Better Good Or Bad: Hulk Hogan

[RicoLen]

I kept waiting for The Brain to do another one of these, but I'm too impatient so I'm stealing his idea and using a wrestler I want to see discussed.

This to me is the ultimate better good or bad question.

'The Immortal' Hulk Hogan vs 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan.

For me this is really pretty tough to be objective on. I LOVED 'The Immortal' and I am a die hard Hulkamaniac. Hogan as a face was the face of pro-wrestling. There are few outside the industry that have not seen Hogan ripping off his yellow & red tank top. The Hulkster put wrestling on the map, yadda yadda ya. Biggest name ever.

However... 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan completely shook up the industry and broke the heart of Hulkamaniacs everywhere. I don't want to credit Hollywood for this completely, as I'm sure that's not fair, but, did YOU ever see fans throwing mountains of trash into the ring for any heel before (or even to a lesser extent) after 'Hollywood'? Everyone was floored by his heel turn and he instantly went from being in the top 5 most loved wrestlers ever, to the #1 most hated heel of all time.

Personally, I f**king HATE Hollywood Hogan, and while intellectually I know that means he's done his job incredibly well, I just can't say that he was the better star as a heel than when he was the guy talking about all his little Hulkamaniacs and telling me to say my prayers and eat my vitamins.

 

[STEELE2469]

Hollywood Hulk Hogan, the original HHH was the best, after he joined the Outsiders, man that was the awesome and formed the nWo, quite possibly the greatest team along with DX and the 4 Horsemen, no one has come close since. I was soooo sick and tired of my vitamins and prayers and the same old match every time with the Hulking up, finger point, big leg drop and the pin for the win....... zzzzzzzzzzz

 

[Dynamitekid2012]

He might be one of the only guys with a legitmate claim as the best babyface as well as the best heel of all time. This is a really tough one...

I gotta go with babyface though. Although I've never been a Hulkamaniac, the fact is there was a time where Hulkamania was integretated into our pop culture. I think we sometimes give Hollywood the credit for the heat of the entire NWO angle, but it wasn't just him. Also, while I do think he's a bit stale and boring at this point, thats neither here nor there (just had to mention it), and ultimately, Hogan will be remembered as a babyface when it all comes to an end.

 

[RicoLen]

Hollywood Hulk Hogan, the original HHH was the best, after he joined the Outsiders, man that was the awesome and formed the nWo, quite possibly the greatest team along with DX and the 4 Horsemen, no one has come close since. I was soooo sick and tired of my vitamins and prayers and the same old match every time with the Hulking up, finger point, big leg drop and the pin for the win....... zzzzzzzzzzz

I get that argument, I really do, you watch Cena nowadays and it makes perfect sense.

Yet, without even realizing it, back in 2002? or was it 2003? When he finally turned face, maybe it was even his 2005 return as a face. One of those times, anyways.

Real American hit and it just blew me away, I marked out like crazy, then I see him come out wearing the yellow and red tear off the shirt, put his hand to his ear, and of course, in the ring where he hulks up and he points his finger and everyone in the crowd (me included, though I was watching at home) says "YOU!" it was like watching a return of your favorite comedian, where even though you know exactly what the jokes are he's going to say, you can help yourself and tell the joke along with him and laugh anyways. I liked Hulkamania growing up, starting out, I didn't, I thought it was annoying that everyone and everything seemed to be about Hulk Hogan, but by the time he left the WWF I loved the guy.

 

[bsager20018]

Hulk Hogan with out a doubt. He did a great job as a heel, don't get me wrong but he is just a great babyface. A face is supposed to be like a super hero and that is what he was like. Even in TNA right now he is trying to get over as a heel and it's not working. The fans still cheer him. Hoping that he does turn at BFG cause it needs to happen. But I really hope he does not wrestle anymore. I am afraid his body will shatter in the ring. And it's just not the same without the legdrop.

 

[Dusty Roids]

His time as Hulk Hogan he still was relevant. If it wasn't for him trying to hog the spotlight and main event all the time in the late ninties I would say Hollywood Hogan. He really used his impact of turning heel that the nWo needed and it was a wise career move at he time because he became relevant again. Hogan still main eventing after Sting defeated him for the WCW championship really ruined it for me.

