Hulkamania Tour
Sydney, Australia
Report by Dot Net reader Anthony Mangafas

We arrived nice and early at 6:30 p.m. to take a look around and buy some merchandise. The only merchandise that was available was Hulk Hogan merchandise, and it was flying out the door. His new autobiography 'My Life Outside the Ring' was for sale along with a bandana keyring pack for $20, yellow Hulkamania t-shirts for $50, some black Hulk Hogan shirts for $30, Hulk Hogan cup holders and Hulk Hogan red and yellow wristbands for $10.

I would say that just under half of the crowd had Hulk Hogan merchandise on, whether it was the old school 'Hulk Rules' singlet, or WWE's recent Hulkamania shirts. The Acer Arena was almost sold out, and i spoke to numerous people yesterday including Ticketek, promoters and staff, and there were approximately 14,000 - 15,000 people there.

They had pyrotechnics to open the show and they did a preview of all of the matches for the evening. When Hogan vs. Flair popped up on the big screen, everyone popped huge. Jimmy Hart came down to a nice cheer from the fans to do commentary for the first match.

1. Pimp Fatha (Godfather) defeated Sean Morley (Val Venis). Sean Morley came to the ring with his towel around his waist as usual, and teased each side of the ring that he would toss it to the audience. Then he said that he wouldn't do it and did the 'Hello Ladies'. He spoke about 'coming down under' which was quite funny. Pimp Fatha made his way to the ring with four 'hos and got on the mic and screamed 'Aussie Aussie Aussie', and the crowd replied 'Oi, Oi, Oi', and then offered a deal to Sean. If Sean could defeat the Pimp Fatha, Sean would get all of the Ho's for free. However if Sean lost he would have to pay triple for the Ho's. Sean went on about how pornography and adult entertainment was enduring an economic crisis and couldn't believe Pimp Fatha would make an offer that involved Sean paying triple. Sean agreed eventually.

The match began and they locked up, Sean pummeling on Pimp around the ring. Sean hit two nice neckbreakers and a near fall. Sean went to the top turnbuckle and missed an elbow, Pimp hit some rights and a clothesline and a bodyslam. Pimp went for the ho train on Sean but Sean moved out of the way. Pimp obtained the advantage again and hit two ho trains and a roll up and Pimp wins.

After the match Jimmy Hart went backstage and Sean Moreley came out for commentary.

2. Nasty Boys (w/Jimmy Hart) fought Rock of Love - to a Double Countout. Rock of Love came out first, then the Nasty's to an okay pop, and as soon as the bell rang Rock of Love threw powder in both the Nasty's eyes and they all took it to the outside. Ten seconds later both teams were counted out. The crowd felt jipped, but we would see more action later.

3. Heidenreich over Eugene. Heidenreich came out first and nobody really cared. He was doing this saluting robotic persona thing that just wasn't working. Eugene then came out to an ok pop and he was being his usual Eugene self. The match began and it was entertaining thanks to Eugene. Heidenreich was using his strength to overpower Eugene whilst Eugene was doing his silly antics and making the crowd laugh. Eugene pulled a few pages out of the Bushwacker's book and bit Heidenreich's fingers and also on his butt.

Eugene also sat on Heidenreich's back and rode him like a horse whilst messing up the back of his hair and giving him a slap to the back of the head. Heidenreich then overpowered Eugene with some rights, clotheslines and clubbing blows. Irish whip to Eugene in the buckle, Eugene moved and Heidenreich met the steel post. Eugene with a Rock Bottom! Eugene did the sign for the People's Elbow, he ran the ropes and Heidenreich popped up and caught Eugene in a Big Bossman Side slam for the pin.

After the match Eugene joined the commentary box and Sean Morley went to the back.

4. Nasty Boys (w/Jimmy Hart) beat Rock of Love in a Streetfight. Jimmy Hart came out to the ring and demanded that the match be restarted. Just before this there was footage of Nasty's and Rock of Love fighting in the back. Jimmy demanded a street fight and said that they didn't come out all the way from the USA for a half-assed countout victory.

The match was underway and it was a great brawl. Sags lined one of the Rock of Love members up on a table on the outside, and jumped off the apron with a chair onto him. Many chairshots from both teams to eachother, and both teams hit eachother with the yellow 'wet floor' sign. Nastys together broke a broom across one of the Rock of Love members. Plenty of action using the guard rail and the steel post by both teams. The Nastys got a large piece of wood from under the ring and aligned it in the corner. They irish whipped a Rock of Love member through it. Nastys bashed Rock of Love with empty blue water cooler bottles. A hard chairshot by Knobbs got the victory.

