NBA INSIDE STUFF

 

NBA INSIDE STUFF
(NBC, ABC, October 27, 1990-January 15, 2006
NBA TV November 2, 2013-February 27, 2016)
 
NBA Entertainment Inc.

  

MAIN CAST:
Ahmad Rashad – Host (1990-2006)
Julie Moran – Host (1990-91)
Willow Bay – Host (1991-98)
Summer Sanders – Host (1998-2006)
Grant Hill – Host (2013-16)
Kristen Ledlow – Host (2013-16)
Shaquille O’Neal – Substitute host (2013-16)

  

NBA Inside Stuff was a sports magazine-style show designed to target teenaged viewers and give them unprecedented access to players within the National Basketball Association (NBA). Not just showcasing their performance on the court, but who they were off the court as well.

The 1954 NBA Finals with the Minneapolis Lakers vs. the Syracuse Nationals.

          The NBA had a long history with television networks; beginning with their 8^th season in 1953 airing on the short-lived DuMont Network. However, the lack of supporting television stations led to their switching to NBC the following year. In 1962, the league moved to Sports Network Incorporated (later the Hughes Television Network), then to ABC in 1965 and CBS in 1973. The league would also journey into cable during this time; airing at various intervals on USA Network, ESPN, Turner Sports, TBS and TNT.

Michael Jordan after he was drafted to the Chicago Bulls in 1984.

            Unfortunately, the league was languishing in a ratings slump through the 70s and early 80s. This dark period in the league’s history was also known as the “tape delay playoff era”, as CBS chose to tape-delay game broadcasts in late night timeslots so as not to preempt programming with higher ratings. That began to change in 1984, when lawyer and executive David Stern became the new commissioner of the NBA. He shifted the focus from the teams as a whole to its star players, such as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, who preceded his tenure, and Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, who were in the 1984 NBA draft after he took office. He oversaw the expansion of league broadcasts outside of the United States, allowed players to participate in international tournaments leading to the creation of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team (aka the “Dream Team”), expanded the league into Canada, and admitted seven new franchises to bring the number of teams up to 30 by 2004.

            In 1990, NBC reacquired the broadcasting rights from CBS. Along with broadcasting the games, Stern wanted to have a show that the league was in complete control of on the network. He worked with Dick Ebersol, then-President of NBC Sports, to craft a show that would go beyond the games and connect with younger fans to capture that audience. NBA Entertainment, the marketing and production arm of the league, produced a pilot for what would become NBA Inside Stuff and presented it to the network. The series was greenlit, and was placed at the end of the network’s Saturday morning programming where it could serve as a transition into their sports programming.

Ahmad Rashad during his days with the Vikings.

            Stern personally chose former National Football League player Ahmad Rashad about hosting the new program, having met him through sportscaster Howard Cosell. Rashad had played football from 1972-83, ending his career with the Minnesota Vikings. While playing for them, he worked part time as a reporter for the CBS affiliate in Minneapolis. After his retirement, he joined NBC Sports as a studio anchor and game reporter. As part of a promotional stunt to advertise the show, Rashad and Stern concocted the plan to have him actually join and play for an NBA team for a brief time.

            Rashad, then 40-years-old, signed a two-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. He practiced with the team and was allowed to play in an NBA preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the newly-built Target Center. Rashad scored the first and only points of his career, and the 76ers went on to win the game 102-96. Rashad announced his retirement from the game during a post-game interview, giving him technically a perfect career scoring record.

Rashad and Willow Bay on the Inside Stuff set.

            NBA Inside Stuff debuted on NBC on October 27, 1990. Rashad not only hosted, but served as an executive producer and managing editor giving him unprecedented creative control over the show. For the first year, he was joined by journalist and sportscaster Julie Moran as co-host before she left to join ABC Sports Network (now ESPN on ABC). She was replaced by journalist and former model Willow Bay for the next seven years. After leaving to become an anchor for CNN, she was replaced by Olympic champion and reporter Summer Sanders, who also served as a sideline reporter for the WNBA and feature correspondent for NBA on NBC. To not only have a Black man in so many prominent roles on a network show but also a woman on visibly equal footing was groundbreaking for the time.
Each episode had three recurring segments: “Last Night” recapped the games that aired the night before their broadcast; “Rewind” showcased top game highlights, antics such as mascots dunking off of trampolines, and news like player drafts and management changes that occurred over the past week’s games; and “Jam Session” showcased the biggest slam dunks from the week. Much of the program was infused with the hottest music at the time and a few golden classics to help make the series more appealing to their younger viewers as well as embrace the growing hip-hop movement. While they did work off scripts, Rashad opted to have a spontaneous feel to the program by refusing to edit out any line flubs and by engaging in banter with his co-stars.

