Talk about it here.

Brother Love complains about Uncle Fred pushing everyone around in the WWF in a very short period of time. Hulk Hogan comes out and Brother Love is NOT HAPPY. Hogan declares his bond of friendship with Tugboat. This seems like it would eventually lead to a program with these two, but Tugboat never turned on him.

This was effective, I guess, in setting up Tugboat as being Hogan's delegate in the wake of the big injury angle to come. Brother Love, having taken offense to Hogan interrupting his show, dares him to come back again next week when his guest is Earthquake.

 

Nonetheless, Tugboat is about as lame of an attempted upper-card character as the WWF got.

When I watched this stuff at 8 years of age, I was interested in seeing how Tugboat would do in warding off Hogan's cheating opponents, and (post-injury) in taking Hogan's place. The way they unceremoniously wrote him out with his own injury, without follow-up, was perplexing to me. In hindsight I guess Fred didn't get over. Considering how great he looked in Memphis as a gigantic dude who could bust a move, this clearly was not the best gimmick to use.

Confession time: as a kid Tugboat was one of the first characters I remember and liked so he does have some sentimental attachment to me. Hogan loves bullying around Brother Love at this point and time.

It's shocking with how they were positioning Tug Boat as Hogan's apprentice. The gimmick is horrible.

Tugboat’s entrance music is great. I don’t watch current product as much but it seems like the big fat guy is nonexistent in today’s wrestling. I guess just Brodus Clay. Hogan shows up to give Tugboat the rub. Love asks Hogan to show up next week on the Brother Love show to confront Earthquake. Yes!

I agree with Loss, they appear to be laying the foundation for Tugboat to turn on Hogan, but he didn't really get over on that level, so when he did turn, it wound up being on the Bushwhackers instead. After all, every single one of Hogan's friends to this point has turned on him, with the exception of Beefcake.

The highlight of this piece to me was Ottman's impression of Ernie Anderson, the old ABC promo announcer who would always draw out "LOOOOOOOVE BOOOOOOOAT" while doing promos for the show. Other than that, this was typical Vince baloney; how is even the densest mark supposed to believe that one man, even someone as big as Ottman, can really pull ships like the Queen Mary? "Tugboat" as a nickname or even a wrestling name is fine, but come up with a reasonable explanation of how he got it, like he's always loved boats and the sea, so his friends saw how big he was and nicknamed him Tugboat. Rocket science this ain't.

 

At the end, Hogan comes out to establish the bond between himself and Ottman and accept Brother Love's challenge to confront Quake the following week. I can't wait to see that one again!

Brother Love’s guest today is Tugboat and the two of them have a short chat about nothing before they are joined by Hulk Hogan. Love is not happy with him interrupting his show and wonders what he is doing here? Hogan says that he’s known Tugboat since he was a youngster, he’s the one who bought him to the WWF (thanks Hulk!) and this is what happens when you live by the three commandments of Hulkamania! If things start to get a little rough for him he knows the Tugboat will be watching his back, and if Tugboat ever needed any help himself, he will be right there by his side. Love says how Hogan was a big man interrupting his show today and challenges him to come on his show next week when his guest will be even bigger than Tugboat, the Earthquake!

 

This really is a horrendous gimmick and look! It does feel like the start of a long, slow build for Tugboat eventually turning on his mentor but it never went that way.