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Post by slaughterama on Jul 31, 2020 14:37:24 GMT -5
Hulk Hogan was (still is) one of the most recognizable people on the planet. Hogan was one of the faces of American pop culture at the time it was exploding in nations that were opening up to exposure to more and more of the world. Just about anyone above the age of 30 knows who he is, or is very cut off from the outside world. He also had a unique look and unique name compared to Cena which makes him stand out even more. If you put pro wrestling into the category of "sports" Hogan is in the company of people like Ali, Tiger, Jordan, & Tyson in terms of American stars known globally. I'd put Cena somewhere a notch below the next group of guys like Kobe, LeBron, Mickelson, etc. Kobe, LeBron is in the Jordan and Tyson group Once you get known by one name you are a worldwide name. Phil Mickelson is not in that group. I think there are large enough pockets of the world that don't care enough about the NBA/basketball that LeBron & Kobe aren't quite at that level. I could be wrong though. I tend to put LeBron & Kobe with the Brady's & Jeter's because I just don't know if they reach every nook, and if they do, are they recognizable to the average person if you take them out of their familiar environment? I probably tend to put Phil a little high, but he is highly marketable, insanely popular wherever he goes, and has been one of the big names in the sport for a long time now. Probably connects more with middle/upper class though, whereas the others mentioned appeal up and down the list.
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Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Jul 31, 2020 14:42:02 GMT -5
Kobe, LeBron is in the Jordan and Tyson group Once you get known by one name you are a worldwide name. Phil Mickelson is not in that group. I think there are large enough pockets of the world that don't care enough about the NBA/basketball that LeBron & Kobe aren't quite at that level. I could be wrong though. I tend to put LeBron & Kobe with the Brady's & Jeter's because I just don't know if they reach every nook, and if they do, are they recognizable to the average person if you take them out of their familiar environment? I probably tend to put Phil a little high, but he is highly marketable, insanely popular wherever he goes, and has been one of the big names in the sport for a long time now. Probably connects more with middle/upper class though, whereas the others mentioned appeal up and down the list. Yea, that I don't agree with LeBron is legit one of the biggest athletes in the world in a sport that's not worldwide. Kobe death reached places like the Philippines were they built a mural for this man. LeBron could go to Italy and be instantly recognized. They are without question in the top names of all time with athletes. Phil is nowhere near them. He is a way distant 2nd behind Tiger. It's Tiger and everyone else in terms of current names over the last 25 years. He could pass me in the street and i'd have to think if that was him. Kobe and LeBron are not in that class, when you see them you know.
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Post by Cyno on Jul 31, 2020 14:45:12 GMT -5
Kobe, LeBron is in the Jordan and Tyson group Once you get known by one name you are a worldwide name. Phil Mickelson is not in that group. I think there are large enough pockets of the world that don't care enough about the NBA/basketball that LeBron & Kobe aren't quite at that level. I could be wrong though. I tend to put LeBron & Kobe with the Brady's & Jeter's because I just don't know if they reach every nook, and if they do, are they recognizable to the average person if you take them out of their familiar environment? I probably tend to put Phil a little high, but he is highly marketable, insanely popular wherever he goes, and has been one of the big names in the sport for a long time now. Probably connects more with middle/upper class though, whereas the others mentioned appeal up and down the list. Basketball is arguably the most popular sport in the world after association football, with the NBA seen as the top flight organization. It's either that or cricket. And Kobe and Lebron were the faces of basketball for over 20 years. Lebron still is the face of basketball today.
Mickelson is nowhere near close to either of them. Golf is the sport of the bourgeoisie and doesn't have anywhere near the same universal appeal as soccer or basketball. Tiger only got as big as he got because he was able to tap into that appeal.
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The Ichi
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Post by The Ichi on Jul 31, 2020 15:15:19 GMT -5
Over here it's still Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks and everyone else is just a pretender.
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Post by Clash, Never a Meter Maid on Aug 1, 2020 6:52:16 GMT -5
Over here it's still Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks and everyone else is just a pretender. What about Mick McManus?
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Post by EvenBaldobombHasAJob on Aug 2, 2020 7:18:06 GMT -5
I think there are large enough pockets of the world that don't care enough about the NBA/basketball that LeBron & Kobe aren't quite at that level. I could be wrong though. I tend to put LeBron & Kobe with the Brady's & Jeter's because I just don't know if they reach every nook, and if they do, are they recognizable to the average person if you take them out of their familiar environment? I probably tend to put Phil a little high, but he is highly marketable, insanely popular wherever he goes, and has been one of the big names in the sport for a long time now. Probably connects more with middle/upper class though, whereas the others mentioned appeal up and down the list. Basketball is arguably the most popular sport in the world after association football, with the NBA seen as the top flight organization. It's either that or cricket. And Kobe and Lebron were the faces of basketball for over 20 years. Lebron still is the face of basketball today. Mickelson is nowhere near close to either of them. Golf is the sport of the bourgeoisie and doesn't have anywhere near the same universal appeal as soccer or basketball. Tiger only got as big as he got because he was able to tap into that appeal.
heck I'd say world wide the biggest hockey stars (Crosby, Ovechkin, McDavid) are probably bigger names than any golfer or baseball player of american football player just by dint of Hockey being a big deal in both North America and Europe.