Jamal Mashburn gives healthy eating tips to Summer Sanders.

            However, the truly unique aspect of Inside Stuff was the equal focus on the lives of the players off the court. NBA Entertainment sought to showcase the players while building a collaborative working relationship built on unprecedented access and the trust that came with that. This allowed fans a greater chance to connect with them than any other show before it. Along with showcasing their interests, talents and activities, Rashad or his co-host would engage in one-on-one casual interviews (or “conversations”, as Rashad would put it). In keeping with the fun and spontaneity Rashad envisioned for the show, that sometimes included participating in the players’ daily routines, following them around for the day, visiting their homes and where they grew up, or just allowing the players a chance to play correspondent for the show. Inside Stuff also took part in the 1994 marketing campaign surrounding actor Bill Murray desiring to join the NBA. It was treated as an actual event by Inside Stuff, with Rashad involved in asking Murray questions during his mock press conference. However, this playful approach didn’t mean they shied away from serious topics; such as Magic Johnson revealing his HIV diagnosis, Rick Fox talking about his attention deficit disorder, or how Dražen Petrović’s relationships suffered due to the wars in his native Yugoslavia. Inside Stuff became a safe forum for players to open up, strengthening the relationship between them and the league.

Rashad palling around with Michael Jordan.

            Much of that access was possible thanks to the friendships Rashad had with many of the players, as well as the relationships Leah Wilcox, Vice President of Player and Talent Relations, had forged with every major star in the NBA. Wilcox would also secure celebrity cameos--such as crooner Tony Bennett, actress Mayim Bialik, supermodel Cindy Crawford, actor Ben Stiller, baseball player Mo Vaughn, rapper and actor L.L. Cool J, comedian Rodney Dangerfield, actor Robert Townsend or singer Pink--to deliver the line “Now, that’s the Inside Stuff!” (or some variation thereof) leading into the first commercial break.

A 1996 issue of the magazine.

Inside Stuff’s formula proved to be a success. The series drew in their young audience and turned many of them into basketball fans. Additionally, it was done in such a way that even older viewers could enjoy it. Players, initially apprehensive about the level of access Inside Stuff was getting into their lives, started clamoring for their turn to be spotlighted on the show. Rashad also utilized the show to slip some educational moments in between kids’ love of the game; particularly with his involvement in the “Stay in School” campaign during All-Star Weekends. In 1992, the series was supplemented with a magazine that tried to capture the vibe of the show and expand upon its content.

            Unfortunately, that success would not last. NBC decided not to renew their contract with the NBA after 2002. ABC picked it up and moved all of the NBA’s content—including Inside Stuff—over to their network; with reruns airing on both ESPN and the league’s own NBA TV. Although their placement on ABC’s schedule was comparable to NBC’s, the problem was that ABC’s Saturday morning line-up wasn’t geared towards the same audience as NBC’s. That meant that most of Inside Stuff’s audience didn’t follow the show over to its new home, nor did it attract the same kind of following as they had before. Ratings suffered as a result. To try and combat this, ABC moved Inside Stuff to their Sunday morning schedule in 2003 where it would lead into the network’s regular sports programming. Rashad attempted to punch up the show with “more documentary-like pieces, behind the scenes looks at stuff like what goes on during an NBA training camp”, as well as deeper profiles into the players by following them around for a week or more.

            Inside Stuff ultimately never recovered its ratings and was cancelled, last airing in January of 2006 after just over 3 years on the network. Rashad, however, would go on to host its replacement, the similar NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad, while reruns of Inside Stuff aired on NBA TV. But the NBA wasn’t done with Inside Stuff yet. Two years after Rashad’s new show ended, it was decided to bring Inside Stuff back in 2013 as an NBA TV original. This time around, the show would be hosted by professional basketball player Grant Hill, who had just retired after 19 seasons of playing. He was joined by sports anchor Kristen Ledlow on hosting duties. While familiar segments like “Rewind” and “Jam Session” returned, the revival series integrated social media participation whenever possible and made us of various NBA Digital platforms.

