I Admit, I Was A Hater

Hulk Hogan vs. Antonio Inoki - NJPW - 1984

It's only the past couple of days I've started watching Hogan in NJPW.  I always assumed he was a lazy shit.  I've never been a fan of his as a wrestler, but he is a great actor... kinda.  I'll admit, in the past I've more or less dismissed Hogan based on his WWF and WCW matches I've never been a fan of i.e. Hulkmania.  However, after watching him in NJPW I've been blown away by what I've seen.  Now, don't get me wrong, he's not anywhere near the best worker in the business here or the most talented wrestler - but he works hard and he performs pretty damn good.  This match with Inoki can be praised for the old genital rectal fart Hogan's performance just as much as Inoki's.

The atmosphere for this one is through the roof.  The crowd are wild, and even though Hogan gets a loud ovation it's Inoki they're all rooting for.  There was huge heat on Hogan and it made this atmosphere all the more intense.  This match is physical and rarely lets up, and when there are breaks it's when Hogan is drawing heat from the excited crowd.  Both men work their asses off in this match and create some memorable moments such as Hogan's suplex on Inoki on the floor or the modified figure four leg lock on the apron both men were not prepared to let go of.  This match ended in controversial circumstances, many believe that at the end there was some genuine animosity between Hogan and Inoki.  The crowd tossed everything in their possession in the ring as well.  This really meant a lot to them and the heat was off the chain crazy.  There was even some anti-American chants at the end as well.

The biggest American star vs. the biggest Japanese star sure had a lot of expectation  on it, and with their past matches delivering some great bouts it had to live up - and it did.  It lasted over 20 minutes and was relentless throughout.  Definitely one of the best matches I've seen from Hogan.  He really deserves respect for this and anyone who says he's always sucked should check out his NJPW work.  It turned me.  And I hated the old ass clown.