Plot: What’s it about?
In the world of sports entertainment, few names carry as much weight as Hulk Hogan, an icon of the industry and one of wrestling’s beloved superstars. Hogan is best known for his red and yellow attire, his post match pose downs, and being larger than life, inside the ring and out. He is one of the most popular athletes of all time, was the cornerstone of WWE during one of its greatest pinnacles, and has even branched out into movies and yes, his own reality television show. We all remember epic clashes like when Hogan battled Andre the Giant, accepted the ultimate challenge from The Ultimate Warrior, and clashed with The Rock, after all some of Hogan’s brightest moments happened at Wrestlemania. And we still recall when he turned on the fans and helped found the notorious New World Order, dropping his red & yellow for darker hues. His comeback battling Mr. McMahon, his stint under a mask as Mr. America, and his numerous runs as the WWE Champion. In this three disc collection, Hogan’s career is explored in depth, from the famous matches to some that aren’t so well known. The set begins with Hogan’s lesser known match against Andre the Giant in 1980 and travels through until his Legend vs. Icon conflict against Shawn Michaels in 2005. Now you can relive all his classic matches, again and again, and watch as Hogan turns into one of WWE’s most famous superstars. I have included a listing of the matches found on each disc below.
Disc 1
1. Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant (9/13/1980)
2. Hulk Hogan vs. Nick Bockwinkel (4/24/1983)
3. Hulk Hogan vs. The Iron Sheik (1/23/1984)
4. Hulk Hogan vs. Big John Studd (9/22/1984)
5. Hulk Hogan vs. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (2/18/1985)
6. Hulk Hogan & Mr. T vs. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff
7. Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy (4/7/1986)
8. Hulk Hogan vs. “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff (8/28/1986)
9. Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant (3/29/1987)
Disc 2
1. Hulk Hogan vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage (4/18/1989)
2. Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior (4/1/1990)
3. Hulk Hogan vs. Sgt. Slaughter (3/24/1991)
4. Hulk Hogan vs. The Undertaker (12/3/1991)
5. Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair (7/17/1994)
6. “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan vs. The Giant (8/10/1996)
7. “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan vs. Sting (12/28/1997)
Disc 3
1. Hulk Hogan vs. Curt Hennig (11/14/2001)
2. Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock (3/17/2002)
3. Hulk Hogan vs. Triple H (4/21/2002)
4. Hulk Hogan & Edge vs. Chuck & Billy (7/4/2002)
5. Hulk Hogan vs. Mr. McMahon (3/30/2003)
6. Hulk Hogan vs. Shawn Michaels (8/21/2005)
Video: How does it look?
The matches are presented in full frame, as intended. The age and condition of the footage varies, but overall, the material looks good. Some of the earlier matches show some grain and softness, but that is to be expected. Without question, this is the best those matches have looked, so while a tad rough, fans should be satisfied with the visual performance. As the more recent matches roll in, the visuals improve a lot and then the newer stuff looks excellent, as anticipated. Hogan’s colors, whether red & yellow or black & white, look good here and I see no real problems to report.
Audio: How does it sound?
As with the video, the audio is better on the more recent footage, but even the older matches sound more than decent. You might notice a little hiss or a thin overall sound, but the production values weren’t even close to the levels found on current productions. So you can’t fault the soundtrack, as there is only so much you can do with dated audio like this. The recent matches pack all the power you’d expect, with great crowd noise and every slam is loud and clear. I don’t know what else to say about the soundtracks here, the matches sound good and I think fans will be pleased.
Supplements: What are the extras?
In addition to the matches, you’ll find the Bash at the Beach incident where Hogan joined the nWo, Hogan’s thoughts on early days in the business, comments from The Iron Sheik about his match with Hogan, and Hogan’s WWE Hall of Fame induction speech.
