You may recall my recent Bearhug gallery inspired by images I had found (and rated) on the Bearhugger.net website. One of my loyal readers posted this intriguing comment after checking out my article:
Speaking (or writing) of bearhugs, I saw an early Hogan match where Hulk Hogan was put over by Ted De Biase. Very hot!
I trust this guy’s taste in wrestling — and I’ve had a crush on early Hulk Hogan ever since he portrayed the sex god Thunderlips in Rocky 3 — so I decided to go find this Hogan vs. DiBiase match on YouTube and see if it’s worth blogging about. Boy howdy, is it ever! It provides a very enjoyable homo-erotic display of masculine dominance by Hogan and utter submission and vulnerability by DiBiase…
This match against DiBiase took place in 1979, three years before Hogan beat up Stallone in Rocky 3. Already we see Hogan foreshadowing some of the antics that made his Thunderlips character seem so cocky (and, to me, so desirable.)
We see him wearing the gorgeous white gear under the flamboyant cape. We see him flexing and kissing his big biceps. We see him threaten to snap his opponent in two pieces (I got chills in the movie theater when he promised to break Rocky in half.)
DiBiase’s skills at selling his anguish and inferior power really shine when he’s tossed out to the floor and can’t manage to get back inside the ring. The whole point of this match is to put Hogan over as the Ultimate Male, the Big Swinging Dick who no man can defeat. By degrading himself and acting submissive, DiBiase convinces us that this Heel is a beast we must fear and respect.
I’ve noticed (and praised) Ted DiBiase’s jobbing skills in a previous article called “Salesman of the Year 1986” where he rolled around on the floor, slowly crawling back into the ring, to put over Terry Gordy. Here are a couple hot images from that match that fit really well here..
I loved Hogan’s beautiful Suplex to bring his punching bag in for more abuse. It reminded me of the very dramatic slow-motion Suplex he unleased on Rocky, which they made to sound like a car crash.
Then they perform a long, snug Headlock with Hogan flexing his big bicep and DiBiase going pure ragdoll in his embrace. They actually rang the bell by mistake during the long Headlock, I think because they believed DiBiase was out cold, but Hogan ignored the bell and continued flexing on the pressure.
Vince McMahon as the commentator also helps to put Hulk over by marveling at his strength and power repeatedly. His verbal masturbation is not helping to dispel the rumor that Vince gets off on muscle men.
“He’s a BIG MONSTER, this Hulk Hogan is!”
“Massive 320-pounder. Hogan REALLY put together!”
“And Hogan displaying the STRENGTH for which he is noted.”
“Hogan using his awesome power and weight advantage now!”
“Hogan with those HUGE ARMS of his, pouring on the pressure on Ted DiBiase.”
Easy there, Vince.
Look at DiBiase collapsing at Hogan’s feet like he kissing that white boot. Hogan scoops up Raggedy Andy and tries to legit break him in half — love that Side Breaker. He did the same thing to poor Rocky which sounded like a tree branch snapping:
And here is a third image of the hot move from my “Golden Opportunity” article that I wrote back in June 2020.
Then to finish DiBiase (and me) off, Hogan hugs him out cold in his patented “Golden Squeeze”!
My reader was right: this match was “very hot!”. I’m telling you, the early Hogan character (noted as being “fabulous”) oozed homo-erotic sex appeal and a queer campy vibe that contrasts with his future kid-friendly cartoon character.
This Jobber DiBiase persona on display here (pitiable, bear-huggable, and heroic) is ragdoll perfection and likewise far different from his future Rich-and-Powerful gimmick. Seeing the Real American act so arrogantly dominant and the Million Dollar Man act so submissively helpless makes this match seem like S&M roleplay which may be the reason my reader (and I) got off on it.