Month: July 2025

HULKAMANIA FOREVER

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The wrestling world lost one of their biggest stars to ever enter the ring. His real name is Tony Bollea who plays the man & legend of Hulk Hogan, and he died of cardiac arrest at the age of 71. He played the good and bad guy in the wrestling world in multiple organizations. As a good guy, Hulkamania spread throughout the world in the 1980’s like an infectious bacteria winning six heavyweight titles in the WWF (World Wrestling Federation.) The Hulkster lasted 35 years in the ring from 1977 to 2002. He added to his collection of belts as the bad guy in the WCW (World Championship Wrestling.) He called himself Hollywood Hulk Hogan, leader of the new world, and took home another six heavyweight championships. He was the face of wrestling for decades. Why is the passing of Hulk Hogan materializing lots of fixed feelings and emotion?

Growing up watching wrestling, I was intrigued by how these guys never got injured. I think wrestling was like Santa Clause because you believed it was real when you were kid. How could someone get whacked in the head with a metal folding chair and after a five minute beat down come back and win a match? It was acting. To be a wrestler, you had to be athletic to do all the stunts they did in the ring. Then you had to look the part and be in shape while taking on the grind of the back flips and high jumps off the ropes. Hulk Hogan was an actor as he starred in Rocky III as a wrestler, Thunder Lips, and played a bad guy before he turned into the leader of the new world. He was also in other films such as Suburban Commando and Thunder Paradise. It was the wrestling ring that got him those Hollywood jobs. In the ring he acted like a homicidal maniac yelling at Mean Gene during an interview like they all did. Many will remember the body slam by the Hulk Hogan on Andre the Giant that was heard around the world in Wrestlemania III in 1987. In 1988 the WWF main event on February 5th, which had the Hulk versus the Andre The Giant rematch, still holds the record in the United States in ratings with 33 million viewers. That is better ratings than most sports. Andre the Giant would win the match in a controversial ending as bribery was involved and a twin referee. It was scripted. Hogan thrived at being one of the popular wrestlers of all-time as he also the first to win consecutive Royal Rumble matches in 1990 and 1991.

Hulkamania was everywhere. He was on the big screen. He was at the top of the wrestling world. His face was everywhere. Kids had his poster in their bedroom. I had a friend back in the 1980’s who wore a Hulkamania tee shirt and did a great imitation of the Hulk when he started to get mad before a fight. Hulk Hogan was in comic books, action figures, cartoons, & he had his own wrestling card. Growing up Terry Bollea was a normal kid who liked playing baseball. He was a pitcher in little league. When Tony turned 16, he started getting interested in watching wrestling. He collected the cards. He looked for inspiration from his favorite wrestler growing up, Superstar Billy Graham. Tony liked music. He played the guitar and was in a band. He dropped out of college because the band was on the rise. He worked out in his spare time when he was noticed. Not for his music. They discovered a wrestler in the gym he was working out at. It’s like many Hollywood stories or in the music industry and in sports. You never know when someone is watching you and wants to make you famous. Terry had bad days when his brother overdosed in 1986 right in the beginning stages of Hulkamania.

Once you build up a legend like a Hulk Hogan and make him the Michael Jordan of the wrestling world, others want to tear him down. In 2015 the Hulkster was exposed on a sex tape made in 2007 when he had ranted about black people. He did not care for his own daughter who was dating a black man. He used the N-word. He would also mention that he was racist to a point. The WWE terminated the contract of Hulk Hogan from the rant he made way back in 2007. They quickly reacted removing anything Hogan from their websites. The toy company Mattel stopped making the Hulkster action figures. Then more sex tapes emerged and this time the Hulkster using was making homophobic remarks. Hogan did ask for forgiveness of his rants and did an interview on ABC. Some black wrestlers supported the Hulkster like former Hall of Fame NBA star, Dennis Rodman. Mark Henry was pleased with the zero-tolerance policy by the WWE. Eventually Hogan did come back to the ring a few years later and got over the hurdle of his own words.

