Can people really compare John Cena to Hulk Hogan?

[CM Steel]

Ever since John Cena got the stamp of approval from WWE chairman Vince McMahon to be marketed as "the face of the company" shortly after Cena became the WWE champion. John Cena soon would have some big shoes to fill if Cena were to become a household name, much like the icon Hulk Hogan. Around 2006-2007 Vince McMahon had the idea of billing John Cena up as a Superman-like superstar like Hogan. A superhero who defended his world championship against the odds no matter how difficult it was and walk out the battle/war still champion. John Cena's feud with the late Umaga is a prime example of that.

Billing a guy up to be the new Hulk Hogan in this new era of wrestling is easier said than done. But Vince McMahon found a way with John Cena. He's marketable, super strong, clean cut, and a leader. No John Cena doesn't go around teaching the PG fans to say their prayers and eat their vitamins. But he goes on about "Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect" like it's what you live by. But you never saw or heard Hulk Hogan getting boo'ed either right?

Some wrestling fans say that John Cena sold out his gimmick and persona before the "Super Cena" character took over. Hulk Hogan didn't sellout til later while in WCW as Hollywood Hogan. It wasn't until right before Hogan turned heel in WCW where Hulk Hogan stated to get boo'ed by the old NWA/WCW fans in the south. Enter Hollywood Hulk Hogan leader of the New World Order. Now is the WWE ready for a John Cena heel turn in where John Cena did something so bad that you would want to throw something at him or flip him the bird? Like if Cena turned his back on one of his friends to help out the heel(s) in a match much like Hogan did at WCW's Bash at the Beach in 1996.

Or even go as far as doing something to chairman Vince McMahon like blowing him up in his limo (no pun intended) with a car bomb like Vince fake did to himself six years ago. I mean would the WWE really be ready for all of that? But more importantly. Can people really compare John Cena to "the immortal" Hulk Hogan, brother?

 

[Spidey Revivey]

No matter what happens, John Cena can never be as huge as Hulk Hogan was. And this is coming from a Cena fan.

Hulk Hogan brought wrestling itself to the fore-front of pop culture. And he did it twice. Nobody can truly compare to him. Only Steve Austin has gotten close.

And for some of us John Cena is already portrayed as a heel. He gets a good mixture of boos, which if I'm correct is what heels get. If Cena went heel he'd be met with cheers which destroys the whole purpose of being a bad guy. A paradox I know.

 

[Redemption-2012]

John Cena will never be Hulk Hogan. He can still be a great John Cena but does not need to be compared to Hogan. This is a different era and a different time, the two characters are completely different with few similarities IMO. He has had the success that Hogan had but he is still John Cena in a era of wrestling where it;s been less popular. This is no fault of John Cena but the WWE creative team/Vince McMahon.

 

[ASKane]

He will never be Hulk but there are lots of similarities
Good Talker
Popular
An average wrestler
Small Moveset
Weak Finisher
Given title matches as if they were handshakes
Rarely is out of the main event picture

 

[yourdamnluck]

FIRST OF ALL CENA GOT 4 MOVES MORE THAN HOGAN.....
SECOND AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS HOGAN WAS A REALLY SHITTY TALKER ALWAYS OVER ACTING NO MATTER WHAT HE DID OR ACHIEVED IN HIS TIME ....
AND AS FAR AS AUSTIN COMMING CLOSE GOES I HAVEN'T SEEN MUCH OF AUSTINS PROMOS OTHER THAN THOSE IN HIS DVD IN WHICH HE WAS LIGHTYEARS AHEAD OF BOTH CENA AND HOGAN SAME GOES FOR THE ROCK DURING HIS PEAK OR WHEN HE WAS FEUDING WITH AUSTIN.......
AND AGAIN BACK TO THE TOPIC I THINK HOGAN LOST TO ALMOST EVERYONE IN THE WCW ROSTER CLEAN, HUMILIATING (TAPPED OUT TO LEX LUGER).....
LASTLY THERE IS NO DENYING THAT BOTH HOGAN AND CENA HAVE BEEN STARS OF THERE GENERATIONS BEEN 'GIVEN' CHAMPIONSHIPS AND KIND OF BORING

 

[Merkin353]

