Hulk Hogan's Appearance on American Idol - Review

In case you missed it, this blog has a video tip, via YouTube of Hulk Hogan's recent appearance on American Idol.

As you may or may not know, I've had an extensive history in pro wrestling sports broadcasting experience. I was a ring announcer and a wrestler / personality, including a number of ring announcing gigs right here in Albany, NY for WWE Wrestling at The Times Union Area. This background, of course, paired with my disc jockey status and keen karaoke-laden background, makes me an expert to speak my mind and review the recent Hulk Hogan appearance on American Idol, and the new direction of the show.

So what did I think of The Hulkster? First off, for those of you Hulkamaniacs who missed it, here is the segment:





Hulk Hogan's appearance in my opinion was perfect for American Idol fans... His cameo was not too short, and also not overkill. It was just enough Hulkamania to add flavor to the music and talent show. The key was to keep it light, which they did well.

Arguably, Ryan Seacrest may have "over sold" the Hulkster’s punch and this may be considered ridiculous to the avid hardcore wrestling fan. However, Ryan’s work rate in this spot was the perfect balance of fun for mainstream and young viewers on network Television.

What you actually missed from this clip was a video segment of the two Idol contestants having a mock wrestling match, pulling in other contestants in their quarters. The big reveal was that these singers hit it off due to their love of pro wrestling. Therefore, the big surprise was that the biggest name in wrestling came out to give them the thumbs up, personally. I think the spot was classic. It was a great moment, overall.

As afollow up on my previous blog about American Idol (whether or not the new judges had what it takes) I have to say that until now, I honestly had lost interest on being a regular viewer of the show. The audition tapes were good stuff, as always, but when it went live, I didn't think the judges were living up to their post-Simon journey this year, due to being overly complimentary to every contestant. It seems that, for the most part, there wasn't much of any really judging going on.

No one on the show this season had the pistachios to step up and pick up Simon's slack. Nobody has been brutal enough to tell someone they had a bad performance, when they really did, without couching it in a lame hard-searched compliment. Overall to put it blunt, nobody had the guts to tell someone they "suck," that is, until Hogan did a run-in on Ryan Seacrest.

On a positive note in a different category, however, the music quality has improved by the American Idol band, or at least the production and mixing has from previous years. Also, so has the singing. Additionally, the entertainment value has gone up with more skits and better name celebrity guests. This clip, which I missed live, made me actual wish I was viewing in.