Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Buy it, brother!, 11 Feb 2008
Hulk Hogan. The name says it all, doesn't it? He is unquestionably the biggest name in the history of wrestling. Even if you don't watch wrestling, you know who he is. Countless stars of today grew up watching him and were so inspired that they became wrestlers themselves. So many of the biggest matches, greatest feuds and storylines ever featured this man. Without Hulkamania, wrestling may never have become as big as it did.
As a performer, Hogan is truly unmatched, truly one of a kind. As a wrestler, he may be limited in what he can do, but what he does, he does better than anyone in my opinion. I am a huge fan of Hogan's work and I've never really been bothered about the kind of wrestling I see, be it old-school, modern era, technical, hardcore or whatever. Just so long as I understand what I'm watching and enjoying what I'm seeing.
Now, this whole set is actually a first for WWE DVDs. This DVD set actually consists of four discs. And I suppose that's fitting, really. I mean, there's no better way to honour the ultimate legend with this ultimate anthology.
Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology is presented in a fashion very similar to that of the Ultimate Ric Flair Collection and Mick Foley's Greatest Hits and Misses. Meaning that this is like a massive compilation show, looking back at the star's greatest matches and career moments. The whole programme is hosted by Mean Gene Okerlund and Jimmy Hart, which is a fab choice. Aside from being legends, both Okerlund and Hart are renowned for being Hogan's closest friends and working associates in the business. They also have chemistry together here, thus doing a great job at presenting the show and providing a compelling look back on the Hulkster's career.
The main programme spreads across three discs, each chronicling the Hulkster in the 80s, 90s and 00s. So many legends and current stars are on hand to explain the circumstances of the matches/storylines, express their feelings of some of the matches and what Hulk means to them. Fans needn't fear, because Hogan is also on hand to share his thoughts. Some of the interview footage featuring Hulk is brand new, whereas some of it has been lifted from 2002's Hulk Still Rules release.
The Ultimate Anthology is mostly excellent. In terms of presentation, interviews and match selection, it`s very high-standard. What I really thought was a nice touch was how on Disc 1's menu, Hogan's classic `Real American' song plays. And on Disc 2's menu, you have his brilliant `American Made' theme music from his WCW days. However, I was VERY disappointed to discover that Disc 3's menu didn't have Jimmy Hendrix's `Voodoo Child', but instead some generic music which really doesn't have the same appeal.
As mentioned before, the match selection is excellent. Hogan being one of the biggest names ever associated with WrestleMania, you can expect to see his unforgettable classics against Andre the Giant, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, The Rock and Vince McMahon among others. Other highlights include a red-hot battle against Roddy Piper (with a wicked aftermath), great matches against the Iron Sheik, Paul Orndorff and Curt `Mr Perfect' Hennig, exciting bouts against Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker, a Tag Title match featuring Edge from SmackDown!'s glory days and the ultimate dream match between Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair for the WCW Championship.
Sadly, the set is let down a little bit by a poor WCW title bout against the Giant (aka the Big Show) and a passable outing with Andre from 1980. Other affairs against the likes of Sting, Big John Studd, Nick Bockwinkel and Triple H lack the same level of quality that the other matches do, yet remain solid enough.
The disappointment in these bouts is made up for, though. Also included is the legendary segment at the 1996 Bash at the Beach, which sees the ultimate hero become the ultimate villian and form the New World Order. This is where Hogan gives perhaps the greatest promo of his life, and the sight of all his loyal Hulkamaniacs throw garbage at their former hero-turned traitor, is such a historic moment. And one that makes for awesome viewing. There's also his 2005 induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. It's an emotionally great moment that features perhaps the loudest, longest and most deserving ovation I've ever seen.
The fourth disc is the special bonus featuring even more matches, which seem to have been picked at random. Although it's very good to see the final moments of the 1990 Royal Rumble (where Hogan triumphs) and the interview by Gene Okerlund from the Raw Homecoming special, I really feel that the inclusion of these extra matches isn't necessary. There's nothing really wrong with any of these bonus matches. It's just that the whole Ultimate Anthology programme makes these rather redundant as extras. The bonus disc would've been so much better if it had included stuff like extra interviews, segments and feud highlights from the Hulkster's illustrious career.