I think if the internet didn't exist John Cena would be as popular as Hulk Hogan. Some might argue that with the internet more people outside of wrestling can hear about Cena. I personally think that with the internet you can spend hours reading about anything you want. Back in the 90's if I heard friends talking about something I'd watch the program. Now I'll read about the program & move on to cat videos, v sauce or haarp controlling the weather lol. There are billions of things that you can now fill your time with. I'd like to know how many of you watch Raw without a smartphone,tablet or cpu in your hand. I believe we got tired of Cena faster than Hogan simply because our attention span is shot.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Hulk Hogan came along at just the right time with just the right sort of character. During the early 80s, wrestling started going through a LOT of changes in the United States. Hogan himself helped bring about a lot of those changes. It rubbed a lot of old school traditionalists the wrong way, but it's just how it was. For example, Hogan's role as Thunderlips in Rocky III was very memorable not only because it exposed Hogan's charisma to an incredibly broad audience, but also because it was something that wrestlers simply didn't do. Rocky III only wound up making Hulk Hogan that much bigger of a star because of how his character was written for the film. His match against Rocky is, aside from Mickey's death scene, arguably the most memorable portion of the film and he looked like a charismatic human juggernaut.

By the time Hogan came to the WWF in 1984, wrestling was still changing with the wide spread availability of cable TV and syndication. As a result, the territory system was rapidly fading and most of the top wrestling companies in the US were either out of business by that time or were on the verge of it, partially because they refused to change. The fact that Hogan was in the WWF at the right time while all this was going down has resulted in Hogan getting immense credit from fans as to the rise of WWE. Hogan certainly played his part, but he didn't do it all on his own of course.

As far as comparisons between Hogan & Cena, I believe it's completely justified when you actually look at both of them. Hogan & Cena's babyface characters are cut from the same cloth: a kid friendly, mostly wholesome, ultra patriotic, muscleman that touts the virtues of tolerance & respect for all. Tack on the fact that both Hogan and Cena have been booked as being pretty much superhuman in terms of strength & resilience that are able to overcome virtually any sort of odds set against them in order to ultimately prevail. Aside from Bruno Sammartino and Hulk Hogan, nobody in the history of WWE has been booked to consistently look as strong and as much of a superhero brought to life as John Cena has.

 

[the_peoples_adam]

HULK HOGAN is the man who revolutionized wrestling all over the GLOBE...He is the most recognized WRESTLING figure in this world.But i think now THE ROCK is more over than HOGAN as he is popular with movies..Is JOHN CENA on LEVELs OF HOGAN... NAYYYY...Can CENA reach those levels....It's a Doubt...What WWE should do is repackage JOHN CENA... I mean change his style...His GEAR...etc... Personally i LOVE JOHN CENA... He hasn't done anything bad in all these YEARS...Has always connected with PEOPLE...and is way more over than any one else in the current ROSTER...What he lacked is the ATTITUDE ERA....

 

[Slyfox696]

But you never saw or heard Hulk Hogan getting boo'ed either right?

Sure you did, and it was by the same type of fan who boos Cena. It's just there were much fewer of them back then, and Hogan wasn't on TV every week.

Some wrestling fans say that John Cena sold out his gimmick and persona before the "Super Cena" character took over.

Some wrestling fans think Kevin Sullivan killed Chris Benoit. "Some wrestling fans" are morons.

Now is the WWE ready for a John Cena heel turn in where John Cena did something so bad that you would want to throw something at him or flip him the bird? Like if Cena turned his back on one of his friends to help out the heel(s) in a match much like Hogan did at WCW's Bash at the Beach in 1996.

No. Because the only way a Cena heel turn can work is if you have a suitable face to match him with. The WWE does not have a face they can feud against Cena. Throw in the fact the WWE has far more programming than WCW did at the time, and it just would not be a boon to business like Hogan's heel turn was.

But more importantly. Can people really compare John Cena to "the immortal" Hulk Hogan, brother?

Absolutely. At this point, Cena is arguably the second or third biggest draw in modern professional wrestling history (Hogan is #1). In terms of total numbers, obviously Austin and Rock drew better. But Austin only had a relatively brief run on top (~3 years). Rock also had a brief run on top (~4 years). John Cena will be known as the top guy in the WWE for 9 years when Wrestlemania rolls around. 9 years...that's an incredible amount of time to be the top guy in the company. Even if you take away the time he's been injured (roughly a year), you're still talking about 8 years as the top draw in the WWE.

But that's not all. Whereas Hogan was on top in the WWE for roughly 10 years, he did that by being on TV a few times a year. In the span of three months, Cena will be on TV as much as Hogan was on TV for a year. Cena will wrestle as much on TV in two months as Hogan would in a year. The amount of exposure on Cena is far greater than what Hogan dealt with on the national scale.

So when you look at Cena's career as a significant draw (and there's no disputing this, just look at the WWE's bottom line since Cena rose to superstardom) he's done it twice as long as Austin or Rock and has done it being on TV far more than Hogan ever was.