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adamclark52
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Post by adamclark52 on Aug 2, 2020 21:55:31 GMT -5
No
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Post by Toilet Paper Roll on Aug 2, 2020 22:48:42 GMT -5
Hulk Hogan is a hosuehold name and a major reason wrestling still exists as anything today,.
John Cena does pistachio commercials as a CGI elephant
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Cranjis McBasketball☝🏻
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball☝🏻 on Aug 2, 2020 23:33:49 GMT -5
No.
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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Aug 2, 2020 23:38:30 GMT -5
Might be the first time I’ve seen the term “bourgeoisie” used here on FAN.
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Post by Hobby Drifter on Aug 3, 2020 0:54:05 GMT -5
Hogan the benefit of being big in pop culture when there weren’t so many options to choose from.
As such, more people knew about him, even if they weren’t wrestling fans. Kids growing up in the 80’s saw his face on lunchboxes and stuff like that.
It didn’t hurt that he stuck around for ages after his peak while other 80’s icons kinda fell off the map.
Cena got big at a time when entertainment options were pretty much unlimited. So it’s not a given that literally every kid knew who he was.
Cena has certainly accomplished more than Hogan. His movies have mostly been at least moderate successes. He held more world titles in wrestling than Hulk. And, by nearly all accounts he’s a friendly, hard-working guy who’s a joy to work with.
Nostalgia fuels most of Hulk Hogan’s fame and has done so for the last 20 years. We’ll see how John Cena is remembered in 2040.
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Post by 'Foretold' Joker on Aug 3, 2020 5:21:00 GMT -5
Cena is not at Hogan levels. The basic question of asking a 100 people to name a famous wrestler is always going to have a top answer of Hulk Hogan or The Rock. I'd agree amongst a certain younger demographic that Cena might be more well known today, but I'd imagine much like Big Daddy in the UK when a kid gets into wrestling the parents are going to reference Hulk Hogan and Hulkamania anyway. I think there are large enough pockets of the world that don't care enough about the NBA/basketball that LeBron & Kobe aren't quite at that level. I could be wrong though. I tend to put LeBron & Kobe with the Brady's & Jeter's because I just don't know if they reach every nook, and if they do, are they recognizable to the average person if you take them out of their familiar environment? I probably tend to put Phil a little high, but he is highly marketable, insanely popular wherever he goes, and has been one of the big names in the sport for a long time now. Probably connects more with middle/upper class though, whereas the others mentioned appeal up and down the list. Basketball is arguably the most popular sport in the world after association football, with the NBA seen as the top flight organization. It's either that or cricket. And Kobe and Lebron were the faces of basketball for over 20 years. Lebron still is the face of basketball today. Mickelson is nowhere near close to either of them. Golf is the sport of the bourgeoisie and doesn't have anywhere near the same universal appeal as soccer or basketball. Tiger only got as big as he got because he was able to tap into that appeal.
I had to look up who LeBron is so no he isn't quite at the same level as say Shaq, Jordan or Rodman. I'd argue Athletics or Rugby have more worldwide following than Basketball (certainly in Europe anyway at least).
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Post by 'Foretold' Joker on Aug 3, 2020 5:23:13 GMT -5
Basketball is arguably the most popular sport in the world after association football, with the NBA seen as the top flight organization. It's either that or cricket. And Kobe and Lebron were the faces of basketball for over 20 years. Lebron still is the face of basketball today. Mickelson is nowhere near close to either of them. Golf is the sport of the bourgeoisie and doesn't have anywhere near the same universal appeal as soccer or basketball. Tiger only got as big as he got because he was able to tap into that appeal.
heck I'd say world wide the biggest hockey stars (Crosby, Ovechkin, McDavid) are probably bigger names than any golfer or baseball player of american football player just by dint of Hockey being a big deal in both North America and Europe. Hockey is still pretty niche over here. Golf gets on TV at least.
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Post by King Devitt: Scrum Guzzler on Aug 3, 2020 7:39:49 GMT -5
Not even close.
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Post by Cyno on Aug 3, 2020 13:34:16 GMT -5
Cena is not at Hogan levels. The basic question of asking a 100 people to name a famous wrestler is always going to have a top answer of Hulk Hogan or The Rock. I'd agree amongst a certain younger demographic that Cena might be more well known today, but I'd imagine much like Big Daddy in the UK when a kid gets into wrestling the parents are going to reference Hulk Hogan and Hulkamania anyway. Basketball is arguably the most popular sport in the world after association football, with the NBA seen as the top flight organization. It's either that or cricket. And Kobe and Lebron were the faces of basketball for over 20 years. Lebron still is the face of basketball today. Mickelson is nowhere near close to either of them. Golf is the sport of the bourgeoisie and doesn't have anywhere near the same universal appeal as soccer or basketball. Tiger only got as big as he got because he was able to tap into that appeal.
