A Personal Reflection On Hulk Hogan’s Influence In Wrestling

The world lost Hulk Hogan today. What an awful week it's been for pop culture - Ozzy and Hulk in the same week? Both have appeared many times in Connecticut, and Hulk's passing has me reminiscing.

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The first memory I have of Hulk were the posters for the closed-circuit broadcast of WrestleMania 1 at Waterbury's Palace Theater in 1985. Hogan teamed up with Mr. T. against Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, and I wanted one of those ads so bad. Mr. T was an even bigger star at that moment in time, and that first event truly made the WWF an important part of my life. I was obsessed with professional wrestling in the 1980's & 1990's, and Hogan was electric.

Hulk Hogan Performed Many Times Over the Decades in Connecticut

As time went on I followed Hulk to WCW and Nitro, which was tough since WWF/WWE is a 100% Made in Connecticut product, and my allegiance our state runs deep. Over the years I was lucky enough to see Hulk perform in the ring at the Hartford Civic Center, New Haven Coliseum, and in Bridgeport.

Bridgeport was special, I got to interview Hulk. It happened in 2002 before a house show. I worked for 95.9 The Fox in Norwalk and my boss Ed asked if I would record a phone call with Hulk to promote the show. His voice was incredible, and I managed to mumble "Hey Hulk, big fan, it's a thrill to speak with you" and I'll never forget, he came back with "My pleasure brother'. I got chills.

I asked him how he was able to acquire the rights to Jimi Hendrix's Voodoo Child as his entrance theme, knowing the Hendrix Estate was notorious for refusing commercial use, and he said "Ted and Vince are rich brother, and I'm not doing too bad myself.'

Thank you for the years of entertainment.