As I said before, at this point, John Cena is definitely in the top 4 of draws in the modern era, and one could make the argument he's #2.

 

[Rip]

Sure you did, and it was by the same type of fan who boos Cena. It's just there were much fewer of them back then, and Hogan wasn't on TV every week.

Some wrestling fans think Kevin Sullivan killed Chris Benoit. "Some wrestling fans" are morons.

No. Because the only way a Cena heel turn can work is if you have a suitable face to match him with. The WWE does not have a face they can feud against Cena. Throw in the fact the WWE has far more programming than WCW did at the time, and it just would not be a boon to business like Hogan's heel turn was.

Absolutely. At this point, Cena is arguably the second or third biggest draw in modern professional wrestling history (Hogan is #1). In terms of total numbers, obviously Austin and Rock drew better. But Austin only had a relatively brief run on top (~3 years). Rock also had a brief run on top (~4 years). John Cena will be known as the top guy in the WWE for 9 years when Wrestlemania rolls around. 9 years...that's an incredible amount of time to be the top guy in the company. Even if you take away the time he's been injured (roughly a year), you're still talking about 8 years as the top draw in the WWE.

But that's not all. Whereas Hogan was on top in the WWE for roughly 10 years, he did that by being on TV a few times a year. In the span of three months, Cena will be on TV as much as Hogan was on TV for a year. Cena will wrestle as much on TV in two months as Hogan would in a year. The amount of exposure on Cena is far greater than what Hogan dealt with on the national scale.

So when you look at Cena's career as a significant draw (and there's no disputing this, just look at the WWE's bottom line since Cena rose to superstardom) he's done it twice as long as Austin or Rock and has done it being on TV far more than Hogan ever was.

As I said before, at this point, John Cena is definitely in the top 4 of draws in the modern era, and one could make the argument he's #2.

I don't think being on TV more often means more exposure. Hogan was huge during a very popular era, which means more people watched back then. I don't care if we saw Hogan 10 times a year as opposed to Cena's 100 times, MORE PEOPLE watched Hogan's 10.
I don't even like using numbers, it's not that black and white. Yes, Cena has been on top longer than Rock and Austin, and probably will be longer than Hogan soon enough. But Cena is the top guy during the WORST era of wrestling. Interesting and popularity in wrestling is at an all time low. It's like the heavyweight division in boxing. After Tyson and Lennox Lewis retired... there was no one in the division. The champs for most of the last decade have been the Klitschko bothers, and comparing them to any great heavyweight is silly. Hogan was a top draw when he was surrounded by guys like Andre, Savage, Flair, Sting, Goldberg and competing against guys like Rock, Austin and HHH.
Cena is great, no doubt, and he can be put in the same class as Hogan or Austin, but I find it hard to put him above either one based on longevity alone.

And @Jack-Hammer, saying that Hogan was simply the right type of guy in the right place at the right time is a HUGE disservice to Terry Bollea. I mean, really, you could say that about ANYONE. Being the right type of guy is what makes or breaks you in most ventures. It's no fair at all, you couldn't ust get any ol' muscle head, call him Hulk Hogan and have him carry the company for 10 years. Hogan was the first, last and only Hogan.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Yes they can. Cena is the face of the federation in the WWE and its top face. So was Hogan. They both portray a classic hero type of face who overcomes the villains no matter what obstacle is in their way. They both try to give a good message to the fans in their promos. Both are more gifted at generating interest in a match rather than working said match to a 5 star quality level. The only things seperating them are that Hogan was at the top during a more popular era and he eventually turned heel for the nWo angle. The comparisons between Cena and Hogan's time as a top face are certainly there whether the haters want to accept that or not.

Then we have Bash At the Beach where the infamous nWo heel turn happened. Cena's heel turn, when it happens, has the potential to be one of the biggest turns in pro wrestling history, quite possibly the biggest of all other than Hogan's. Does he have to mirror it as closely as his face push has gone? No. In order to run a modern counterpart of that Cena would have to leave WWE for TNA, be their top face for a year or so, then turn on a secondary face such as AJ Styles to align with guys like Randy Orton and Sheamus who he would have had to bring over with him forming an nWo-like stable. His heel turn should not mirror Hogan's. It should happen in WWE. That aside, the comparisons ARE there and an epic heel turn resulting in a hated heel persona for Cena like Hollywood Hogan was for Hogan are certainly a possibility.

