Is Hulk Hogan on the Mount Rushmore of WWE Wrestlers? | Gary Parrish Show

Is Hulk Hogan on the Mount Rushmore of WWE Wrestlers? | Gary Parrish Show

Breaking news. According to TMZ, Hulk Hogan has died. No way. I I saw Jimmy Hart post that uh he was not that he didn’t think he was doing well. Uh wow. That’s a lot of people’s introduction into wrestling. That’s why a lot of people love me. Like I was a kid in the 80, you know, wrestling is built off the back of of Hulk Hogan. Not his exclusive WWE is pretty much definitely part of Well, even the the interest from WWF, which is now WWE, but also the WCW stuff. That’s That’s where I remember encountering. Yes, man. I mean, nWo that like that that’s I’m older than you guys. So like cuz Hulk was Wrestlemania 1, 2, three, you know, like those were all the Hulk Hogan thing. He had a kids cartoon back then. Like he was remember the wrestling buddy. He had got mad that a black dude was dating his daughter. Said the N word a couple of times. So we like, “Okay, no more.” That did happen. But like he was 71 years old. M um early Thursday morning according to cardiac arrest from Hulk. It comes in threes. Malcolm Jamal Warner, Azie Osborne, Hulk Hogan. All this. That’s like a real That’s like a real like Y2K trio, too. Like that’s like that’s like a modern trio of people. Yeah, that’s wild. I know the whole kid been like they said he was recovering from surgeries. His wife a few weeks ago denied he was in a coma. Uh we broke the story last month. There were rumors he was on his deathbed. Uh, but he said he was just dealing with a neck procedure. So, RIP Hulk Hogan. The Hulk Hulk maniac. Yeah, I am a true American. I want to rip my shirt right now thinking about Hulk Hogan. One of the one of the most recognizable wrestlers of all time. One of the most recognizable was in Rocky 2. Was in Rocky 2 and all types of movies. Yeah. I mean, I think I think you could easily argue like late 80s through like the mid 90s, he’s probably one of the biggest stars of that era by far. I mean, not just wrestling, like celebrities. Celebrities laid the the foundation for like the goal for some of these modern wrestlers now where it is, hey, do really well here and then boom, I’m going to be Batista and I’m going to go off into movies. I’m be the rock cena and go off into my own cartoon into movies and have my own be my own sort of brand because the Hulk was a brand. Hulk Hogan was a a brand in and of himself in word aside and racist things that he’s done to the side. Um like that that that is the foundation and the blueprint for what these wrestlers want to do now. That the level of stardom that they they strive for. And if we were going to do a Mount Rushmore of of wrestlers, if you can move past the again, I keep saying it. If you can move past it, he would he would be on there. I think he’s I I think he is God, this is right off the top of my head and I’m a big wrestling guy. I think because of where he took it because it be wrestling was just like this this regional thing and it did well. It was like it was like Major League Baseball in in a sense like it was it did really it did really well. Yeah. in the in the areas that it was popular and when he came along in wrestle like and and obviously when Vince McMahon, you kind of put him and Vince McMahon, you know, Junior together, right, in this whole thing. Uh and then there was that first Wrestlemania and it just kind of took off and became this huge national mainstream thing and it’s, you know, primarily because of him. Yeah. Him, you know, he he was But it was a lot of great ones, right? like uh Macho Man, Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, uh Heartbreak Kid. I mean, before those guys like I mean I don’t know who is who is before them it was regional to Bennett’s point. Before them it depended on which territory you Well, I’m just thinking in terms of Mount Rushmore. There’s probably somebody from that era that we would include on a mount. You got to have like is Hulk Hogan the first person that we’d put on. Somebody from that era I think is the first one that goes on around here. we would say immediately, oh, Jerry King, but that’s because of the territory we’re in. Bruno Sam Martino, like somebody from the I think it’s very hard to come up with a definitive list. I think that you would put um I would put Stone Cold um I would put Stone Cold Steve Austin on there. So, we’re doing this. We’re doing a list. Yeah, I’m doing it right now. I’m doing it right now off the top of my head. I I without question Stone Cold Steve Austin’s on the Mount Rushmore because in my opinion, he saved WWF at the time when it was the Monday Night Wars and stuff. Stone Cold is the reason he saved it. Um, so I I got to put him on there. Um, I think you got to put Hogan on there. I think you probably got to put the Undertaker on there. Put who on there? Undertaker. Undertaker. But see, I mean, you think about See, that’s the thing now. Okay, I got to take Undertaker off. Uh, I think you got to put I think maybe Flair’s got to be on there. I think Ric Flair’s got to be on there. Um, does the Rock go on the Mount Rushmore? I don’t know. I don’t know if he’s on mine. I mean, he’s a guy like the thing with The Rock and it’s more of like, you know, transcending wrestling like The Rock became something way way bigger than that, right? So, do you include all that? No, I don’t think you just include the wrestling. Although with Hogan, we we like he wasn’t a good wrestler. HBK was the most popular one. But but we’re like we’re including you kind of can’t take it out of the thing though, out of the equation. I guess I’m taking out popularity that comes outside of wrestling. Like as a wrestler, would The Rock make the the the Mount Rushmore wrestling? I don’t know. I mean, he he was a he was a good wrestler. He’s the champ for a long time, you know, had a bunch of matches. The The Rock in Wrestlemania that were sort of iconic. The way The Rock did promos. The Rock is one of the that to me is why to me The Rock is the best promo cutter of all all time. And that’s why I would like to be have The Rock on my mouth. Two years ago when they were here right before Wrestlemania and The Rock came out to do