 

[GodCompleX]

Its a great debate that could go either way. I'd have to go with The Immortal Hulk Hogan here because of how over that character was world wide is what made his heel turn so unexpected. People were truly pissed when he told the fans to "stick it". That girl who won a Slammy for being mad at The Miz had nothing on the legions of Hulkamaniacs scorned.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

It's a valid question, but I think in the end, "The Immortal" Hulk Hogan wins out pretty clearly. Hollywood was a great gimmick, and it really did revolutionize the industry a second time. However, even the basis of the gimmick was BASED off of how over Hogan was as a face. The reason it worked so well was because of how good Hogan was as a face. For me, that pretty much seals the deal.

Another way to look at it is: Hogan is undoubtedly the greatest face of all time. He has a claim to being the best heel of all-time, but it's hardly clear cut.

Give me "The Immortal".

 

[The Brain]

Yeah sorry about slacking on this series but it’s cool that you picked it up. To me Hulk Hogan was better as a good guy. He was the ultimate good guy wasn’t he? Hulk was the most popular wrestler ever. He was great as a heel too. He helped usher in another boom period by turning heel. I think Hogan worked so well as a heel because he was the best good guy ever. Hogan turning bad was unthinkable so when it happened a lot of people who fell out of touch with wrestling tuned back in to see what a bad Hogan would be like. Hogan would not have been as effective as a bad guy if he wasn’t such a great good guy. Hollywood Hogan had a few good years, but Hulkamania has lived on for over 25 years. I think when most people think of Hulk Hogan they think of wrestling’s greatest hero. Definitely better good.

 

[RicoLen]

But isn't that the POINT of a heel turn? To break the hearts of every fan you used to have? I don't think it's quite fair to say that Hogan isn't a better heel because he was a successful face. I'll make that point much larger in another one of these threads, but I'll hold my tongue (so to speak) for now. But I can definitely tell you that just because you're a popular and incredibly over face, doesn't mean that you're not a better heel. A good heel turn is all about treachery, and that can't get over unless you're a great face.

Look at R-Truth, his heel turn came against someone that was established as one of his friends with John Morrison, and the way he betrayed Morrison really got his heel turn over better than even his following promo where he first started talking about little jimmy.

Hollywood Hogan was everything that The Immortal was not. He never won clean, he was dirty in everything he did, he was cowardly, and did everything with his gang of thugs. Honky Tonk Man is one of the very best heels ever, and how did he get to that point? By doing exactly what Hogan himself did. It wasn't until Hogan joined The Outsiders that the nWo started ganging up and destroying the set and doing a run-in for every match, etc.

I've always considered Kevin Nash the true leader of the nWo, but Hogan was certainly the face of the nWo and regardless of who did everything Hogan did as the face of the nWo, the face of the nWo was a despicably scripted character. Hogan in that role nearly incited riots.

/shrug I voted for Hogan as a face too, but I really don't think it's very clear cut at all.

 

[x24hrs2livex]

Personally I loved Terry as HHH way better than The Immortal Hulkster. I had never seen Hulk Hogan when a friend started telling me about him(I started as an NWA fan) and I instantly got sick of never seeing the bastard. He never did Superstars, was never on Primetime he only showed up basically for a SNME and ppvs. But The Immortal Hulk Hogan was probably the better character

 

[RJJ]

Hollywood Hogan. I like it more because it was more of a real character. His heel turn changed the entire wrestling business. It had a huge effect. People started to cheer the heels and boo the faces. Hogan and his NWO made it cool to be heel.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Hogan was better as a face. The only reason his heel turn was good was because it was so unexpected, he had been a top face for YEARS and no one saw it coming. That being said, I honestly couldn't stand his heel self. Yeah, you're not supposed to like heels, but once the shock of the nWo wore off I eventually got sick of heel Hogan and gladly welcomed back face Hogan when he returned to his red and yellow heroic face persona. His heel run seems better than it actually was due to the huge shock behind the turn in the first place. As a face he was the most popular wrestler OF ALL TIME. You can't argue with that.

