Hulk Hogan is one of the most iconic names in the history of professional wrestling, his all-American gimmick launching him into superstardom and making him a household name in the 1980’s.
One man who feuded with Hogan during his incredible WWE run was Lanny Poffo, who sadly passed away on February 2nd at the age of 68. After some time as “Leaping” Lanny Poffo, the second-generation performer took on a heel persona as “The Genius,” donning a scholarly robe and cap and reciting poetry to hurl insults at his opponents and WWE fans alike.
Speaking on the latest episode of Something to Wrestle, Bruce Prichard recalled Poffo’s character change, revealing that Vince McMahon and Pat Patterson initially came up with the iconic persona.
“I wanna say that Vince [McMahon] and Pat [Patterson] came up with it, and then we kinda tweaked it from there and made it larger than life.”
Vince McMahon Had To Convince Hulk Hogan About Lanny Poffo’s Genius Gimmick
Continuing, Prichard revealed that Hulk Hogan had major doubts about Poffo’s new character and had to be convinced by Vince McMahon himself that the gimmick would be a hit.
“Hulk doubted the validity of the gimmick of ‘The Genius,’ and Vince said when he’s selling out and beating you on top, you’re going to have a different feeling. And he did, right there in Kansas.”
The night in Kansas refers to the time Poffo defeated Hogan by countout with the assistance of “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig in 1989. The defeat not being sufficient for the two villains, they also took a hammer to Hogan’s WWE (then WWF) Championship belt, destroying it.
Prichard also recalled wondering if the title belt would actually break as planned, saying he would have found it hilarious if thing went awry.
“Internally I remember thinking that I was going to laugh my ass off if Perfect hit that thing with the hammer and it didn’t bust the way we thought it should. And thank God it did.”
h/t WrestlingInc