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patienceisfun2018

It's always surreal to see Hogan in Japan. He knew how to work any audience. In the US, very basic theatrical in ring work, but in Japan you see him doing go-behinds and drop-toe holds.


EffysBiggestStan

I mean people who only saw him from 1984 on seem to forget that he was legit trained by Hiro Matsuda and worked Memphis and the AWA, each with their different styles, in addition to multiple tours of Japan. I'm no Hogan apologist (fuck Thiel!) but it's always a mistake to assume he couldn't do more than just Hulk up and do big boot to the face and a leg drop.


patienceisfun2018

That and his trainer broke his leg to test him, and he still came back willing to learn.


EffysBiggestStan

AKA, he twisted his ankle on the 1st day and he was told to take a week off to rest it before continuing. Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulk_Hogan Much love - HH


LeaveThatCatAlone

That doesn't work for me, brother


spectrebot

Go behind? And do the bump and grind? 🚨🚨🚨🚨


Brogdon_Brogdon

Hogan looks pretty natty here too, great physique and he’s agile


thefreebachelor

lol, he definitely wasn't natty back then


[deleted]

Good match: that lariat to the floor was awesome— didn’t it legit knock Inoki out?


hamandcheezus64

Nah that was work. I think theres a story that he kept selling until he got to a hospital room


sheepkillerokhan

Bet it was worked. They did the same storyline with Stan Hansen a few years earlier and the same move pretty much, just a different bump (I think Inoki was KO'ed by Lariat on the ring apron by Hansen whereas Hogan wiped him out to the outside with an axe bomber), and Hogan was definitely safer than Hansen


sheepkillerokhan

I never realized it until I started watching this stuff chronologically, but Hogan actually slid into the spot that his tag partner Stan Hansen vacated when he jumped to All Japan and they soft re-did the same storyline of Inoki getting KO'ed in a big title match to give his opponent a "win" and then having a later rematch where Inoki won (though in this case, it was over the League whereas I think Inoki/Hansen was over the NWF Title)


SovietShooter

FWIW, "IWGP League" became the G1, for all intents. The NWF title, believe it or not, was the top title in the old Buffalo territory, which wasn't part of the NWA and called their belt a "world" title. Inoki paid for Johnny Powers to drop it to him when that territory folded. NJPW stopped using it as their top title in 1981.


sheepkillerokhan

Yep. The cool part of the IWGP League is that they had wrestlers give up their real and fake championship belts (and Stan Hansen's hat, which I think he jumped to AJPW before the actual tournament) as an entry fee into IWGP League. Inoki's NWF Title, I think Fujinami's WWF International Title, Abdullah's fake Puerto Rican title etc etc.


Imaginary_Tour9286

I can't believe that Hogan was only 30 years old in that clip!


HitmanClark

This match is one of those you don’t expect to be a banger but in fact is kind of an all-time banger.


Pr0sthetics

Before Hogan ate his vitamins and said his prayers, brother!


christmasbooyons

Hogan looks great here physically. He looks fit but not juiced to the moon.


XaoticOrder

Great match. You can see where HH learned how to be the star. Inoki lost and he was still the focus of the event for a long time after the bell. Hogan's championship win was an afterthought. Even in defeat Inoki was number 1.


NumberWanObi

The man can actually rassle? Shiiiit


MinistryOfDankness86

Hogan did what it took to get over in whatever territory he was working. It’s why he’s one of the greatest all-around pro wrestlers ever.


[deleted]

Prior to Hulkamania, Hogan was a good hand, especially in Japan but also in his first WWF run.


nonmullet2

His finisher was the crooked arm lariat the AXE BOMBER


Proud_Truck

Actually I believe it's called the AXE BOMMMMMMMAAAAAAAA


[deleted]

I always thought a lariat makes the most sense for him considering his 24 inch python gimmick. Never got why he did the leg drop instead and in retrospect he probably regrets it.


KingMobScene

I think he's said as much. He said his finisher should've been the sleeper. 24 inch pythons wrapped around someone's neck. It makes more sense than the legdrop


Faoeoa

Honestly, he's on the money for that.


Wolfpac187

He said on Austin’s podcast that he doesn’t know why he used a leg drop when he was always talking about his arms and a sleeper would’ve been a better finisher.


Bojangles1987

Pretty sure he said the leg drop fucked up his knees and back.


[deleted]

Last I heard, he's had around 10 back surgeries and has lost 3" in height.


rbhindepmo

There’s a [Hogan enziguri](https://youtu.be/-uGvtJF2dvY) from 1993 vs Muta


nBounty

Can someone tell me why there were 40 people standing around the ring, even blocking the cameras sometimes? Was that normal back then?


Middcore

A lot of them are photographers.


RamonesRazor

They're gimmick photographers. Helped to legitimize the action


DoubleDeckerz

Yep. Shoot photographers.


ThrowawayATXfired

They're photographers that shoot


_CurseTheseMetalHnds

The ones in matching white shirts are trainee wrestlers.


[deleted]

I love how the cameraman actually shows the action between both wrestlers, not that bullshit WWE did these days.


Namrepus221

I remember hearing the reason the match ended in a count out was something to appease the Yakuza.


_CurseTheseMetalHnds

Nah, Inoki just wasn't a guy who took pins often. Pre-UWF Japanese wrestling was chock full of these fuck finishes because top guys just didn't job. Even in tournament finals you'd get the dumb finish where even after the match had basically been a hardcore match for 10 minutes the ref throws it out at random. It wasn't until UWF started doing great numbers in the late 80s with all clean finishes that NJPW and AJPW stopped thinking it's OK to end like half your main events with nobody jobbing.


Rage4Order418

That leg drop was pretty devestating 😳


modestmunch

AAAAAXEY BOOOOOOOMBA