            Serving as an occasional fill-in host for the revival was player-turned-actor, entrepreneur, pitchman and sports analyst Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal; who himself had retired after 19 seasons in 2011. Shaq’s involvement with Inside Stuff was very much a full-circle moment, as he had appeared on the original show shortly before the beginning of his professional career in 1992. A friendly bout of one-on-one between Shaq and Rashad led to Shaq shattering the glass backboard while doing a slam dunk and landing on his back. After ensuring Shaq was okay, Rashad kept the cameras rolling and quipped “That all you got?” The footage made it onto NBC Nightly News before it quickly spread around the world, becoming the NBA’s first viral moment long before there was such a thing. Shaq had also made additional appearances on the show during his career.
            

Grant Hill and Kristen Ledlow on the new set for Inside Stuff.

The new NBA Inside Stuff debuted on November 2, 2013 and ran until February of 2016. A large part of the series’ original main selling point—getting inside the lives of NBA players—was undone by the rise of social media. Players could now give fans that on their own through their personal or professional accounts and the NBA could take them behind the scenes as well with their own platforms, making Inside Stuff a bit redundant. Not to mention highlights from games could be uploaded online instantly, taking away the recap element the series also offered with “Rewind” and “Jam Session”. The NBA’s website continues to host various episodes of Inside Stuff, while fans have uploaded recordings to YouTube.

The Inside Stuff reunion.

            In the decades since, Inside Stuff remains an important piece of NBA history, helping to further elevate the sport and turn on new fans to it. It’s fondly remembered by those who watched and participated during its initial run, and has influenced sports programs that followed; moving them away from stuffy matter-of-fact news-like storytelling to energetic fun. In 2020, Rashad hosted an online reunion special that aired across the NBA’s social media accounts prior to the two-episode series finale of the ESPN docuseries The Last Dance. In attendance were Bay, Hill, Shaq, Charles Barkley, Muggsy Bogues, Dell Curry, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Tim Hardaway, Ron Harper, Robert Horry, Shawn Kemp, Karl Malone, Reggie Miller, Dikembe Mutombo, Gary Payton, Glen Rice, Mitch Richmond, David Robinson, Detlef Schrempf, John Stockton and Dominique Wilkins. In 2025, it was reported that the NBA was seeking to renew the Inside Stuff trademark just as games are set to return to NBC.

NASCAR RACERS

NASCAR RACERS

(FOX, November 20, 1999-March 24, 2001)

Saban Entertainment

MAIN CAST:

Ian James Corlett - Mark “Charger’ McCutchen

Kathleen Barr – Megan “Spitfire” Fassler

Rino Romano – Carlos “Stunts” Rey

Roger R. Cross – Steve “Flyer” Sharp

Paul Dobson – Jack Fassler

Dale Wilson – Douglas “Duck” Dunaka, Mike Hauger

Philip Maurice Hayes – Lyle “The Collector” Owens

Ron Halder – Garner Rexton

Richard Newman – Spex

            During prohibition in the southern United States, bootleggers would use modified cars to get more cargo space for their illegal booze as well as more speed to outrun police, and later tax revenue agents after prohibition was lifted. All that racing around the country backroads stuck and they began doing it for fun as well as for business to create what would become known as stock car racing. 

The origins of NASCAR.

            In 1947, Bill France saw the potential for a unified series of racing competitors and created the National Championship Stock Car Circuit (NCSCC). The venture would oversee 40 events over the course of a single season at the Daytona Beach track, with a grand prize of $1,000 going to the winner. Attendance ended up exceeding the venue’s capacity multiple times. By the end of 1947, France and the other 35 men who represented the NCSCC gathered together to bring France’s vision of an organized group of race car drivers to reality. On February 21, 1948, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) was founded.

Bill France, Sr., the founder of NASCAR.

            NASCAR was originally split by three divisions: Modified, Roaster and Strictly Stock, although Roadster proved unpopular with fans and was soon abandoned. The first Modified race was held at Daytona Beach later that month, while the first Strictly Stock race ran at Charlotte Speedway in June of 1949. In 1950, Strictly Stock became the “Grand National” division, allowing for modifications to be made to the cars to improve both safety and performance. As foreign manufacturers took notice of their cars being used in the races, they began to show interest in entering the races themselves. In 1952, NASCAR expanded beyond the United States with its first race in Canada. 

A garage with Unlimited Division racers.

