Hulk Hogan is fired up. Really, really, fired up.

by M.B.
Roberts
Hulk Hogan is fired up. Really, really, fired up.
“It’s sick!” says America’s best-known wrestling icon.
“It’s awesome! It’s ridiculously off the chain!”
The reason for this surge of Hogan’s familiar and incredibly passionate brand of enthusiasm is Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling, the new reality wrestling series that debuts Oct. 18 on CMT.
“It’s like American Idol for wrestling,” says
Hogan. “But by starting out with celebrities
right out of the box, we can really raise the
bar. When you put in the storylines and the physicality—
this thing is going to knock your socks off!” Throughout
the course of the eight-episode show, ten people, all with
previous claims-to-fame, train to become professional
wrestlers then compete against each other for the top
prize. The contestants, who are eliminated one at a
time to determine a champion, include: TV/radio host
and The Partridge Family actor Danny Bonaduce, fivetime NBA Champion Dennis Rodman, Saved by the Bell
actor Dustin Diamond, super-heavyweight boxer
ButterBean, Diff’rent Strokes actor Todd Bridges,
Real World: Las Vegas reality star Trishelle Cannatella, actor and singer Frank Stallone, ’80s pop
singer Tiffany, Bewitched actress Erin Murphy and
Playboy playmate Nikki Ziering.
From the start, Hogan, and his fellow-judges,
former President of World Championship Wrestling Eric Bischoff and professional wrestling
manager Jimmy Hart, were bowled over by how
serious the competitors were.
“I thought the celebrities might take this as a
joke,” says Hogan. “But they got in there and
wanted to win. They saw not only how
much fun it was, but for some reason
they wanted this badge of honor
that they were professional
wrestlers. I had no idea that
people would gain so much
respect for it so fast. It was
a nice surprise.”
The show begins with the aspiring wrestlers being whipped
into shape and taught basic
wrestling moves by their coaches, former professional wrestlers
Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake
and Brian Knobbs. As he watched
the contestants get acclimated in the
ring, Hogan says he was impressed by their
dedication.
“I saw people totally clean up their act,” he says.
“Dennis Rodman was straight as an arrow. No
drinking, no partying. He was the first one to show up
and the last to leave. And Danny Bonaduce, instead
of being the village idiot, he toed the line! He came in
here dying to win this thing!”
Also impressive to Hogan was the staying power of
the women competitors.
“They really hung in there,” he says. “I cannot
believe how they stepped up and held their own.”
For instance, one female contestant caught
Hogan completely off guard after he booted
her from the ring during the show. She was so
angry that she decided to follow the man who
once hoisted a 7’4”, 520-pound Andre the
Giant into the air and bodyslammed him during
WrestleMania III, to the parking lot to confront
him after the show.
“I thought she was going to claw
my eyes out,” says Hogan.
As intense as the competition gets,
it’s still professional wrestling which
means plenty of pomp and showmanship in
every episode. Contestants spend a lot of time
learning to work a live audience.
“Some of the greatest wrestlers are so boring
you wouldn’t pay a dime to see them,” says Hogan.
“Ultimately, the crowd reaction and the response
you get determine how great of a wrestler you are.”
Perhaps the most important part of the competition, and certainly the most fun to watch, is “creating a character.” And who better to
teach this aspect of wrestling than
the quintessential larger than life
character, Hulk Hogan?
“This is an art form, but still
the character you portray in
the ring has to be a logical
extension of who you really
are,” says Hogan. “You can’t
come in here and say you’re
going to be Sgt. Slaughter if
that’s not you.”
Whether the competitors
are struggling to create a
persona, learning an atomic leg
drop or simply sweating it out in
the ring, Hulk Hogan has sage advice
for every one of these wannabe champs.
“I’m really good friends with Willie Nelson,”
he says. “He’s the one who said, ‘You’ve got to
ride the highs and survive the lows.’”
Nomatterwhatthecompetitorsaregoingthrough,
ultimately, it’s the personal transformations that
Hogan says will transfix viewers.
“At first, I thought we’d have to wade through
this thing and maybe have to put some BandAids on stuff, but the celebrities made it so
intense and real that we’ve really got something
here! From the first episode, they transform
and transmute into serious athletes and
entertainers.”
Seriously.
The eight-episode Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity
Championship Wrestling debuts Saturday,
Oct. 18 at 8/7c on CMT.