By: Chris "Sledge" Douglas
It took me many years before I had the chance to see this match... I believe this match was broadcast during a time when I had NO cable and relied SOLELY on air TV (remember THAT?) and Fidonet groups on BBS's. I had read about it, I'm sure, but I don't remember a thing about what I read or thought at the time. I was just getting out of my childhood Hulkamaniac phase, and was just starting to look into wrestling from sources other than the WWF. However, I was just not interested enough.
Then came the late 90's, and I was ALL about Vader!
Vader was a huge badass! Sure, it was to the detriment of those booked against him that day, and according to Mick Foley, supposedly he didn't wash his trunks on a regular basis either, but at least it came accross visually when he hit someone. And he hit HARD. Just ask the late Shinya Hashimoto who THREW UP after a match with him (or maybe DON'T ask him, seeing as he's dead and all...).
Which begs the question... WHY does that make THIS match any good?
Well...
- We have Hogan very out of his element here... he can't out punch him... Vader just absorbs everything. He can't become Japanese Hogan, even though he tries whipping out the cross arm breaker. Nope. He has to become "Hardcore" Hogan (and I say THAT VERRRRRY loosely), having to use a chair to get Vader worn down.
- Vader here is PURE Vader! Hogan slaps him really hard here... and Vader pops out of that corner like it's NOTHING. Hogan tosses Vader over the guardrail... and Vader tears out of that as if it's NUTHIN' as well.
That, my friends, made for an extremely entertaining bout for me... and THAT's the kind of "ENTERTAINMENT" I'm looking for. Not "everyone grabs a mic and talks for three hours."
Here is that match, in 2 parts:
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