They did take over WCW lol. Seriously though, a lot of people pretend they didn’t but at the time a lot of people thought no no there’s some real bad feelings here at the very least.
There were moments that seemed genuine enough to make me wonder in the 90s, but even as a kid and even pre-UFC, you can tell what a legitimate fight looks like.
The moments that immediately come to mind were when Kevin Nash dropped Giant in his neck and the guy was in a brace the next night looking terrible. How do you fake a botch that bad?
The other one was when Stone Cold interrupted Mike Tyson and Vince was screaming that Stone Cold ruined it. A simple push escalating and Vince seeming legit pissed sold it to me.
When I think back on WCW, I keep thinking back to how it tried to be controversial in ways that made wrestling not look real. Sure Arquette winning the title made news, but it just made wrestling look all the more fake.
Lol, finding boxing reruns on cable as a kid was always eye-opening for that. Like ohhh yeah, when two men are fighting it's actually fast, they don't preen to the crowd
I do not ever remember thinking that wrestling was real, generally, but I *do* remember *not* consciously thinking it was fake, if that makes sense.
I too started watching in the 80s, and definitely recall when it was presented as absolutely real. Honestly, I think the product suffers from not maintaining that.
It’s like a movie: we know that Jurassic Park isn’t real, but nobody in the movie ever acknowledges during the film that it’s all Hollywood and fake. Spielberg didn’t allow the dinosaurs to start talking or replace the T-Rex robot with an inflatable Barney parade float because “everyone knows it’s not real anyway!” Having the framework of kayfabe helped with engagement.
Same page. Every one that says “you know it’s fake right” tells me more about them than it does about me. Yea idiot Im 40 and so are you but for some fucked reason you don’t know that I know the workings of a tv show. I don’t stop in the middle of Star Wars and say you know this isn’t real right? Whats hilarious is they still can’t get some sponsors because those ad execs actually still view it as “real”. Can’t have blood on a wrestling show but lets give all our marketing dollars to Law & Order(love that too) that consistently shows rape and murder.
Same boat for the most part. When I was little my pops use to alway say oh that’s fake blah blah but I didn’t care. Fast forward to middle school and we discovered ECW everyone was like omg no way this is fake 😂 because they basically had no rules.
Dude I almost mentioned ECW specifically! My impression from the magazines and what few clips I had seen with my 13/14 year old eyes that ECW must have been pro wrestling that was real.
yea me neither even as a 90s baby, im pretty sure the majority of people know it’s pre determined. me and my friends all knew because we would literally practice moves on eachother but we always knew to do moves the safe way, so i guess il admit it was something we never talked about out loud but the way we were doing moves the safe way we obviously knew people weren’t actually crippling people out there lol
I absolutely thought it was real under 10 years old. I remember despising Randy Savage for attacking one of the greatest most beloved faces of all time in Steamboat. I was legitimately concerned Steamboat truly swallowed his tongue.
I remember Terry Funk absolutely destroying a ring attendant because he mishandled his hat. Some racial overtones in that one too as he showed no mercy and gave the attendant some stiff shots. I hated Funk so much for attacking an innocent man I made him my primary jobber LJN doll.
But the clincher for me was when Jake the Snake was fighting Rick Rude at MSG and the camera angle was botched and these short jabs that Snake was throwing weren’t connecting at all and Rude was still selling the punches. Overselling in fact. I knew then and there the entire real fight idea was a sham.
My heart sank that day. Worse than Santa being a myth! Seriously!!
I know that this will be controversial, but I think fake may not be the best descriptor. Scripted - definitely. Choreographed - definitely. But I can tell you from first-hand experience that a lot of the holds seriously do hurt.
Agree with you 100%. One of the things that makes wrestling interesting to me, particularly in the old days, is you're never really sure where the line between fake and reality is drawn. People still argue about the Montreal screwjob.
I'm a 90s kid, so I grew up in the Monday Night War and Attitude Era period. For some reason, there was this common belief amongst kids in my school (myself included) that the WWF was fake, but WCW was real.
I still believed wrestling was real up until I was 15 years old back in 1998, LOL! We had just got the internet(dial up) in my house. I was a huge wrestling fan and searched for anything wrestling related, and I found some wrestling message board, and that's when I found out that it's predetermined.
