Hulk Hogan vs. Stan Hansen

[Mister Yummy]

part 1 - uk.youtube.com/watch?v=b2G8AoX8ZCQ

part 2 - uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hM2EIcSAxUA

April 13, 1991

This is a great match. There were some interesting aspects I'd like to comment on.

Hogan really brings it all out in Japan. It's a shame he doesn't wrestle like this all the time. If he did, I think he'd have few detractors. He does moves you'd never think of Hulk Hogan doing, such as a 3/4 nelson and a Cross Body Block.

This may be the only time you'll ever see WWF Turnbuckles on the Steel Cable style ring ropes. On a Japanese style ring no less! It's definately a hybrid ring.

This match is available with english commentary on one of the Colleseum Video Hulkamanis tapes. Hulkamania 6 if I remember correctly.

This match is intense for 1990 WWF. It has a table spot, a bit of blood, and fans booing Hulk Hogan!

Is it me, or is that the sloppiest Abdominal Stretch I've ever seen?

I love seeing Hogan do all his Japan only stuff, like the Ichiban! taunt at the end, and the Axe Bomber.

What do you guys think of this classic confrontation?

[Hiroshi Hase]

Actually it was April 13,1990 and yeah this was a pretty good match. Hogan didn't have to wrestle like that all the time as he was way over in the States and the fans just wanted the hulk up, big boot, leg drop, so that's what he gave them.

[Mister Yummy]

Yes, a small typo on my part. April 1990, not 1991.

[Mr. Mediocre]

Why is it that he wrestled so much better in Japan and almost never did this kind of stuff in America?

I don't think it's just Vince telling him to do less or restrict his moveset - plenty of guys in the 80s WWF could wrestle - and the fact that Hulk COULD do all of this and never did in America actually bothers me more than if he couldn't do it.

[Hiroshi Hase]

explodinglimo said:

Why is it that he wrestled so much better in Japan and almost never did this kind of stuff in America?

I don't think it's just Vince telling him to do less or restrict his moveset - plenty of guys in the 80s WWF could wrestle - and the fact that Hulk COULD do all of this and never did in America actually bothers me more than if he couldn't do it.

Maybe he felt he didn't have to. The fans in MSG or Chi-Town loved Hogan, no matter what his moveset was. It's not as if his audience was 100% smarks who thrived on how many moves a guy could do. They just wanted to see Hogan take down whichever heel he was feuding with.

[Kash Flagg]

Hogan's match with Muta is also pretty good.

[LuckyD 8402]

explodinglimo said:

Why is it that he wrestled so much better in Japan and almost never did this kind of stuff in America?

I don't think it's just Vince telling him to do less or restrict his moveset - plenty of guys in the 80s WWF could wrestle - and the fact that Hulk COULD do all of this and never did in America actually bothers me more than if he couldn't do it.

Fans didn't pay to see that. They paid to see exactly what he did, night in and night out. Wrestling from the 80s is a lot different from wrestling now, but most fans fail to understand that. Fans are considered "smarter" now and wrestling has evolved over the years. I've seen it said many times (often ignored), but you can't hold wrestling from 15-20 years ago to today's standards.

[Mr. Mediocre]

dykcul said:

explodinglimo said:

Why is it that he wrestled so much better in Japan and almost never did this kind of stuff in America?

I don't think it's just Vince telling him to do less or restrict his moveset - plenty of guys in the 80s WWF could wrestle - and the fact that Hulk COULD do all of this and never did in America actually bothers me more than if he couldn't do it.

Fans didn't pay to see that. They paid to see exactly what he did, night in and night out. Wrestling from the 80s is a lot different from wrestling now, but most fans fail to understand that. Fans are considered "smarter" now and wrestling has evolved over the years. I've seen it said many times (often ignored), but you can't hold wrestling from 15-20 years ago to today's standards.

I realize that wrestling has changed, but I still feel that it wouldn't have actually been a bad thing if Hulk Hogan actually wrestled.

Obviously, there's nothing to verify this as true, but who's to say that fans wouldn't have flocked to see the Hulkster if he varied up his moveset like he did in Japan?

[Hiroshi Hase]

explodinglimo said:

dykcul said:

Fans didn't pay to see that. They paid to see exactly what he did, night in and night out. Wrestling from the 80s is a lot different from wrestling now, but most fans fail to understand that. Fans are considered "smarter" now and wrestling has evolved over the years. I've seen it said many times (often ignored), but you can't hold wrestling from 15-20 years ago to today's standards.

I realize that wrestling has changed, but I still feel that it wouldn't have actually been a bad thing if Hulk Hogan actually wrestled.

Obviously, there's nothing to verify this as true, but who's to say that fans wouldn't have flocked to see the Hulkster if he varied up his moveset like he did in Japan?

I think the fans were more than stoked to see Hogan in their town vs. any heel they put him in front of him, the moveset thing wasn't necessary at all. If the majority of fans were smarks, then fine, but they weren't, so chain-wrestling wasn't a priority at all.

[Turd Ferguson]

Can't find the promo on youtube atm. Hulk Hogan breathing heavy and such, "STAN HANSEN! TONIGHT AT THE EGGDOME!...AXEY BOOMBAHH!! GRrrrrr!"

The match was really good, considering who was in it.

Hogan may not be a technical marvel, but he knows how to work and can get into a nice brawl. I wonder what it would've felt like if Hogan in his prime had stiffed somebody.