Hulk Hogan joined the company of athletes and entertainers who fumbled their reputations as fond parts of 80s and 90s kids’ childhoods. You know, it’s that level of fumbling where some folks don’t care about a strong body of work in their craft anymore.
That said, Hogan produced a lot of memorable wrestling moments and had a massive hand in shaping the landscape of wrestling going from the mid-80s onward. We even got some legendary matches out of his career.
Could you imagine the audacity to say something trash while being a trash wrestler with no noteworthy matches or contributions? One contribution by Hulk Hogan came outside of the ring in a film about the ring: No Holds Barred from 1989.
Hulk Hogan Squares Off With Zeus! No Holds Barred!
Starring Hulk Hogan, Kurt Fuller, Joan Severance, and Tiny Lister, this was one of a few wrestling movies released up until that point. It also shares a title with a 1952 film but is totally unrelated.
I’m not going to say that No Holds Barred was a great film because it wasn’t but as a wrestling film, it was pretty good. It captured the 80s largeness of WWF perfectly and the plot was easy to follow. I’d say it was a stock, 80s ultimate challenge film—like Over the Top.
Now, I always had one major gripe with this film: Hulk Hogan as Rip Thomas. First off, I dig the name “Rip Thomas” but that isn’t a main eventer in the WWF. Not even in 1989! I don’t think Vince would even put the belt on a Rip Thomas. The AWA or NWA? Probably.
It’s just not a name that pops in a colorful environment with all the characters. Plus, the WWF and announcers Gene Okerlund, Jesse Ventura, and Howard Finkel were all in the film with no name changes. Why couldn’t it just be Hulk Hogan vs. Zeus the whole time?
As a side note, there are a few wrestlers in No Holds Barred with better names than Rip Thomas with Stan Hansen as “Neanderthal” and Demolition Ax/The Masked Superstar as “Jake Bullet” being the two notable names.
A Reboot or Sequel Is Late
I figured that WWE would’ve done something with No Holds Barred on its 30th anniversary in 2019. A sequel or reboot would not have been surprising. They’ve got two perfect, mostly-retired superstars for the leading role in The Rock and John Cena.
Both would have the acting experience that Hogan didn’t really have heading into the film. Hell, if WWE desired, they could have Hulk Hogan reprise his role as an aged Rip Thomas.
Given that WWE is expanding into film and TV, this would be an easy lap for either medium. WWE has the wrestlers on board to fill main antagonists and supporting roles. Plus, they’ve got the writers, the production team—it’s all there.
Maybe we’ll finally see this film revived in some way. It can’t be any worse than most of the promotion’s other films.
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