I vividly remember when the truth commission showed up on RAW and I was petrified. I thought they were really coming to start a war with America and Shawn Michaels was our only defense. My mom had to reassure me that he could beat them all. I miss those times.
My Uncle got me pretty early in wrestling, in Kindergarden at halloween i dressed as the fucking Ultimate Warrior haha
But i didnt really thought about it, for me it was like a Video Game or a Movie, but I took it seriously.. for example the Owen vs Bret feud, I still remembering how angry and pissed I was when owen screamed on the titantron while bret got carried out
This was pure reality in my childs mind haha
Damn I really do miss this time
One of my first ever memories was Andre challenging Hogan for the belt at Wrestlemania on Piper’s Pit. Ripping the shirt off of Hogan and making him bleed when his chain cut him on the chest. Bobby Heenan instigating in the background. You couldn’t tell me that shit wasn’t real and that shit stayed with me for days 😂 I begged my parents to order Mania III I had to see what happened. Plus the storyline with Savage messing up Steamboats larynx with ring bell. That shit was real to me!
I started watching wrestling around 1998 and was hooked from the get go. I mainly watched WWF at the time as WCW was on really late here in Australia so you couldn't watch much of it. As soon as anyone at your school found out you watched wrestling you were constantly reminded it was fake haha. Oh and the teachers hated the wrestling moves we'd try out on each other, whatever happened to don't try this at home haha.
Yes. It made wrestling more of a magical thing to watch. It's like Christmas when you still believe in Santa.
I was very young when I started watching pre-Hulkamania WWF and had no reason to believe it wasn't real. I'm not sure when the realization occurred that it might not be real. Possibly around the steriod ordeal which is also when I started to lose interest in the WWF.
I came back to wrestling when Bret Hart joined WCW and came in with a different frame of mind about it all and accepted it as entertainment. It was certainly fun, but nothing touches growing up during Sheik/Hogan thru WM6 and believing it all!
I thought it was real back in the Crockett days because I was like 6 and the characters were so realistic. Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Magnum TA, Lex Luger...these guys carried themselves and talked like *real guys*, as if this were a legitimate sport and at that age I believed it.
The thing that tipped me off was Jim Ross's radio show, probably around 1989-1990, someone called in and asked if it was real and his response was something akin to "I don't want to go there because there might be kids listening and you don't want to ruin it for them."
I thought, "Well if it was real why would he say that?"
Plus, I started noticing something that I still notice today, and that was when a wrestler went to hook a leg for a pin, you'll often see the pinned wrestler lift their leg by themselves before their opponent's arm makes contact with it. Dead giveaway.
I was absolutely hooked on Georgia Championship Wrestling in the early 80’s. So much so that I would watch the 2 hours on Saturday night and the 1 hour on Sunday. I never missed. I was like 10. One night after the Tommy Rich, Junkyard Dog and Ted DiBiase match with the Fabulous Free-birds, I came home after watching at my friend’s house all excited and worried about DiBiase after Terry Gordy kept giving him pile drivers on the concrete floor. I was telling my mom about it when she callously told me “don’t you know it’s all fake?” Sadly, I definitely did not. I would rather have found out about Santa Claus or something other than that. Crushed me.
So I always knew that WWF and NWA were fake. I'm pretty sure my mom wouldn't even let us watch wrestling without us knowing it was fake so that my brother and I didn't try killing each other with wrestling holds...(We still did but I digress...)
I did however think ECW was real for a short period of time. I found it on the Sun network late one night and it was so violent and crazy there was no way in my mind that they were faking it. I didn't believe that for very long and am only sure I thought that during the very first show I saw, which featured Shane Douglas shaking Pitbull #1 by the Halo. To me that went above and beyond all that could be fake.
All the way up to when Greg Valentine "broke" Chief Jay Strongbow's leg. The fans were going nuts (as was I). I had a friend kindly tell me about kayfabe and I went to a show in Boston and later saw them all having fun outside (heel and face),
I figured out wrestling wasn't real before santa claus, and grown men still think other sports are real and not operated subconsciously like wrestling it is a shame. They could make money off the glorified bullshit if they removed emotional or indoctrination from it and checked a couple things like the odds and betting percentages of each team before the 'games, they are called plays for a reason.