In 2024 Hulk Hogan came out with his own beer. He called it the Real American beer. He was not at home making beer in his bath tub and decided to take it nationally. It’s his face and name on the can and boxes as some brewer makes it for him. He was in Chicago at different liquor stores throughout the Chicagoland area hocking his brew. I did buy some of it and it’s a lager so picture something your daddy used to drink after a long day at work. It was good beer. Hogan was hanging out with the Trumpster, Donald Trump, which many people will make a remark about that. Those rants may come back from the grave and haunt the Hulkster. Some of the articles said Hulk Hogan was on steroids to help his wrestling career. Since wrestling is scripted, steroids would only help their looks. Their muscles. Does it keep a wrestler in the ring longer? I would not compare a wrestler’s steroids in this kind of wrestling to other sports where it changes the game. I’m not sure if that is a fact. It seems like with his passing the good, the bad, and ugly remarks have come out of the woodwork. This for a guy who had such a huge following for decades and was loved by many. When a rock group is out of money, they suddenly get along and go on tour. Athletes and Hollywood may throw their own book into the ring when they are in need of money. Maybe the Hulkster needed some money and went to slinging his beer in recent years. Everyone at one time or another wants a redo in life for something they let spew out of their mouths. Something that they did. I do not know the man. I’m not sure I would like many celebrities for their own personal views. It is sometimes better not to know. Hulk Hogan was not my favorite wrestler of all-time. I liked him. I liked him in Rocky III. He nailed the part in life of Hulk Hogan as a wrestler, I give Terry Bollea that. Hulkamania will never die. His actions in the ring and the ring only will live forever.

MILLER LITE

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The old advertising campaign for the beer Miller Lite asked if it ‘tasted great or was less filling.’ Once upon a time ago, Von Miller did not taste great to opposing quarterbacks. Von was a one man wrecking machine on the football field causing havoc on the opposing team’s offensive game plan. Miller in his career has won two Superbowls and you’d think he was the one that invented the strip sack in the NFL. At the age of 36, Von is maybe less filling on offensive linemen in the NFL as injuries have mounted up. This off-season the Buffalo Bills released him as he is a big chunk of the salary cap and not worth the money they would pay him. Miller time will try to resurrect his NFL career with the Washington Commanders. Does he have any suds left in the can to help the Commanders defense?

Von Miller has 13 seasons under his belt in the NFL. In 2011 he was drafted 2nd overall by the Denver Broncos where he played parts of ten seasons there. In Superbowl 50 he was the MVP, as he exposed the soft play of quarterback Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers.

Miller was like a fly on a piece of shit in that Superbowl game. Years later the Broncos as a team went through rough times not winning and they traded their legend to the LA Rams in 2021. Miller’s presence with Aaron Donald, the stud of that Rams defense, made that unit even better and they won the Superbowl. Miller became a free agent and the Bills came knocking on his door with a pile of cash in a hefty contract. The last few seasons for Miller have not been Miller-like in Buffalo. In 2022 he racked up 8 sacks as he would miss 5 games tearing his ACL in his knee. In 2023, he did come back from that injury and registered zero sacks for the season. Last season he missed 4 games as he was suspended by the NFL for violating the personal conduct policy. Last year in 13 regular season games for the Bills, he had 6 sacks and 17 tackles. Miller is the active leader in sacks with 129.5 of them he has had during regular season. His football resume in his career is impressive as he made 8 Pro-Bowl games and is a 3x All-Pro. In 2011, his rookie season, he won defensive rookie of the year honors. He is a staple on the all HOF 2010’s decade team.

The Washington Commanders are an up and coming team as they made it all the way to the NFC Championship game last season. It was the play of their rookie quarterback that infused life in this dormant franchise called the Commanders. The name Commanders seemed dreadful at first as it replaced the original name Redskins. Now Jayden Daniels behind center is making that offense a well-oiled machine and stacking up victories it seems the Commanders name just rolls off your tongue. Were the Commanders just lucky last year playing a easier schedule? The Commanders won 9 one score games. Six of those games, the Commanders had the final possession of the game. The Commanders have now 22 players on their roster who are 30 or older. Daniels is on a rookie contract, so you can stockpile your roster with veterans. The Commanders need to get younger but for now they are chasing the ring. You can blame the front office for bad drafts for many years as this may be the best path to take for the Commanders. It worked well last year with the Commanders adding linebacker Bobby Wagner to the mix. He became an instant leader for that Commanders defense.