Cena is very much the modern counterpart to Hogan back in the day. The haters simply refuse to acknowledge that it's true. So what if Hogan was at the top during a more popular time? So what if Cena hasn't turned heel yet? Their career paths don't have to be identical. They ARE however very comparable. So, the shorter version would be yes, John Cena can be compared to Hulk Hogan. Once someone is able to replace Cena as WWE's legitimate top face, the heel turn can happen and we would have even more bullet points to compare between the two generational icons.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Can people really compare John Cena to "the immortal" Hulk Hogan, brother?

It's comparing apples and oranges, brother. Hogan was promoted as a cartoon character (they even made an animated show about him on TV) and it's amusing to think of the number of people who detest "Super Cena" yet love Hulk Hogan. Can't they see the irony?

Cena's persona is much more realistic. For one thing, while Hogan carried a bunch of silly names ("The Hulkster," "The Owner of the 22-inch Pythons" "Mr. America".......plus the fact that his real name isn't Hulk Hogan), Cena is portrayed more honestly. He has no nicknames: the announcers don't refer to him as "The Wizard of West Newbury" or anything else. He's John Cena; we don't call him anything else, because we don't need to. The force of his own personality is all he needs.

In addition to all this, Hogan's time was different than Cena's. The huge TV ratings were boosted by people who didn't have the slightest interest in pro wrestling; they wanted the flash & dash. The "sport" caught lightning in a jar and became the "in" thing to follow at the time. There's no doubt that much of the credit for that goes to Hulk Hogan and the WWE machine. Don't think Vince McMahon wouldn't love to capture that magic again.

But when it came to carving out a persona that made him the face of his organization, I have to hand it to John Cena. He did it with hard work, charisma and a personality that demands a response.....whether that response involves liking him or hating him.

Comparing Hogan and Cena requires defining the criteria for comparison. We can (and do) argue these points, but given the difference in the eras, I believe Cena is as famous as Hogan ever was.....and John did it on the force of his own personality, not one made strictly for the act, as was Hogan's.

What Hulk Hogan accomplished was really good.....what John Cena has accomplished is incredible.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Do I think he compares to Hogan? In a sense he is. He's been top dog in WWE roughly as long as Hogan, he's got a character that although different from Hogans its still similar in many ways and like Hogan he's one of the top 5 draws of the last 30 years. Talent wise I think he's just as good as Hogan but he will never be as big as Hogan was for certain reasons.

1) There's a big difference in the popularity of wrestling in general. Hogan was on top with 2 separate runs and both times wrestling was more popular.

2) The guys Hogan worked with on a consistent basis were much better draws and better workers. If Cena had stars like Savage and Andre to work with he would be a much better draw than he already is, which says a lot as he's already a big draw.

3) WWE as a whole is way different. Being publicly traded automatically limits what you can do on television as you got more people to impress and more people to piss off. You don't only have to appease Vince anymore.

4) Benoit. People often forget that ratings were pretty damn good before Benoit went all psycho.

If those situations were different Cena could very well have eclipsed Hogan for all we know. He's not as big as Hogan and he never will be but it mostly has to do with things Cena has no control over. As an overall worker though? I truly believe Cena is just as good as Hogan.

 

[Slyfox696]

I don't think being on TV more often means more exposure.

Of course it does. It means more live interviews, many many more matches and makes refreshing more necessary.

Hogan was huge during a very popular era, which means more people watched back then. I don't care if we saw Hogan 10 times a year as opposed to Cena's 100 times, MORE PEOPLE watched Hogan's 10.

But you're missing the point of more exposure.

Let me use a parallel example. Perhaps you like macaroni and cheese. You eat macaroni and cheese once in a while, maybe even once a week, and it tastes great. But if you were to have macaroni and cheese every day for every meal, you'd eventually get sick of it and want something different. Whether other people eat macaroni and cheese has nothing to do with whether you get tired of it.

Now apply that same example to Hogan/Cena. Just because more people watched Hogan, that doesn't change the fact Cena has been more exposed. Cena is the macaroni and cheese you eat every day for every meal, Hogan is the mac and cheese you eat once a month.

But Cena is the top guy during the WORST era of wrestling.

No it's not. First of all, HBK was on top during the worst era of wrestling in the WWE. Second of all, you have to realize the numerous factors which go into the metrics you're likely using to claim it's the worst era of wrestling.

It's not the worst era. The wrestling portion of the WWE business is basically printing money and has been ever since Cena first stepped into the main-event.

Interesting and popularity in wrestling is at an all time low.