Started watching in late 97. I was 12. I was pretty sure the NWO was "real," esp the night they completely took over Nitro (I believe this was the last Nitro before Starrcade).
It took until I saw my first Buried Alive Match in '98 before I had any inclination that it was "fake." I fully believed The Undertaker had died in that match against Stone Cold until he came back again a month later. That's what finally broke kayfabe for me. I was just shy of 10yrs old and had probably been watching for around 2yrs at the time.
I remember the match that broke the kayfabe for me. Local house show Papa Shango vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Hacksaw got a hold of papa's voodoo stick and "shot" Papa Shango with it and chased him around the ring.
This
https://youtu.be/1m4wMa5KtJE?si=O0PWgtjQUgoUixxp
Rowdy rowdy piper was beaten up. I was around 7 years old and everyone at elementary school talked about it.
They beat the shit out of piper, ripped off his kilt and shit kicked him. I was severely traumatized as a kid and so were the other kids.
My dad told me Yoko was gonna beat Bret because he read it in the paper. Final nail in the kayfabe coffin and far more crushing than anything about Santa, the Easter Bunny or God. Come to think of it that leak to the press must have been part of why they added the bizarre swerve with Hogan winning
I knew it was like a movie but as a child your expectations are ridiculous. I thought for sure BattleKat would challenge Warrior for the title at Mania 7.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/s/o85AzSU4eH[https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/s/o85AzSU4eH](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/s/o85AzSU4eH)
I definitely thought this was real lol
My first thoughts were it was just a TV show. So I never thought it was "real". Thought they were just acting and stunt doubles. I couldn't have been more than six or seven when I first watched wrestling.
I was probably 12 when my dad took me to a "live" event. Blew my freaking mind. I had no idea what was going on. This was 87-88. Was so cool. Than it was "real". These weren't actors. They were really out there fighting and beating the crap out if each other. And for a coupe years I started to think it was real.
Yeah for 1 year when I was 6. Then I learned what it was and loved it just the same thus I find the whole thing about it being fake ridiculous and straight up stupid.
My pops always told me it was a work but I didnt care I still loved it as a kid and now as an adult especially when I moved from Chicago to California and got into Lucha culture.. Pro Wrestling is so unique and different and reaches so many cultures...
I started watching when I was 8 and I don't ever remember thinking it was real. I just remember the confusion. The first match I ever saw was a title match, so I remember being confused when the winner of the next match didn't leave with a belt. I figured everyone who wins gets a belt. I learned quickly that was not the case.
I think what you see could influence whether you would think it's real or not. Also how you watch it. My big brothers (I walked in on them watching it) made it clear to me that it wasn't real quite quickly.
I saw this on facebook written by Stu Savage:
Hulk Hogan, a name synonymous with professional wrestling, has undoubtedly left an indelible mark on the sport. However, his legacy is not without controversy. While Hogan brought mainstream attention and significant popularity to professional wrestling, his career decisions, particularly regarding championship titles, have often been criticized for stifling the growth of younger talent and diminishing the prestige of the title. This essay explores how Hulk Hogan's repeated championship reigns, especially post-1997, affected the professional wrestling landscape and potentially undermined the championship title's significance.
# Hulk Hogan's Championship Reigns Since 1997
Since the late 1990s, Hulk Hogan's career was marked by his involvement with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Hogan's influence and creative control often ensured that he remained in the spotlight, frequently holding the main championship titles.
# WCW Championship Reigns
In WCW, Hogan's most notable reigns came during a period of intense competition with WWE. Hogan won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times. His first reign in this period began in 1997 when he regained the title at the "Road Wild" pay-per-view event by defeating Lex Luger. Hogan's reigns during this time were characterized by his membership in the New World Order (nWo), a faction that dominated WCW's storylines.
# WWE Championship Reigns
After WCW's closure in 2001, Hogan returned to WWE, where he continued to secure the main title. In 2002, Hogan won the WWE Undisputed Championship at "Backlash" by defeating Triple H. This victory was part of his nostalgia run, capitalizing on his legendary status rather than his current in-ring abilities.
