7 Times Hulk Hogan Was An Awful Person In The Royal Rumble
2. Relentless Jingoism In 1991
The 1991 Royal Rumble took place under unusual circumstances. Operation Desert Storm began just two days before the Rumble, and the United States found itself embroiled in the Gulf War in the Middle East. Sgt. Slaughter had become an Iraqi sympathiser (we’ve all been there), with Saddam Hussein himself sending Sarge a pair of special boots. How kind!
Hulk Hogan is as American as it gets, or at least he was, so it was no surprise that The Hulkster threw himself into everything that had anything to do with the Stars and Stripes. In a pre-match promo, Hogan dedicated the match to the troops who were doing combat in the middle east. He was also about to head out on a tour of military bases across the country.
Did anyone else stand a chance in the face of this relentless jingoism? Much like the populist politicians of recent times, Hogan took advantage of a time of conflict to immerse himself in all things American, gaining the support of all and sundry in the process.
The United States absolutely has a problem with jingoism. This isn’t the setting for a discussion on national health and patriotism, but go back and watch the 1991 Royal Rumble without rolling your eyes at it all. Hulk Hogan was the epicentre of all things U-S-A there.