the promo, I was sitting next to Brevin and Fish who aren’t big wrestling fans. And The Rock comes out with the mic and I go, “Hey guys, you’re about to see Picasso. Like just watch this.” And he stood there for 20 minutes by himself talking and was incredible. Like he was That was when he came out and was like, “Yeah, finally The Rock has the best part of the show, the very beginning.” Yeah. Yeah. And everybody went crazy. Like it was so good. Uh, so that alone mean to me like he’s I think he’s the best Mike guy ever. Yeah. And he was he was a tremendous foil. Part of the reason we we loved Steve Austin was because of the the beef it that he had with everybody. But that beef with him and the Rock with those two going up and it was superb. It was good stuff. I you know and then you like look at the current era like Roman Reigns is one of the greatest champions ever. John Cena like though I mean that he ain’t on the Mount Rushmore. So did you give me four? But I would say I would go it my but see my Mount Rushmore is going to be different than other people’s Mount Rushmore. We’re all going to give four Bennett. Don’t don’t feel bad. We’re not going to leave you out here on that cliff alone. I see I would I but see I wouldn’t put Hogan on my Mount Rushmore. But I think if if you’re doing a definitive Mount Rushmore, I think he would go on it. Okay. So put up Do your Mount Rushmore. My Mount Rushmore. Do your Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore is Stone Cold Steve Austin. Uh, I’ll go the Undertaker. Yep. The Rock and probably The Nature Boy. Ric Flair. Okay. I’m going to get Although I really want to put Actually, no. I’m putting HBK on my Mount Rushmore. I’m putting the Heartbreak Kid on my Mount Rushmore. I would He turned uh 60 the other day. Gosh. Yeah. That makes me feel old as crap. Yeah. Yeah. That was Shawn Michaels turn six. Um, I’d go Hogan. I’d go The Rock. I feel like from the Rock Steve Austin era, like only one of those guys should make it just cuz you got to space it out a little bit. Okay. And the Stone Cold was great, but The Rock was better on the mic and arguably a better wrestler, just more athletic and stuff because often blew those knees out the Yeah, Stone Cold was and then the neck injury. But I I’d go to The Rock. So, I go Hogan The Rock. I’d go Ric Flair. Cuz to me, like growing up in Atlanta, like he was WCW when WWF was on TV and everywhere, like Ric Flair, the Nature Boy was the the other part of it. And then that gives me one more and I would probably just go just from longevity and gimmick and all that stuff. The Undertaker. Oh. Um, I was at Wrestlemania New Orleans 10 years ago or whenever that was and like being there when all of a sudden the lights cut out and the bell rings like that was electric. That was so cool to like be there when the Undertaker’s music hits and to be there for all that like he’s and that thing has lasted a long time. That gimmick, you know, everyone else kind of comes and goes. Hogan had gimmicks. Stone Cold before that he was, you know, he’s been the Undertaker for forever feels like. Um, you know, they had Kane and other parts of it, but that would be my four. I’d go Rock. I’d go Macho Man. Mhm. Um, I think I’d go John Cena. Okay. And then I’d go No. Man called John Cena the greatest champion ever. That’s you trust man’s judgment. I mean, he it’s his but that’s his baby. Like he he started. We’ve seen his text messages. Fair enough. Um because I’m I’m trying to like you say, Lane, space it out and Yeah. Yeah. different eras. Different eras and try and go different companies. I think Roman Reigns is close. I do. I think I think we will look back on Roman Reigns. But but you know what works against him? He’s so bad on the mic. Like that they had not anymore though. I mean they had to put him. He was once upon a time. He’s he’s good now. He was once upon a time. I I think it’s hard. So many that I I like. Yeah. Uh I think I’d go Goldberg. Oh, I think I think I Goldberg. No, sir. I hate Goldberg. Uh-uh. What you hate about Goldberg? Just not a good wrestler. Not a good wrestler. He was undefeated for forever. Yeah, with one move. He uh That spear was a bad move, boys. Somebody in the chat brought up uh King Meeks brought this up. What about No, none of us mentioned him or anybody has thrown his immit there. Sting. Sting is great. Sting is great. Take that back. Goldberg off pit Sting. Wow. Okay. I mean, he he’s a legend. He’s a legend of the sport for sure. There’s so many legends. It’s hard to pick just No. Mount Rushmore of of wrestlers is really cool. Quick Goldberg story. When I when I worked in Atlanta, Atlanta magazine asked me to do a Goldberg story. He was on he was a champ at WCW at the time. And so I spent a day with him and uh his limo picked me up. So it was me, Goldberg, and the PR guy. And we’re in the back of the limo and Goldberg immediately grabs like Copenhagen or one of those things and starts doing some dip and he’s spitting it in a champagne glass and because that’s all there was in the back of the limo, right? So Goldberg’s spitting in the champagne glass. Uh and the thing I remember the most was he was carrying around one of those giant metal briefcases. You know what I’m talking like you see people have. Yeah. And it was rattling like a rattlesnake. And I was like I I finally I was like I wonder what he’s carrying around in there like paperwork. Like what if you’re a wrestler what do you carry in your briefcase? Contract. I don’t know. Like your your speedos. So I was like what’s in the briefcase? And he opened it up and it was just a giant bottle of Advil. Oh wow. And I I asked him. I was like, “How do you fake getting hit with a chair?” He’s like, “You don’t. You get hit with a chair.” He was like, “You try to make your back flat. They try to hit you square on, but you just get hit with a chair.” The Gary Paris Show live weekdays at 10:00

Lang Whitaker, CJ Hurt, and Bennett Doyle react live to the breaking news that Hulk Hogan has reportedly died. They dive into Hogan’s career, what made him so legendary, and give their off-the-dome thoughts on whether or not he’s in the Mount Rushmore of WWE Wrestlers.

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