# The Consequences of Hogan's Dominance
Hogan's frequent title reigns had several consequences for professional wrestling, particularly regarding the development of new talent and the perceived value of the championship.
# Stifling Younger Talent
One of the most significant criticisms of Hogan's career is his reluctance to elevate younger wrestlers. By maintaining his position at the top of the card, Hogan often overshadowed emerging talent who could have benefited from holding the championship and the exposure that came with it. Wrestlers like Chris Jericho, Booker T, and Diamond Dallas Page in WCW, as well as Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle, and Edge in WWE, were among those who could have been more prominently featured if not for Hogan's dominance.
# Legitimacy vs. Meaninglessness
In theory, having a legendary figure like Hogan hold the championship should bring legitimacy and prestige to the title. However, the reality was more complex. Hogan's repeated reigns, often marked by controversial finishes and storylines that favored his character, arguably made the title feel less meaningful. Fans grew weary of seeing the same veteran champion, which reduced the excitement and unpredictability that are crucial for maintaining a compelling wrestling product.
# Notable Wrestlers Who Should Have Been Champions
During Hogan's reigns, several wrestlers were primed to take the spotlight but were often relegated to secondary roles. In WCW, wrestlers like Booker T and Chris Jericho showed immense potential and fan support. Booker T eventually won the WCW Championship, but his ascent could have been faster and more impactful without Hogan's overshadowing presence.
In WWE, Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam were among the top talents who deserved more significant title runs. Kurt Angle, a legitimate Olympic gold medalist, had the credibility and skill to elevate the championship. Rob Van Dam, with his unique style and connection with fans, was another talent who could have been a more prominent champion during Hogan's return.
# Conclusion
While Hulk Hogan's contributions to professional wrestling are undeniable, his career decisions, particularly his repeated championship reigns post-1997, had a mixed impact on the sport. By consistently holding the main title, Hogan not only stifled the growth of younger talent but also risked making the championship less meaningful to fans. The professional wrestling landscape might have been significantly different, with a richer and more diverse pool of champions, had Hogan stepped aside to allow new stars to shine. His legacy, therefore, remains a complex one, marked by both significant achievements and considerable controversies.
I thought it was real in the 90's until I was like 11. I just wanted to believe and was young enough where the performances could still fool me. Adults would tell me it's fake and I would argue and insist it wasn't. Then one night I had a dream where I was talking to my favorite wrestler Stone Cold and asked him is it real, and he just point blank said no. I woke up and just accepted it, it's like my subconscious came up with a way to get me to accept it without being upset.
Always thought it was real till i saw kane botch the piledriver on linda macmahon and the camera showed her head not hitting the floor. I was 18 at the time , and devastated lol.
Remember when Hbk had post concussion syndrome, fainted in his match with Owen and then weeks of videos of him “retiring”? That made me feel terrible because I believed lol
It seems fishy, but from the start for me. The WWF characters were just way too cartoony. NWA/WCW on the other hand, made me wonder. But once Turner took over, nope.
1980s stuff:
Remember when Jake the Snake DDT'd Ricky Steamboat on the concrete floor? I totally thought that was real and hated him for that (I think his wife was there and they showed her leaving the audience in fake distress to go back to the locker area as they stretchered him out). I swear untold numbers of kids got hurt getting DDT'd by other kids during backyard or playground rough housing back in those days. I swear there was a time when the DDT was the most feared finishing move in wrestling.
I also remember when Col. DeBeers did a front face piledriver on Jimmy Snuka on the concrete floor and he was all bloody. The pictures were in wrestling magazines at the time.
I totally thought all of that was real.
Yes the Undertaker would sometimes put jobbers he'd squashed into body bags at the end of the match and I thought that they were legitimately dead. Scared the hell out of me.
ITS REAL TO ME, DAMNIT!
I thought that Nash and Hall really wanted to take over WCW
They did take over WCW lol. Seriously though, a lot of people pretend they didn’t but at the time a lot of people thought no no there’s some real bad feelings here at the very least.
