Dark Side of The Ring Bonus: Big Boss Man vs Hulk Hogan | Opinion
Last week, I reviewed the infamous Samoa Joe vs Necro Butcher match that had been the subject of that week’s Dark Side of The Ring episode. After watching, I realized that I hadn’t seen the full match, so I tracked that down and did a recap.
It was a lot of fun, so when I reviewed this week’s Dark Side of The Ring episode about the life of The Big Boss Man, I wanted to do the same. I chose The Boss Man’s Championship match against Hulk Hogan in the classic blue steel cage.
After the Mega Powers famously exploded, Big Boss Man and Slick set their sights on the WWF/E World Heavyweight Championship. This led to a Classic-Blue Steel Cage match between the two at Saturday Night’s Main Event XXI, which took place at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa and aired May 27, 1989.
This would be the first of three times The Big Boss Man fought for the WWF Championship on TV or pay-per-views. He also competed for the title against the Rock and the Big Show and was unsuccessful each time.
Steel Cage Match for the WWF/E Championship: Hulk Hogan vs The Big Boss Man w/Slick
Boss Man’s manager Slick grabbed a mic in the ring and told everyone that he had a surprise waiting in the wings that turned out to be none other than Zeus, Hogan’s rival in the movie ‘No Holds Barred.” Zeus came to ringside and his shoulder pads came with him.
Real American blared in the arena as Hogan made his way down to the ring. Zeus blocked him from entering the cage. They faced off, with Zeus delivering a kick and some clubbing shots to Hogan, leaving him laying at ringside.
Back from a commercial break, Hogan was still down. The Boss Man kicked the cage door open and threw Hogan into the cage. The bell rang and Boss Man ripped off Hogan’s shirt and choked him with it.
Boss Man whipped Hogan into the corner and then delivered a big head butt. Hogan started to hulk up and nailed Boss Man with a clothesline and some forearms. He went to bounce Boss Man’s head off the steel, and whipped Boss Man into the corner for a big boot.
Hogan started climbing the cage, but Boss Man caught up and pulled him down. He scoop slammed Hogan and hit a splash off the ropes. Boss Man moved towards the door to escape, but Hogan grabbed his ankle.
Boss Man threw Hogan off the ropes for a backbreaker. Boss Man started climbing the cage and made it to the top. As Boss Man got over the top, Hogan climbed up and grabbed him by the throat through the cage. Hogan pulled Boss Man to the top of the cage and dropped the 350-pounder with a superplex off the cage.
Both men lay motionless in the ring as the ref checked on them. He started a count, but Hogan sat up like the Undertaker and crawled towards the door. Boss Man revived and grabbed him by the legs, preventing Hogan from escaping.
Hogan poked Boss Man’s eyes, but Boss Man came back with a clothesline. Slick then threw a length of chain to Boss Man through the cage, which he used to choke Hogan. Boss Man wrapped the chain around his fist, but Hogan blocked the punch. They then executed a rare double face-knock on the cage.
Boss Man went for the door, but Hogan grabbed him and bounced his head off the turnbuckles. Boss Man fell and Hogan grabbed the chain. He wrapped his fist and punched Boss Man square in the face twice.
Hogan threw Boss Man headfirst into the cage and then dropped the leg. Hogan then started climbing the cage, but Slick knocked the Ref down and ran into the cage to pull Hogan off. Hogan kicked him and took handcuffs from Slick’s pocket.
Hogan then handcuffed the Boss Man to the ropes, but he did it on the door side of the cage, Boss Man tried to leave as Slick tried to uncuff him, but Hogan was able to climb up and over the cage and land on the floor to win the match.
Match Result: Hulk Hogan defeated The Big Boss Man
After the match, Hogan and Boss Man continued to brawl and Hogan went back into the cage to menace Slick with a Nightstick. Hogan tossed Slick headfirst into the cage and then tossed him out. Boss Man and Slick left ringside as Hogan posed in the cage.
Jeff Moss is a writer, creator and developer in animation, comics and pretty much anything else he can get his mitts on. Pro Wrestling has always been his passion for reasons even he doesn't understand.