I noticed that, too. Having seen countless Hogan matches after that, you realize that it was part of his routine. He often used heel tactics throughout his career, but was so over as a babyface that it worked with 1980s crowds as the heel getting a taste of their own medicine. Compared to Backlund, though, it was definitely something fresh.
I remember watching Backlund as a kid — I was 7 when he finally lost the belt; most of my memories are of him wrestling in the Spectrum in Philly and seeing it on the regional cable outlet Prism in that 1981-83 timeframe — but haven't gone back and seen every match. I was probably picking boogers when this angle was playing out. Thanks for the quick rundown on that angle.
Did Hogan and Sheik ever have a proper feud or a big rematch after Hogan won? Or did Hogan just run through the heel roster until he got to Piper and Orndorff leading into Wrestlemania?
