Another "What if" thread..Hulk Hogan

[poppycock]

Yeah, I know..all these what if this? what if that? threads are like marmite but I have one of my own now.

What if Hulk Hogan was non existant. Who in your opinion would have been "that guy"... the guy who put wrestling on the map, took it to unimaginable heights. Who would have been Hulk Hogan if The Hulkster never existed. Macho Man? Is it a question that can't be answered because the only way we could really know is if it happend? Maybe nobody, wrestling may have never reached the level it has if Hulk was never involved?

What are your thoughts?

 

[Lowdown]

Its really hard to say. Wrestling might not be on the global scale that it is now. In a way its good and bad, being that there would probably still be NWA, AWA, WCCW and other promotions, yet it would still be regional and only have a handful of cult fans. If I could pick maybe one guy to build it around, it would probably be Shawn Michaels, that being how entertaining he was when he became a singles competitor, though this would've happened in the early to mid 90's as opposed to the 80's with Hogan. In the 80's, I'd have to say Sting if he'd started earlier, or maybe Ultimate Warrior (and yes I'm aware he's considered a one trick pony, but some say the same about Hogan).

 

[Azane]

Randy Savage.

He was getting popular around the same time that Hulkamania was becoming a national sensation, and he had the charisma and similar enough style that he could of done it.

 

[poppycock]

Macho Man was amazing no doubt..better than Hogan on many levels and yeah he was second in line perhaps...always in Hogans shadow and all that. I don't know if he had the look to have become what Hulk Hogan did though? He could have reached Hogans level inside the wrestling business, I am more than sure of it...but what about outside that market. He wasn't the golden boy, all that is good, American blonde superhero that Hulk Hogan was. Would that even have any reflection on the success "that guy" would go on to achieve outside the world of wrestling? Did Hulk Hogans look have anything to do with what he did?! I'm not just talking about being the face of the WWE or wrestling for a period of time., I am talking about being and doing what Hulk Hogan did.

 

[Gavschenko]

Tony atlas he was meant to have hogans spot so i believe he would have been the man he would have been the person you associate with wrestling

 

[dansaun77]

Tony Atlas WAS NOT supposed to get Hogans spot bahahahahahha. Atlas feuded with a heel Hogan in his first WWWF run in 1979-1981. Hulkamania had already taken off in the AWA in 1983, thus why Vince snapped him up along with many of the other AWA guys like Heenan, Andre, Okerlund etc at the same time. Fact is this is an impossible thread. Vince had the dream and the vision, Savage wasnt even under WWE contract until mid 1985, AFTER THE FIRST WRESTLEMANIA. Interesting to think about but impossible to come up with somebody as beneficial as Hogan. All the top guys were heels in those days, the faces like Santana, JYD, Snuka, Andre sure would not have cut it. And with wrestling being a big mans game back then, guys like Piper, Orndorff, Piper would not have been coherent or big enough to carry the company.

 

[Klown_Karnage]

Randy Savage is a possibility. He had that huge personality which would have been necessary to be a spokesman/ambassador of world wide wrestling. He was also popular enough to do it.

However, in my opinion he would have been eventually eclipsed by Bret Hart. I think if there were no Hogan, Hart would have been the guy associated with professional wrestling. He was popular, he was dedicated, he could tell a story in the ring and on the mic, and with the exception of jumping to WCW when he did, he had fairly good business sense.

It would have happened later, but I think Bret would have been the one.

 

[kokoBawesome]

It's a lot of voids to fill. Who would have pinned the Iron Sheik for America? Who would have headlined the first three Wresltemanias? Who would have slammed Andre? Who would have starred in Rocky III and No Holds Barred (yeah as lame as it kinda was they did matter for crossover appeal)? Who would have single-handedly beat Sgt Slaughter and won the gulf war? Who would have joined the Outsiders and formed the NWO, pulling the biggest heel turn in history? Kinda wanna go on....

If all these important things could have happened to one person that wasn't Hulk Hogan, than maybe that's the guy we're looking for. Savage wasn't nearly as likeable so he had no crossover appeal, Sting and Flair didn't work for Vince so they wouldn't have had the chance, Piper was the badguy, and Andre could barely walk (or speak clear english).

Nobody could have, or has reached the level that Hulk Hogan has. The Rock comes close but he left for too long and kinda turned his back on his past (or at least those are the rumors, argue amongst yourselves). Hogan has always been a part of wrestling, even while making terrible movies and godawful TV shows. Wrestling peaked in popularity the same time both these guys did during their in-ring careers, but without Hogan paving the way who knows if the Rock would have gotten the same chances he's had.