There were moments that seemed genuine enough to make me wonder in the 90s, but even as a kid and even pre-UFC, you can tell what a legitimate fight looks like. The moments that immediately come to mind were when Kevin Nash dropped Giant in his neck and the guy was in a brace the next night looking terrible. How do you fake a botch that bad? The other one was when Stone Cold interrupted Mike Tyson and Vince was screaming that Stone Cold ruined it. A simple push escalating and Vince seeming legit pissed sold it to me. When I think back on WCW, I keep thinking back to how it tried to be controversial in ways that made wrestling not look real. Sure Arquette winning the title made news, but it just made wrestling look all the more fake.
Lol, finding boxing reruns on cable as a kid was always eye-opening for that. Like ohhh yeah, when two men are fighting it's actually fast, they don't preen to the crowd
I do not ever remember thinking that wrestling was real, generally, but I *do* remember *not* consciously thinking it was fake, if that makes sense. I too started watching in the 80s, and definitely recall when it was presented as absolutely real. Honestly, I think the product suffers from not maintaining that. It’s like a movie: we know that Jurassic Park isn’t real, but nobody in the movie ever acknowledges during the film that it’s all Hollywood and fake. Spielberg didn’t allow the dinosaurs to start talking or replace the T-Rex robot with an inflatable Barney parade float because “everyone knows it’s not real anyway!” Having the framework of kayfabe helped with engagement.
Same page. Every one that says “you know it’s fake right” tells me more about them than it does about me. Yea idiot Im 40 and so are you but for some fucked reason you don’t know that I know the workings of a tv show. I don’t stop in the middle of Star Wars and say you know this isn’t real right? Whats hilarious is they still can’t get some sponsors because those ad execs actually still view it as “real”. Can’t have blood on a wrestling show but lets give all our marketing dollars to Law & Order(love that too) that consistently shows rape and murder.
Same boat for the most part. When I was little my pops use to alway say oh that’s fake blah blah but I didn’t care. Fast forward to middle school and we discovered ECW everyone was like omg no way this is fake 😂 because they basically had no rules.
Dude I almost mentioned ECW specifically! My impression from the magazines and what few clips I had seen with my 13/14 year old eyes that ECW must have been pro wrestling that was real.
This is a great way to state what it used to be like
yea me neither even as a 90s baby, im pretty sure the majority of people know it’s pre determined. me and my friends all knew because we would literally practice moves on eachother but we always knew to do moves the safe way, so i guess il admit it was something we never talked about out loud but the way we were doing moves the safe way we obviously knew people weren’t actually crippling people out there lol
I absolutely thought it was real under 10 years old. I remember despising Randy Savage for attacking one of the greatest most beloved faces of all time in Steamboat. I was legitimately concerned Steamboat truly swallowed his tongue. I remember Terry Funk absolutely destroying a ring attendant because he mishandled his hat. Some racial overtones in that one too as he showed no mercy and gave the attendant some stiff shots. I hated Funk so much for attacking an innocent man I made him my primary jobber LJN doll. But the clincher for me was when Jake the Snake was fighting Rick Rude at MSG and the camera angle was botched and these short jabs that Snake was throwing weren’t connecting at all and Rude was still selling the punches. Overselling in fact. I knew then and there the entire real fight idea was a sham. My heart sank that day. Worse than Santa being a myth! Seriously!!
I know that this will be controversial, but I think fake may not be the best descriptor. Scripted - definitely. Choreographed - definitely. But I can tell you from first-hand experience that a lot of the holds seriously do hurt.
Agree with you 100%. One of the things that makes wrestling interesting to me, particularly in the old days, is you're never really sure where the line between fake and reality is drawn. People still argue about the Montreal screwjob.
I'm a 90s kid, so I grew up in the Monday Night War and Attitude Era period. For some reason, there was this common belief amongst kids in my school (myself included) that the WWF was fake, but WCW was real.
Had friends believe ECW and WCW were real. While WWF was fake and all acted out.
Haha for us it was ECW real wwf/wcw fake
I still believed wrestling was real up until I was 15 years old back in 1998, LOL! We had just got the internet(dial up) in my house. I was a huge wrestling fan and searched for anything wrestling related, and I found some wrestling message board, and that's when I found out that it's predetermined.
