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When the WWE releases DVDs they tend to stay far away from the backstage politics between the wrestlers as much as they can. Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior is one of those few exceptions as is nWo: Back in Black. But there are always abundant rumors and criticisms of Hulk Hogan�s backstage politics even today. Hogan has paid his dues, the WWE wouldn�t be what it is without him and when I read rumors that someone complains about how they have to lose to Hogan, I think �so what?� If I were a professional wrestler, I would be honored just to step into the ring with the man, whether I am Triple H or Kid Kash. Many a superstars have laid down for the Hulkster and many have done so in a manner that drives their respect up even higher. Triple H, Ric Flair, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Sting� some of the biggest names in wrestling have all laid down for Hogan and those names are still on top today.
That brings us to the Hulk Hogan: Ultimate Anthology DVD. Released last week and its taken me forever to write a review because I was busy revisiting a career that I�ve followed my entire life. This is a 4 disc set (the fourth disc depends on where you buy it, Wal Mart has 6 additional matches) which features the biggest full length matches from Hogan�s great career. Starting with his match against Andre the Giant at Shea Stadium in 1980 all the way up to his interview at Raw�s Homecoming. The matches are in their entirety and they are fantastic. The selection of matches also pretty well somes up the career of Hulk Hogan, 17 of the matches are World Championship matches, from Wrestlemania III vs. Andre to Backlash 2002 vs. Triple H. Hogan wins all but two matches on the DVD, Wrestlemania VI against the Ultimate Warrior and Starrcade 1997 against Sting. And while there could have been a few matches, those included on this DVD are his best matches and the most memorable.
Introduced by Mean Gene and Jimmy Hart, a brief summary of the history surrounding each match is provided followed by a brief superstar commentary. After each match, either new footage or older footage of Hogan is shown expressing his feelings about a certain match and what led up to it and how it went. In 2002, after Hogan won the undisputed title, Hulk Still Rules was releases on DVD. This DVD is where much of the older footage comes from if you are looking for some more meaty and something that talks about Hogan�s career in detail and the detail surrounding the match, try and find Hulk Still Rules because there isn�t as much in-depth interviews about Hogan�s career and certain matches on the anthology. This is not a bad thing because Hulk Still Rules did not feature all matches in their entirety and was more focused on the man�s career and life than his matches. If you do own Hulk Still Rules and you could care less about his matches then the Ultimate Anthology may not be the DVD for you.
And while some argue that Hogan is one of the worst wrestlers of all-time, these DVDs have a way of showing you that professional wrestling is not just what you do in the ring, the most important thing is entertaining the crowd and that is what Hogan does best. Many wrestlers today are very methodical in their ways; Triple H�s big knee, Shawn Michaels flying elbow, Carlito�s flip over the turnbuckle, it�s all very predictable. Back in Hogan�s prime, he may not have senton bombed off of a 25 foot ladder or fallen through the Hell in the Cell, but he did get the crowd cheering and going wild just by putting his hand to his ear. The Ultimate Anthology show this in his biggest matches such as Wrestlmania X8 when the Rock was heavily booed. Or from Summerslam 05, where Shawn Michaels playing a heel, was still massively booed for Hulk Hogan. The guy knows how to work the crowd and that is just as important as in-ring ability.
The funny thing about the DVD, and it feels almost like history had been re-written was the dubbing over of Jimi Hendrix�s voodoo child with Real American. Assuming that the WWE lost the rights its funny seeing Hogan play air guitar to Real American. My only other qualm with the editing of the DVD is the sloppy scramble of the old WWF logo, it�s not enough to take away from the DVD but it is noticeable.
There are matches on the Anthology that were missing from Hulk Still Rules such as the match vs. Sting. There were also many matches missing from WCW, such as the classic Hogan and Rodman vs. DDP and Malone or Hogan vs. Goldberg, as well as only a brief coverage of the nWo. Even missing is his Wrestlemania 21 appearance as well as the Backlash 2005 match against Hassan and Daivari. Either way the Anthology is a great DVD with some fantastic matches and a great way to look back on the career of Hulk Hogan.
Wrestling fan or not, at some point or another I think we all were Hulkamaniacs, if you love wrestling and love Hogan, you should pick up this DVD, if you hate Hogan, you should pick up this DVD. Its fun to watch, from the way that Hogan works the crowd from his entrance to his in-ring flexing, he will forever be the greatest wrestling character of all time� BROTHER!
Adopting from IGN.com (Credit where credit is due), Here's our system:
Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
Hulk Hogan isn�t just a professional wrestler. Hulk Hogan has had more pop cultural influence in the past thirty years than many other famous celebrities. When someone thinks of wrestling, whether you love it or you hate it, you usually think of Hulk Hogan. Top that off with an A-list reality show on a network with B-list celebrity reality shows and you can understand that Hulkamania is still running wild. He�s the most successful figure in the wrestling business having starred in classic B movies like Suburban Commando and Mr. Nanny. Not to mention the Thunder in Paradise series. Ratings and Pay-per view buy rates are always high when he�s around and the crowd always goes wild when he comes to the ring. He may now only wrestle once a year, but when he does he still manages to put on quality matches. As one of my all time favorite wrestlers and entertainers (and my amazing 2005 Halloween costume), Hulk Hogan is truly a legend.
KP Says: Own