Robot Chicken

“Metal Militia”
Season 2, Episode 13
10/1/2006

With the announcement of Camp WWE being a new show on the WWE Network, along with a bunch of other shows that add little to no value to the network (just give us new episodes of Legends of Wrestling already, dammit!), it’s only fitting we take a look at this wrestling-themed sketch from Robot Chicken since it’s brought to you by the same people who are making Camp WWE: Seth Green and Stoopid Buddy Stoodios.

Considering the final episode of Hogan’s Heroes aired on March 28, 1971, I had no idea what this show was about. I never caught the reruns like I did with The Munsters or The Brady Bunch either so I had to see what the hell this show was originally about. It’s about Col. Hogan and his fellow detainees holed up at a POW camp run by a bunch of incompetent Nazi’s. So, in typical Robot Chicken fashion, Hogan’s Heroes is reimagined starring the only Hogan that truly matters, Hulk Hogan.

Colonel Wilhelm Klink has received word that Adolf Hitler himself is going to visit their POW camp. Klink gets Hogan to promise that he and his group of misfits will behave. A group that includes the likes of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Jimmy Hart, King Kong Bundy, and Iron Sheik, all courtesy of Jakks Pacific’s line of Classic Superstars action figures. The rest of the guys like, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, and one of the Wild Samoans, are custom figures. They’re not that bad, but clearly not up to par with some of the customs you can find on the Wrestlingfigs customs forums board. Just saying.

In typical mashup fashion, attributes from both pop culture entries are utilized. Hogan says “brother” and the ineptitude of Hans Schultz is played up. The wrestlers plan to make their escape during Hitler’s visit. While they huddle around the table talking strategy, one of the Wild Samoans can be seen eating raw fish much like the proud Inuit people that Blake mocked as Eskimofo on Workaholics.

As they take inventory of their supplies, Iron Sheik pops up for the go-to 7-Eleven gag, as he lists off the items he has in stock. One of which happens to be Slim Jims. The Macho Man promptly snaps into one as does Roddy Piper, and the rest of the wrestlers, proving that every old school wrestler loves Slim Jims as much as they do beer, steroids, drugs, etc.

Piper blows off Hogan when he asks him to take out a guard quietly. Even in action figure form the animosity between Piper and Hogan is very palpable. Piper proceeds to take out the guard very loudly. And because you can’t have a sketch with wrestlers without throwing in some wrestling moves, Piper piledrives and suplexes the Nazi guard. He even Irish whips the guard into the fence, which the guard no sells and springs off the chain link enclosure like it’s a set of ropes only to be met with a clothesline.

Hitler finally shows up, being led to the camp by Schultz, who promises Hitler that everything is in tip top shape. But not even a Nazi POW camp can go over on The Hulkster, brother. Hogan slams through the fence, crushing Schultz and Hitler underneath, yelling “Hulkamania is running wild!” Other wrestlers follow close behind, belting out their catchphrases, including Lanny Poffo with “Leaping Lanny Poffo’s going boffo!” Which definitely should’ve been his real-life catchphrase seeing as it played to his character’s strength in writing poems with rhyming schemes.

When Sgt. Slaughter shows up he decides to bring Hitler and Schutlz along to WrestleMania, where they continue to beat the crap out of Hitler. Hardcore style, flaming chair and everything. Sadly, there was no actual utilization of the Ric Flair action figure, and I can’t help but feel that there was a gigantic missed opportunity for a “figure führer leg lock” joke. Oh well.