Horace Hogan

Horace Hogan
Birth name Michael Bollea
Born (1965-10-21) October 21, 1965[1]
Tampa, Florida
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Horace[1]
Horace Boulder[1]
Horace Hogan[1]
The Predator
Hollywood Horace Hogan
Billed height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1]
Billed weight 255 lb (116 kg)[1]
Billed from Tampa, Florida
Trained by Boris Malenko
WCW Power Plant[1]
Debut 1990

Michael Bollea (born October 21, 1965) is an American professional wrestler. In wrestling, he is best known by his ring name, Horace Hogan. He is the nephew of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan and cousin of the late Mike Awesome.[1]

Professional wrestling career

Independent circuit (1990-1993)

Bollea debuted in 1990 under the ring name "Horace Boulder". Throughout the early 1990s, he wrestled for the Japanese Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling promotion. On May 7, 1992 in Tokyo, he and Sabu defeated Atushi Onita and Tarzan Goto for the FMW / WWA Tag Team Championship.[2] They held the title until May 24, 1992, when they were defeated by Goto and Gregory Veritchev in Tokyo.[2]

World Wrestling Federation (1993)

In 1993, Bollea wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation as "The Predator", making his televised debut on the January 4, 1993 episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge losing to El Matador.[3] This was his first and only televised match in the WWF, as he continued competing exclusively at house shows.[3] He was used primarily as a jobber, losing to stars like Jim Brunzell, Jim Powers, and Marty Jannetty.[3] His most notable wins in the WWF were against fellow jobbers Louie Spicolli and Frankie Lancaster.[3] He made his last appearance on August 6, a loss to El Matador in Sheffield, England, before leaving the WWF along with his uncle Hulk Hogan, who also finished his WWF run during the same tour.[3]

Return to independent circuit (1995-1998)

In 1995, Bollea joined the stable "Lethal Weapon" with Hisakatsu Oya, Mike Awesome, Mr. Pogo, and Ricky Fuji. He and Oya began teaming together, and won the FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship from Daisuke Ikeda and Yoshiaki Fujiwara on December 21, 1995 in Yokohama.[4] Their reign lasted until January 5, 1996, when Jason the Terrible and Super Leather defeated them in Tokyo.[4]

World Championship Wrestling (1998-2000)

Returning to America, Bollea debuted in World Championship Wrestling at Spring Stampede 1998 on April 19, 1998, helping Raven defeat Diamond Dallas Page for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship and joining Raven's Flock in the process,[1] under the name "Horace Boulder".[5] He remained in the Flock until the stable disbanded on September 13, 1998.[5]

The fall of 1998 would hold one of the most crucial moments in Horace's wrestling career. Hollywood Hogan, backed by fellow New World Order (nWo) Hollywood members, revealed on the October 19, 1998 episode of WCW Monday Nitro that Horace was the son of his dead brother.[5] Showing a sincerity not seen in previous years, he continued by proclaiming his love to his family and offering Horace a membership in the nWo.[5] The mood quickly took a turn for the worse, however, when Hollywood Hogan bashed his nephew with a steel chair, causing a wound that would require several stitches. He continued by throwing his nephew off a stretcher and mercilessly beating him.[5] During this time, Hogan was involved in a heated rivalry with The Ultimate Warrior, and this scene worked as a testament to Hulk's fragile state of mind. With fellow nWo members standing in bewilderment, Hogan took the mic and said "If I could do this to someone I love, imagine what I'm gonna do to you, Warrior!"[5]

Despite their unsettling confrontation, Horace joined the nWo (not the babyface Wolfpac led by Kevin Nash, but the Hollywood version led by his uncle) at Halloween Havoc 1998 on October 25, 1998, by interfering on his uncle's behalf during the final match between Hollywood Hogan and The Warrior.[5] Thereafter, he began using the ring name "Horace Hogan" to signify his blood ties with Hulk Hogan. He would wrestle for the nWo both in singles competition and tag teaming with the likes of Scott Norton, Stevie Ray, and Vincent.[5] Hogan also participated in a WCW Thunder battle royal for leadership of the nWo Hollywood faction.[5] When the nWo Elite and B-Team began to dissolve in 1999, Horace began competing for the WCW Hardcore Championship.[5]

Horace and his uncle began feuding with Billy Kidman and the New Blood in April 2000, with Horace helping Hogan defeat Kidman at Slamboree 2000 on May 7, 2000.[5] Hogan defected to the New Blood, however, after the leader of the New Blood, Eric Bischoff, offered him Kidman's girlfriend Torrie in exchange for his assistance. Horace feuded with his uncle until the 2000 Great American Bash on June 11, 2000, when he refereed a rematch between Kidman and his uncle fairly, allowing his uncle to cleanly defeat Kidman.[5] After Hulk Hogan left WCW in July 2000 due to a legitimate incident with Vince Russo that happened at that year's Bash at the Beach pay-per-view, Horace left the promotion.

Later career

After Hogan left the company he wrestled on the Floridian independent circuit until being signed to a developmental contract by World Wrestling Entertainment.[1] He remained with the WWE until being released on September 27, 2002,[1] at which point he returned to the independent circuit.

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

  • PCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • PWI ranked him # 257 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1992[10]
  • PWI ranked him # 497 of the 500 best wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003.[11]
  • SPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Horace profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
  2. 1 2 3 Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Japan: WWA Martial Arts Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Cawthon, Graham (2013). the History of Professional Wrestling Vol 2: WWF 1990 - 1999. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ASIN B00RWUNSRS.
  4. 1 2 3 Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Japan: FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Cawthon, Graham (2015). the History of Professional Wrestling Vol 5: World Championship Wrestling 1995-2001. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 1499656343.
  6. 1 2 3 World Championship Wrestling (1999-06-13). "Horace Hogan Vs. Ernest Miller". WCW Great American Bash.
  7. ↑ World Championship Wrestling, TNT (2000-06-19). "Hogan Hogan Vs. Goldberg". WCW Monday Nitro.
  8. 1 2 3 4 World Championship Wrestling (1999-02-18). "Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko Vs. Bryan Adams & Horace". WCW Thunder.
  9. ↑ "Horace". accelerator. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
  10. ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500 – 1991: 256 Horace Boulder". Pro Wrestling Illustrated (Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States: Sports and Entertainment publications LLC). September 24, 1992. p. 51. October 1992.
  11. ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 of the PWI Years: 497 Horace Hogan". Pro Wrestling Illustrated (Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States: Sports and Entertainment publications LLC). May 21, 2003. p. 62. June 2003.

References

External links

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