5. Black Pearl and Vampire Warrior (Gangrel) defeated Junior Fatu (Rikishi) and Brian Christopher. Junior Fatu has gotten significantly bigger. Has to be over 400 pounds. Not a bad match. Brian started against Black Pearl and it wa back and forth, with Pearl gaining the eventual advantage and tagging Vampire Warrior in. They both worked over Brian who mounted the occasional comeback. Hot tag to Junior Fatu who cleaned house. The finish came when Brian ran to jump on the second turnbuckle and almost fell, but he regained his fotting and did a moonsault onto Pearl. However, Pearl was too far back and this whole segment was botched. Pearl pinned Christopher for the finish. Fatu did the stinkface after the match and he and Brian pumped the crowd up and danced for them. The crowd was into the post match segment.

There was an intermission. There were two crowd members, one dressed in green tights, tassles and face paint as the Ultimate Warrior, and the other dressed as the Undertaker. They wrestled and did a few playful maneuvers to one another, entertaining the crowd for most of the intermission.

Back for the 2nd half of the night.

6. Stephanie Pietz won a bikini contest featuring herself, Koa Marie Turner and Kiara Dillon. Stephanie was the hottest woman in that ring hands down. She wore a yellow bikini and the place went nuts for her. After the match the girls teamed up on the referee, rolling around on the floor with him and eventually ripping his shirt off, with the referee feeling embarrassed and running back to the locker room.

7. Brutus The Barber Beefcake (w/Jimmy Hart) defeated Orlando Jordan. Orlando came out and grabbed the mic and spoke for a few minutes. He imitated Brutus, made fun of him and called him an old dinosaur that has nothing left. He also bagged Sydney and Australia and drew some heat. Brutus with a promo on the big screen. Brutus came out with Jimmy Hart to an average pop. The match began with Brutus taunting Orlando.

It took them a few minutes to get it on, and when they did Orlando had the advantage. Brutus with a sleeper early, but Jordan slipped out of it. The action spilled to the outside with Brutus slapping the sleeper on Jordan and being backed into the ring apron. Orlando rammed Brutus into the apron again. Back in the ring, a little bit of back and forth action, Brutus with a backdrop and a few rights. Orlando missed a knee drop and Brutus with the sleeper for the win. After the match Brutus cut a little bit of Jordans hair and the crowd enjoyed it.

8. Spartan 3000 (Matt Cross) defeated Shannon Moore in a $25,000 ladder match. The briefcase above the ring contained $25,000 and the first person to climb the ladder and obtain the briefcase won the match and the money. Great match. Best match thus far hands down. Some great moves by both men. The match featured three ladders, two big ones and one huge one. Numerous highlights. At one stage both men climbed the same ladder, and Moore got Cross into an F-5 position and he F-5'd cross off the top of the ladder.

Another highlight saw Cross place a ladder ontop of a floored Moore, and climb the turnbuckle, and perform a 450-spash, only for more to lift the ladder and hit cross with it on the way down. Another highlight saw Moore align the ladder on the outside, climb it and dive into the ring with a missile dropkick on Cross. Huracanranas and flying head-scissors takedowns also early in the match. Moore set a ladder up in the corner and placed cross onto it. Moore set up another ladder in the middle of the ring and dived off with a RVD like kick onto Cross. The end came when two ladders were set up in the middle of the ring, Cross climbing the taller one and Moore climbing the slightly shorter one. Cross knocked Moore off the ladder and grabbed the briefcase. He posed ontop of the ladder with the briefcase. Great match. Everyone was really into it.

9. Uso Fatu (Umaga) defeated Mr Ken Anderson (Mr Kennedy). Anderson came out and did the 'I came here all the way from Greensbay Wisconsin' and the 'Misssteeeeeeeeerrrr Anderson....Anderson!' Good reaction for him. Umaga came out to a few pyro's. Great match. Umaga dominate most of it. A few rights and clotheslines by Anderson, but he couldn't drop Umaga. DDT by Anderson and Umaga got straight up. Umaga with rights, a clothesline, throat thrusts and a 'Sweet Chin Music' kick to Anderson. He tried for a flying headbutt but Anderson moved. Anderson tried for his finisher but Umaga fell right on top of him for a two count. Nerve hold by Umaga. Anderson comes back.

Both guys went toe to toe with rights with the crowd going 'boo' everytime Umaga hit Anderson, and the crowd going 'Yeah' everytime Anderson hit Umaga. Crowd was really into it. About 10 rights per person with this crowd reaction going on. Irishwhip by Anderson, reversed by Umaga and Anderson goes into the ref and knocks him out. Anderson with a reverse russian legsweep on Umaga and a cover but the ref is out. Another ref runs out, and Umaga gets the shoulder up at two. Umaga gains the advantage, Samoan avalanche on Anderson while he was lying against the bottom turnbuckle. HUGE 'oooooo' by the crowd. Then the Samoan Spike for the win. Good match. It reminded me of a match they had on Raw a while back.

