The Buzz by Mike Schaffer - PR, Social Media, Pop Culture and Sports

Pop Culture, TV and Movies, WWE, Wrestling

December 17, 2009

Hulk Hogan – Whatcha Gonna Do?

Tags: , laila ali, new world order, nwo, professional wrestling, real american, , , WWE, wwf

What happens when one of the biggest entertainers of the 1980s and 1990s comes back on the scene in 2010?

What happens when said entertainer’s family life has gone through the public ringer, including a messy divorce, a tragic car crash and an apparent suicide attempt?

Well, we will all find out on January 4, 2010, when Hulk Hogan appears on TNA iMPACT.

Here’s a look back at Hogan, set to his WWE entrance music, “Real American.”  (Confession – I have this song on my iPod workout mix)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGuhZvO1DKg]

I’ll admit it, I was a Hulkamaniac back when.  It’s OK, I know you were, too.  From taking on Andre the Giant to King Kong Bundy to Rowdy Roddy Piper to Paul Orndorff, Hogan defended the cause of good from evil-doers.

When Earthquake cracked his ribs, I nearly cried.  When Zeus came to life from the movie “No Holds Barred,” I was freaked out.

And let’s not forget his epic WCW run, which included Bash at the Beach 1996, where Hogan came out to seemingly help his long-time friend and rival, the “Macho Man” Randy Savage:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H76DwHgOwpA]

Yes, Hogan was a premier brand in entertainment.  He had movies, TV shows (anyone else remember “Thunder in Paradise?”) and public acclaim.  The training, the prayers and the vitamins…he was a role model, for sure.

But after leaving the ring, his personal life became public on the “Hogan Knows Best” TV show, which spurred his nasty divorce and loads of other problems.  His body is broken down to the point where he really can’t perform in the squared circle anymore.  His patented leg-drop is an impossibility given his bad hips.  His recent tell-all book outlined a suicide attempt that none other than Laila Ali interrupted.

So when Hogan returns to the wrestling world, how will you react?

Will you see the beacon of goodness from the 1980s, who body-slammed the big, smelly giant, or will you see the man with a shattered family, shattered body and reportedly shattered psyche?

The bigger question is this: Will you watch….brother?

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