The Wurst Wrestling Of All Time

 Maybe it is because I am hungry, or perhaps I just like hotdogs, but I got to thinking about the relationship between pro wrestling and the wiener. Let’s examine the wrestling cliche “hotdog and a handshake.”

What Does “Hotdog & A Handshake” Mean In Wrestling? 

An old saying that when you start wrestling, your pay is little more than a “hotdog and a handshake.”

“Hotdog and a handshake” means that your payment for wrestling in a match will consist of a meal and maybe a gesture of a job well done. This doesn’t literally mean your pay is a hot dog and a handshake. But working for nothing is expected at the start of a wrestling career when you are working on getting your name out there and getting experience and recognition.

Often new wrestlers will help set up and break down a wrestling ring in exchange for time. While some people frown on the “paying your dues” aspect of wrestling, I believe that something as difficult as wrestling needs to be earned the hard way.

It isn’t an easy business, and you need to build grit and humility to grow your career. Different countries have different forms of minimum compensation. 

This means many wrestlers need to be frugal in their early careers. One wrestling cheapness extremeness was documented on Extreme Cheapskates. This master of that mat claims to survive on $300/month.

Hulk Hogan’s Skin

The second thing that comes to mind when wrestling fans think of bratwurst and brawling is Hulk Hogan.

All that mattered in the eighties was how jacked and tanned you were. And no one was more jacked and tanner than The Hulkster.

With his yellow trunks and white hair, a lot of fans thought Hogan looked like a hotdog with all the fixins!

I’m not going to lie. I would love to look like this for a day.

A Vienna Dog in Vienna

Seth Rollins gets a Vienna-style hot dog in Vienna, where he recalls his first overseas trip ever was to Austria.

Hotdog Starkes 

There is at least one wrestling hot dog in wrestling. Hotdog Starkes is a fixture of the Northeastern indy circuit. 

Next, Read This: Joe Gacy Has New Friends, AEW Star Has Surgery