 

[ahoyhoy]

If he was repackaged so he didn't wear a skirt (as the Brain put it): Piper. No question. He was in the main event as Wrestlemania 1 and was still stealing the show come Wrestlemania VIII. He could cut a better promo than anyone. If it would have been anyone, it would have been him, in my opinion.

Savage comes a close second in the race though. Or a big money move to sign Flair from Mid-Atlantic instead of Hogan from AWA.

 

[CuddleBuns84]

The answer.... Absolutely No One. The reason is very simple.

People grasped to Hulkamania like no other. Wrestling was around years and years before Hogan stepped through the ropes. But he was able to create a character that the fans enjoyed and loved.

Yes, at the time their were great faces in the industry, but not too many guys had the intensity that Hogan could belt out with ease during his promos. It really grabbed the youth at it's time, and got them excited for wrestling. You know how I know this. Cause when I was 6 I hated wrestling. Then Hulk Hogan gave one of those amazing promos about how he was going to take on the Undertaker at Survivor Series. That's how I got hooked to wrestling.

Macho Man's promos were good, but I don't think he could of reached the levels of Stardom that Hogan did. The Warrior came close, but didn't really care for the business. Plus some of his Promos were just off the wall.

If Hogan didn't come in, I don't think wrestling would of reached it's 80's stardom. Saying someone else could of done it would just be silly and not acceptable. That's like saying if Clyde Drexler was on the Bulls he would of won 6 or 7 championships. Just doesn't work out that way.

Hulk Hogan is one of the best. His character is one of the best.

 

[UltimateHitman]

Couldn't stay quiet on this one. I've made my opinion known about this for a while. Maybe not on here, but anywho...

WWE was already on the global trail before Hogan was snatched up. The concept was in place, the battle lines drawn up. I believe, even if it hadn't happened the way it did w/Hogan, it would have happened. It was inevitable.

Even if it took a little longer (not much) it would have happened. Hulk just got the luck of the draw at the time. Simple as that.

One person that I believe would have made just as good of a "real American hero" character back in the day (actually, probably a much better one than Hogan) would have been Magnum T.A.

If it hadn't been for his unfortunate accident ending his career so abruptly (and Hogan not have been picked for the spot), he had the look, the size, better talent, and people adored the guy.

That's long been my stance on the issue, and quite honestly wish it would have been Magnum.

But if not him, I'd say Paul Orndorff could have pulled it off. Maybe Luger, he's about as one dimensional as Hogan and had the build (and no, I'm far from a Luger fan), maybe a few others, for sure, but my top pick is, hands down, Magnum T.A.

 

[kokoBawesome]

Wow a Magnum T.A. reference. Good call. Before my time but from what I've heard about the guy he was the real deal. Best answer yet.

I gotta break balls here, if Randy Savage was "the guy," name one thing he's ever done outside of slim gym commercials (where he screams like a lunatic), and the first Spiderman (where he plays a lunatic wrestler). Shouldn't someone have picked up on his potential over the thirty years he was a wrestler and had him do something commercial?

He's too much of an oddball for parents to be okay with their kids looking up to. Hogan had all his prayer and vitamins babble, and Cena is all about loyalty and respect. Parents know their kids are safe looking up to these guys. Randy was just some maniac with frizzy hair and A.D.H.D.

 

[IMmortalGreatOnE]

i say "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair of course, he had it all
stylin' profilin' limo ridin' jet flyin' son of gun...whooo!!!
he has been there besides hogans longevity in the industry

 

[Pedigree1]

wow tough question!! To think of hogan had been non-existant who would have been the guy!! Macho Man i would say he had the look skills charisma ability!! Maybe Piper would have gotten a world title in his career! But macho man would have been my guess if hogan wasnt around!! But then again this is the superficial 80's were talking about so they probably would have some other muscled headed person be the guy!!!

 

[Jackal960]

I think Magnum T.A. if he didn't have that tragic accident. Actually in that case he might have been like Hogan even if Hogan existed or not.

If we are talking about the time when Hogan become famous, I would go ahead with Paul Orndorff. He is a guy that isn't really known or appreciated much by IWC today but back in the day he was a really popular guy. However by the end of 80's his best years were behind him due to injuries, ironically caused from his Hogan feud, and if people know him most of them know from early 90's where he wasn't half of what he used to be.

 

[god-soldier]

I am going for a shot in the dark here but maybe Ricky Steamboat why he was a very popular wrestler in the NWA, he had a great look and a high flier and he was pretty good on the mic plus karate and martial arts were big in the 80's which could of made this work and put him over plus all the heels could of been bigger facing such a fan favorite like Steamboat I think Steamboat could have been the face of wrestling