What do the Commanders expect from Von Miller? This is an interesting move by signing Miller. When Dan Quinn was head coach of the Atlanta Falcons the year they went to the Superbowl and blew that halftime lead to the Patriots, they made a signing that year like Miller. The Falcons added defensive lineman, Dwight Freeney, a former Colt and he was like Miller at that time in his late 30’s on his last leg. The Commanders last season were ranked number 11 in sacks in the NFL. On crucial 3rd downs, they always have problems generating pressure and could not get off the field. The Commanders have a few guys that tallied up 6-8 sacks last season. Frankie Luvu had 99 tackles and 8 sacks. Bobby Wagner was the heart and soul of the Commanders defense because he had 156 tackles and two sacks. Wagner goes back to the legion of Doom defense back in the Seattle days with head coach Quinn. Can Miller become the Commanders closer? He has torn 2 ACLs in the same knee. He has missed the entire 2020 season as he dislocated a tendon in his foot. The Commanders could keep Miller fresh most of the game and unleash him in the 4th quarter. Miller will bring some more leadership to their defense. He will also bring some extra attention from opposing offenses and that could free other defenders. He would help your offensive linemen, especially younger guys dealing with Miller in practices. All his savvy moves being on display every week. It’s only a one year deal which includes some incentives that can motivate a player. He will be playing with a chip on his shoulder, out to prove he is a better player than his few seasons in Buffalo. Not sure he will taste great to opposing teams. As he may just be less filling at his age and not be the Miller from his Broncos days being a one man Army.

CAN SHOW ME THE MONEY, BACKFIRE ON A NFL HOLD OUT?

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As always, the NFL has a few players at this time holding out from their current contract wanting to get PAID. The three big names are Trey Hendrickson, Terry McLaurin, and TJ Watt. Hendrickson, a defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals had led the entire league in sacks the last two seasons. Scary Terry McLaurin helped his rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels become the offensive rookie of the year for the Washington Commanders as they went all the way to the NFC championship game versus the Eagles. Then Watt is the heart and soul of the Steelers defense. Can the Commanders, Bengals, and Steelers win the Superbowl without these guys? Back in 1985, the Chicago Bears had two studs on their defense hold out due to their contract dispute. The Bears ended up winning their only Superbowl while these two guys stayed at home twiddling their thumbs and watched all of this unfold from their couch at home.

The 1985 Chicago Bears some would say had the best defense ever in the history of the game. They were one of the scariest defenses of all-time without two of their key players. Todd Bell was a pro-bowl safety in 1984 as he felt after that year was a great time to talk about his contract. Bell was drafted by Chicago in the 4th round of the NFL draft in 1981 from Ohio State University. The other Bear that skipped out on the Superbowl shuffle was linebacker defensive lineman Al Harris who was a first round pick of Chicago in the 1979 NFL draft from Arizona State. Bell would play 8 NFL seasons for 103 games with the Bears and Eagles. He had 7 interceptions in his career along with 10 sacks. In 1984 he had 4 of those 7 interceptions and one of them was a pick six. He forced two fumbles as well and racked up 4.5 sacks. Al Harris in 1984 played in all 16 games and racked up 2 sacks with an interception. Harris would play 11 seasons in the NFL 9 with the Bears and two with the Eagles as he racked up 149 games. He retired with 23.5 career sacks. Both Bell and Harris would return to Bears in the 1986 season. You would have thought with the talent the Bears had on that defense and Walter Payton the best running back of all-time, they would have had a dynasty like the New England Patriots. In 1987, the Washington Redskins knocked out the Bears in the Divisional round. That group would never get back to the Superbowl.

