The Case
Fans of The Immortal: it's time to rejoice! WWE's Hulk Hogan's Unreleased
Collector's Series contains a whole series of Hulk Hogan matches that
haven't previously been released on DVD yet. From his WWE career all the way to
his last bow at WCW, this set boasts all kind of matches, interviews, and facts
no Hulkster fan should miss. Here's what this loaded set has to offer:
• Hulk Hogan vs. Harry Valdez at Championship Wrestling in
1979
Hulk Hogan celebrates his debut in this short 3-minute match, which
is not at all exciting. Hogan is totally in charge in this battle, toying with
his opponent by delivering a series of big slams and kicks. That's about it.
• Hulk Hogan vs. Bob Backlund in a WWE Championship Match in
1980
At 29 minutes, this is a classic wrestling match boasting plenty of
submission maneuvers, slams, and kicks. Big, powerful moves are scarce in this
title battle, but Hogan and Backlund deliver a decent show that brings the crowd
to its feet. It's a long matchup, but as far as good old wrestling goes, this
one isn't that bad at all.
• Hulk Hogan vs. Steve King & Angelo Gomez in a Handicap
Match in 1980
This match should have been kept in the vault, because it's
anything but special. This handicap battle only lasts for 2 minutes, and Hogan
completely dominates his opponents. That said, not even Hogan's maneuvers are
impressive. He kicks them a few times and slams them to the ground once or
twice, and before you know it, he's got them pinned for the victory.
• Andre the Giant vs. Hulk Hogan at Madison Square Garden in
1980
Clocking in at 12 minutes, this is a decent faceoff between two
wrestling legends. The match itself isn't as fast-paced as you would expect, but
there's always something electrifying about watching Andre and Hogan going at it
inside the ring. Technically, this one works as well.
• Hulk Hogan vs. Nick Bockwinkel & Bobby Heenan at AWA in
1981
This battle is by far more interesting than the earlier handicap
match, even though Hogan keeps things rather simple in terms of moves. It's a
predictable matchup for sure, but fans of the Hulkster will certainly appreciate
watching him dominate his opponents with body slams and big leg drops.
• Hulk Hogan vs. Randy "Macho Man" Savage in a WWE
Championship Match in 1986
This is a solid title match for both Hogan and
Savage. Clocking in at 14 minutes, the battle slows down every now and then, but
the two wrestlers change the action up a bit by occasionally taking it outside
the ring. A variety of strong kicks, dives, and punches make for a decent
matchup.
• Hulk Hogan & Junkyard Dog vs. Big John Studd & King
Kong Bundy in 1986
Good teamwork is on display in this 9-minute tag team
match, in which four big athletes engage in a series of powerful maneuvers to
offer audiences a solid show. It's not necessarily one of Hogan's greatest tag
team matches ever, but it does indeed deserve a spot on this collection. This is
good, clean '80s wrestling.
• Hulk Hogan vs. Kamala in a WWE Championship Match in 1987
Hogan puts on his usual show in this 6-minute match, which boasts solid moves
from the Hulkster but still fall short in terms of entertainment. Some Hogan
matches can get repetitive after a while, and this is one of them. This is
definitely one of the slower battles on this disc.
• Killer Khan vs. Hulk Hogan in a WWE Championship Match in
1987
The first disc concludes with a 10-minute match between Hogan and
Killer Khan, who looks a tad scary but lets the Hulkster take charge for most of
the matchup. For a Hogan battle, this title match certainly doesn't
disappoint.
• Hulk Hogan vs. One Man Gang in a WWE Championship Match in
1987
Hogan takes on the One Man Gang in the first match on Disc Two, and,
to be honest, it's not the most intriguing battle. At 10 minutes, this matchup
starts off very slow, with both wrestlers spending an awful amount of time with
simple kicks and moves such as shoulder blocks. The action increases later on,
but the match clearly isn't as surprising or entertaining as it could have
been.
• Hulk Hogan vs. Rick Rude in a WWE Championship Match in 1988
This 10-minute title match is quite entertaining and fast-paced while Hogan
is in control, and even though Rude keeps it simple by delivering mostly
submission maneuvers, this battle really works. Definitely a good wrestling
match.
• Hulk Hogan & Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Ted DiBiase & Virgil
in 1988
As far as tag team matches go, this one is neither memorable nor
disastrous. Clocking in at 11 minutes, this matchup features solid team action,
even though the end of the match is rather predictable. Still, Hogan and Bigelow
perform some strong moves, and both teams keep the wrestling action at a
relatively high pace throughout.
• Hulk Hogan vs. King Haku in a WWE Championship Match in 1988
Hogan's fight against King Haku is nothing special, considering the Hulkster
is mostly in total control here. Haku retaliates occasionally with sleeper
holds, but it slows down the match one too many times. That said, this one plays
out the same way many of the matches on these discs do: with Hogan starting off
strong, slowing down, and then wrapping up the match with his signature leg
drop.
• Big Boss Man vs. Hulk Hogan in 1988
At eight minutes,
this match between the All American and Big Boss Man mostly delivers the goods.
From some decent punches and solid moves to some action outside the ring, this
is a decent matchup between two wrestlers who know what they're doing. Not
bad.
• Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan in 1989
Two of wrestling's
greatest stars go head to head in this 12-minute title match, and one thing is
for sure: this fight ain't boring. Savage and Hogan possess great flexibility
and don't waste much time showing off their skills, and, of course, the audience
is loving it. These guys really know how to offer a fast, amusing show.
• Hulk Hogan vs. Earthquake in 1990
We're finally breaking
into the 1990s, and Hogan battles Earthquake at Madison Square Garden.
Earthquake is obviously a big guy, and that explains why this match moves along
a little slower than others. Still, it's a Hogan battle, and like every other
match on here, it's pretty clear who will emerge with the momentum and victory.
As far as this match is concerned, it's neither surprising nor disappointing. I
would call it a so-so wrestling match.
• Sgt. Slaughter vs. Hulk Hogan in a WWE Championship Match in
1991
Clocking in at 16 minutes, the title match between Hogan and
Slaughter is a lot of fun to watch. It's a diverse battle for sure, and whether
the two athletes take the action outside the ring or spend some time inside
delivering submission maneuvers and other kicks and punches, wrestling fans will
certainly embrace the pace of this solid battle.
• Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan in 1991
The Nature Boy takes on
the Hulkster in this last match on Disc Two, and they sure go out with a bang.
Even though this battle only runs for 10 minutes, it's loaded with powerful
moves, action outside the ring, and anything else these two wrestling stars are
capable off. This one really deserves its spot in this collection.
• Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair & Vader in
1995
Four highly popular wrestling stars face off in a tag team battle,
and the result is obviously quite entertaining as Disc Three begins. There's a
lot going on in this matchup, which means that viewers certainly won't find
themselves bored too often. How does it end? Take a guess…
• Hulk Hogan vs. Vader in 1995
Hogan clashes with Vader in
a cage match on the beach, and the two wrestlers give those in attendance a
rather satisfying show. It's not as special a match as some of its predecessors,
but it's well-coordinated after all.
• Sting vs. Hulk Hogan in 1995
Sting used to be one of my
favorite wrestlers back in the days when I used to regularly watch WCW on TV,
and I always found his matches to be very amusing. This one is not an exception,
even though it's certainly not a memorable battle either. Still, at 8 minutes,
it's fast-paced enough to watch, and both Sting and Hogan deliver a more or less
clean battle stuffed with some good technical wrestling.
• Hulk Hogan vs. The Giant for the WCW Championship in 1997
The Giant faces Hollywood Hogan in this title match, and the whole thing ends
like most matches during the reign of the nWo. While it lasts though, the battle
is by all means watchable, even though I've seen Hogan wrestle in much faster,
more engaging fights.
• Bret Hart vs. Hulk Hogan in 1998
Bret Hart faces
Hollywood Hogan, and the result is quite amusing, to tell you the truth. I'm not
sure this match deserves to be on such a collection, but in terms of
entertainment, it certainly doesn't disappoint.
• Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship in 2002
This is a no disqualification match, and that means we get to see plenty of
interferences. Still, this nine-minute battle comes with chops, and Flair and
Hogan bring along enough energy to make this one a fast-paced show.
• Triple H vs. Hulk Hogan in 2002
Clocking in at only 7
minutes, Hogan's battle against Triple H features many strong moves and a series
of high-risk maneuvers we haven't seen in many matches on these discs. Thus, it
definitely a refreshing surprise to observe the match go into different
directions this time. Plus, Triple H and Hogan are both popular entertainers
giving audiences just the kind of wrestling they want to see.
• Hulk Hogan & Edge vs. Billy & Chuck for the WWE Tag
Team Championship in 2002
What I said about the previous match also
applies here. This 6-minute tag team matchup is highly entertaining, even though
it's by no means a classic. Still, the amount of high-risk maneuvers is just
right, and in the end, this is definitely a fun match.
• Hulk Hogan vs. Kurt Angle in 2002
This is it. It's time
for the last battle of this collection, and even though it's not one of Hogan's
best, it certainly delivers. Hogan's comeback didn't last all too long, but this
battle proves yet again that he was someone who knew how to please his fans and
offer some solid wrestling action at the same time. Angle is a worthy
competitor, and their fight works for me.
Special features are scarce, although Disc Three includes eight short
interviews with the Hulkster at different stages in his career. Some of these
are funny while others are not, but all in all, they certainly don't make for
exciting bonus material.
Technically, there's nothing wrong with this set. Most matches we see here
take place during the '80s, which means the picture quality is obviously not up
to par with that of today's wrestling shows. That said, it's not a big deal, and
for what it is, the full-frame transfer this set offers works just fine. The
same applies to the audio transfer.
For a collection offering matches no one has seen on DVD before, Hulk
Hogan's Unreleased Collector's Series has a lot of solid stuff in store for
diehard Hulkamania fans. Hogan remains one of the most entertaining athletes in
wrestling history, and this set proves it.
