When did Hogan's run truly end

[flakeymcgill]

For the purposes of the poll 'run' means the period of time where he was considered the number one guy/draw in the industry, not necessarily linked to holding a world title or even being particularly active in a single promotion in one year, but just considered the top guy in the industry, not necessarily kayfabe.

Going through the options, I think that even when Warrior won the belt in 1990 Hogan was still the main guy, he may not have been pushed as the top star at that point, or may have been merely co-promoted as the main guy, but I think Hogan was probably still considered inside and outside the industry as the top star.

Even when he left initially in 1992 and again when he left in 1993 for a long time his absence was almost as noticeable as the guys they were promoting on the card. I think Hogan's absence was noticeable through to and including Wrestlemania 10. By that time we might not have wanted him there but his absence was still a presence by itself. 

With Hollywood Hogan blowing up with the mid 90s with the NWO the first real time I think you could doubt Hogan's spot as number 1 in the industry was 1997 with the rise of Austin. But in 1997 the NWO was still hot enough. WWE's 'Attitude' push was starting to grow roots and the seeds were laid for imminent and permanent dominance but would I put Hogan as the industry's number 1 in 1997 over Austin? Yes


1998 on the other-hand is a different matter. I think from 1998-2001 undoubtedly Austin was the main guy. Not necessarly at WM14 itself but later on as the character caught fire and mainstream attention.

For me Hulk Hogan's run as the top guy in the industry lasted from 1983 - 1998 and he relinquished the title to Steve Austin.

[johnnyk9]

1995 for the red and yellow purpose

[Deleted]

Around spring of 1998 when Austin reached his peak. Even in 94/95 at his worst before the NWO Hogan was still the biggest name. He came in and broke WCW pay-per-view records.

[Milkman Norm]

When he went to TNA. Remember the 2002-2005 runs in WWE? He was used in main events spots after WCW. So the idea that he was done with 1998 is absurd to me. Also Austin was clearly the guy from 1998-99. But he was out most of 2000 & The Rock became the guy in 2000.

[Deleted]

Mar 27, 2020 10:16:40 GMT -5 Milkman Norm said:

When he went to TNA. Remember the 2002-2005 runs in WWE? He was used in main events spots after WCW. So the idea that he was done with 1998 is absurd to me.

He wasn't done but he wasn't the top star in the business anymore after 1998. It was Austin and then Rock.

[Milkman Norm]

Mar 27, 2020 10:18:57 GMT -5 justsomeguy said:

Mar 27, 2020 10:16:40 GMT -5 Milkman Norm said:

When he went to TNA. Remember the 2002-2005 runs in WWE? He was used in main events spots after WCW. So the idea that he was done with 1998 is absurd to me.

He wasn't done but he wasn't the top star in the business anymore after 1998. It was Austin and then Rock.

In terms of drawing power? Was he the biggest draw in 1994-1996? I don't know. In terms of his Q Score? It's been high since the mid 80's & at the time may have been higher than Austin or Rock's. In terms of the perception of the general wrestling fan? For sure Austin & then Rock were bigger deals. But there are so many ways to qualify this it's nearly impossible to rate with any accuracy.

['Foretold' Joker]

98/99 it was done with a small blip in 2002 for his match with the rock, title win and then loss to the Undertaker.

[cabbageboy]

I voted 1999 because that's when Hogan really ceased being a serious draw for WCW. In 1998 you could still argue at various points that year he was still the biggest revenue mover in wrestling. Austin was there as well but that had no real effect on Hogan's run in WCW.

[Deleted]

I voted 1992, his hiatus from WWF for almost a whole year. It really all changed at that point, whether we young un's knew it or not.

[flakeymcgill]

Mar 27, 2020 11:16:26 GMT -5 @knapp said:

I voted 1992, his hiatus from WWF for almost a whole year. It really all changed at that point, whether we young un's knew it or not.

It did but in 1992, 1993, 1994 etc I'd still argue Hogan was the top guy in the business, even though it had changed.

[thecrusherwi]

Probably late 1998. As big as Austin was, WCW still was doing huge ratings and buyrates in the summer of 1998 with the Hogan vs DDP celebrity tag team matches on top. I would say that once Austin vs Taker got a Wrestlemania-like buyrate for Summerslam 1998, the torch was finally passed.

