Hulkamania still runnin#039; wild
Published 12:00 am Monday, August 21, 2006
This Sunday, August 20, what are you going to do?
Maybe I should rephrase the question.
This Sunday, August 20, whatcha gonna do, brother?
This Sunday, “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan will return to the wrestling ring to take on “The Legend Killer” Randy Orton at WWE's Summerslam.
In a match being billed as “Legend vs. Legend Killer,” Hogan will look to stop the same man who has ended the careers on men like Harley Race, Sgt. Slaughter and Jake Roberts.
Summerslam, which began in 1988, was originated during the peak of Hulkamania.
During that first Summerslam, “The Mega Powers” of Hogan and Randy “Macho Man” Savage teamed up to defeat Andre the Giant and Ted DiBiase, establishing a precedent for future Summerslams to come.
During those first couple of years of Summerslam's existance, Hogan fought and defeated the likes of Savage, Zeus, Earthquake, Sgt. Slaughter and Col. Mustafa.
Orton, too, is no stranger to big fights at Summerslam, having beaten Chris Beniot for the Heavyweight Championship in 2004 and then defeating the Undertaker last year. Orton was, however, defeated in an elimination chamber match by Triple H in 2003.
While Orton has recent experience at the WWE's big summer event, Hogan does too and he is undefeated.
During last year's Summerslam, Hogan defeated Shawn Michaels in one of the bloodiest battles in WWE history.
Following the match, Hogan and Michaels exchanged handshakes and respect for each other, something the younger Orton should have learned from his father, “Cowboy” Bob Orton.
This Sunday, Hulk Hogan will teach “The Legend Killer” Orton that some legends never die.
So Orton, whatcha gonna do?
Whatcha gonna do, Orton,
when those 24-inch pythons and Hulkamania runs wild on you?
Austin Phillips is The Greenville Advocate sports editor. He can be reached at 382-3111 ext. 122, by fax at 382-7104 or by e-mail at austin.phillips@greenvilleadvcate.com