (alot would say before that as well) but because he was one of "hogans friends" he got mad pushes when he clearly didn't deserve them,hell look at how man reincarnations he had in the wcw,hell he even headlined a feud with hogan!!!!!!,the thing that made andre great is,even tho he was "the boss" as you said,he never wore the belt during that time,giving someone like hogan time to shine along side him and then eventually passing the torch to him, who hogan do that for nash hahaha mr knobby knees,bill goldberg, who was a good draw during his streak,even tho he injured many of wrestlers with his wreccless style in the ring,you got to think about those sort of things, hell look at beniot and eddy g rip,when they got they time to shine they showed they could lead yell
Sikotic™:
That's very true what you said about how some talent believes they deserve the spotlight because of their youth. A veteran's body has withstood the test of time and has proven his loyalty to the business and the art. These younger guys tend to be inexperienced, immature, injury prone, and not team players. That's why only a few in the talent pool tend to rise to the top. It's no different than the past generations, but with wrestlers whining and crying about their misfortune on the net, it makes the situation seem so different.
Brock Lesnar ring a bell? He was young, talented, and the WWE gave him the world. What does he do? He leaves his enormous contract for some long shot at the NFL. That's why the WWE would rather deal with a tried and proven veteran like Hogan, The Undertaker, etc.
M Dogg™:
--- Quote from: BOX5 on January 18, 2006, 09:44:18 PM ---you got some points,but sometimes you got to push talent in the bacc that work hard,regardless if you like them or not,cause thats where shit get fucc'd up at,come on man beefcake after his boating injury was shit (alot would say before that as well) but because he was one of "hogans friends" he got mad pushes when he clearly didn't deserve them,hell look at how man reincarnations he had in the wcw,hell he even headlined a feud with hogan!!!!!!,the thing that made andre great is,even tho he was "the boss" as you said,he never wore the belt during that time,giving someone like hogan time to shine along side him and then eventually passing the torch to him, who hogan do that for nash hahaha mr knobby knees,bill goldberg, who was a good draw during his streak,even tho he injured many of wrestlers with his wreccless style in the ring,you got to think about those sort of things, hell look at beniot and eddy g rip,when they got they time to shine they showed they could lead yell
--- End quote ---
somethings go as they go. But you forgot that Warrior was originally suppose to get the torch. WCW was fucked up, but there was no one that Hogan could leave it with. Only Sting. But Sting was an old vet too.
As for Lesner, exactly. He got to beat the Undertaker, Hogan, Angle, and what did he do, leave. The Rock left. The only wrestler in Hogan/Andre's level is Steve Austin. And he can't wrestle no more because of his neck. He actually should have been done, but continued with a more brawling style just to continue wrestling. That's heart. That's someone that's a top draw and dedicated to wrestling. Benoit and Guerrero showed great backstage respect, and got it back. They deserved their title runs. But again, only Austin is on Hogan's level, on Andre's level. Hogan didn't have to pass the torch, Austin switch federations, and made his own torch and ran with it. In his last run as champion, his heel run after Wrestlemania X7, it seemed like no one was ready to carry it on. Triple H wants it, but he don't put butts in the seats. Benoit and Guerrero earned world titles, and follow in the Thesz, Flair, Hart tradition, and that's how they wanted their reigns to go. But it takes a lot to get to that Andre/Hogan level. On a side note, Frenchie Martin and Dino Bravo only had jobs because of Andre.
Trauma-san:
The whole "Hogan holding back talent" thing is a myth. Hogan had clout, and got away with a lot of things, but people act like he was given what he had. Hogan took what he had. Nobody gave Hogan the ball, he took it. Sure, you can give Vince a lot of the credit, but could anybody else have done what Hogan did? No... he had an amazing work rate, he had an incredible body, he was unbelievably charismatic, and he just stepped up many, many years ago and took everything to an entire nother level.
When Hogan has been around other wrestlers with an ounce of the charisma he had (and still does) there's nothing he can do to hold them back. How could anybody have held Hogan back? It was impossible. They even fired him and he came back stronger than he was before. 20 years later, he can step back in the ring at Wrestlemania against the Rock, and be a bigger draw than he was in the prime of his career. He's unstoppable, immortal.
Look at Hogan's career. They put him in a fued with the Warrior. Hogan jobbed to the Warrior. The Warrior got a big head and fucked the whole thing up. Hogan went on to better things.
They put him in a fued with Sting. Hogan worked with and jobbed to Sting on several occassions. Sting, in that angle, got a greater rub than ever before, even though he had been champ and was already a huge name.
Hogan's jobbed to Flair countless times and vice versa.
Hogan jobbed to Bill Goldberg. Why? ... because Goldberg had a lot of momentum and stepped up and took the opportunity in front of him. That's how it works. Hogan couldn't have held Goldberg down, because Goldberg didn't let that happen. Then where did it go? Goldberg retired and Hogan, again, went on to bigger and better things.
Hogan jobbed to the Rock. What happened to the Rock? He retired and went on to Hollywood, Hogan's still around and the Rock's movie career is dwindling.
In WCW, at the end, Hogan jobbed to Mike Awesome. Mike Awesome even did an Awesome bomb with Hogan through a table in the middle of the ring. Where is Mike Awesome? Fat, out of shape, and even TNA won't hire him.
In WCW, at the end, Hogan jobbed to fuckin' Billy Kidman. Where is Billy Kidman? He's sitting at home drinking his life away because Vince McMahon fired him. Hogan's still sitting on top of the wrestling world in the meantime.
Hogan jobbed to Kurt Angle, and to HHH his last time around in the WWE as well.
Hulk Hogan has continuously worked angles and given rubs to the best wrestlers in the business, and many of them have went on to make nothing of it. There's really nothing people can argue about except to say Hogan didn't job to fuckin' Chris Benoit or whatever their favorite wrestler is that week, but Hogan never worked with guys like Benoit. He jobbed to friekin' Billy Kidman. You can't say shit about him holding people down.
Another thing, that Sik-o-tic mentioned, is that youth doesn't give you a shot. Hogan is extremely underrated by marks, they think oh, here's an old man who does the same old gimmick. Hulk Hogan has never injured an opponent in the ring. (don't give me that shit about that match in Japan, it was a work). Hulk has continuously drawn more than any other champion with the possible exception of Stone Cold Steve Austin. Hogan has an incredible amount of charisma, and is one of the best mic men ever, even if you think his "you know brother" act is stale, most people don't and most fans love him. Hogan more than any other wrestler has succeeded in becoming a pop icon, I saw Paul Teutle on American Choppers wearing a Hulk Hogan t-shirt the other night. When Batista gave up his belt in the middle of the ring last week, the girl crying in the audience was wearing a home-made "Hulkamania" T-shirt. He is head and shoulders above any wrestler before or since in the one aspect that matters: entertainment. He's entertained more fans than any other wrestler in a sport that now calls itself sports entertainment. He's the real deal. Who else right now stands up to him? Nobody, every other wrestler falls at his feet.
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