When Did Hulk Hogan Stop Being Bigger Than The Industry?

[mountaindew]

I think most on here would agree that for a long time Hulk Hogan was bigger than professional wrestling. 99 percent of professional wrestlers are easy to replace. But Hogan was a rare exception. 

When would you say he stopped being bigger than professional wrestling? 

I'd say 2002, when he returned to WWE. The final years of WCW don't count, because no one was drawing then. In 2002 he won the title, and lost it a month later. He lost most of his big matches, didn't always main event, and lost clean a few times. 

From 1984-2000, he could do almost anything he wanted in wrestling. But that stopped in 2002. 

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

I'd say the 2002-2003 run was the last big Hulk run

The mid-2000's run he was more of a novelty act and the Shawn Michael's match and the overselling really highlighted it, he was well past it at that point.

[LiamMcDuggle]

Probably around 2000 when he was performing in front of 2000 people on Nitro.


His initial WWE return was a bit of a big deal, but for how big he was, his reception from the crowd was rather muted until Mania 18.

[thechase]

I'd say his run on top ended around summer 1998 when Goldberg beat him for the title on Nitro. After that came the finger poke and a pretty mid retread of WCW Pastamania.

His early 2002 run is pretty solid. The match with The Rock, HHH match, 'Taker match sucked but then we got the Angle match, tag title matches partnered with Edge, and that killer squash with Brock. He was passing the torch to the hot acts a lot and it was a breath of fresh air. His 'Mania match with Vince is great too...I'm not sure to this day who carried who in that one.

[The Thread Barbi]

I'd say 1993 after the steroids trial.

In WCW, he was part of an ensemble cast with the nWo. The business was bigger than Hogan, even though he was a big part of it.

2002/2003 was his last great nostalgic run, but with Austin, Rock etc in the mix, he was a cog in the wheel.

[Jaws the Shark]

I'm also going to say the early nineties. By the time he joined WCW he was still the biggest star in the industry, but his TV and film work and endorsements were now Mr. Nanny and Thunder in Paradise and Pastamania, he wasn't the same crossover star he had been in the mid-eighties anymore and seemed like a bit of a naff throwback, and much older than his years.

[Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!!]

When he tried out Hollywood and flopped hard, honestly. After that he had to settle for being one of the biggest names in wrestling.

[tafkaga]

Yes, 1993.

Hogan was still the biggest star, and his starpower definitely ballooned again in 1996-98, but from '93-'95 he was certainly not bigger than the wrestling business.

[wildojinx]

Even the NWO was more of an ensemble piece, at least the original 96-97 version (there were people who cheered guys like Nash, Hall, Syxx, etc but still booed Hogan).

[The Summer of Muskrat XVII]

I'd say 1990 give or take. The Rock and Wrestling boom had passed, Hogan was proving to not be a any good at anything related to acting or being a box office draw, he was already becoming a relic of 80's pop culture. Even at peak WCW I don't feel he transcended wrestling again like he had in the 80's.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

All I know for sure is that the dude is an absolute joke nowadays. So much of my joy from wrestling podcasts as of late has come from the respective hosts just riffing on Hogan content.

[The Blue Nova]

I would say 1990. He was a product of the 80s, and times had passed him by. The NWO did rejuvenate him as a wrestler, though, when they turned him heel. By 1996, he felt like an outdated relic from the 80s, but by 1998, even that felt stale. His return to the red and yellow in 1999 was okay, but WCW was so far gone by then that no one cared. I think his 2002 return to WWE is why people liked it; he had been gone close to 10 years, and it gave people a warm, fuzzy nostalgic feeling, especially since the kids watching him in the 80s now had kids of their own. Plus, the whole him vs The Rock being built as two guys from two different eras who transcended wrestling in one ring.

[Hypnosis]

May 3, 2024 8:46:21 GMT -5 The Blue Nova said:

"I would say 1990. He was a product of the 80s, and times had passed him by. The NWO did rejuvenate him as a wrestler, though, when they turned him heel. By 1996, he felt like an outdated relic from the 80s, but by 1998, even that felt stale. His return to the red and yellow in 1999 was okay, but WCW was so far gone by then that no one cared. I think his 2002 return to WWE is why people liked it; he had been gone close to 10 years, and it gave people a warm, fuzzy nostalgic feeling, especially since the kids watching him in the 80s now had kids of their own. Plus, the whole him vs The Rock being built as two guys from two different eras who transcended wrestling in one ring."

