Hulk Hogan left WWE to focus more on his acting career, specifically to star in and executive produce the TV series Thunder in Paradise. After Hogan's exit from the company, a void was created, and WWE needed to rebuild, starting the "New Generation" era, focusing on the younger talent in the company. But what if that had never begun, or at least, not in the same way?
If Hulk Hogan had stayed in WWE, the careers of the younger generation would have been very different. Prior to his exiting, the company always relied on Hogan. With him no longer in WWE, the company had to change, which led to WWE Superstars including The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart having positions on the card that were more prominent than they previously had. The Undertaker began being utilized more, Hart was presented as the face of the "New Generation" era, and Michaels became WWE Champion for the first time in his career. When Hogan was in the company, not only was he the face of WWE, but he was also the face of the entire professional wrestling industry- his presence cast a long shadow, and the company would have continued to rely on his star power rather than changing and focusing on other talent.
Hulk Hogan had incomparable showmanship, and that alone was enough to capture the attention of wrestling fans (as well as create new wrestling fans) and sell out venues worldwide. That is what WWE focused on when spotlighting him- his wrestling ability was secondary. Post-Hogan in the mid-90s, the company began presenting a product that focused more on characters and athleticism. With him still on the roster, there would not have been a reason to make this shift, and this would have altered the evolution of WWE's style.
This shift in focus was also, in part, a necessity driven by changing financial realities. In the mid-1990s, WWE faced a significant financial downturn compared to the 1980s, when Hulk Hogan was drawing record-breaking pay-per-view buyrates and regularly packing arenas. For example, WrestleMania III, which was headlined by Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant, had an attendance of 93,173 people, making it the second-largest attended WrestleMania in history. By the mid-90s, attendance at live events dropped, with some of them drawing 6,500 people, a contrast to the 10,000+ average during the years that Hogan was in the company. Pay-per-view buyrates also dropped, with some WrestleMania events in the mid-90s reportedly attracting less than 400,000 buys, a decline from the company's peak. This period of financial struggle was a direct result of losing its biggest name and facing aggressive competition from WCW, which had begun to attract many of the WWE's Superstars. Had Hogan remained in the company as a consistent top name, WWE would have had more stability than the search for a new main eventer.
The most noteworthy ripple effect of Hulk Hogan staying in WWE would have been on WCW. He signed with the company in 1994, a move that would ultimately have a major impact on the Monday Night Wars that began between the two companies the next year.
Without Hulk Hogan, WCW would have lacked the star power he brought. Hogan instantly elevated WCW's mainstream visibility and image. There was a massive increase in pay-per-view buyrates- for example, his debut match against Ric Flair at Bash at the Beach 1994 made it one of the most purchased WCW pay-per-views in history. This proved Hogan's drawing power was still large, and it helped provide the foundation for the launch of Monday Nitro in 1995. And then, at Bash at the Beach 1996- the bombshell dropped, when he, the ultimate face, shockingly turned heel and became leader of the New World Order (nWo) faction.
The biggest "What If?" within this "What If" is regarding the nWo, one of the most revolutionary factions in wrestling history, which was built around Hulk Hogan's heel turn. His joining Scott Hall and Kevin Nash (who were already a team named "The Outsiders") was the official formation of the nWo. Without Hogan, there's no "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, and the nWo would not be the faction as we know it, because the original plan was for Sting to be the leader of the nWo. Would WCW Monday Nitro still have an 83-week winning streak against WWE Raw in the ratings war? Sting's "Crow" persona was developed for him to be the main face opposing the nWo- as leader of the nWo, how would Sting's character have evolved instead? Would Hall & Nash's "Outsiders" angle have had the same impact if Hogan had not been the third man? The Monday Night Wars would have been very different, especially with him in WWE as the top name. It's likely that WCW would not have gone to another level and stayed at the top of the ratings with a remarkable edge in the war.
Hulk Hogan's departure from WWE in 1993 was not only a roster change; it was a seismic event that created a massive ripple effect throughout the professional wrestling industry. His absence allowed a new generation of WWE Superstars to thrive and it also directly contributed to the rise of WCW and the Monday Night Wars. In the mid-to-late 90s, new WWE Superstars on the scene like The Rock and Steve Austin were able to reach the main event level on the card and define the Attitude Era, a period of edgy content, pushing boundaries, and often sparking controversy, which was reacting to and building upon the foundation Hogan firmly established before leaving the company. In addition, the reason why the Attitude Era was triggered in the first place was the "anti-hero" personas within the Hogan-led nWo, the way the faction members broke the rules, and the realistic and violent angles.
Had Hulk Hogan stayed in WWE, the wrestling landscape of the mid-to-late 90s, and indeed the entire trajectory of the industry, would have been completely different from what we witnessed back then and experience today. It's a testament to his unparalleled stardom, influence, and legacy that one man's career decision could have such extensive and transformative consequences.
No comments:
Post a Comment