Not really. Wrestlemania is constantly breaking records and garnering over a million buys. The wrestling portion of the WWE is making money hand over fist. Their live event numbers are very solid and their PPV numbers are good, despite the high number of people who stream their shows illegally. Professional wrestling is constantly referenced in mainstream media and sports media. Pro wrestlers are constantly showing up all over various television shows.

The WWE is making money and professional wrestling has stepped into mainstream acceptance, and that is in no small part to Cena.

Hogan was a top draw when he was surrounded by guys like Andre, Savage, Flair, Sting, Goldberg and competing against guys like Rock, Austin and HHH.
Cena is great, no doubt, and he can be put in the same class as Hogan or Austin, but I find it hard to put him above either one based on longevity alone.

It's not just longevity, it's a large number of factors.

 

[RicSpade]

Lets be realistic for a moment....
John Cena may be a huge star, but his success and Hogans successes can never be combined they will always be paralell it's comparing apples to oranges and hear is why.

Hogan started in the AWA, made his way to the WWF, became champion, helped build one of the biggest names in the business ever, had his own cartoon show, was in movies starred by him, Hogan brand everywhere, multi time champion, went to WCW became champion there, more movies, was gone for a moment, came back, was still one of the biggest stars ever. Held the title again, had high profile matches, went to TNA was still a semi big draw even without being on real TV, unless you count his reality show.

Cena started in the indies, made his way to OVW, got on TV, became a US champion, dropped his rap gimmick, more championships, PG Era for kids, fruity pebbles, clothing line, multi time champion, some WWE made movies, and thats it.

They will always have similarities, but with Hogan starting the way he did and bringing the WWF to the forefront of entertainment it was beyond comparison to now. Even with Cena being the face of WWE, and bringing in the younger demographic and everything else he has done. Because he is full fledged WWE and will never leave there he can't ever be compared to Hogan just on the sheer merit that if he left the WWE he will still be a household name, because its not certain.

 

[Mark0820]

Let me use a parallel example. Perhaps you like macaroni and cheese. You eat macaroni and cheese once in a while, maybe even once a week, and it tastes great. But if you were to have macaroni and cheese every day for every meal, you'd eventually get sick of it and want something different. Whether other people eat macaroni and cheese has nothing to do with whether you get tired of it.

Now apply that same example to Hogan/Cena. Just because more people watched Hogan, that doesn't change the fact Cena has been more exposed. Cena is the macaroni and cheese you eat every day for every meal, Hogan is the mac and cheese you eat once a month.

No it's not. First of all, HBK was on top during the worst era of wrestling in the WWE. Second of all, you have to realize the numerous factors which go into the metrics you're likely using to claim it's the worst era of wrestling.

It's not the worst era. The wrestling portion of the WWE business is basically printing money and has been ever since Cena first stepped into the main-event.

Not really. Wrestlemania is constantly breaking records and garnering over a million buys. The wrestling portion of the WWE is making money hand over fist. Their live event numbers are very solid and their PPV numbers are good, despite the high number of people who stream their shows illegally. Professional wrestling is constantly referenced in mainstream media and sports media. Pro wrestlers are constantly showing up all over various television shows.

The WWE is making money and professional wrestling has stepped into mainstream acceptance, and that is in no small part to Cena.

It's not just longevity, it's a large number of factors.

Unless, of course, you forget that Hogan was on multiple television shows, doing the same number of talk shows, had his own cartoon show, was in multiple movies that actually made it to theaters, his own reality show, and from the early 90s until 2000 he was on tv as much as Cena is. When he returned to WWE in 2002 he was on tv weekly again. Hogan's run on weekly tv alone was comparable in duration to Cena. And then you add in the 6-8 years before that.

 

[justinept]

This isn't close for the same reason that a number of people point out. That isn't to knock Cena - I actually like him - but it's silly to compare him to a guy that took the WWF from a regional promotion to a global powerhouse - who 12 years after that, then took wrestling to new heights for a second time as a member of the NWO. Hulk Hogan defined pro wrestling in the United States in 1984, and he then re-defined pro wrestling in this country in 1996.

What has Cena done? He was handed the torch of the company near the end of the Attitude Era, and the popularity of wrestling in this country has suffered since. You can blame it on a lack of new stars, the Benoit murder/suicide, or whatever else you want to blame it on - but the fact is that wrestling has decreased in popularity on Cena's watch. That was never the case with Hogan - never the case with Austin - never the case with The Rock. Those guys, despite their relatively short reigns on top, are most closely comparable to Hogan.

Even though he's been top on top forever, Cena's reign as the face of the company is more likened to Bret Hart's reign - in that, both were the face of the company as it slid downhill following a boom period.