All three current hold outs are important to their team’s success this upcoming season. Right now even without TJ Watt, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the weakest link of the three teams. Watt played in all 17 games last year for the Steelers and racked up 11.5 sacks. The Steelers are trying to go beyond one and out in the post-season with an aging Aaron Rodgers at QB. Rodgers was a cancer in the Jets locker room last season and is not the same guy that played for the Green Bay Packers a few years ago. Last year Pittsburgh’s defense was not the Steel Curtain of old times. Without Watt and the cancer at the QB position, I don’t see the Steelers going all the way. Last year the Bengals defense was horrific. If Trey Hendrickson was not playing for the striped cats, it could have gone worse for them. The Bengals have Joe Burrow. They have one of the best wide receivers in the league in Ja’Marr Chase. Then on the other side of the field we can not forget about Tee Higgins. The Bengals dug themselves a hole as always in the beginning of the season. They lost games in shoot outs. Then they turned things around and were red hot in the second half of the season. In the last game of the season, the Chiefs rested their top star players as Denver rolled in that game and made the playoff that kept the Bengals out. When the Bengals get red hot on offense, they could be a team that could win it all. They could do without their top defender in Hendrickson. The Commanders were amazing last season, and Jayden Daniels looks legit as a star quarterback. Can this Commanders team win without Scary Terry McLaurin? He caught 82 balls last season for over 1,000 receiving yards. Most importantly he caught 13 touchdown passes. McLaurin is not a one year wonder – he has had great success with bums as his quarterbacks. The Commanders acquired another top receiver in the league, Deebo Samuel, from the 49ers. Deebo by himself without McLaurin is not going to get the numbers that Scary Terry got. It just sounds better to have Deebo and Scary Terry as your wide outs for a 2nd year quarterback. Out of these three hold outs, I think McLaurin is the most important guy. With Watt or without Watt, the Steelers may not even get to the post-season. The Bengals could do the Bears imitation with their offense and leave their sack artist at home. Only thing in the NFL is great offenses can become ordinary coming up against a solid defense in big playoff games.

I’m sure guys like Al Harris and Todd Bell would say they have no regrets sitting out the entire 1985 season. The Bears had their own hit song called the Superbowl Shuffle out before they even got to New Orleans for the big game. The Bears would lose only one regular season game that year, to the Miami Dolphins. They destroyed the Patriots in the Superbowl. All the names & all those personalities on the roster & the coaching staff meshed perfectly in that season as they had one magical year. No regrets. I’m not buying what those two are selling. Did they not read the room of their teammates when coming up with the idea of holding out? The Bears line backing crew had Mike Singletary, a Hall of Famer. Then Wilbur Marshall who blew up opponents from his devastating hits.Then Otis Wilson was a solid player. In the secondary, the Bears had Gary Fencik and Dave Duerson as their starting safeties. I can see why the Bears did not give into the demands of Harris and Bell. Harris and Bell were solid defenders but expendable at the same time. Still to this day in Chicago, those ’85 Bears players get free drinks when they come to town. When they won it all Bearmania was crazy in Chicago. Everyone was swept up into it during that entire season. I think Bearsmania went all around the world. Remember this was before Michael Jordan won six NBA titles. Those two guys came back the following season to watch all their teammates get a ring. I get that NFL players put their bodies on the line to play every Sunday and they should get paid. It’s not like they get chump change for what they do. That would be hard to swallow sitting out and seeing your team win it all without you. I’d rather they show me the ring than show me the money.

RANKING THE VILLAINS FROM THE ROCKY & CREED MOVIES

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Which villain in the Rocky universe would you not want to meet in a dark alley? Sylvester Stallone created Rocky Balboa, an underdog boxer who finds a way to win the ultimate prize in the ring: the Heavyweight champion of the world belt. In the Rocky series he made six movies and fought 5 villains. He fought Apollo Creed twice. Then Rocky became the trainer for Apollo’s son Adonis, who was played by actor Michael B. Jordan in Creed. The three movies about Creed’s son means he faces three villains. We have 8 total villains. Who was the scariest of them all? Who was the least scary of them all? We will rank all 8. Starting with the least scary at number 8 to the villain we would not do well meeting them in a dark alley.