            Today, NASCAR is a major racing concern still held within the France family and comprised of several different series. In 1999, NASCAR partnered up with FOX Kids to produce an animated series for the younger NASCAR fans. Developed by Saban Entertainment, NASCAR Racers took place in the near future in Motor City. Jack Fassler (Paul Dobson) had pushed for the creation of a new Unlimited Division which would allow for cars that possessed various technology to aid in the races along extreme reality-defying tracks. Amongst these advancements were rocket boosters for speed and jumping, wings and parachutes for gliding, and an inner Rescue Racer that could be ejected if the car was in trouble. To train for these races, racers used an advanced virtual reality simulator.

Team Fastex: Jack Fassler, Duck, Charger, Flyer, Spitfire and Stunts.

            The show primarily focused on Fassler’s Team Fastex comprised of Mark “Charger” McCutchen (Ian James Corlett), a second generation racer; Carlos “Stunts” Rey (Rino Romano), a daredevil who raced in order to win money for his ill father; and Steve “Flyer” Sharp (Roger R. Cross), a retired Air Force pilot who suffered some brain damage from an explosion during a mission. After some convincing, Fassler’s adopted daughter (a plot point that played out during the second season) Megan “Spitfire” Fassler (Kathleen Barr) was allowed to join the team. Megan was also responsible for the creation of the team’s cars and their technology. Douglas “Duck” Dunaka (Dale Wilson) was the team’s crew chief. Mark’s brother Miles (Andrew Francis), also an aspiring racer, often helped Duck around the pit.

Spex with Rexton on his view screen.

The primary competition for the Fastex team was Team Rexcor. The team was owned and operated by Garner Rexton (Ron Halder) who attempted to do anything in order to win races as well as destroy Fastex. Amongst his racers were Lyle “The Collector” Owens (Philip Maurice Hayes) who was a spy on the Fastex team, but with his ruthlessness and arrogance behind the wheel was ejected by Fassler; Hondo “Specter” Hines, an incredibly sneaky and spooky driver; Zorina, who was very ignorant and aggressive and often teamed-up with Specter to destroy opposing cars; and Diesel “Junker” Spitz, a gang member recruited by Rexton who managed to trash opposing cars despite being clumsy and very slow in other regards. Spex (Richard Newman) was a cyborg and Rexcor’s crew chief. Other racers included veteran racer Farrell Longstreet, Kent “Demolisher” Steel, an android, and Eve “Wild Card” Kildere, a female stunt driver that initially worked for Rexton. 

NASCAR Racers promotional paint jobs on actual NASCAR racers.

The first three episodes aired as a preview movie on November 20, 1999 before the rest of the season began that February. Interestingly enough, the actual NASCAR wouldn’t be seen on FOX until the show’s second season when it began airing in February of 2001. The series blended 2-D traditional animation for the characters designed by Joel Adams with 3-D computer animation used for the racing and action sequences by Creative Logik and VanHook Studios. It was written by Michael Edens, Mark Edens, Steve Cuden, Scott Peterson and Matthew Edens, with music composed by Alexander Van Bubenheim, David Hilker, John Costello, Jeremy Sweet, Shuki Levy and Haim Saban (as Kussa Mahchi). To promote the series, four racing teams were tapped to have their cars done in a scheme representative of one of the four hero characters for a photo op. The cars were unveiled at a Winston Cup event on November 14^th, 1999. Jeff Gordon’s #24, Bobby Labonte’s #18 and Terry Labonte’s #5 were all involved with the promotion early on, with Andy Petree’s #55 coming on board after some initial challenges navigating around car sponsor commitments. Each design had to be approved by the racing teams, Hasbro, who was handling the toy merchandising, and FOX Kids.

Duck and Spex fighting over tools.

The series was renewed for a second season, and some changes followed. The Unlimited Division cars were replaced with new atomic-powered XPT racers, which looked like sleeker versions of the original cars. The second half of the season saw the introduction of Nitro Racers with high-flux fusion units, many of which had a six-wheel design. Feeling betrayed over not being told about her adoption, Megan left Fastex to form her own team: The Spitfires. They were an all-female team comprised of her, Eve, Zorina after she was booted from Rexcor, and an intimidating racer named Chrome. Replacing Zorina was Tanker, an army veteran whose car resembled a tank. Phil “Octane” Knox worked clandestinely for Rexton and frequently employed a hallucinogen to his foes. The mysterious “Redline” O’Rourke was also introduced and provided competition for Charger both on the track and for Megan’s affections. Fastex also gets a new mechanic in the form of the klutzy “Lugnut” Gooch.

