‘The Idea Popped in My Head Like a Good Finish’–Hulk Hogan on Real American Beer & Hulkamania’s Origin in the AWA
Hulk Hogan is launching Real American Beer.
The alcoholic beverage arrives this summer just in time for the Fourth of July. It will be available in 17 different states, and one of those states, appropriately, is Minnesota.
Only time will tell whether lightning can strike twice for Hogan, but there is no better place to start than the Twin Cities. Contrary to popular belief, Minnesota, and not WWE, is the birthplace of Hulkamania.
“We like to say Hulkamania was born on January 23, 1984, but that’s when it reached a new stratosphere,” said Hogan. “It was born in Minnesota in the AWA.”
Before Hogan revolutionized professional wrestling, taking the entire industry to heights in the World Wrestling Federation, he learned the blueprint in Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association. But fame and fortune arrived in an unexpected fashion. Hogan was destined to play the villain, or at least, so he thought.
After cutting his teeth as an antagonist in the WWWF from 1979-81 as Terry “The Hulk” Boulder, a heel character aligned with “Classy” Freddie Blassie (and even wrestled babyface Andre The Giant at Shea Stadium), Hogan traveled to a new territory in the AWA. He became a fan favorite in ’81, saving Brad Rheingans from an attack by Jerry Blackwell. Absolutely no one, Hogan included, had any notion of the volcano preparing to erupt.
Serendipity soon introduced itself. As Hogan’s popularity soared, he stormed to the ring wearing one of his custom-made t-shirts. Before a six-man tag against Ken Patera, Jerry Blackwell, and “Sheik” Adnan El Kaissey, Hogan’s partners Greg Gagne and “Jumpin” Jim Brunell responded to the roars of the crowd by ripping off Hogan’s shirt–which became a signature phenomenon during his Hulkamania run.
“That’s how that started,” said Hogan. “Before the match, Greg and Jim ripped my t-shirt off my chest. At first I was thinking, ‘I just had that shirt made.’ But the reaction from the crowd was crazy. That was the very beginning. Then Verne Gagne said, ‘Once you kick out of a guy’s finish, don’t let him stop you.’ And that’s the formula I followed.”
Hogan perfected that blueprint. Its popularity reached a fever pitch only a handful of years later at WrestleMania III, when Hogan hulked up against Andre The Giant at a packed Pontiac Silverdome. Yet history would have been entirely different had Hogan opted to remain in the AWA instead of signing with the WWF.
While in the AWA, momentum built as Hogan feuded with the Heenan Family, a cast of talented villains led by Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. Hogan even teamed with Andre against Heenan’s men. But he fell short against Nick Bockwinkel, the reigning AWA champion, in April of ’82. Even when Hogan lost, he won. That same year, his role as Thunderlips in Rocky III elevated his career to a whole new level.
A run as world champion seemed inevitable. And it happened–just not in the AWA.
The highly anticipated Hogan-Bockwinkel world title rematch finally unfolded in April of ’83. Hogan was 29, Bockwinkel was 48–and the future was clear.
Except, it wasn’t.
One week after an April snowstorm wiped out any semblance of spring, a packed house at the St. Paul Civic Center erupted when Hogan beat Bockwinkel for the belt. But that decision stood only temporarily.
The decision was reversed in the most exasperating possible–Hogan was disqualified for tossing Bockwinkel over the top rope earlier in the match.
Can you imagine the reaction to that finish had the Internet existed in 1983?
Hogan reflected on that moment, reminiscing about when he sat with the rest of the babyfaces in the locker room and enjoyed a case of Miller Lite.
“Verne Gagne came in the dressing room and said, ‘Hogan, you’re winning the match tonight–I need a good finish,’” said Hogan. “Then he said, ‘And I’m getting half your Japan deal.’ That was a deal-breaker for me. I was always going to Japan, I loved wrestling there. So I said no, he wasn’t getting the Japan deal. That’s he came up with the DQ finish.”
Hogan spent seven more months in the AWA, yet operated far removed from the title picture. Instead he feuded with “Dr. D” David Shultz, and was further disappointed by an unfair arrangement on t-shirt sales.
“I never wanted to leave the AWA,” said Hogan. “I loved Minnesota. I learned so much there. But Verne started selling t-shirts with my name on it, and there was no split or deal. It was all for them.
“It was time for me to go. That’s when I went to New York [to WWE].”
Hogan exited the AWA for McMahon’s burgeoning empire, then became the biggest wrestling attraction on the planet. History repeated itself in World Championship Wrestling, where Hogan turned “Hollywood” and, once again, redefined the industry.
Now he is hoping for a new run with Real American Beer.
“I was at an event when I got introduced to an executive from Pabst Blue Ribbon,” said Hogan. “When I meet people at these events, I love to ask questions and hear their stories. But when I met this gentleman, it was different. I immediately blurted out, ‘My dad used to drink that beer.’ Pabst Blue Ribbon was his favorite beer the whole time I was growing up.
“We’re talking about Pabst Blue Ribbon, and he asked if I ever wanted to have my own drink. I stared to explain how it just didn’t make sense back then, and then something happened. The idea popped in my head like a good finish. Slam the giant, drop the leg–I had an idea for a beer.”
Hogan–whose real name is Terry Bollea–now operates under a new deal with WWE that allows him freedom with licensing. That led to the creation of Real American Beer, which Hogan is excited to share across the country–including at U.S. military bases.
“I like the idea of bringing people together,” said Hogan. “That’s the goal: I want this to be a drink that brings people together.”
The drink officially makes its debut in Minnesota today. Hogan will be making appearances all throughout the day, as well as throughout the summer. He is spreading the word in an old-school, grassroots fashion–face to face.
“This is the beer America has been waiting for,” said Hogan. “And I’m honored to be back where it all started.”
JUSTIN BARRASSO
Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.