 

[Pedigree1]

Is it fair to compare Cena to Hogan? Sure it is. Cena is a 14 time champion. He is only two away from tying Ric Flair for the most reigns of all time. Super Cena is arguably the most recognizable superstar of the past 10 years! Everytime he comes out he is mixed with cheers and Boos. The Boos are just coming from Morons IMO trying to sound cool and really have no beef with Cena only to boo him in fear that others will find out they actually like him.

He has granted what 300 plus make-a-wish for Kids? Cena is worldwide Known people in China Japan UK know who Cena is.

Hogan came along in the right time the right era in the 80's. For me Cena cant compare to Hogan no one can. Hogan put wrestling on the Map he saved wrestling saved WWF from certain doom. Without Hogan WM never happens and WWF/WWE would have folded. Say Your Prayers Eat Your Vitamins and Train those are the 3 commandments he said week in and week out.

Believe in the Power of Hulkamania Believe in yourself it doesnt get any better than that. Hogans Heel turn is the baddest heel turn ever in pro wrestling. No one saw that coming no one. I understand Cena is probably like third in terms of drawing power with either SCSA or the Rock being second and Hogan is No.1.

SLyFox made an excellent point. The amount we see of Cena is far greater than we saw of Hogan. Hogans day there was no cable television no internet and the amount of matches Cena wrestles what more in one month than Hogan probably would wrestle in a year. Its amazing that for 10 years when Hogan was on top he really wasnt on TV that much. We were not oversaturated with Hogan as some fans say we are with Cena.

Hogan being in a movie back then was a huge deal. He opened the door for WWE guys to star in movies he was the first one to do so. So in conclussion no Cena cant surpass Hogan but arguably he can be second

 

[Slyfox696]

Unless, of course, you forget that Hogan was on multiple television shows, doing the same number of talk shows, had his own cartoon show, was in multiple movies that actually made it to theaters, his own reality show, and from the early 90s until 2000 he was on tv as much as Cena is.

Let's take these one at a time:

Unless, of course, you forget that Hogan was on multiple television shows

Much like Cena...and Cena also works Raw every week, Smackdown some weeks and a PPV every month.

doing the same number of talk shows

Not really, but for argument's sake, we'll say sure. That really isn't what I'm talking about with exposure.

had his own cartoon show

John Cena appears in a new video game every year. Neither thing really has much to do with what I'm talking about.

was in multiple movies that actually made it to theaters

As has Cena.

his own reality show

Only after he was done a regular active worker. So completely irrelevant.

from the early 90s until 2000 he was on tv as much as Cena is.

No he wasn't, which I'm about to show.

When he returned to WWE in 2002 he was on tv weekly again.

But Hogan in 2002 was not Hogan in '85.

Hogan's run on weekly tv alone was comparable in duration to Cena.

Except it wasn't. Let's assume Hogan was on every week (which he wasn't) of every year (which he wasn't). Nitro began in '95. Hogan left the WWE (last run) in 2003.

If we just take the entire year, that's still only 9 years. Throw in the fact Nitro started in September, Hogan was gone from the WWE before October 2003 and the numerous times Hogan wasn't around and wasn't on TV, and his run isn't really comparable at all.

And then you add in the 6-8 years before that.

Add all that time in and it MIGHT come close to matching Cena's exposure on weekly programming. But then you're not talking about increased exposure, you're talking about limited exposure, and so those 6-8 years before really have nothing to do with what I'm talking about.

What has Cena done?

You mean besides being a top draw for roughly ten years, deliver million buy PPVs, usher in an era of mainstream acceptance of pro wrestling and make the WWE a lot of money?

He was handed the torch of the company near the end of the Attitude Era, and the popularity of wrestling in this country has suffered since.

Both statements are false. Many people attribute the end of the Attitude Era around 2001 or 2002. By the time Cena was handed the torch, ratings had already been cut in half.

You can blame it on a lack of new stars, the Benoit murder/suicide, or whatever else you want to blame it on - but the fact is that wrestling has decreased in popularity on Cena's watch.

Except it hasn't, as I showed earlier.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I don't think it's fair to compare post '93(?) Hogan with anything Cena has or hasn't accomplished. Cena hasn't finished his first run at the top to even start a second run. But Hogan's run from '78(?) to his time before joining WCW is all fair game.