[Milkman Norm]

When did it truly begin? It's hard to say , just like it's hard to say when it ended. He had the media support due to working in the New York territory & the proximity of the national networks & cable channels. But he wasn't a draw in the territories that were holding there own or even doing better in market than WWE was. Hell in some of those places WWE didn't succeed until the late 90's. It's not like there was a literal moment in which Hulk Hogan was given the all-spark, or when it was given to Steve Austin. To the general public if you say "name a pro wrestler" I'd guarantee that Hogan would be one of the first names they thought of.

[The Thread Barbi]

1992 - he looked tired. His act was tired. Going off steroids made him look like a shell of his former self.

[Milkman Norm]

This is one of those topics where I feel the need to shout into the void. Mostly because I'm bored at home but still. The idea that Hogan went from "the top guy" to "not a top guy" is flawed. If anything one can say that recent non-wrestling events have devalued his Q score much more than anything during his wrestling career. From 1983-2002 He was a top guy. Maybe not "the top guy" but a top guy.

[Mid-Carder]

1998 seems logical but bar Brock Lesnar, I would be hard-pressed to name a bigger star in wrestling, in every respect, in 2002 than Hogan.

[Ben Wyatt]

Summer of '98. The combo of Goldberg loss and SummerSlam 98 happening within about a month of each other, that was it for Hogan as the guy

[Milkman Norm]

Mar 27, 2020 14:55:22 GMT -5 Mid-Carder said:

1998 seems logical but bar Brock Lesnar, I would be hard-pressed to name a bigger star in wrestling, in every respect, in 2002 than Hogan.

Right. Others got just as big or maybe slightly bigger in terms of cultural footprint as *wrestlers* or *wrestlers who appear in movies* but none passed him. I would say Dwayne Johnson has far surpassed Hogan as a star. But I suspect there are masses that associate him with being an actor who don't associate him with wrestling at all.

[GuyOfOwnage]

There are so many ways to quantify this that it's kinda hard to say. Like, before I clicked on the thread, I assumed we were talking about fan response to the babyface red and yellow Hogan. Which, to that, I definitely say 92. From The Undertaker getting cheered over him at Survivor Series 91, to the fans popping for his elimination from the 92 Rumble, people were definitely over him. Even when he got brought back for a few months in 93, he felt out of place and definitely wasn't getting the same reactions anymore. Now, I'm no expert on this next part because I wasn't watching WCW in 94/95, but based on what I'm able to surmise, despite breaking PPV records, the fan response to red and yellow Hogan in those years was lukewarm at best. It seems as though it was the heel turn that really got him over with the WCW audience, because with that, they were able to lean into the hate. Strictly in terms of fan response, 92-95 were seemingly pretty lean years for Hogan.

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

Mar 27, 2020 14:55:22 GMT -5 Mid-Carder said:

1998 seems logical but bar Brock Lesnar, I would be hard-pressed to name a bigger star in wrestling, in every respect, in 2002 than Hogan.

I would say The Rock. He was the second half of Mania X8's real main event, held the title for a month, main evented several PPVs including Summerslam, and was around for slightly longer.

[Tenshigure]

Mar 27, 2020 10:44:23 GMT -5 Milkman Norm said:

In terms of drawing power? Was he the biggest draw in 1994-1996? I don't know. In terms of his Q Score? It's been high since the mid 80's & at the time may have been higher than Austin or Rock's. In terms of the perception of the general wrestling fan? For sure Austin & then Rock were bigger deals. But there are so many ways to qualify this it's nearly impossible to rate with any accuracy.

You have to bear in mind that 94-96 were the years of WrestleMania X-XII, where they were still shaking off the over-the-top cartoon character gimmicks of the late 80s like Mantaur, Duke "The Dumpster" Droese, and Isaac Yankem DDS. I'm not saying that WCW was any better (Shockmaster, anyone?), but the acquisition of Hulk Hogan was a HUGE deal back then, and brought more eyes to WCW programming at a more national scale compared to the more regional eyes it was getting prior to this.

Austin was still 'The Ringmaster' in '95, it wasn't until '96 when Stone Cold was born. Same with The Rock, who was merely "The Blue Chipper" Rocky Maivia until '97 when he joined the NoD. One could potentially argue that Bret Hart was their biggest star for WWF at the time, but Vince was still trying to get guys like Diesel and Sid main event pushes in contrast of Shawn Michaels during this same time, leading to record low buyrates for PPVs and popularity of the group.

For all intents and purposes, it wasn't until Hogan joined the nWo in '96 that the WWF took the gloves off and let these stars they had truly shine like never before. Before then, Hogan was still the gold standard in 'faces of the company' when you are talking about asking any casual person on the street of the name of one pro wrestler.