| Horace Hogan | |
|---|---|
| Ring name(s) | Horace[1] Horace Boulder[1] Horace Hogan[1] The Predator Hollywood Horace Hogan |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 255 lb (116 kg)[1] |
| Born | October 21, 1965 [1] Tampa, Florida |
| Billed from | Tampa, Florida |
| Trained by | Boris Malenko WCW Power Plant[1] |
| Debut | January 1990 |
Michael Bollea (born October 21, 1965) is an American professional wrestler. In wrestling, he is best known by his ring name, Horace Hogan. He is the nephew of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan and cousin of the late Mike Awesome.[1]
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Bollea debuted in 1990 under the ring name "Horace Boulder". Throughout the early 1990s, he wrestled for the Japanese Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling promotion. On May 7, 1992 in Tokyo, he and Sabu defeated Atushi Onita and Tarzan Goto for the FMW / WWA Tag Team Championship. They held the title until May 24, 1992, when they were defeated by Goto and Gregory Veritchev in Tokyo.
For much of 1993 Bollea wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation as "The Predator", competing in preliminary bouts.
In 1995, Bollea joined the stable "Lethal Weapon" with Hisakatsu Oya, Mike Awesome, Mr. Pogo, and Ricky Fuji. He and Oya began teaming together, and won the FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship from Daisuke Ikeda and Yoshiaki Fujiwara on December 21, 1995 in Yokohama. Their reign lasted until January 5, 1996, when Jason the Terrible and Super Leather defeated them in Tokyo.
Returning to America, Bollea debuted in World Championship Wrestling at Spring Stampede 1998 on April 19, 1998, helping Raven defeat Diamond Dallas Page for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship and joining Raven's Flock in the process,[1] under the name "Horace Boulder". He remained in the Flock until the stable disbanded on September 13, 1998.
The fall of 1998 would hold one of the most crucial moments in Horace's wrestling career. Hulk Hogan, backed by fellow New World Order (nWo) members, revealed on the October 19, 1998 episode of WCW Monday Nitro that Horace was the son of his dead brother. Showing a sincerity not seen in previous years, he continued by proclaiming his love to his family and offering Horace a membership in the nWo. The mood quickly took a turn for the worse, however, when Hulk Hogan bashed his nephew with a steel chair, causing a wound that would require several stitches. He continued by throwing his nephew off a stretcher and mercilessly beating him. During this time, Hogan was involved in a heated rivalry with The Ultimate Warrior, and this scene worked as a testament to Hulk's fragile state of mind. With fellow nWo members standing in bewilderment, Hogan took the mic and said, "If I could do this to someone I love, imagine what I'm gonna do to you, Warrior!"
Despite their unsettling confrontation, Horace joined the nWo at Halloween Havoc 1998 on October 25, 1998, by interfering on his uncle's behalf during the final match between Hulk Hogan and the Warrior. Thereafter, he began using the ring name "Horace Hogan" to signify his blood ties with Hulk Hogan. He would wrestle for the nWo both in singles competition and tag teaming with the likes of Scott Norton, Stevie Ray, and Vincent. Hogan also participated in a WCW Thunder battle royal for leadership of the nWo Hollywood faction. When the nWo began to dissolve in 1999, Horace began competing for the WCW Hardcore Championship.
Horace and his uncle began feuding with Billy Kidman and the New Blood in April 2000, with Horace helping Hogan defeat Kidman at Slamboree 2000 on May 7, 2000. Hogan defected to the New Blood, however, after the leader of the New Blood, Eric Bischoff, offered him Kidman's girlfriend Torrie in exchange for his assistance. Horace feuded with his uncle until the 2000 Great American Bash on June 11, 2000, when he refereed a rematch between Kidman and his uncle fairly, allowing his uncle to cleanly defeat Kidman. After Hulk Hogan left WCW in July 2000, Horace was released from the promotion.
Hogan wrestled on the Floridian independent circuit until being signed to a developmental contract by World Wrestling Entertainment.[1] He remained with the WWE until being released on September 27, 2002,[1] at which point he returned to the independent circuit.