Picture Credit: Hulk Hogan and Hulk Hogans Wrestling Shop (Instagram)
Hulk Hogan is one of the magnetic characters in professional wrestling and perhaps among the most recognized stars in history. Wrestling’s widespread popularity in the mainstream in the 80s can be largely credited to Hulk Hogan due to his contribution to WWE.
While he remained a babyface wearing yellow and red ring gear, flexing his 24-inch pythons, it all changed after the memorable heel turn at WCW Bash at the Beach 1996. He unveiled the new avatar of Hulk Hogan’s nWo character, forming one of the greatest wrestling stables in history and ditching his Real American gimmick.
The event embarked on a new era in WCW and Hulk Hogan’s career, establishing him as a heel for the first time since attaining fame. People debate whether the Hollywood Hulk Hogan or the red and yellow costume-wearing crowd favorite Hulkster was a better version. This article discusses why the heel WCW version of Hogan was better than the generic babyface of WWE.
1) Hulk Hogan’s Leadership Quality As The Leader Of nWo
nWo, or New World Order was instrumental to the success of WCW in the 1990s. Joined by The Outsiders aka Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, the group ushered in a new era, making the once-beloved Hogan a bad guy for the first time.
The group had the vision of taking over World Championship Wrestling and rightfully so, they got the job done. Due to the positive impact of the group, WCW introduced different versions of the stable such as nWo Wolfpack, nWo Red & Black, nWo 2000, nWo Hollywood, etc.
Therefore, Hulk Hogan’s nWo version was a successful leader contrasting to the babyface one. The Real American avatar never led a significant stable throughout his career, much less reaching the same height as a leader.
2) Made WCW The Biggest Competition Of WWE
The professional wrestling industry has been largely influenced by WWE’s success, especially after Vince McMahon’s takeover in 1982. The billion-dollar company has been the undisputed leader of the business for decades, attaining global popularity and signing wrestlers from all over the world.
However, in the mid-1990s, the dominance of WWE was hindered by the rise of WCW, which was a serious threat to the Stamford-based promotion, and Hogan deserved the credit. Once he jumped ship to the now-defunct promotion, all eyes were set on him, giving a massive surge to the ratings.
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While Hulk Hogan’s Real American version did help in ratings in the 80s, the heel avatar was the reason behind WCW’s dominance during Monday Night Wars. Relying on the leadership and popularity of Hollywood Hulk Hogan, WCW beat WWE for 83 straight weeks in ratings because he was a bigger attraction than any WWE star in that era.
3) Forced WWE To Kickstart The Attitude Era
WWE was seemingly in serious jeopardy from the business perspective due to the cut-neck competition from WCW in the 90s led by The Hulkster. The New Generation Era of WWE had some big stars, but Vince lost most of his primary stars to the Ted Turner’a promotion.
Hulk Hogan’s nWo heel version was responsible for the downfall of WWE. Hence, he prompted Vince McMahon to produce edgier content on weekly programming, giving birth to the Attitude Era in 1997. The decision turned the company’s fortune around.
Even though Hulk Hogan’s Real American Babyface version was instrumental to the Golden Era’s success, he didn’t force the competitor to give birth to a whole new era, that too the most successful one in wrestling history.
4) More World Title Reigns In A Shorter Timeframe
In his younger days in prime, he spent a decade in WWE, headlining numerous big shows of the Golden Era wearing his signature yellow and red gear as the Hulk Hogan Real American version. After winning the WWE Championship in 1984, he ended up with a four-year-long reign, making it one of the greatest tenures in history.
Following his impactful reign, he won the coveted belt four more times in the Golden Era. Hence, his world title count in a decade was five times, which was the most by any Superstar at that time.
On the other hand, Hogan’s tally of world championships in WCW was better in less time. Staying in Ted Turner’s promotion for only six years, The Hulkster captured the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times, remaining a main event character throughout his tenure there.
5) Continued Playing Hulk Hogan’s nWo After WCW Departure
WCW went out of business in 2001 when the years of Monday Night Wars ended after Vince McMahon and WWE purchased the company from Ted Turner. It marked the end of WCW programming and pay-per-views.
After a controversial end to his WCW career in 2000, he signed for WWE two years later, arriving as a heel with original nWo members. It was his first significant run as a bad guy under Vince, given he was a poster boy of the company before jumping ship to WCW.
The portrayal of the Hollywood Hulk Hogan character was so influential that he returned under that gimmick instead of as a typical babyface even after a hiatus of two years. However, post-WrestleMania 18, he reintroduced his old-school good guy persona, ditching nWo.
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Avik Das is an English Literature graduate with an experience of over six years as a professional writer. He has written for renowned publications such as The Sportster, Sportskeeda, Pinkvilla, and The Things