“It’s Embarrassing”: Hulk Hogan’s Obsession With Dusty Rhodes Once Left Him Red-Faced in 1979

Dusty Rhodes is one of the biggest names to have come out of wrestling. Such was his charisma that not only fans but also the who’s who of the business looked up to him. Hulk Hogan was one of those big names that admired Rhodes in his younger days. However, he recently revealed how being obsessed with the iconic performer left him red-faced in 1979 during his Classic Memphis Wrestling days.

The Hulkster was still on the younger side when The American Dream was earning the reputation of being the very best in the business. Naturally, Hogan tried to imitate the mannerisms of the legendary wrestler and he recently opened up on how he fared in it.

Hulk Hogan reminisces about his fascination with Dusty Rhodes

Rhodes was the subject of the latest episode of the A&E Series Biography: WWE Legends. Hogan discussed how he tried to impersonate the WWE Hall of Famer in his young days, but failed miserably. He said, “I have been hooked forever on Dusty Rhodes, mimicked him all through high school.”

“And then when I had my first little bit of a break up in Memphis, you could hear in my promos {imitiating Rhodes} let me tell you something baby, Terry Boulder. I was trying to be Dusty Rhodes. And it was just such a poor imitation of Dusty Rhodes it’s embarrassing now, Dusty Rhodes must have thought Oh my god this guy is just the sh**”. added Hogan.

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The Immortal One is himself a major name in the wrestling business. And the fact that he was taking inspiration from Rhodes in his younger days speaks volumes about the larger-than-life wrestler.

As the saying goes, imitation is the best form of flattery. Many in the industry, including Hogan, attempted to impersonate ‘The Dream’. But who does his son Cody Rhodes think is the best when it comes to impersonating him? 

Who does Cody Rhodes think the best impression of his father?

A 2018 episode of Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard holds the answer. Conrad Thompson revealed that Rhodes Junior only liked the imitating skills of Paul Heyman and Bruce Prichard.

The latter even portrayed an on-screen character in the 90s that was based on Rhodes. He appeared as an infamous interviewer with the name of Reo Rodgers in a gimmick that was very short-lived.

Nevertheless, The American Nightmare handpicking the two ever-present names in WWE means they were actually quite good at imitating ‘The American Dream’. Something that admittedly Hulk Hogan was not very good at.

 There is nothing wrong with trying to mimic your childhood hero. But Hogan soon realized he did not need to be Dusty Rhodes to succeed in the wrestling business, he just had to be himself.

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What do you think about Hulk Hogan trying to impersonate Dusty Rhodes? Let us know in the comments.