After the second season, the show was cancelled. Despite its short run, a strong merchandising push was made. Hasbro created a variety of cars and tracks featuring the characters and designs from the show. Harper Entertainment published a series of books by Gene Hult under the name J.E. Bright. A set of regular and deluxe foil valentines were made by Paper Magic Group, as were sticker sheets and vending machine sticker cards. 

Back cover to the video game.

Hon2 Games, Inc. developed a game based on the show for the PC and Game Boy Color released by Electronic Arts. A PlayStation version was planned from Hasbro Interactive but ultimately cancelled when the studio was sold. Fox Home Entertainment released two VHS collections of the show in 2000. The pilot movie was released on Start Your Engines, while Maximum Overdrive featured the episodes “Always” and “Boy vs. Machine”.

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“The Real Thing” (11/20/99) – Fastex owner Jack Fassler hires four racers to compete in the new Unlimited Series, but ends up having to fire Lyle “The Collector” Owens for disruptive racing.

“The Stakes” (11/20/99) – Megan fights for her father to allow her to join the team while Lyle challenges Mark to a rigged race at the quarry.

“Heroes” (11/20/99) – Mark ends up in the river and needs saving by his team.

“Duck Out of the Way” (2/5/00) – After Megan is hurt in an accident, Jack blames Duck who quits and joins Rexcor in order to secretly determine if they’re the ones responsible.

“Co-Pilot” (2/12/00) – Lyle tricks Megan into driving for him by hooking up their simulator to his car.

“The Mission” (2/19/00) – Steve is asked by military intelligence to destroy a chemical warfare factory during an off-road race.

“Always” (2/26/00) – When Mark’s car is rigged to die by Lyle, Mark discovers a downed airplane with a man trapped inside.

“Boy vs. Machine” (3/4/00) – Miles is banished from the Fastex garage after accidentally taking over a computer controlled car while Rexton plans to hack the course to attack the Fastex cars.

“Pulp Faction” (4/1/00) – Fastex and Rexcor end up teaming up in order to find and rescue a kidnapped Libby Fassler.

“Daredevil” (4/22/00) – Carlos falls for a female stunt driver who tries to sabotage the team to repay a debt she owes Garner.

“Flag Bearer” (4/29/00) – Thieves hide their stolen goods in Steve’s car, but after they fail to recognize its new paint job they attempt to take it back by force during the race.

“Every Man for Itself (Part 1)” (5/6/00) – The Fastex Team each has their own reasons to win the championship race, losing their teamwork in the process.

“All or Nothing (Part 2)” (5/13/00) – Mark uses the team’s new experimental car in the final race while Miles discovers the Rexcor driver is actually an android.

Season 2:

“Second Chance” (10/28/00) – Carlos is almost sidelined by the new competition until their new mechanic, Lugnut, gets him back into the race.

“Toxic” (11/4/00) – Lyle attempts to rejoin Rexcor and is tasked with taking out Mark before the first race of the season, but ends up on the receiving end of a toxic bath.

“Payday” (11/11/00) – A mutated Lyle is Rexcor’s newest driver, and Mark is determined not to let a dislocated vertebrae keep him out of the race for Lyle’s satisfaction.

“Red Flag” (11/18/00) – Brock Vanleer returns and holds the Motorsphere hostage for his revenge on Team Fastex.

“Chain Reaction” (12/2/00) – Rexcor tampers with Fastex’s temperature gauges to not only take out their cars, but to bomb another fuel center and part of the city.

“Rumble” (12/9/00) – Carlos is tricked into an unofficial race while Team Rexcor attempts to sabotage the Fastex cars with remote-control devices.

“Crash Course” (2/3/01) – Rexcor has one of Fastex’s fusion units for the new Nitro Racers stolen, and the team has to retrieve it and save Gloria who’s trapped on a crashed plane with the thief.

“El Dorado” (2/10/01) – Carlos saves a driver Lyle rams off the road, and in return the driver tells the greatly in-debt Carlos about a hidden treasure.

“The Wild Blue” (2/17/01) – Farrell Longstreet ends up poisoned by Octane with hallucinogenic-laced water that causes him to relive a combat mission during his next race.