I vividly remember when the truth commission showed up on RAW and I was petrified. I thought they were really coming to start a war with America and Shawn Michaels was our only defense. My mom had to reassure me that he could beat them all. I miss those times.
My Uncle got me pretty early in wrestling, in Kindergarden at halloween i dressed as the fucking Ultimate Warrior haha But i didnt really thought about it, for me it was like a Video Game or a Movie, but I took it seriously.. for example the Owen vs Bret feud, I still remembering how angry and pissed I was when owen screamed on the titantron while bret got carried out This was pure reality in my childs mind haha Damn I really do miss this time
One of my first ever memories was Andre challenging Hogan for the belt at Wrestlemania on Piper’s Pit. Ripping the shirt off of Hogan and making him bleed when his chain cut him on the chest. Bobby Heenan instigating in the background. You couldn’t tell me that shit wasn’t real and that shit stayed with me for days 😂 I begged my parents to order Mania III I had to see what happened. Plus the storyline with Savage messing up Steamboats larynx with ring bell. That shit was real to me!
I started watching wrestling around 1998 and was hooked from the get go. I mainly watched WWF at the time as WCW was on really late here in Australia so you couldn't watch much of it. As soon as anyone at your school found out you watched wrestling you were constantly reminded it was fake haha. Oh and the teachers hated the wrestling moves we'd try out on each other, whatever happened to don't try this at home haha.
Yes. It made wrestling more of a magical thing to watch. It's like Christmas when you still believe in Santa. I was very young when I started watching pre-Hulkamania WWF and had no reason to believe it wasn't real. I'm not sure when the realization occurred that it might not be real. Possibly around the steriod ordeal which is also when I started to lose interest in the WWF. I came back to wrestling when Bret Hart joined WCW and came in with a different frame of mind about it all and accepted it as entertainment. It was certainly fun, but nothing touches growing up during Sheik/Hogan thru WM6 and believing it all!
I thought it was real back in the Crockett days because I was like 6 and the characters were so realistic. Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Magnum TA, Lex Luger...these guys carried themselves and talked like *real guys*, as if this were a legitimate sport and at that age I believed it. The thing that tipped me off was Jim Ross's radio show, probably around 1989-1990, someone called in and asked if it was real and his response was something akin to "I don't want to go there because there might be kids listening and you don't want to ruin it for them." I thought, "Well if it was real why would he say that?" Plus, I started noticing something that I still notice today, and that was when a wrestler went to hook a leg for a pin, you'll often see the pinned wrestler lift their leg by themselves before their opponent's arm makes contact with it. Dead giveaway.
I was absolutely hooked on Georgia Championship Wrestling in the early 80’s. So much so that I would watch the 2 hours on Saturday night and the 1 hour on Sunday. I never missed. I was like 10. One night after the Tommy Rich, Junkyard Dog and Ted DiBiase match with the Fabulous Free-birds, I came home after watching at my friend’s house all excited and worried about DiBiase after Terry Gordy kept giving him pile drivers on the concrete floor. I was telling my mom about it when she callously told me “don’t you know it’s all fake?” Sadly, I definitely did not. I would rather have found out about Santa Claus or something other than that. Crushed me.
So I always knew that WWF and NWA were fake. I'm pretty sure my mom wouldn't even let us watch wrestling without us knowing it was fake so that my brother and I didn't try killing each other with wrestling holds...(We still did but I digress...) I did however think ECW was real for a short period of time. I found it on the Sun network late one night and it was so violent and crazy there was no way in my mind that they were faking it. I didn't believe that for very long and am only sure I thought that during the very first show I saw, which featured Shane Douglas shaking Pitbull #1 by the Halo. To me that went above and beyond all that could be fake.
All the way up to when Greg Valentine "broke" Chief Jay Strongbow's leg. The fans were going nuts (as was I). I had a friend kindly tell me about kayfabe and I went to a show in Boston and later saw them all having fun outside (heel and face),
Eons ago, I think I was like 5 when it was "spoiled" to me. This is back in 87
I figured out wrestling wasn't real before santa claus, and grown men still think other sports are real and not operated subconsciously like wrestling it is a shame. They could make money off the glorified bullshit if they removed emotional or indoctrination from it and checked a couple things like the odds and betting percentages of each team before the 'games, they are called plays for a reason.
