Hey Scott,
Reading the '96 Nitro recaps and I'm wondering about the Savage/Hogan relationship. We're aware of the story that Hogan's shiner at WM 9 was due to Savage (and something involving Liz...) but within two years, Savage follows Hogan to WCW, which Hogan was obviously ok with, as if he wasn't it would never happen, and they're running the top program together for forever. So what happened there? Was there some reconciliation? How? And then a few years after that we get the whole rap album thing...was there another falling out and why? Just trying to make some sense of what was going on, and why, if you know anything more.
Thanks
I believe the relationship could be summed up as "cordial and businesslike" but they certainly weren't hanging out at the bars or anything afterwards. From what I can figure out about their ridiculously complex relationship over the years, Hogan loved to have Savage around because he knew that he could draw money against him and Savage wouldn't care about putting him over, but they didn't make up on a personal level (allegedly) until days before Savage's death. If nothing else, both guys knew what made money and trusted each other in the ring. But yeah, it was definitely kind of weird that they were booked to either team up or oppose each other so often given all the personal friction between them. Certainly by the end of WCW's run all bets were off between them, though.
"but they didn't make up on a personal level (allegedly) until days before Savage's death."
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that for a second.
wait when was it confirmed that it was savage that gave hogan a black eye. I thought was some silly rumor
ReplyDeleteEspecially because Savage's death wasn't a deathbed/prolonged terminal illness deal. I'm pretty sure Savage took his grudge against Hogan to the grave, which is why Hogan doing the induction is such a sore spot for a lot of people, even if it doesn't make sense for anyone else to do it (at least from a business perspective).
ReplyDeleteI don't know how that rumor got started. The real story is Ted DiBiase paid off a couple of thugs to attack Hogan before the match.
ReplyDeleteThere a ton of other people who could do it. Flair is the obvious one. The best one is Lanny. Just have to a do an introduction/acceptance speech wrapped in one.
ReplyDeleteSteph is the best choice to do the induction and everyone knows that
ReplyDeleteYou're suggesting that Hogan might be lying? Shame on you!
ReplyDeleteThat was kayfabed. It was really a parasailing accident
ReplyDeleteI thought that story came from Lanny.
ReplyDeleteHogan ain't jobbing to parasailing.
ReplyDeleteMean Gene?
ReplyDeleteMean Gene would have been a good choice, but I think Lanny wanted it to be Hogan
ReplyDeleteIn a Nash shoot he said Hogan and Savage would hang out/drink together backstage. There's a funny story about Bishoff telling them they couldn't drink anymore so they took their beer into Hogan's dressing room and gave one to Hogan and Savage so Bishoff wouldn't say anything about it.
ReplyDeleteI remember Hogan talking about making up with Warrior before he died on Jericho's podcast, could be getting mixed up. It's easy to lose track of all the dead wrestlers that forgive him for being a prick.
ReplyDeleteLanny does now claim Savage and Hogan made up. Hogan claims it too, and I like to think it was true - but what reason would Savage be at a hospital that Hogan was at. Warrior "knew" it was a lie, but I don't think Warrior and Macho were buddies either.
ReplyDeleteThat's more likely b/c Hogan & Warrior were both at WM30
ReplyDeleteYeah but I don't believe he's capable of telling the truth or even knowing what is a lie anymore.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to believe Hogan - but after watching the WM3 hard camera and not hearing Andre scream SLAM and LEG DROP - I'm guessing Hogan is a sinful liar. Not shocking, sadly.
ReplyDeleteHe's talked about both.
ReplyDeleteThey loved each other when they could make money together, and hated each other when they couldn't.
ReplyDeleteNah, his mustache is too crooked.
ReplyDeleteI could almost buy the Savage story. Only because I heard Lanny said it was true. But Lanny might have reason to lie.
ReplyDeleteLuger should do the introduction if Hogan's reconciliation story was a lie.
ReplyDeleteAnyone else remember TNA bringing in Savage for their first 3 hour PPV, and he freaked out and quit on the spot when he saw Hogan backstage?
ReplyDeleteHogan covered that in his podcast interview with Jericho and I totally buy that one.
ReplyDeleteBite your tongue his mustache is glorious
ReplyDelete"Freak out, freak out! Ohhhh yeah!"
ReplyDeleteStephanie?
ReplyDeleteWhat was the explanation?
ReplyDeleteI don't know, even when Hogan was heel and Savage was face for that brief period, they were never REALLY programmed against one another, certainly not for more than a segment of a match or anything. I think for both of them it was a case of "keep your enemies closer".
ReplyDeleteThe relationship was almost dead until Savage went to the top turnbuckle and revived it with an elbow drop.
ReplyDeleteHey, don't shoot the messenger.
ReplyDeleteHuh? They headlined a PPV against each other.
ReplyDeleteThey were also programmed as tag team partners on top for a long time before the NWO (reviving elbow, doomsday cage etc.)
ReplyDeleteidk why but I find Mean Gene strangely attractive
ReplyDeleteAh shit, I forgot about that you're right. Still, it wasn't a long program by any stretch of the imagination. And didn't they HAVE to do it b/c it's something Turner wanted?
ReplyDeleteStill can't believe that of all the long-running feuds in wrestling, this is the longest one where one guy never got to go over the other. That's insane.
ReplyDelete"...........................H'WOW MAN FREAK OUT!"
ReplyDeleteI know this was asked a thousand times, but how many times did Hogan put Savage over?
ReplyDeleteThey supposedly wanted Hogan vs Savage at Havoc 96 at the MGM Grand way before the nWo was created but it was a program that was hyped for at least two months ahead of time. The strange thing is Savage got his ass kicked so much that it was hard to believe he would come close to winning.
ReplyDeleteProbably only in countouts in WWF house shows in the 80s. He didn't pin Hogan ever.
ReplyDeleteI believe the main source of contention was Savage's insistence on saying, "hot diggity damn, Hogan"
ReplyDeleteLanny sort of hinted on Jericho's podcast that the office decided it would be Hogan. But Lanny had no problem with that.
ReplyDelete