“Runaway” (3/10/01) – Accidentally wrecking Farrell causes Mark to reconsider racing while Megan discovers Jack and Libby are not her parents and quits.

“Duck Unlimited” (3/3/01) -  Garner fires Zorina and she joins with the Spitfires and Duck is promoted to driver for Fastex, while Lugnut takes over as pit boss.

“Hostage” (3/17/01) – Jack is abducted during a Rexcor robbery as insurance, and Megan gives up a win in order to help Fastex recover him.

“Last Chance” (3/24/01) – Worth Dwindling tries to get Carlos to throw the final race in order to get his father full funding for his research center, but when it comes down to it Carlos can’t.

HULK HOGAN'S ROCK 'N' WRESTLING

HULK HOGAN’S ROCK ‘N’ WRESTLING

(CBS, September 14, 1985-October 18, 1986)

DiC Entertainment, Titan Sports

MAIN CAST:

Brad Garrett – Hulk Hogan

Charlie Adler – Rowdy Roddy Piper

Lewis Arquette – Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka

James Avery – Junkyard Dog

Jodi Carlisle – Wendi Richter, The Fabulous Moolah

George DiCenzo – Captain Lou Albano

Ron Feinberg – Andre the Giant

Pat Fraley – Hillbilly Jim

Ron Gans – Nikolai Volkoff

Ernest Harada – Mr. Fuji

Aron Kincaid – The Iron Sheik

Chuck Licini – Big John Studd

Joey Pento – Tito Santana

Neil Ross – Mean Gene Okerlund

Hulk Hogan – Himself (live)

Gene Okerlund – Himself (live)

            Despite having existed since the 1940s, professional wrestling didn’t really take off in the United States until the 1980s.

That's showing that shirt who's boss.

            Professional wrestling, for the uninitiated, is basically a violent soap opera in spandex. There are good guys and bad guys, and not only did they fight in the ring, but basically anywhere the two sides came together; all while moving along an ongoing storyline from match to match. Originally, wrestling was broken up amongst several regional divisions that maintained their own territory. In 1983, Vince McMahon purchased Capitol Wrestling Corporation from his father and combined it with his own company, Titan Sports, Inc. Together, they became what would be known as the World Wrestling Federation (known as World Wrestling Entertainment since 2002 after a name dispute with the World Wide Fund for Nature).

The original WWF logo.

            McMahon went against tradition and sought to get WWF programming on syndicated television nation-wide; violating the boundaries of the other organizations. He wanted to take full advantage of the growing cable television and video tape trading markets. His goals were given a significant boost when he hired Hulk Hogan, who had gained notoriety for his appearance in Rocky III, away from the American Wrestling Association. Rowdy Roddy Piper was signed on as Hogan’s rival and Jesse “The Body” Ventura as an announcer. McMahon’s ranks were further bolstered by talent from the AWA or National Wrestling Association.

Captain Lou and Cyndi Lauper.

            The next innovation came after WWF manager Captain Lou Albano met Cyndi Lauper, a self-proclaimed wrestling fan, on a trip to Puerto Rico and was asked by the singer to appear as her father in the video for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”. This led to what’s been called the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection, which featured a period of intermingling between WWF and the music industry. It was kicked off on Piper’s interview show, Piper’s Pit, by Albano and Lauper entering into a “feud” to be settled by a match between female wrestlers of their choice. MTV would go on to broadcast this match; the first live match on cable and the first live women’s professional wrestling match between Wendi Richter and The Fabulous Moolah. Other celebrities began participating in events, and Lauper continued to use wrestlers in further music videos. McMahon’s make or break innovation came in 1985 with the debut of WrestleMania, which is essentially the World Series of wrestling. The show ended up becoming the WWF’s most successful promotion and catapulted the WWF to the top of the wrestling pile.

Fuji, Moolah, Piper, Sheik, Nikolai, Mean Gene, Hulk, Lou, Andre, Superfly, Hilbilly and Junkyard.