10. Hulk Hogan defeated Ric Flair (with Lacey Von Erich) in a no DQ match. Flair came out with Lacey and there were quite a few 'Woooooooo's'. Hulk Hogan came out and it was the loudest ovation i have ever heard in my life. The place went ABSOLUTELY NUTS when he came out. He got into the ring, cupped his hand to his ear continuously at each end of the ring, tore the shirt off and the crowd was going berserk the entire time.

Hogan took his bandana off and threw it at Flair. A loud Hogan chant breaks out. There were a few Hogan chants throughout the match. And 'Woooos' for every chop. Flair enters the ring, they lock up and Hogan throws Flair down and flexes. They lock up again and Hogan throws Flair down again and flexes. They lock up again and Flair goes to the eyes and unloads with rights and chops. Hogan reverses an irish whip into the buckle and backdrops Flair. Hogan with two clotheslines. Flair gets up...walks and falls down again.

Hogan with right hands and chops. Flair with a low blow. Match spills to the outside with Flair ramming Hogan into the ring post and the steel railing. Hogan is busted open. Back in the ring, Flair with a knee drop and more rights and chops. Flair works over Hogan in the turnbuckle. Flair goes to the top turnbuckle, Hogan catches him, punch to the stomach and slams Flair from the top turnbuckle. Hogan with 2 clotheslines and more rights and chops. Action to the outside again, Hogan this time rams Flair into the post, the apron and the railing and Flair is busted open. Hogan takes his weightlifters belt off and whips Flair. Back in the ring and Hogan with rights. Flair goes to the eyes. Flair works over Hogans knee stomping on it and nailing a few chop blocks. Flair with another low blow on Hogan.

Flair works the leg a little longer and slaps on the figure four. Hogan reverses it eventually. Lacey Von Erich climbs up on the 2ns turnbuckle and Jimmy Hart pulls her clothes off so she is left in her bra and panties. Heidenreich comes out and starts pummeling Hogan. Orlando Jordan comes out also and they both double team Hogan. Jimmy Hart signals to the back and the Nasty Boys come out and clear the ring of Heidenreich and Orlando. They rub Flair's face into Saggs' arm pit, then they irish whip Flair and hit a double elbow. Both men down. Hogan gets up.

Lacey Von Erich gets into the ring and Hogan gives her an atomic drop. Umaga comes out and attacks Hogan. Flair starts chopping Umaga to psych him up. Umaga and Flair are both working over Hogan. Hogan Hulks up. Rights to Umaga and Flair. Four for each. Hogan then grabs Umaga and throws him to the outside. Hogan walks into a chop by Flair and it has no effect. Flair irish whips Hogan into the ropes and hits another chop, Hogan starts hulking up, YOU finger point. Block by Hogan, 3 rights, irish whip on Flair and Hogan hits the big boot. Hogan gets the megaphone off of Jimmy Hart and nails Flair with it. 1, 2, 3. Hogan wins. Huge pop!

Hogan poses for the crowd for about 5 minutes, and the place was literally deafening. Everyone got so into it. I lost my voice from screaming. Seriously. Hogan had a cut on his bicep which Jimmy seemed a little concerned about, but Hulk just brushed it. There were 4 Hogan supporters who tore their shirts off when Hogan came out. They each had one letter on their chest H - U - L - K. Like the guys from Wrestlemania 4. So many people dressed as Hogan. Hogan posed at the top of the ramp again before leaving.

Notes: An awesome night with an awesome main event. Everyone was there to see Hogan vs. Flair. The ovation for Hogan was insane. We walked to the parking lot and saw that it would take about an hour to get out of there so we walked over to the balcony. We were on the fifth level. The balcony looked over where the wrestlers were going to exit. They each came out one at a time, and they all stopped to take a photo with the little kids that were there waiting. Flair came out to a bunch of woooos.

Pimp Fatha and Sean came out and you could see they were arguing over Sean paying triple for the 'hos. Nasty Boy Knobbs did an 'Aussie Aussie Aussie' and the crowd did an 'Oi, Oi, Oi'. Hogan came out to a huge pop, took his shirt off and posed for all of us in the parking lot exit. He then took some photos and signed some autographs with the kids who were there waiting and that was it. Everyone went home happy.

On a side note, i went to the airport when Hogan arrived in Sydney. I had my Hulkamania bandana on and as he came out of the terminal, he looked at me and said, "I like your bandana brother." I went straight up to him, shook his hand, spoke to him, had my photo taken with him and had him sign my copy of his new autobiography 'My Life Outside the Ring'. When I had my pic taken, he flexed, and he said to me 'flex your arm brother'. Unreal experience. He is such a laid back, cruisy, friendly, nice guy. He looked a little tired from the flight but he was smiling, friendly and welcoming of all interactions with fans. Each wrestler on the tour took time out to talk to, pose with for a pic or sign an autograph for anyone who was at the airport, especially the kids.

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: