WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Hulkamania (1985)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: Hulkamania (1985)

Coliseum Video compilation – hosted by Vince McMahon. The cover of the tape features Hulk Hogan (duh), and promises exclusive interviews!


WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Greg Valentine: From August 1984. Valentine tries to match power with Hogan in the early going, but the Hulkster shrugs him off and rams his head into the corner (triggering a flop) to the crowds delight. Clip to Valentine using a low blow to win a test-of-strength, and knocking Hogan into the corner for a series of springboard stomps. Camel clutch, but Hulk quickly powers to his feet, and falls into the corner to break. Hogan with a headbutt to set up a cross corner backelbow, and that's enough for Valentine - he bails to the floor to regroup. Hogan follows with an axehandle, and rams him into the post before bringing it back in. Unfortunately for the Hulkster, Valentine meets him with a kick to the ribs as he rolls in, and adds an elbowdrop off the 2^nd rope for two. Valentine with a bodyslam to set up an anklelock, and he starts driving his knee into Hogan's when the champ won't submit. He drags Hulk over to the apron for a chairshot to the knee, and starts unloading elbowsmashes, but Hogan's HULKING UP!! Fists of Fury! Clothesline! Suplex! Mounted Punches! Atomic Drop! Chops! Backdrop! - but Valentine drives an elbow to the back of the head to block, and drops another series of them to set up a choke. Clip to Valentine dropping more elbows, but a trip to the top rope gets him slammed, and Hogan drops the leg to retain at 8:29 shown of 11:18. Decent match, and even more interesting for a look at Hogan in the early days of Hulkamania - even the Hulk Up routine still not full formed yet. Clipped, but I feel comfortable giving this *, and moving on.

WWF Title v $15,000 Bodyslam Challenge Match: Hulk Hogan v Big John Studd: From December 1984. The idea here is that Hulk needs to slam him to win the money, but Studd needs to pin him for the title. Hulk goes for the slam right away, and they get into a rare slam reversal sequence that ends in a stalemate. Well, you don't see that everyday. Studd unloads forearms to the back, but a whip into the ropes triggers a power-stalemate - this time with shoulderblocks. Hogan with an elbowsmash and a series of jabs to set up the big boot, and Studd is staggered, but Hulk can't quite slam him. Studd with forearms in the corner, but Hogan comes at him with a clothesline - but the slam fails. Hogan with a cross corner clothesline, and he nearly gets the slam, but Studd uses the ropes to block, and pulls Hogan out to the floor. He rams the champ into the announce table and the post - Hogan busted open as a result. Shot into the rail triggers the awesome visual of a bunch of little kids crowding Hogan to cheer him on, but Studd doesn't care, and rolls him in for a flying forearm to the neck. Studd with a clothesline for two, and the tape clips to Studd slamming him with ease. They go back to the floor, and Hogan starts no-selling - slamming Studd out there. Unfortunately, it's on the floor and doesn't count, so the referee counts Studd out at 8:00 shown of 10:01. Nothing special, but the crowd was still enamored with Hulkamania, and loved every minute of it. ½*

From TNT, Hulk Hogan introduces Vince McMahon to steroids protein shakes. 'Enough of these will turn those garden snakes you have there into pythons, brother.' One of my favorite segments ever, just awesome stuff.

WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v David Schultz: From June 1984. Schultz wastes no time being a dickish heel when he jumps Hogan from behind, and starts choking him on the ropes. Schultz uses the wrist tape for more hardcore choking action, and we clip to Schultz hitting a forearm off the middle rope. Schultz with a cross corner whip to set up more choking, and a chairshot on the floor busts Hogan open. Inside, Schultz starts biting him, and drops an elbow off the 2^nd rope - the crowd pelting him with trash for his troubles. He covers, but Hogan starts HULKING UP!! Eyerake! Fists of Fury! Tape Clip to a Clothesline! Elbowdrop! Mounted Punches! Bodyslam! Legdrop! - but Hogan pulls him up at two, and wants proper revenge for making the Hulkster bleed his own blood. He gets it by ramming Schultz into the post on the floor, and the tape clips again to Hogan getting clotheslined as he tries a cross corner clothesline. Schultz tries to finish with a flying elbowdrop, but Hogan rolls out of the way, and a big clothesline retains the title at 9:00 shown. Unfortunately, I don't know the actual runtime on this one, though I doubt there was more than a few minutes clipped here. Still, I'll refrain from rating it and note that it was a fun brawl - if a bit slow, at times.

WWF Title Cage Match: Hulk Hogan v Big John Studd: From April 1984. They clip the tape right at the bell to Studd hammering a bloody Hogan and going for the door, but getting dragged back in by the ankle. Hulk rams him into the cage, and we clip to Studd blocking a cross corner charge with a clothesline. Studd with a chop off the 2^nd rope, and he goes for the door, but Hogan stops the effort again. Studd tosses him into the mesh, and climbs, but Hogan pulls him down to trigger a slugfest. Studd wins that with an eye rake, but gets reversed going into the cage again, and the Hulkster hits the Legdrop on a bloody Studd before rolling out the door at 5:48 shown. I'm not sure how long this one was either, but considering they clipped right to Studd working over a bloody Hogan (and then clipped again later), I'll refrain from rating it. What we did get wasn't particularly memorable, though.

WWF Title Match: Iron Sheik v Hulk Hogan: From January 1984. Hogan goes ballistic on Sheik before the bell, and wastes no time hitting a cross corner backelbow. Hogan chokes Sheik down with his own entrance gear, and hits a clothesline to set up a kneedrop. Big boot gets one, but Hulk isn't humbled, and picks him right up for another clothesline. He adds an elbowdrop for two, but another cross corner charge misses, and Sheik stomps him. Backbreaker gets two, but a Boston crab is easily blocked by the Hulkster. Sheik keeps after him with a gutwrench suplex for two, and slaps on the Camel Clutch to finish. Hogan fades, but the power of Hulkamania allows him to power to his feet and fall into the corner to break, then hit the Legdrop to win his first WWF Title at 5:40. Not a great match, but certainly one of the most historically significant bouts in all wrestling history, so yes, definitely worth inclusion. ¼*

BUExperience: Nothing really worth checking out on its own, but people loved this stuff back in 1985, and it was certainly a good showcase for Coliseum Videos second release. Also notable for seeing the early, primitive version of the character Hogan would refine over the years, as well as how many times Hogan busted out the blade back in the day. A good addition to your Coliseum Collection.