            With Hulk Hogan’s popularity at an all-time high, it was decided to use him to try and make a project to appeal to the younger wrestling fans.  Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling was developed by Jeffrey Scott and produced by DiC Entertainment. It featured two groups of wrestlers: the faces (the good guys) and the heels (the bad guys). Hulk (Brad Garrett, making his lead debut in an animated series) led the faces comprised of Junkyard Dog (James Avery), Captain Lou Albano (George DiCenzo), Andre the Giant (Ron Feinberg), Wendi Richter (Jodie Carlisle), Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka (Lewis Arquette), Hillbilly Jim (Pat Fraley) and Tito Santana (Joey Pento). Piper (Charlie Adler) led the heels, which featured the Iron Sheik (Aron Kincaid), Nikolai Volkoff (Ron Gans), the Fabulous Moolah (also Carlisle), Big John Studd (Chuck Licini) and Mr. Fuji (Ernest Harada). Originally Mad Maxine was meant to be one of the heels, but while the show was in production she suddenly left the WWF and was replaced by her manager, Moolah. Announcer Mean Gene Okerlund (Neil Ross) also made an appearance in several episodes. Although WWF Magazine’s August/September 1985 issue showed some earlier more realistic character designs, the final models used on the show were a bit more simplified and exaggerated. Each character also drove a vehicle that matched their theme, such as Piper driving a hot rod with bagpipe-like exhausts and Junkyard driving a truck with a doghouse on the back.

Captain Lou getting served a giant sandwich on a lunch outing with Mean Gene and Tito Santana.

        The wrestlers were all voiced by professional voice actors, largely due to their busy schedules. However, they were able to appear in brief live-action segments that would air between the stories. Some of them offered healthy tips with a comedic slant, while others were just full comedy skits. A lot of this material would be excised when the series entered reruns to pare down the episode run times. Interestingly enough, Albano would become a voice actor himself in 1989 on another DiC series, The Super Mario Bros. Super Show.

Character models featuring Mad Maxine.

            Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling debuted on CBS on September 14, 1985 and was aired in an hour-long block of two episodes. Most episodes featured two 11-minute segments while several were full 22-minute stories. Episodes would depict the wrestlers getting into wacky situations that often lead to a competition between the two teams. Because of FCC regulations at the time, actual wrestling was very minute in presence in favor of delivering slapstick-laden pro-social messages. Scott wrote the majority of the episodes with additional scripts from Larry DiTillo, Sandy Fries and Michael Maurer. Jim Steinman’s “Hulk Hogan’s Theme”, which served as Hogan’s entrance theme at the time, was used for the cartoon’s intro. Score Productions handled the rest of the show’s music. The series was animated by HanHo Heungup Studios, Wang Film Productions and Studio Shaft.

Hulk, Lou and Wendi going ghost busting.

            Because of the long production times in making an animated series, the storyline of the show couldn’t keep up with the events transpiring at the WWF. In July of 1985, Snuka left the WWF and went to wrestle for New Japan Pro Wrestling before returning to America in the AWA. That November, Richter left after McMahon orchestrated an unscripted defeat of her using Moolah in disguise over disagreements about her compensation. However, both characters remained throughout the show’s two-season run.

Superfly and Junkyard vs. zombies.

            Much like its wrestling inspiration, the show was heavily merchandised. Winston Toys released eight erasers that resembled action figures (in fact, four of them better resembled the LJN bendable figures than the show’s character designs). Other merchandise included a bed sheet set, lunchboxes by Thermos, a collectible sticker album by Diamond, a raincoat, a card game, puzzles and a series of coloring books by Golden Books, and a schoolbag. In 2020, Beardy’s Toys began releasing a limited-edition series of 7-inch resin action figures based on the cartoon.

One of the VHS covers.

DiC released several episodes to VHS during and after the show’s run, which were later repackaged and re-released by WWF Home Video in the 1990s. In 2014, episodes were made available on the WWE Network. However, all content featuring Hulk Hogan was removed in July of 2015 after he was fired and blacklisted for racist comments he made in a leaked video. While some content was eventually restored, Rock ‘n’ Wrestling was not amongst them beyond concept art and a photo gallery. In 2025, over a month after the passing of Hulk Hogan, WWE announced that the series would be uploaded to their Vault YouTube channel in batches of four episodes per week starting on September 6^th. 

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“The Junkyard 500 / Junkenstein” (9/14/85) – Piper and Junkyard compete to see whose vehicle is better for a film. / Andre and Junkyard make their own metal monster that runs amok.

“The Four-Legged Pickpocket” (9/14/85) – A horse with a biting problem and a pair of jewel thieves follow the wrestlers around town.

“Clean Gene / Andre’s Giant Problem” (9/21/85) – The wrestlers offer to clean Gene’s house, but Piper intends to trash it over Gene’s badmouthing them. / The wrestlers help Andre pretend to be a pastry chef when his mother comes for a visit.