Both guys have/were on top for a similar amount of time but during different periods. The different periods are what makes this an interesting and difficult discussion which has been discussed to death. I'll just cop out and say that both guys are human beings and being so are limited. As actors in scripted entertainment I can't imagine that either man is that much more exceptional than the other to make a definitive distinction. They're both greats. Both had Vince's machine behind them. Vince had more experience and money in making Cena but he's also older and maybe less perceptive and driven. Cena has the power of the internet but he also has the disadvantage of the internet. Hogan certainly didn't have to suffer the law of diminishing utility that Cena does. Cena has the creature comforts of living in a time with more comfort (ignoring the drugs) and better medical knowledge. Hogan had the power of Ali, Mr. T, Vanna White, Liberace, Bob Uecker, Cindy Lauper and Mary Hart among others. Cena was stuck with the Raw Celebrity Guest Host but Cena couldn't make the Celebrity Guest Host work. Hogan had Andre but Cena was given a gift in The Rock. Cena does the work so WWE can exploit it for Cena's gain, Hogan didn't get nearly the love from that aspect. Hogan always had one toe out the door so Vince would always have to have some one else to fill in. Cena gets hurt some time but Vince knows he's pretty reliable to do the job.

There's a lot to discuss but it's too hard to measure. I can compare but not really make a distinction, 10 year old GSB would scream "Hogan Rules!" and in professional wrestling 10 year old GSB always wins. So Hogan is better. Mystery solved.

 

[d_henderson1810]

I have been saying for years that John Cena is the modern-day "Hulk Hogan".

Both have few moves in their moveset, and both play the superhero who triumphs against impossible odds.

However, there are a few things that favoured Hulk Hogan:-

1) Charismaeople say that Hulk Hogan is great on the mike. No, he wasn't.

I recently watched some Wrestlemanias because I have them all on DVD. If you listen to some of Hulk's promos, he is full of crap. If the same words came out of Cena's mouth, you would boo him out of the building.

But Hulk Hogan had intensity and passion in every promo, so he made even the biggest crap promo look good. People didn't pay attention to what he said, but how he said it. It was showmanship.

Cena is good on the mike, but he is more restrained, and fails to sell the right emotion (he shouldn't be smiling and joking the night after getting screwed out of the title). With Cena, you heard it. With Hogan, you believed it.

2) The Era:- Hulk Hogan was around in an era where the U.S.A. was considered great (Reagan was in office, the economy was high etc). People were willing to buy into things. To believe in things.

Hulk Hogan portrayed the All-American hero, when America was the envy of the world. He stood for truth, justice and the American way with his Hulkamaniacs. He overcame large obstacles (such as Big John Studd, King Kong Bundy and Andre The Giant) and beat them all. He fought anti-American heels like Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff and even Sargent Slaughter. Cynicism wasn't really as big a thing in the 80's, and everyone was happy, so they were prepared to buy anything.

However, Cena has grown up in an era where people are cynical and willing to tear down the successful, not applaud them. He is doing the same thing as Hogan, in a different era. Society changed, and that character is seen as antiquated. America is on the nose, he doesn't have as big obstacles to overcome (as there are not the same amount of big guys around). The internet has also exposed him a bit. Finally, he followed on the tale of the biggest anti-hero in WWE history-"Stone Cold" Steve Austin. People want anti-heroes these days. They want flawed heroes, who are more like them.

I believe if John Cena had been in the 1980's instead, he would have been massively over, because his act plays to that audience. If Hulk Hogan had debuted when Cena did, he would never have been as big as he is, because audiences don't want that anymore.

3) "Stone Cold" Steve Austin:- In the 80's, Hulk Hogan told kids to "say their prayers and drink their milk", in 1998, SCSA was saying swears and drinking beer. Society had changed and their heroes reflected that. A character like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in the mid-80's either would have been a heel, or, more likely, not got on TV at all, at least, not with that gimmick.

Hogan had the benefit on not being compared to SCSA. Cena doesn't have that luxury. People want their boss-bashing, beer-drinking redneck who stands up to everybody and trusts no-body. They don't want a polite, company-loving, kiddie hero who instills values from the past which are mocked and spat on today.

4) Over-exposure- In Hogan's day, he was not over-exposed. Aside from SNME, and four PPV's a year, you hardly saw him. There was no weekly "Raw" shows which showcased the superstars every week. It was an event to even see Hulk Hogan on WWF TV, so his presence was anticipated, and people didn't get sick of him.

Cena lives in a WWE where there is WWE every night of the week, every week of the year, and monthly PPVs. Even when he is actually not on the show, highlights of "Raw" are so often played and repeated, that you see Cena a lot, without seeing him, if you know what I mean. Plus, replays mean that you are seeing him do the same things, and say the same things, because they are showing him in "Raw" replay no. 5000012 of that incident (hell, they replay stuff from "Raw" ,on "Raw" itself, seven or eight times. Cena, and everyone else gets over-exposed.

