Ice Train fucking ruled. He just did. I hope to more eloquently put it in words below, but if when I leave this mortal coil, even one person says “Dan fucking ruled,” I’ll consider it a job well done.

Harold Hogue, more fondly known to the pro wrestling world as Ice Train, passed away at the untimely age of 56, leaving behind a legacy that echoes with a resounding CHOO CHOO! 

Born in Atlanta, GA, Ice Train’s life led him to Detroit, Michigan, where he excelled in sports, most of all weightlifting, setting records that showcased his astonishing strength.

After high school, Ice Train pursued a higher education at Michigan University. The self proclaimed “diva” faced his fair share of challenges there before ultimately transferring to Central State University, a historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. As a college football player, he earned a reputation as one of the strongest in the nation, eventually securing a place in the Central State University Hall of Fame.

In 1992, Ice Train’s journey took a pivotal turn as he joined the WCW Power Plant, brought in by Pez Whatley and trained by Jody Hamilton and Buddy Lee Parker. Pez Whatley, instantly seeing his potential, recruited him after witnessing Ice Train, at 295 pounds of muscle, dunk a basketball. In training weightlifting was once again his best friend. His feats on strength are what got the attention of the WCW higher ups and led to him quickly being put on TV. 

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Ice Train was an immediate success upon debut. His impressive physique and undeniable charisma made him an instant fan favorite. He went undefeated for quite a while. Formed a successful team with Ron Simmons. Simmons would go on to turn on Ice Train. Ron Simmons defeated him in under 4 minutes at Clash of Champions XXVI. At this point WCW didn’t really utilize him at all for several months.

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A suggestion from Vader saved his career and led him to Germany. He went to wrestle for the Catch Wrestling Association or the CWA. He had an abomination of a first match in Germany against Alex Wright’s father, Steven. This challenging start lit a fire under his ass. He threw himself into it so as to not let Vader down. This is the first time he truly started learning the psychology aspect of the business. The big man, powered through the adversity of learning all this thousands of miles from his friends and family. He got to work with a who’s who of European wrestling: Tony St Clair, Dave Taylor and over 30 matches with Fit Finlay.

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Ice Train’s talent and dedication shine through in Germany. It quickly becomes a second home. JBL was a companion on his first tour over there. The Americans bonded and grew as wrestlers together. He excelled in Germany. He even won the Catch Cup in 1995 in Breman, defeating his friend and rival JBL, in the finals. This was the personal high point of his career. He would later in life call long-time CWA owner Otto Wanz his favorite promoter. Otto was obviously a huge fan of Ice Train himself. Otto’s words echoed a sentiment shared by many in the wrestling industry and its fans – any promoter not pushing Ice Train didn’t understand the business. 

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His return stateside led to arguably the most memorable period of his career, the team of Fire and Ice. This team with Scott Norton was sadly much shorter than many fans remember. Though their partnership was short-lived, it shone brightly, showcasing the natural synergy between the two powerful individuals. Norton and Ice Train were just natural teammates. Two giant strong men throwing other dudes around. It was a perfect match. Unfortunately they were less of a perfect match outside of the ring. Ice Train would later acknowledge his part in this, wanting to have a singles career. He was younger and never reached out to Norton on a personal level. Ultimately neither man enjoyed the partnership as much as the fans did.

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After the dissolution of the Fire and Ice tag team, WCW ultimately did little with Ice Train. He would have sporadic squash matches and then disappear from television. He returned to his second home of Germany for another extended tour. WCW does nothing with him once again after the impressive tour. At one point he sits at home for nearly a year and collects $250,000 and doesn’t wrestle a single match.  

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He does return in the very late stages of WCW under the brand new gimmick of MI Smooth. He was Ernest Miller’s limo driver and a member of the New Blood, in their awful feud with the Millionaires Club. The fans ultimately never accept the abrupt change, or at least were never given a chance because soon after the re-debut he was beaten by Goldberg in seconds. 

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Soon after the squash, WCW went out of business. The end of WCW concluded his professional wrestling career. Having not come up in the territories or the indies, Ice Train had little desire to work for smaller shows or continue wrestling outside of WCW or Germany. He never worked a day in his life for Vince McMahon, despite being called multiple times by John Laurinaitis, the then head of talent relations. On top of feeling he would never be properly utilized, they already had Mark Henry, though Ice Train was the real strongest man in wrestling, and that

He spent his later years with his true loves: his family and fitness. He kept himself in amazing shape and helped train his son. What sets Ice Train apart is not just his wrestling achievements but the rare departure from the industry on a positive note. In a wrestling world known for producing broken bodies, malcontents, drug addicts, and worse, he stacked his money wisely and crafted a life filled with love. Wrestling was his career, but his family was his life. When asked for his favorite part of his wrestling career, he would answer without pause, the friendship. the boys, the camaraderie. A man that could truly see what was important in this life. Beyond being one of the strongest men to grace the squared circle, Ice Train’s intelligence and foresight shone through, leaving behind a legacy that transcends the ring. May he rest in power, forever remembered for fucking ruling.