“Gorilla My dreams” (9/28/85) – Andre’s gorilla costume sees him being accused of a jewel theft committed by an actual gorilla.

“Cheaters Never Prosper / Driving Me Crazy” (9/21/85) – The evil wrestlers attempt to rig the Junior World Series. / Iron Sheik attempts to learn how to drive and cheats on the test.

“The Wrestler’s New Clothes / A Lesson in Scouting” (9/28/85) – When Andre’s suitcase goes missing Hulk and Hillbilly Jim attempt to make him a new suit. / Tito, Wendi and Junkyard take the Grizzly Scouts, including Moolah’s bratty niece Donna, on a camping trip.

“Hog Society / Wrestling Roommates” (10/5/85) – Hillbilly Jim’s sisters’ future in-laws don’t approve of her marrying their son. / When Captain Lou is evicted from his apartment he stays with the other wrestlers and becomes a real house pest.

“Moolah’s Ugly Salon / Ballot Box Boneheads” (10/5/85) – Trouble abounds with Moolah and Nikolai are tasked with watching a beauty salon. / The wrestlers try to replace a crooked mayor by helping their friend’s campaign against him.

“The Duke of Piperton / Robin Hulk & His Merry Wrestlers” (10/12/85) – Piper has to beat his cousin in a jousting contest in order to inherit a castle in Scotland. / A visit to Captain Lou’s uncle sees the wrestlers transported back in time.

“Small But Mighty” (10/12/85) – Hillbilly Jim’s remedy for his sick raccoon accidentally ends up turning the other wrestlers into children.

“Rock ‘n’ Zombies” (10/19/85) – Bobby “The Brain” Heenan’s new amusement park was built over an old graveyard, causing a case of zombies.

“The Last Resort” (10/26/85) – The wrestlers have to investigate throughout a hotel to find a stolen jewel.

“Bucket” (11/9/85) – Junkyard meets an alien and offers to help him find his space ship, but the government is hot on his trail.

Season 2:

“Ali Bano and the 40 Geeks” (9/13/86) – Captain Lou gets a lamp for his birthday, and it turns out to have an ineffectual genie inside.

“Captain Lou’s Crash Diet / Muscle Madness” (9/13/86) – Hulk, Andre and Junkyard try to help Captain Lou lose enough weight to stay in wrestling. / The evil wrestlers decide to help Moolah win a contest with Wendi to determine who’s the strongest lady in wrestling.

“10 Little Wrestlers” (9/20/86) – The wrestlers must work together to find out why people are disappearing on the cruise they were invited on.

“Big John’s Car Lot / Big Top Boobs” (9/27/86) – Piper takes over a used car lot and starts cheating customers. / Piper and his cohorts attempt to ruin the faces’ time working at the circus.

“The Foster Wrestler” (10/11/86) – Tito’s food and supply shipments to India end up stolen and the wrestlers have to find the culprit.

“Ballet Buffoons / Battle of the Bands” (10/11/86) –  When his sister hurts her leg, Nikolai tries to find a replacement ballerina to save her show. / A fundraising concert is turned into a battle of the bands between the wrestlers.

“Amazons Just Wanna Have Fun” (9/20/86) – Plane troubles lead the wrestlers to land in the Amazon where they’re captured by a group of Amazons.

“The Art of Wrestling / The Blue Lagoons” (10/11/86) – Hulk models in Wendi’s art class. / Helping Iron Sheik lands him and Hulk on a deserted island.

“The Superfly Express” (9/27/86) – A train ride turns into a battle against the plot of some jewel thieves.

“Junkyard Dog’s Junkyard Dog / My Fair Wrestler” (10/4/86) – After another robbery, Junkyard gets a new dog to guard his junkyard. / Captain Lou goes to England to learn how to be a gentleman.

“Ghost Wrestlers” (10/4/86) – The wrestlers help an old wrestler remove ghosts from his boarding house.

“The Wrong Stuff” (10/18/86) – Hulk and Nikolai are chosen to go into space, but Piper and Iron Sheik plan to sabotage their mission.

“Rowdy Roddy Reforms / Three Little Hulks” (10/18/86) – Piper is forced by court order to reform, but his friends want the original back. / Hulk gets a visit from his disruptive nephews.

Originally posted in 2016. Updated in 2025.