I see a lot of similarities in Hogan and Cena. However, Hogan has benefitted a lot better. If only Cena had been around int he 80's, or not over-exposed, or not following an anti-hero, he may have been more loved by the audience.

 

[lowandmighty]

I think you can compare them in that they serve the same purpose respective to their own era's.

They were both super faces.

However you can't compare John Cena to the bad guy persona of Hollywood Hogan because John Cena is yet to turn heel and if he did it would be quite difficult to achieve the same impact Hogan had with it.
Fans took it personally when Hogan turned heel. If Jesus Christ turned heel it would be similar to when Hogan did, thats the only way I can really explain what went down.

Another thing about comparing them, people go on about how they both had very similar limited move sets.
"CENA GOT 4 MOVES MORE THAN HOGAN" its like someone counted every move they did in their careers. I think what he meant was 4 more signature moves. Hogan really had 3 if you don't count punching.

However hogan did have a big variety of moves just not in individual matches. Hogan had a very unique style despite it being limited. He invented the follow up turnbuckle clothesline for example. Little things like that people have forgotten about him.

John Cena hasn't really invented anything save for the 5 knuckle shuffle.

Enough crapping on though, yes they can be compared but relative to their own era's and the role they each play there.

 

[OneTooManyPunts]

At this point, think Hogan is really the only person that you can accurately compare John Cena too. Austin, Rock, and others have all reached incredible levels of success, but Cena's run at the top, and impact on the WWE may be eclipsing Hogan's in some respects.

Hogan put more people in seats, and he was apart of the 'Golden Era' of WWE, really being the driving force for expanding the company to meet Vince's vision.

But Cena now sits atop the same level that Hogan once did, in a drastically different cultural environment. Social media, the IWC, Make -A-Wish, and the countless WWE sponsored endorsements have basically made Cena the ultimate poster boy for WWE. He's stayed relatively free of scandals or off hours drama, and promotes WWE harder than maybe any talent ever has.

There's a lot of hate out there for Cena, and a lot of things said about him bare merit, but there's no denying he loves the WWE, and has taken the task of putting it on his back, just as Hogan once did. He'll never be ale to set some of the golden standards that Hogan did, but I think when people look back, he and Hogan will be in a class all there own.

 

[GameOver]

If Cena is around for 30yrs and is still relevant then we'll talk. If Cena can somehow re-appeal to every demographic then you could compare him but i don't see that ever happening again.

Hogan appealed to every demographic tho he was aimed at families and kids, he had the whole world behind him (well seemingly) and is still a household name that will never be forgotten few other people in the business will ever have that honor other then by a wrestling fan, Cena will be forgotten within a few years of him moving on IMO.

Gotta give Cena a break in one respect tho, he's got far more talent in the ring when he does go, as a character he's just stale and lame thats my only issue not his "five moves of doom" i got over that years ago. Hogan had the presence/charisma that overshadowed his inability to actually perform in the ring Cena does not unless you are female or a kid.

as for what he's done in the time he's been in WWE, Cena has done more in that time then Hogan did in the 9yrs that he was initially in WWE IMO other then have a Hogan vs Andre WrestleMania moment which was a truly Global Match. sorry Rock vs Cena just doesn't cut it. Rock vs Hogan absolutely

So yes you can compare him in the fact that both have carried the company almost soley on there backs through tough times and yes both are PR dreams, Both have been in movies and stunk, both had a heavy kid following, both have held alot of titles and both have main evented Mannia more often then not BUT, Cena will never be Hulk Hogan nor Ric Flair

 

[No Count Pup]

Cena may lead WWE into the biggest TV deal in wrestling history. If WWE does land a multi-billion dollar deal, Cena is in a category all by himself. Hulk Hogan made the WWF millions, Cena will have made WWE billions.

That's not to discount what Hogan has done. Not in the slightest. But the difference is simple. Hogan left the WWF on an unsustainable path when he departed from McMahon-land in 1993. The WWF struggled for the next four years, and almost closed its doors. John Cena, however, will almost certainly leave WWE in good and sustainable financial standing when his wrestling days have commenced.

Much of this is contingent on WWE's future TV/licensing deal. If WWE doesn't get a deal in the billions, my opinion will be tempered. But if McMahon and Co. do strike gold, Cena deserves the credit that Hogan got for the WWF in the 80s and Austin got for the WWF in the 90s.

Cena's financial impact would be exponentially higher than any of his predecessors. In the wrestling "business", what else matters?