Why's this in quotes?  Did some other wrestler say that on a podcast?

Anyway, I feel like it was '93.

[Jindrak Mark]

Late 98 I'd say. WCW had started losing the ratings war, the Warrior debacle at Halloween Havoc, announcing he's running for president in a desperate attempt for publicity then returning just weeks later for the fingerpoke of doom.

It was the first time in 15 years that he wasn't the top dog in wrestling. Even his year out around 92-93 he was still the most talked about person. And 94-98 he became the top guy for WCW during their biggest spell ever. Some people don't realize that after Hogan jumped they were beating WWF in ratings/PPVs buys a lot of the time even before the NWO. Heading into 1999 though he wasn't number 1 anymore. Austin had surpassed him. Rock was on his way too. And even in WCW Goldberg was probably bigger than him at that point even if they fumbled him (in large part due to Hogan).

[Urn Anderson]

Mostly, it was just a gradual thing as newer generations of fans came on board who didn't grow up with him being one of the biggest names in the world. I think there are still a lot of us of a certain age where when you say "pro wrestling" the first thing that pops into your head is Hulk Hogan, but that certainly isn't true for people who became fans during or after the rise of Austin and the Rock.

But, if I had to pick a spot where it felt like that started to become the case, I'd say it was right around 1993 when he decided to distance himself more from wrestling to go into movies and TV. He kind of pushed himself out of his own spot by making that bad call, and the move to WCW solidified it. The WCW audience resented him, and the WWF fans had no choice but to move on.

Hogan was still by far the biggest name in wrestling at that point, but his pop culture star power had dimmed considerably because of that combination of appearing on TV less frequently and starring in a string of flops. He was still technically the biggest star within wrestling, but no longer bigger than wrestling, because he had proven himself to not be a viable star beyond it.

Then Austin took that title of the biggest thing in wrestling away from him, and Hogan ended up on an even playing field of "top guys" like Rock and Sting who were all equally popular - but none as big as Austin.

[hassanchop]

When the industry got small

[willywonka666]

I think we can all agree with the exception of No Holds Barred, Hogan should have skipped making films looking back, so was there a way to continue his legacy without them? Maybe only occasional appearances in the WWF like Vince wanted?

[The Blue Nova]

May 3, 2024 11:32:28 GMT -5 Hypnosis said:

May 3, 2024 8:46:21 GMT -5 The Blue Nova said:

"I would say 1990. He was a product of the 80s, and times had passed him by. The NWO did rejuvenate him as a wrestler, though, when they turned him heel. By 1996, he felt like an outdated relic from the 80s, but by 1998, even that felt stale. His return to the red and yellow in 1999 was okay, but WCW was so far gone by then that no one cared. I think his 2002 return to WWE is why people liked it; he had been gone close to 10 years, and it gave people a warm, fuzzy nostalgic feeling, especially since the kids watching him in the 80s now had kids of their own. Plus, the whole him vs The Rock being built as two guys from two different eras who transcended wrestling in one ring."

Why's this in quotes?  Did some other wrestler say that on a podcast?

Anyway, I feel like it was '93.

I pressed the wrong button lol

[Ganon83]

May 3, 2024 0:32:08 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

I'd say the 2002-2003 run was the last big Hulk run

The mid-2000's run he was more of a novelty act and the Shawn Michael's match and the overselling really highlighted it, he was well past it at that point.

You can argue Summerslam 2005 was the last time Hogan drew any real money. The Orton match the next year was a midcard feud and his last in the company. TNA was TNA. The money after the Shawn match he drew was more nostalgia based "Oh my God it's Hulk Hogan" than anything he was actually doing.

[wildojinx]

1991 and the Slaughter feud. Seeing Hogan as a superpatriot just seemed off. Yeah, you had the Volkoff and Sheik feuds, but those had a sense of just Hogan fighting the villain of the month, this one was trying to make Hogan into Captain America. And going into later 1991 you had more interesting guys like Sid, Flair, Bret, Savage returning, Piper getting revitalized, Taker, Roberts, Hogan just didnt have the same luster.