I was a pretty big fan of the WWF back in the early to mid 80s. I know it's now called the WWE, but when I was a fan, it was the WWF. I was the perfect age for that type of theatrics. I remember watching my heroes battle it out every weekend. My personal favourite was always Rowdy Roddy Piper, but there was also Macho Man Randy Savage, King Kong Bundy, Andre the Giant and, of course, Hulk Hogan. The Piper's Pit was my Tonight Show. Hogan's feud with Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff was my soap opera. Sargent Slaughter vs. Nikolai Volkoff was my international politics. The WWF was a big part of my life before puberty.
Last Friday, I listed my five favourite cartoons as a child. On this list was Hulk Hogan's Rockin' Wrestling. One of the best aspects of this cartoon was the live action shorts between them. Two segments in particular stick out in my mind to this day. At the time, I thought they were ever so clever.
- Andre the Giant buys a car - In this segment, Andre the Giant went to a car dealership because he needed an automobile. 7'5", 525 LB Andre was asked to see how the little compact number felt. The next image is Andre sitting in this little car with his giant head sticking out the sunroof and his massive arms dangling out the windows as he complains in that ultra deep voice of his that "It's too small!!!" Pure gold.
- Hulk goes out to dinner - In this clip the Hulkster goes to a fine restaurant. It's a classy joint and Hulk Hogan is wearing a cut-off tee shirt exposing his steroid-induced muscles. The waiter politely tells Hogan there is a dress code and he'll have to wear a jacket. Hogan refuses proclaiming "My pythons gotta breathe!" The next scene is Hulk Hogan enjoying his meal in a fine dinner jacket with the sleeves ripped off so his arms remain uncovered. Another gem.
I lost interest in Wrestling as I grew older and the theatrics lost their charm. Every once in a while though, I still envision Andre the Giant in that car or Hulk Hogan at that table and smile.