#8. Mason “The Line” Dixon

Mason “the line” Dixon was the fighter in the last Rocky movie for right now, Rocky Balboa. He was played by actor Antonio Tarver. In the movie, Dixon was the Heavyweight Champion of the World. While Rocky was retired. Dixon challenges Rocky who retired from the sport of boxing, while running a restaurant and grieving the lost of his wife Adrian. Adrian was played by actress Talia Shire. Dixon makes this challenge because he felt disrespected as everyone still praises Rocky for what he did back then and anything “the line” did in the ring in present times. Dixon got his wish for the fight with Rocky who was out of shape. He won by split decision that went 10 rounds in a exhibition match. That’s egg on your face. Like stealing candy from a baby, this fight should have been for Dixon. The old man with the wisdom beat up the punk even though it does go down as a win for Rock, he still taught the guy a lesson who’s half his age.

#7. “Pretty” Ricky Conlan

In the first Creed movie, the villain was actually a boxer who played “Pretty” Ricky Conlan. Tony Bellew made Conlan that boxer who talks trash saying Adonis is not a real Creed. By challenging him to fight making comments like Adonis would not live up to the Creed name. It was the last fight for “Pretty” who would have to serve out a prison sentence after the match and then retire from boxing. He went out with a win. It was a decision that favored Ricky Conlan, who was shocked at how good Apollo’s son did in their first meeting. Because Adonis was better than expected and showed heart in the first match up. Being trained by Rocky gave him that heart of desire to go the distance. Adonis would get his revenge in the rematch with “Pretty” Ricky. After Conlan was released from jail, the rematch went in favor of Adonis.

Guys named “Pretty” in jail usually don’t get much yard time to box as they are too busy with other activities. I don’t see jail giving “Pretty” the benefit of coming back to the ring like a caged animal. Guys that trash talk are more talk than show.

#6. Apollo Creed

The late Carl Weathers portrayed Apollo Creed in the ring and he was sculptured like a mean lean wrecking machine. After fighting Rocky two times, Creed was never the same boxer. He was more a flashy boxer that loved the spotlight with all his nicknames. The Count of Monte Fisto, The Dancing Destroyer, The King of Sting, The Master of Disaster, The One and Only, The Prince of Punch and the Thane of Pain. Muhammad Ali was that type of guy who floated like a butterfly & could sting like a bee. Apollo helped Rocky get the eye of the tiger back, but Creed never got it back as he would get killed in the ring by the Russian Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. He was all about the showmanship dancing to Living in America with some of the best introductions ever, than being a wrecking machine. Before the Rocky fights I have to believe he was King of Sting at some point. Before he faced Rocky. He was definitely one of my favorite characters in the Rocky movies. He became an ally for Rocky as well.

#5.Viktor Drago

Viktor Drago is the son of Ivan Drago, the Russian boxer who killed Apollo Creed in the ring in Rocky IV. In Creed II, Adonis who is the son of Apollo, fights the son of the father that killed his father in the ring. Viktor Drago is played by actor Florian Munteanu. Ivan has trained his son in the country of Ukraine probably due to the embarrassment of losing to Rocky. Then Adonis is being trained by Rocky Balboa as family secrets are spilled in this reunion of sort. The pressure is on Viktor to seek his father’s revenge to challenge Adonis. The problem for Viktor is he has mommy issues as she left them after the loss. Then Viktor has to deal with his father’s legacy while learning what his own true identity is. Ivan thinks if Viktor can win that fight against Adonis, it could earn himself credibility back in the motherland of Russia. It may get his wife back at the same time.

Ivan Drago’s wife is played by actress Brigitte Nielsen who plays a part where she is not mother of the year. She is about prestige and power. Viktor looks like a guy that could mess many people up as a fighter. His confusion in life as a character with more than one chip on his shoulder might not be that scary in a dark alley, as his mindset may not be all in on following dad’s footsteps.