 

[relentless1]

trick question, he was arguably the best at both. as Hulk he brought wrestling into the second greatest boom wrestling has ever seen.....as Hollywood he ushered in the greatest period of excitemenet and, more importantly, money making for BOTH companies involved. Who can argue that he was the most loved face of his time and the most hated heel of the next generation?? Hollywood Hulk Hogan = money... which is sad seeing what he has become because of that, but i digress, from 1984-1998, Hogan was the man.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Hogan's character as Mr HulkaMania was a phenom in its time we will likely never see, not even Stone Cold or Goldberg could top it. That said, it was a pretty lame character, one of the reasons why when the kids got older they got bored with him, and newer audiences seeking more entertainment cheered for Flair over Hogan.

The NWO heel turn was probably the most shocking in wrestling, at least in 25 years I can remember. And I remember Larry Zybysko turning on his best friend and mentor Bruno Sammartino, Andre turning on Hogan, Flair breaking Dusty's leg in the cage, I remember a lot of huge shocking turns. Hollywood Hogan worked because to older fans it seemed like this was a take off of who Hogan really was, he never cared about the fans, he wanted the money, screw the industry. This is also around the time more books and stories started coming out about the behind the scenes workings of the industry and the first time people started seeing Hogan as something different than an honest American Hero. Perfect timing, perfect fit, and while I think the NWO angle would have been huge without him, no doubt initially it benefited from him, he made it bigger.

For that I go Hollywood all the way - In terms of the biggest moments in Hogan's career, I'd put WM 3 vs Andre No 1, winning WCW Title vs Flair No 2, and NWO heel turn No. 3 (I consider his role in helping to popularize WM as an event part of No. 1, with the idea that while WM did well it's first two years it really hadn't separated itself much from Starrcade as singular "must see" event, WM 3 really did that and though Piper's "Retirement Match", Savage/Steamboat, etc all helped, Hogan vs Andre and his 20 year undefeated streak really put the whole thing over the top)

Hollywood Hogan. I like it more because it was more of a real character. His heel turn changed the entire wrestling business. It had a huge effect. People started to cheer the heels and boo the faces. Hogan and his NWO made it cool to be heel.

Actually Hogan agreed to make the heel turn because audiences were already cheering for the heels, at least vs him. He actually talks about it in his A&E Biography special, how by 1995 large portions of the crowds were cheering for Flair over him, even though Flair was portrayed as a womanizing hard drinking partier and complete cheat, his overall presentation was more entertaining than Hogan's, it got him thinking back then it was either time to go or time to change.

 

[HollywoodLuthias]

I liked Hollywood Hogan better. He had more of an attitude and the training, prayers, and vitamins was getting a little old and boring.“Hollywood” Hulk Hogan changed professional wrestling forever the day he crossed over to the darkside.

 

[The Kayfabe Kid]

Hogan's character as Mr HulkaMania was a phenom in its time we will likely never see, not even Stone Cold or Goldberg could top it.

I agree 100%. Mr Hulkmania was the Micheal Jordan of professional wrestling. Any random person on the streets knew who Hulk Hogan was during that time period. I doubt many non-wrestling people knew Hollywood Hogan. Don't get me wrong, Hogan's heel turn was definitely shocking but it will never compare to his decades of popularity as Mr Hulkamania. This poll shouldn't even be close.

By the way, my #1 heel of all-time has to be Ric Flair not HHH.

 

[JackRabbitt]

I think he is equally good in both roles. He lives wrestling psychology.

Does anybody have a clip of a Wrestlemania 6 promo, not sure if it was a part of the show, or a promo in lead up to the event, but it is just a phenomenal Hogan promo that I cannot find for the life of me. It shows shades of Hollywood Hogan, even tho he was still baby face.

There are a number of promos similar on youtube, but i cant find the one im looking for...

Hogan says something like "I drove my Harley Davidson all the way to the Pacific Ocean, and drove the tires into the sand, then I looked up to the heavens and I asked the ultimate hulkamaniac, Will Hulkamania die? And he spoke to me and said, no Hogan, you were born to rule, Hulkamania will live forever."

Its priceless...if anyone knows where i can find this its much appreciated

A great Hollywood Hulk Hogan moment, when nWo Wolfpac black and red first splintered out, and Konnan defected to black and red...Hogan says something to the effect of

"Konnan leaving the black and white is no problem, I got a whole line of guys like him just waiting to pick Hollywood's orange groves".