There are so many people that make an impression in the time we see or know them, and Hercules Hernandez was one of them. During the 1980s and ‘90s, the WWE was big (pun intended) on bodybuilders and muscular men. It was the heyday of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies and fitness. Hercules Hernandez fit perfectly into this world, and that’s why on This Day in Wrestling History, we’re remembering Hercules Hernandez.
On March 6, 2004, he died in his sleep at his home due to heart disease. In that, he’s joined a select number of former wrestlers that have died too early following their attempt to e the best in the wrestling world.
One of a kind
As great or large as others were in the WWE, Hercules fit into his role perfectly. He would overpower nearly every opponent seemingly with ease before locking them into his Hercules Backbreaker torture rack or full nelson submission holds.
Early on, he was attired similar to the Greek hero, but it was when he started carrying a long chain that his career really took off.
Always willing to test his strength against anyone, he nearly defeated Hulk Hogan for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship and pushed several others to their breaking points.
His most infamous moment came against the Ultimate Warrior came on an episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling in 1988. While facing off against the equally powerful Ultimate Warrior, Hercules swung his chain at Warrior. Warrior caught it and a tug of war commenced.
Knowing he was going to lose, Hercules kicked the Ultimate Warrior, which fueled the Warrior to get up and snap the chain both held in the middle.
This initiated a feud between the two that culminated in a grudge match at WrestleMania 4. During the match, Hercules had Warrior in a full nelson, but Warrior pushed off from a turnbuckle and the two rolled up. With both their shoulders down, Warrior lifted his shoulder up at the last second, resulting in a loss for Hercules.
Sadly for both, this is widely considered one of the poorest WrestleMania matches in history.
Turning face
Later in the fall of 1988, Bobby Heenan sold Hercules’ contract to Ted DiBiase, who claimed that he had purchased his own slave in Hercules.
Angered by the insinuation and claiming he was owned by no man, Hercules faced off against DiBiase. It not only negated the deal between DiBiase and Heenan, but signaled Hercules’ face turn.
Hercules would go on to defeat DiBiase’s bodyguard Virgil on Saturday Night’s Main Event, and then faced each other on opposing teams at the 1988 Survivor Series. Here, DiBiase eliminated Hercules, but Hercules distracted DiBiase so WWF World Heavyweight Champion Randy Savage could eliminate him.
Hercules then entered into a feud with Haku of the Heenan family stable, but his career quickly stalled and he finished up his WWE career as a jobber to put over new talent, such as Earthquake at WrestleMania 6 in a squash match.
Despite his career flagging, Hercules remained a fan favorite for the rest of his career.
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