While most people criticize, and rightly so, his career over the past few years you can’t discount what he has done for the industry as a whole. Obviously he led the WWF to prominence in the 80s and was responsible for some of the classic moments in wrestling. However, credit must also be given to him, at least in part, to the wrestling resurgence in the late 90s.
WCW had been a struggling promotion since its conception in 1988 and even before that the NWA (partly due to the booking habits of Dusty Rhodes) was also very non-profitable. Wrestling was for the most part in a recession and struggling for ANYTHING that would pull them out of the funk. Bret Hart was WWF champion and Ric Flair was in the driver’s seat in WCW. The WWF was making money, though not what they wanted, and WCW was losing or breaking even.
All of the sudden Hulk Hogan enters the picture and eyebrows get raised all over the industry over his defection. An immediate feud is started with Ric Flair and a long-missing spark returns to WCW. Hogan was given the book and he made Flair job to him a ridiculous amount of times. WWF at this point was still top dog and was making no reference to its competition.
Then the big change happened. WCW announced its intention to have a live show every week. Not just any day of the week but on Monday. And not just any timeslot either, they were going to challenge RAW. Ridiculous, right? Nope. The appearance of Lex Luger on the very first Nitro signified that WCW was serious. Other defections had already happened, including Randy Savage. Soon to follow would be Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. Nitro climaxed when the NWO was new and entertaining and the ratings prove it.
All of these big changes had a catalyst. Hulk Hogan. Don’t believe for one second that without his defection all of this what still have come into play. He prompted others to join WCW and brought a once nearly bankrupt business into prominence.
However, all good (or bad) things must come to an end. Involving himself in the NWO angle probably added two years to his career. However, due in part to overexposure and repetitiveness he slowly lost touch with the fans, even as a heel. I hope that he came to realize this himself, as I think he did, and that no one had to force him into doing something that he should have seen himself.
Is Hogan wholly to blame for his demise over the past year? Not at all. A horribly handled angle with the Warrior brought it about most recently. However, even if the Warrior angle had been handled properly it would have been the last major run for Hogan. The fans are ready to move on and he should be willing to let them.
It was Hulk Hogan who started the fire for this resurgence of the wrestling business. He forced everyone to step up their game. The wrestling product has never been better nor have the shows ever been more entertaining. Vince McMahon was put into a tight corner by WCW. It is somewhat ironic that Hulk was responsible, first internally and then externally, for the WWF’s rise in popularity. Hulk left the WWF with thoughts of vengeance on his mind. He gave it, and then through his efforts his old employers recognized the need to step it up a notch.
Extremely critical. That’s what I would use to describe my attitude towards the Hulkster the past few years. His ego is as big as his legacy. He considers himself bigger than the sport. Well, maybe he is.
Comments, as always are welcome.
