[REVIEW] My Life Outside the Ring (Hardcover) by Hulk Hogan

For decades, Hulk Hogan has been a name very familiar even to those who have never watched a pro-wrestling show in their entire life, as he is one of the most iconic pro wrestlers of all time. And yet, for most of Hulk Hogan's career, very little was known about the man behind the name and persona. In his memoir My Life Outside the Ring, Hogan reveals the story of his life, discussing his childhood, his career, as well as how he bounced back after experiencing turbulence in his life that caused Hogan to reach his lowest point.



My Life Outside the Ring is well-written and engaging, and people who enjoyed Hulk Hogan's work will appreciate his honesty and openness. Hogan's writing style is easy to follow, and he does a good job of weaving together his personal stories with the history of professional wrestling.

One of the most interesting aspects of, My Life Outside the Ring is Hogan Hogan's discussion of his personal struggles. Hogan's openness shows a side of him that was never seen during his pro wrestling career when he was the industry's version of a superhero.

Although the focus of the memoir is -as the title states- Hulk Hogan's life outside the ring, he also goes into detail regarding his pro wrestling career from his unique perspective.

The timing of when My Life Outside the Ring was published is excellent. It was published in October 2009, during a time Hulk Hogan was not signed with any pro wrestling company. This enabled him to express himself without having to worry about upsetting an employer. However, since the book was written before Hogan's 2009 HULKAMANIA- Let the Battle Begin tour, it is not discussed. The book was also written before he joined TNA (known today as Impact Wrestling), so there is no mention of Hogan's career highlights there, such as when he was the leader of the Immortal faction or his feud with the Aces and Eights faction. Currently, Hogan is not under contract with a pro wrestling company, so it would be great if he writes another memoir in the future. In any case, I would highly recommend My Life Outside the Ring to anyone who enjoyed Hulk Hogan's work. It provides a glimpse into the life of one of the most successful wrestlers of all time.

Hulk Hogan’s complete impact on the pro-wrestling industry will never be duplicated. Upon winning his first WWE Championship in January 1984, Hogan set a foundation that began a revolution in the wrestling industry, as he captured the attention of wrestling fans (as well as created new wrestling fans) with incomparable showmanship and delivered promos that sold out venues worldwide. As the main face of WWE, Hogan took the company into the mainstream and helped to turn the pro-wrestling industry into a major business.

While in WWE during his first run, Hulk Hogan headlined eight of the first WrestleMania events, with WrestleMania III in 1987 being the largest-attended one, where he defeated Andre the Giant moments after delivering the slam that was heard around the world. This event is the second-largest attended WrestleMania in history.

Hulk Hogan faced Andre the Giant in a 1988 rematch on, “The Main Event” which was broadcast live on NBC-TV and drew 33 million viewers, the largest viewership for a televised pro wrestling event in American history.

By the time Hulk Hogan had completed his first run in WWE, Hogan had become WWE Champion five times, with his first reign being the third-longest in history to date. During Hogan’s second run in WWE, he captured the championship a sixth time.

After Hulk Hogan’s first run in WWE, he eventually went to WCW, where he revolutionized the pro wrestling industry for a second time. As the leader of the New World Order (NWO) faction, which is still popular to this day, Hogan’s presence drew high viewership numbers, attendance figures, and PPV buyrates.

In 1997, Hulk Hogan main-evented Starrcade, which has gone down as the highest-grossing PPV event in WCW’s history. On July 6, 1998, he main-evented, “WCW Monday Nitro” in front of an attendance of 41,412 fans, the largest live-televised crowd for a non-PPV in history.

Hulk Hogan won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times, and this championship later became known as the World Heavyweight Championship in WWE after they gained ownership of it. No matter the name, this championship is one of the most prestigious titles in pro-wrestling history. During his first reign, Hogan held the championship for 469 days, the longest reign in the championship's history. During his second reign, Hogan made history again by holding it for 359 days, the second-longest reign in the championship's history.

For all of his contributions to the pro wrestling industry via WWE and WCW, Hulk Hogan has been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on two occasions- individually, and as a member of the NWO.

In October 2009, Hulk Hogan joined TNA, brought in to help take TNA to a higher level. He pushed for TNA-TV to go live, going as far as stating that doing so would solve 75% of the issues in TNA. Going live had a positive effect on the roster, its morale improving due to the motivation involved with putting on a live show.

Also during Hulk Hogan’s time with TNA, the company became involved with new sponsors. Advertisers look for opportunities that will give them exposure. If your brand is not popular and marketable, it will not be sponsored. Hogan was the biggest name in TNA, and his being connected to the company made the TNA product attractive to advertisers who may not have heard of TNA otherwise or may not have been interested in them previously.