I had to look up who LeBron is so no he isn't quite at the same level as say Shaq, Jordan or Rodman. I'd argue Athletics or Rugby have more worldwide following than Basketball (certainly in Europe anyway at least). I'd argue Rodman was far more infamous than famous. World class defender, but he's more known for his insane antics. He's not even close to being in Lebron or Kobe's sphere of influence. Unless that sphere of influence is North Korea.
And there are millions upon millions of people in China, Africa, and Latin America who'd disagree with you about basketball.
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Post by nickcave on Aug 3, 2020 13:53:10 GMT -5
Batista is a better actor than Cena but I wouldn't say he is more famous
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Post by slaughterama on Aug 3, 2020 13:54:05 GMT -5
Cena is not at Hogan levels. The basic question of asking a 100 people to name a famous wrestler is always going to have a top answer of Hulk Hogan or The Rock. I'd agree amongst a certain younger demographic that Cena might be more well known today, but I'd imagine much like Big Daddy in the UK when a kid gets into wrestling the parents are going to reference Hulk Hogan and Hulkamania anyway. Basketball is arguably the most popular sport in the world after association football, with the NBA seen as the top flight organization. It's either that or cricket. And Kobe and Lebron were the faces of basketball for over 20 years. Lebron still is the face of basketball today. Mickelson is nowhere near close to either of them. Golf is the sport of the bourgeoisie and doesn't have anywhere near the same universal appeal as soccer or basketball. Tiger only got as big as he got because he was able to tap into that appeal.
I had to look up who LeBron is so no he isn't quite at the same level as say Shaq, Jordan or Rodman. I'd argue Athletics or Rugby have more worldwide following than Basketball (certainly in Europe anyway at least). It's a good call on Shaq. LeBron & Kobe are probably closer to looking up at Shaq than they are at being at the insane level of an Ali or a Jordan. Shaq was every bit the star that Kobe & LeBron were, but with a profile outside of the sport that neither one of them has. LeBron is doing everything he can to get there, but it's different times now. I don't think many people realize that there are huge portions of the world, heck even in the US, that don't pay attention to the NBA. You have to crossover in an enormous way. Jordan was bigger than sports. He was as much a part of pop culture as he was basketball. Again, right place, right era. There's the video games, the movie, the commercials, and the NIKE relationship, which put him in every sporting goods & shoe store on the planet. LeBron is extremely famous, but he isn't in the global discussion with Jordan or Ali or Tyson. Those guys were just next level.
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Push R Truth
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Post by Push R Truth on Aug 3, 2020 14:40:45 GMT -5
One thing I rarely see talked about in regards to Hogan being known: on top of everything that's been repeated many times, the dude had a unique look. There was only one person on planet Earth that even sorta looked like Hogan, Superstar Billy Graham. I fully believe that unique look was an overlooked key factor in him being so recognizable.
Even thru his various "looks" he was still that guy. He could cover up the skullet, shave the mustache, drop 30lbs, dye the hair... still the same unique looking dude. It's quite a testament to just now "different" the dude appeared. In wrestling, looking different is a large part of the battle of standing out.
You could make a crappy looking statue of Hogan (like that I Love Lucy abomination) and everybody would know it's still Hogan. Most everybody else you'd have to read the plaque to figure out who it would be.
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Post by Hypnosis on Aug 4, 2020 9:47:58 GMT -5
Cena is not at Hogan levels. The basic question of asking a 100 people to name a famous wrestler is always going to have a top answer of Hulk Hogan or The Rock. I'd agree amongst a certain younger demographic that Cena might be more well known today, but I'd imagine much like Big Daddy in the UK when a kid gets into wrestling the parents are going to reference Hulk Hogan and Hulkamania anyway. I had to look up who LeBron is so no he isn't quite at the same level as say Shaq, Jordan or Rodman. I'd argue Athletics or Rugby have more worldwide following than Basketball (certainly in Europe anyway at least). I'd argue Rodman was far more infamous than famous. World class defender, but he's more known for his insane antics. He's not even close to being in Lebron or Kobe's sphere of influence. Unless that sphere of influence is North Korea. And there are millions upon millions of people in China, Africa, and Latin America who'd disagree with you about basketball.
The King of Fouls.
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Venti
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Post by Venti on Aug 4, 2020 10:44:32 GMT -5
Cena might possibly be more well known among Gen Z and younger millennials, but Hogan was/is an 80s pop culture icon, plus the NWO was huge in the 90s. Then he had the nostalgia run in 2002/03(right after the heights of the Attitude era), so that's three decades alone he's been spotlighted(plus the reality show and the several controversies thereafter.)
Cena's been in movies, plus the "can't see him" and his theme song memes have transcended wrestling fans(I see non fans use them all the time) so I'm definitely not taking anything away from him. But as long as older generations are around, Hogan is instantaneously recognizable.
In 9 or 10 years? Maybe the dynamic might shift depending on where Cena is with his career and movies, etc as more and more people grow up watching him in media.
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