#4. Tommy Gunn

Tommy Gunn was in the worst movie of the entire Rocky Universe, which was Rocky V. Tommy Gunn was played by real fighter Tommy Morrison who went on to win the heavyweight title by beating George Foreman. Morrison played a guy that would not give up in his dream of being a great boxer. Tommy Gunn did not give up after Rocky Balboa said no to training him at first. Rocky would eventually train him and Tommy Gunn was on his way in Rocky V to being one of the best boxer in the sport. Gunn had a short fuse and was easily unhinged – two things in a dark alley you would not like to be involved with. Gunn would dump Rocky as his manager and signed with George Washington Duke who was the Don King boxing promoter in the Rocky movies.

Duke wanted to get Rocky out of retirement to fight his new client Tommy Gunn for the huge payday. It was Duke that got Tommy Gunn to the quicker path to land the heavyweight title as Rocky wanted to do it the right way. Tommy Gunn was living in Rocky’s shadow and did not like what the press were saying even when he did finally get the title, girl, and money. He became unhinged at the end and had a street fight with Rocky because the reporters wrote bad stuff about Tommy Gunn. Unhinged and a short fuse is why he is ranked the number 4 villain.

#3. Damian “Dame” Anderson

Damian “Dame” Anderson was played by actor Jonathan Majors. Damian spent 18 years in prison for a fight he was involved in with his friend Adonis. Damian wanted to be a professional fighter just like the son of Apollo. Adonis ran away on the day his friend would be jailed. First 18 years in the slammer with hot feelings, not in a good way. Then hearing your friend is Heavyweight Champion of the World stealing your dream. Then being abandoned by your friend. When Dame was released he still had angry feelings and pretended to be friends with his old pal Adonis. Adonis helped Dame get some training from the boxing gym he owned. Dame still wanted to be a professional fighter and he quickly made headlines beating up on a guy named Felix Chavez and using cheap tactics in the process.. Behind the scenes, he assaulted Viktor Drago who originally was going to fight Chavez. Then finally lashed out against Adonis on television to get him to be the next challenger and slowly take what he thought was his in the first place. Never underestimate a man getting out of jail with a vendetta. I think Dame in a dark alley would use whatever advantage he had or anything you had against your own self.

#2. Ivan Drago

Ivan Drago was played by actor Dolph Lundgren. In Rocky IV, Ivan Drago was the red menacing machine who you think the Russians cooked him up in a lab of some sort. Put him together with performance enhancing drugs. I think you can argue he could easily be the number 1 villain of all in the Rocky Universe. He had the hardest punch ever from a boxer. He killed a man in the ring ending Apollo Creed’s life. Even though losing to Rocky, he pretty much ended his career from aftereffects from their fight.

You have to think he was brainwashed by his own country as whatever he did in the ring was under the microscope. How much money they put into Drago’s training and top equipment to get him to that point. He was owned by the Russia and his wife that just wanted the glamor of life, the money and power in the Russian social circle. He is a huge threat in the dark alley because he has to terminate you or questions would be asked. Punishment could be hazardous to his health.

#1.Clubber Lang

In Rocky III, the Villain was Mister T and he played the character Clubber Lang. The Lang character was a boxer that wanted to put his opponents in the graveyard. If he was not a boxer, he would be a homicidal maniac. He was highly motivated to get what he wanted. He was not scared of anyone as he almost got in a fight with Apollo Creed, who was just in the ring to wave to the crowd. There to shake the fighter’s hand as he was part of the broadcast team.

He stalked Rocky for weeks until they unveiled the statue in Philadelphia where Clubber Lang made his challenge. He trained by himself & then finally got his shot at Balboa. In the first fight he knocked Rocky into tomorrow.

Rocky would lose his manager Mickey on that fight. Mickey was played by Burgess Meredith. After losing Mickey, Rocky wanted to walk away from boxing. He came back with Apollo as his manager and things changed. Even angry men like Clubber Lang have a weakness making them waste all their energy trying to knock out Rocky in one punch. In a dark alley, an angry man like Clubber would pummel you until you are no longer here on earth, and then some more just to get everything out.