Hulk Hogan is a significant member of the pro-wrestling industry outside of US-based companies as well. In Japan’s NJPW, he became a part of the original IWGP Heavyweight Championship lineage in June 1993, and was the first holder of the championship in fact.

Hulk Hogan’s success in pro wrestling led to success in the world of acting, where he appeared in films such as”Rocky III,” (which Hogan was a part of before he became the superstar that he is today), “No Holds Barred,” “Mr. Nanny,” “Gremlins 2: The New Batch,” and “Spy Hard”. Hogan also appeared on the television series, “The A-Team.”

The History of Pro Wrestling in Osaka

With a population of around 2.6 million, Osaka is called “the nation’s kitchen”, because of the city being popular for its food. For many years, Osaka was the capital of Japan. Today, the city has maintained its ancestral traditions, while also adding innovative technology. Osaka is also the birthplace of many well-known pro-wrestlers: Grand Slam Champion Asuka, AEW star Konosuke Takeshita, 4-time former BJW World Strong Heavyweight Champion Daisuke Sekimoto, and former Triple Crown Champion Zeus. Osaka is a city where pro wrestling has been popular for decades and has a rich history.

One of the earliest reported pro-wrestling events in Osaka was a Torii Oasis Shriner's Club show that took place in November 1951 at Osaka Stadium in front of 3,000 fans. The Tokyo-based Torii Oasis Shriners Club had formed in July of that year and was sponsoring a charity drive for disabled children, and they arranged a pro-wrestling tour for it. This event in Osaka was the tenth show of the tour.

The main event was a match featuring Gino Vagnone, who later in his career found championship success by becoming NWA Calgary Canadian Heavyweight Champion as, "Mr. X".

The semi-main event of this show featured Rikidozan, who made his pro-wrestling debut during the Torii Oasis Shriner's Club tour a month earlier.

Rikidozan left Japan after the tour, but he later returned and established the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance (JWA) in 1953. The JWA represented the NWA in Japan, and it was the first pro-wrestling promotion to be based in Japan.

Although based in Tokyo, the JWA began hosting events in Osaka in 1954. The popularity of pro-wrestling grew in Osaka during the 1950s because of JWA events, some of them featuring matches where the NWA World Heavyweight, NWA International Heavyweight, NWA World Tag Team, or NWA Pacific Coast Tag Team Championship was on the line. There was even an NWA title change in Osaka during this period at a JWA event, as Rikidozan & Kokichi Endo defeated Ben & Mike Sharpe for the NWA World Tag Team Championship in May 1956 at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium in front of 8,000 fans.

Meanwhile, women's wrestling also made its mark in Osaka during this decade, as Mae Young, Mildred Burke, other American wrestlers, and Japanese wrestlers took part in a World Ladies Pro Wrestling event in November 1954 at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium in front of 13,000 fans, with it being the first women's wrestling event in Osaka's history.

Pro wrestling's popularity in Osaka continued to grow into the 1960s. More NWA championships were introduced to the city, as Johnny Valentine defended the NWA Toronto United States Heavyweight Championship against Antonio Inoki in November 1966 at the Tennoji Ward Community Center for a Tokyo Pro Wrestling event, and Danny Hodge defended the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship against Hiro Matsuda in January 1967 at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium during an International Wrestling Enterprise event that drew 7,300 fans.

In November 1965, Giant Baba won the NWA International Heavyweight Title at an Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium JWA (then known as the Japan Wrestling Association at that point) event and two years later defended it against Gene Kiniski in August 1967 at an Osaka Stadium JWA event in front of a record 20,000 fans, the largest attendance for a pro-wrestling event in Japan that year. It has been reported that Baba considered this match to be the best one of his legendary career.



Two months later, pro-wrestling history again was made in Osaka, as Giant Baba & Antonio Inoki defeated Bill Watts & Tarzan Tyler for the NWA International Tag Team Championship at an Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium JWA event. This was Baba & Inoki's first time winning the championship as a team.

Osaka was also the site of JWA World League matches during the 1960s, which included foreign wrestlers such as former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz, Gorilla Monsoon, Pedro Morales, AWA mainstay Larry Hennig, Kim II, Lonnie Mayne, Wilbur Snyder, and Billy Two Rivers.

The pro-wrestling scene has evolved over the years and differs from how it was in the past, but Osaka continues to be a central city for pro-wrestling. NJPW, NOAH, Stardom, AJPW, DG, DDT, BJW, ZERO1, Ice Ribbon, WAVE, and PURE-J visit Osaka regularly, along with many smaller promotions. It is also the home of many independent promotions, that help give wrestlers who live in Osaka and its surrounding area more opportunities to showcase their talents. These promotions include Osaka Pro Wrestling, Doutonbori Pro Wrestling, Dove Pro Wrestling, MoveOn Pro-Wrestling, New Professional Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Bukotsu, Pro-Wrestling Shi-En, South Osaka Pro Wrestling, VKF Pro Wrestling, 2point5 Women's Pro-Wrestling, Energyse Pro Wrestling, and BRS.