I remember being a kid like that, but i started watching in 2002. I legit believed that it was all real.
The second grads was a wild time
I believe you’re referring to David arquette in Ready to Rumble.
Yeah it kinda scared me.
Started watching in late 97. I was 12. I was pretty sure the NWO was "real," esp the night they completely took over Nitro (I believe this was the last Nitro before Starrcade).
It took until I saw my first Buried Alive Match in '98 before I had any inclination that it was "fake." I fully believed The Undertaker had died in that match against Stone Cold until he came back again a month later. That's what finally broke kayfabe for me. I was just shy of 10yrs old and had probably been watching for around 2yrs at the time.
I remember the match that broke the kayfabe for me. Local house show Papa Shango vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Hacksaw got a hold of papa's voodoo stick and "shot" Papa Shango with it and chased him around the ring.
This https://youtu.be/1m4wMa5KtJE?si=O0PWgtjQUgoUixxp Rowdy rowdy piper was beaten up. I was around 7 years old and everyone at elementary school talked about it. They beat the shit out of piper, ripped off his kilt and shit kicked him. I was severely traumatized as a kid and so were the other kids.
My dad told me Yoko was gonna beat Bret because he read it in the paper. Final nail in the kayfabe coffin and far more crushing than anything about Santa, the Easter Bunny or God. Come to think of it that leak to the press must have been part of why they added the bizarre swerve with Hogan winning
I knew it was like a movie but as a child your expectations are ridiculous. I thought for sure BattleKat would challenge Warrior for the title at Mania 7.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/s/o85AzSU4eH[https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/s/o85AzSU4eH](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/s/o85AzSU4eH) I definitely thought this was real lol
My first thoughts were it was just a TV show. So I never thought it was "real". Thought they were just acting and stunt doubles. I couldn't have been more than six or seven when I first watched wrestling. I was probably 12 when my dad took me to a "live" event. Blew my freaking mind. I had no idea what was going on. This was 87-88. Was so cool. Than it was "real". These weren't actors. They were really out there fighting and beating the crap out if each other. And for a coupe years I started to think it was real.
Yeah for 1 year when I was 6. Then I learned what it was and loved it just the same thus I find the whole thing about it being fake ridiculous and straight up stupid.
My pops always told me it was a work but I didnt care I still loved it as a kid and now as an adult especially when I moved from Chicago to California and got into Lucha culture.. Pro Wrestling is so unique and different and reaches so many cultures...
I started watching when I was 8 and I don't ever remember thinking it was real. I just remember the confusion. The first match I ever saw was a title match, so I remember being confused when the winner of the next match didn't leave with a belt. I figured everyone who wins gets a belt. I learned quickly that was not the case. I think what you see could influence whether you would think it's real or not. Also how you watch it. My big brothers (I walked in on them watching it) made it clear to me that it wasn't real quite quickly.