Disregarding a few problems, Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology is just that. As the Ultimate Ric Flair Collection showed just how much the Nature Boy means to wrestling, this showcases what Hulkamania is and why it will never die. For those who grew up watching Hulk, this is such an excellent look back. Fans of today who've never seen Hogan wrestle in his prime need to see just why this guy is the biggest name in the history of wrestling. This is unquestionably one of the best releases to ever come from WWE Home Video and Silver Vision. Fans of the Hulkster (or otherwise) won't be disappointed.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great collection celebrating a legend, 15 Jun 2008
It's hard to overstate the impact that Hulk Hogan had on wrestling, and for that matter, wrestling's place in popular culture. He and Vince McMahon turned wrestling global with a mixture of Vince's business acumen and Hogan's incredible drawing power. Watching this collection, it is not hard to see why they were so successful.
Hogan had a charisma in the ring like no other has had before or since. He could simply control a room, no matter how big, from the moment he set foot in it. At one point on this DVD, Hogan states that nobody could beat him "out there. Not even Vince - unless I let you." Which just about sums up the size of the man's persona and skill. There have been many better actual wrestlers, but perhaps only one or two other people in the business have even come close to affecting audiences in such a way.
Hosted by the wooden but lovable Jimmy Hart and everyone's favorite uncle, Mean Gene Okerlund, this DVD collection (I believe it is more of a collection than an anthology) gives an excellent overall picture of the Hulkster's career. From early AWA matches, through his first stint with the WWF to the WCW and NWO years and finally back to his WWE homecoming, the set misses very few tricks. The real highlights include his seminal match with Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III, his 'dream' clash with Ric Flair at Bash at the Beach '94 and the incredibly atmospheric battle with The Rock at Wrestlemania X8, all utterly indispensable must-see clashes. There are plenty of other enjoyable matches, some very familiar and some not quite so. There are also several pleasing rarities, including his clash with Roddy Piper from 1985, a fun match with Curt Hennig from the short-lived XWF, and an early bout with Andre from the days when the Frenchman wasn't quite so clunky. Of the few less endearing inclusions, his WWE tag team title victory with Edge against Chuck & Billy from 2002 is by far the worst (and a sobering example of just how bad the WWE could be in the days post-WCW and ECW), but is clearly included for completeness.
Speaking of which, a couple of events are conspicuous by their absence (or by how lightly they are touched on). There is no mention at all made of Hogan's first 'farewell' match in the WWE, against Sid Justice at Wrestlemania VIII. This is odd, considering just how big an event it was at the time, but its exclusion can probably be put down to the three reasons that make it interesting: the uncomfortable links to the steroid scandal, the botched ending where Justice contravened orders by kicking out of the atomic leg drop and the somewhat confusing return of the Ultimate Warrior. Also, Hogan's fifth WWE title victory at Wrestlemania IX is talked about for a total of about 10 seconds, with very brief footage of his impromptu victory over Yokozuna (this should perhaps have been included in full as an extra). Most notably of all, Hogan's squash defeat to Goldberg in WCW is not included or mentioned, which is disappointing as it is probably one of the most important moments from Hogan's WCW tenure (not to mention the unbelievable atmosphere in the building, which was absolutely electric).
Despite all that, the DVD is a real triumph and a great example of what WWE can achieve with its enormous back-catalogue of footage. But I have given it only four stars as the collection fails to really get to the bottom of Hogan as a man, in the way that the equivalent presentations for Ric Flair, Jake Roberts, Brian Pillman etc. did. I am certain this is deliberate and in accordance with Hogan's wishes. He does briefly mention addiction problems early in his career, but other than that there has always been very little known about Terry Bollea, and I imagine things will stay that way for the foreseeable future. Those who buy this DVD for the action though, will not be disappointed.
EXTRAS: There are almost no extras to speak of in the collection, which is a disappointment. That said, there is an entire bonus disc which contains some interesting matches. Hogan's AWA debut is featured, a great piece of booking pitting Hulk against two jobbers, whom he beats with a double bear hug. Talk about a monster push. There is also an early WWWF bout with Tito Santana, a fun title match against Terry Funk, a middling affair with Harley Race, his 1990 Royal Rumble victory (why not '91 as well?) and his cheap count-out victory over Earthquake at Summerslam 90. There is also a fairly bizarre interview from an October 2005 edition of Raw, where Hogan very briefly states his intention to challenge Stone Cold Steve Austin.
If you have any fondness for the Hulk's career, this collection is certainly for you. It really is a terrific document for remembering a master at work.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
HULKAMANIA IS RUNNING WILD!, 1 Jun 2007
4 discs of classic matches/promos/interviews etc.Cant give it the full 5 star rating,because like the recent Ric Flair dvd,some of the hulks greatest and most important matches are missing(mainly from his wcw stint-vader/flair/goldberg etc)that said it is still a great tribute to the hulkster-who in truth,not a great wrestler-but certainly a great sports entertainer.Recommend to all wrestling fans!
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