Tag Archives: Hulk Hogan

Why Hulk Hogan Can’t Kick Out of the Decisions Made by Terry Bollea

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The character of Hulk Hogan is the reason I fell in love with professional wrestling. For a lifelong Hulkamaniac like me, the yellow and red isn’t just a color scheme; it’s the visual shorthand for childhood heroism. Over the years, I’ve had the good fortune to meet the man twice—the first time at WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans, where I shook his hand and told him he was my hero, and more recently at WrestleMania 40 right here in my hometown of Philadelphia. During that second meeting, he joked with me about his body falling apart, a reminder of the physical toll the business took on him.

But after watching the Hulk Hogan: Real American documentary series on Netflix, I found myself sitting in the silence of my living room with a heavy heart and a mountain of conflicting feelings.

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Why No Holds Barred is the Ultimate Nostalgia Trip for Hulkamaniacs

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If you grew up in the late 80s or early 90s, you didn’t just watch Hulk Hogan—you lived in a world defined by him. Between the vitamins, the prayers, and the neon yellow spandex, the Hulkster was less of a wrestler and more of a living superhero.

But then, 1989 gave us something that defied logic, physics, and perhaps, good taste: No Holds Barred.

Look, I’m not here to tell you this is an Oscar-contending masterpiece. It’s objectively ridiculous. It’s loud, it’s sweaty, and the plot makes a Saturday morning cartoon look like Succession. But despite its campy nature—or maybe because of it—this movie still resonates with me today.

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15 Years Later: TNA Returns to the Liacouras Center

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TNA Wrestling just dropped its full 2026 live event schedule, and as a lifelong fan and a Temple University researcher, I couldn’t be more thrilled. The biggest news for me is that TNA is returning to Philadelphia for a two-night stand at the Liacouras Center on Thursday, July 30th, and Friday, July 31st.

I’m already planning to be there for both nights, not just because the shows are happening right at my school, but because this event perfectly intersects with my personal and professional passions. My doctoral research at Temple focuses on the evolution of women’s professional wrestling, specifically how the TNA Knockouts revolutionized the industry by proving that women could headline shows and deliver high-caliber athletic performances long before the “Women’s Evolution” became a mainstream buzzword.

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Hulk Hogan at Temple University: The End of an Era in Professional Wrestling

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Photography By: 
Joseph V. Labolito (Provided courtesy of the Liacouras Center Photo Archive)

I was interviewed by Stephen Orbanek from Temple Now about Hulk Hogan’s passing, his final televised match at Temple University, and the legacy he leaves behind. It was a pleasure speaking with Stephen, and I hope you enjoy reading the full piece below.

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TNA Wrestling Knockouts Book Update: My Interview with Awesome Kong

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Awesome Kong is one of the most influential female wrestlers ever because her feud with Gail Kim launched TNA Wrestling’s Knockout division and ushered in the women’s revolution in professional wrestling. I had the pleasure of interviewing Awesome Kong for three hours for my doctoral research project and my book about TNA Wrestling and the Knockouts. We covered her entire career in TNA, including her thoughts on Gail Kim, how women were compensated in TNA, the Bubba the Love Sponge debacle, Daffney, Dixie Carter, Dutch Mantel, Hulk Hogan, Erich Bischoff, Reba Hardy, and more. There were moments when she had me laughing so hard it hurt; other times, what we discussed brought her to tears. This interview exceeded my expectations in every way, and I’m grateful to Awesome Kong for her contributions to my research and the TNA Wrestling Knockouts book.

My WWE WrestleMania 40 Weekend

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In April, I attended WrestleMania 40, when the biggest event in professional wrestling returned to Philadelphia. Below is a recap and my thoughts on this incredible experience, including photos and videos. Enjoy!

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20 Years of IMPACT: 2017

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Eli Drake’s loud mouth and brash attitude immediately got attention when he debuted in 2015. From his time in The Rising to his run as King of the Mountain Champion to his rivalry with EC3 – people immediately identified him as a future World Champion. Lashley defeated Eddie Edwards to regain the title in a classic 30 Minute Iron Man at Genesis but a Gauntlet for the Gold in August for the vacant championship gave Drake his best chance yet. He overcame 20 men including former champions Eddie Edwards, Lashley and EC3 as well as the debuting Johnny IMPACT to become champion. Drake then immediately entered a rivalry with Johnny including main eventing Bound For Glory, but Drake would hang onto the title for the rest of the year.

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20 Years of IMPACT: 2016

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Broken. No single word defines 2016 more. EC3 won the World Title Series to become World Champion for the second time but this would set Matt Hardy on a completely different path. After coming up short multiple times and having his crowning moment taken away from him at Bound For Glory, Matt Hardy turned to a different approach to capture the World Championship. Tyrus turned on EC3, helping Hardy capture gold and beginning the birth of “Broken” Matt Hardy. When Drew Galloway used his Feast or Fired case to take the World Championship from Matt, Matt lost it thinking his brother had betrayed him. Jeff Hardy beat Matt Hardy in an I Quit match after a Swanton Bomb from the very top of the IMPACT Zone and Matt was never the same.

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20 Years of IMPACT: 2015

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From the moment he arrived in TNA in October 2013, EC3 was destined for greatness. Part of that was nepotism of course – he was Dixie Carter’s nephew after all – but the larger part was he could back it up in the ring. EC3 defeated everybody that was put in front of him – with legends like Sting, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, Bully Ray, Rhino, Austin Aries and Eric Young all failing to defeat the cocky upstart. For all of this he had the loyal and steadfast Rockstar Spud by his side. Many of those victories came with an assist from Spud, but after Dixie Carter was powerbombed through a table the relationship between Spud and EC3 began to fracture. This culminated in a memorable Hair vs. Hair encounter in Wembley Arena in London as a bloody and resilient Spud fought with absolutely everything he had to take down his old friend EC3, but ultimately came up short. Spud’s head was shaved bald.

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20 Years of IMPACT: 2014

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2014 started with two TNA World Heavyweight Champions: AJ Styles and Magnus. Both men had a claim to the title – Styles defeated Bully Ray at Bound For Glory while Magnus won a tournament in his absence. However, there could only be one true TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Styles and Magnus faced off in January to crown a true champion. After interference from all of Magnus and Dixie’s goons, Magnus was crowned the undisputed champion. Sting tried to school his old Main Event Mafia associate and was willing to put his TNA career on the line to get a title shot: in a similar story, with help from a lot of outside interference Magnus retained and cast Sting out of TNA.

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