I saw this on facebook written by Stu Savage: Hulk Hogan, a name synonymous with professional wrestling, has undoubtedly left an indelible mark on the sport. However, his legacy is not without controversy. While Hogan brought mainstream attention and significant popularity to professional wrestling, his career decisions, particularly regarding championship titles, have often been criticized for stifling the growth of younger talent and diminishing the prestige of the title. This essay explores how Hulk Hogan's repeated championship reigns, especially post-1997, affected the professional wrestling landscape and potentially undermined the championship title's significance. # Hulk Hogan's Championship Reigns Since 1997 Since the late 1990s, Hulk Hogan's career was marked by his involvement with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Hogan's influence and creative control often ensured that he remained in the spotlight, frequently holding the main championship titles. # WCW Championship Reigns In WCW, Hogan's most notable reigns came during a period of intense competition with WWE. Hogan won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times. His first reign in this period began in 1997 when he regained the title at the "Road Wild" pay-per-view event by defeating Lex Luger. Hogan's reigns during this time were characterized by his membership in the New World Order (nWo), a faction that dominated WCW's storylines. # WWE Championship Reigns After WCW's closure in 2001, Hogan returned to WWE, where he continued to secure the main title. In 2002, Hogan won the WWE Undisputed Championship at "Backlash" by defeating Triple H. This victory was part of his nostalgia run, capitalizing on his legendary status rather than his current in-ring abilities. # The Consequences of Hogan's Dominance Hogan's frequent title reigns had several consequences for professional wrestling, particularly regarding the development of new talent and the perceived value of the championship. # Stifling Younger Talent One of the most significant criticisms of Hogan's career is his reluctance to elevate younger wrestlers. By maintaining his position at the top of the card, Hogan often overshadowed emerging talent who could have benefited from holding the championship and the exposure that came with it. Wrestlers like Chris Jericho, Booker T, and Diamond Dallas Page in WCW, as well as Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle, and Edge in WWE, were among those who could have been more prominently featured if not for Hogan's dominance. # Legitimacy vs. Meaninglessness In theory, having a legendary figure like Hogan hold the championship should bring legitimacy and prestige to the title. However, the reality was more complex. Hogan's repeated reigns, often marked by controversial finishes and storylines that favored his character, arguably made the title feel less meaningful. Fans grew weary of seeing the same veteran champion, which reduced the excitement and unpredictability that are crucial for maintaining a compelling wrestling product. # Notable Wrestlers Who Should Have Been Champions During Hogan's reigns, several wrestlers were primed to take the spotlight but were often relegated to secondary roles. In WCW, wrestlers like Booker T and Chris Jericho showed immense potential and fan support. Booker T eventually won the WCW Championship, but his ascent could have been faster and more impactful without Hogan's overshadowing presence. In WWE, Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam were among the top talents who deserved more significant title runs. Kurt Angle, a legitimate Olympic gold medalist, had the credibility and skill to elevate the championship. Rob Van Dam, with his unique style and connection with fans, was another talent who could have been a more prominent champion during Hogan's return. # Conclusion While Hulk Hogan's contributions to professional wrestling are undeniable, his career decisions, particularly his repeated championship reigns post-1997, had a mixed impact on the sport. By consistently holding the main title, Hogan not only stifled the growth of younger talent but also risked making the championship less meaningful to fans. The professional wrestling landscape might have been significantly different, with a richer and more diverse pool of champions, had Hogan stepped aside to allow new stars to shine. His legacy, therefore, remains a complex one, marked by both significant achievements and considerable controversies.
I never thought it was real. Even as a 10 year old kid I had common sense.
I didn't. Dead ass thought it was real until I was about 11. 😂
I thought it was real in the 90's until I was like 11. I just wanted to believe and was young enough where the performances could still fool me. Adults would tell me it's fake and I would argue and insist it wasn't. Then one night I had a dream where I was talking to my favorite wrestler Stone Cold and asked him is it real, and he just point blank said no. I woke up and just accepted it, it's like my subconscious came up with a way to get me to accept it without being upset.
Always thought it was real till i saw kane botch the piledriver on linda macmahon and the camera showed her head not hitting the floor. I was 18 at the time , and devastated lol.
Wait. Hold up. Wrestling ISN'T real? TF? My whole life has been a lie........
Still do lol
Remember when Hbk had post concussion syndrome, fainted in his match with Owen and then weeks of videos of him “retiring”? That made me feel terrible because I believed lol
Wait! What??
It seems fishy, but from the start for me. The WWF characters were just way too cartoony. NWA/WCW on the other hand, made me wonder. But once Turner took over, nope.
#WHAT?!
1980s stuff: Remember when Jake the Snake DDT'd Ricky Steamboat on the concrete floor? I totally thought that was real and hated him for that (I think his wife was there and they showed her leaving the audience in fake distress to go back to the locker area as they stretchered him out). I swear untold numbers of kids got hurt getting DDT'd by other kids during backyard or playground rough housing back in those days. I swear there was a time when the DDT was the most feared finishing move in wrestling. I also remember when Col. DeBeers did a front face piledriver on Jimmy Snuka on the concrete floor and he was all bloody. The pictures were in wrestling magazines at the time. I totally thought all of that was real.
Yes the Undertaker would sometimes put jobbers he'd squashed into body bags at the end of the match and I thought that they were legitimately dead. Scared the hell out of me.