Bump and Run: Hulk Hogan

Where were you in April 1986?

Rock Me Amadeus was climbing the charts, Halley’s Comet gave Earth’s orbit a once-in-every-75 years visit and Geraldo Rivera famously showed us a whole lot of nothing in Al Capone’s vault.

As a 12-year-old kid on the brink of middle school, I remember April 1986 for three major sporting events: Michael Jordan went into the Boston Garden and dropped 63 points on the Celtics in a double OT playoff game; Roger Clemens struck out 20 Seattle Mariners; and most memorable to me, Hulk Hogan defeated King Kong Bundy in an epic cage match at Wrestlemania II.

I remember it like yesterday.

My dad dropped my friends and I off at the Catholic Youth Center in Scranton, Pa. where we stood on our chairs watching a closed circuit broadcast of the event.

It was a big day. We were out without adult supervision and we were going to watch Hulk Hogan at the height of Hulkamania.

I was bleeding red and yellow. Dad even came to pick us up early to watch Hulk in action with us. Hulkamania crossed generations.

It’s hard to believe that 25 years has gone by since then.

Halley’s comet, Roger Clemens and Michael Jordan have left us with once-in-a-lifetime memories.

But, Hulk Hogan is different.

He’s run wild for nearly four decades and has had as much success out of the ring as he’s had in it.

It’s not uncommon to see athletes and celebrities at ESPN.

It’s always a charge to visit with them because here, we’re all sports fans. But to me and many others, a Car Wash visit visit from Hulk Hogan gives Bristol a different buzz.

I was fortunate to sit down with him for this interview.

I couldn’t let the opportunity pass without paying an homage to an entertainer who continues to thrill.