A notable trend is the increasing popularity of women's wrestling across Japan, including in Osaka. Several independent promotions include women's matches on their cards, and 2point5 is a women's wrestling promotion. There is an abundance of female talent in Osaka and its surrounding area, and some of them are the most popular stars in the city.

Osaka is fortunate to have both a rich pro-wrestling history and a bright pro-wrestling future, as there are several talented wrestlers who are eager to make their mark on the scene and the industry continues to be popular in the city with a passionate fan base. There is also an opportunity to grow that fan base. 262,681 foreigners live in Osaka, and not all of them can read and speak Japanese. Those foreigners make up a potentially lucrative English market that is still very untapped. If a wrestling fan checks out the website or SNS of a Japanese promotion and is unfamiliar with the language and wrestlers, and is not sure how or where they can see shows, they often will move on to a promotion that is easier for them to learn about. With several major Japanese wrestling promotions now providing information in English, if promotions in Osaka want to attract foreign fans, promotions have to adapt to the language needs of those fans, and not the other way around. If promotions in Osaka connect with the English markets inside and outside of Japan, it will help them grow in visibility, show attendance, and streaming consumption.

I believe Osaka will continue to be a major center for pro wrestling in the years to come, as it continues to shape the city's culture as well as continues to be a popular form of entertainment for all ages.

How to Publicize Your Wrestling Promotion with the Help of a Wrestling Publicist

Are you looking for a way to publicize your wrestling promotion? If so, you're in luck! There are a number of things you can do to get the word out about your promotion and attract new fans. One of the most effective ways to promote your promotion is to hire a wrestling publicist.

A wrestling publicist can help you with all aspects of promotion, from creating articles and blog posts to managing your social media accounts. They can also help you to connect with promoters of other promotions. All of this will help to build a strong brand for your wrestling company, which is what leads to taking your company to another level and experiencing things such as drawing good crowds at bigger venues, getting TV deals, and having successful DVD sales.

If you're not sure where to start, here are a few tips for finding a wrestling publicist:

- Ask around. Talk to other promoters in your area and see if they can recommend someone.
- Look online. There are a number of websites that list wrestling publicists.
- Attend wrestling events. You can often meet publicists at wrestling events.
- Look for publicists who specialize in wrestling and have a proven track record of success in the industry.

Once you've found a few potential publicists, be sure to interview them and get quotes from them. This will help you to decide which publicist is the best fit for your needs. When hiring a publicist your wrestling product, you will probably have to choose between a high-quality/very experienced writer or a less experienced/less expensive writer. Your decision will depend on what is higher on your priority list: quality or cost. If you are on a tight budget, you may want to hire a writer who is not very experienced and who will probably be low cost. However, remember that you usually get what you pay for and they may not produce the same quality of work as a more experienced writer. If you hire a writer who is well-respected and has a lot of experience, their rates are likely to be higher than a less experienced writer's, but so will their quality of work. This will lead to better results for your wrestling company.

Here are some benefits of hiring a wrestling publicist:

- They have the experience and expertise to help you promote your promotion effectively.
- They can save you time and money.
- They can help you to reach a wider audience.
- They can increase ticket sales.
- They can secure TV deals.
- They can promote wrestlers to a wider audience.



If you're serious about promoting your wrestling promotion, then hiring a wrestling publicist is a great way to get started.

Here are some examples of my work as a wrestling publicist:

- I helped Big Japan Pro-Wrestling to form a working relationship with Combat Zone Wrestling. This new working relationship led to Big Japan Pro-Wrestling having its first event in the United States.
- I helped Michinoku Pro Wrestling to sell out a show at the Korakuen Hall.
- I helped Kyushu Pro Wrestling to gain 220 new subscribers and 52,746 new views on its official YouTube channel.
- I raised Yanagase Pro Wrestling awareness, which was followed by Yanagase Pro Wrestling announcing an event at a 600-seat venue.
- I helped Middle Kingdom Wrestling to activate its multilingual marketing campaign.



I have access to a sports news website that is based in the United States. Also, my blog is included in Google News, which has over 11 million visits every day. This would give your promotion the opportunity to be promoted in front of millions of people.

I have experience promoting wrestling events on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. My Twitter profile has over 10,000 followers, and I'm also active on Facebook. I'm confident that I can use my social media skills to help you reach a wider audience.

Here are specific services that can I provide:
- Event promotion
- Results reports
- Pieces
- Blog posts
- Columns
- Press release writing
- Social media marketing



I'm confident that I can produce high-quality content that will help you reach new audiences and grow your business.

Contact me at info@harold-williams.com to learn more about my services and how I can help you publicize your wrestling promotion.

You can see more samples of my work here.