He won the WWF title during Hulkamania!!!

[Tim_Seraphim]

"Being insanely popular is the only true indicator of wrestling ability."

So, being insanely popular is the only true indicator of anything. So that would have made Nsync true indicators of musical abilities, and better musicians, than, oh, let's say, Dream Theater, even though none of them ever played a musical instrument? Oh, wait, Nsync were pop and Dream Theater are rock so that's an unfair comparison. Actually, that's a perfect comparison. Hogan was the pop; Savage was the rock. No, not that Rock. In a similar comparison: John Cena has more wrestling ability than anyone currently employed on the WWE roster. I refuse to knock Hogan because of his great impact on the sport, but to bury Savage just because Hogan was #1 while he was #2 is pretty bogus. That's like saying Rock sucked because he wasn't #1 because of Austin. This is just a topic to start an argument, but the whole "he won it during Hulkamania" is rather weak.

 

[MrMcCool]

This is a great conversation!

Being into wrestling for about 22 years now, I was a huge Hulkamaniac! True, now I realize he's a HUGE moron, but back then I loved him, and I dont regret it.

I agree that Savage back then seems to have been built up to promote Hogan more, so his feud with Flair was better because it was about him. As for Hogan being better, yes, as an entertainer and marketing Hogan was better. Which in essence is what wrestling is about. I dont think Cena is that bad, because he does what it takes to be a star, however, there are much better wrestlers, but he is the NUMBER 1 entertainer. I dont remember a lot of what his matches consisted of, but I do know Savage was a better wrestler, he sold better, Hogan never had to sell, so it's no contest!

You dont have to be a great wrestler to be the most popular. Hogan was a better entertainer, but Savage was a better wrestler!

 

[DhA]

The logic in this trhead in beyond stupid. Norcal, just because Hogan was far and away more popular oesn't mean he was better. I don't understand why wrestling fans try and objectify everything. If someone is more entertaiend by Randy Savage, then let them be, it's certainly not a controversial opinion. If you want to like who the WWE tells you to like, go ahead and do that. Does it really matter?

 

[NOLUBEZ]

No one can question what Hogan did in wrestling but I personally would take a Savage match over a Hogan match any day and on a side note, funny story really, Iwent to an event as a kid in the mid 80's when they first started putting Hart Foundation against the Bulldogs and their match truly stole the show, to the point that when Hogan wrestled later on the only reaction he really got was a few boring chants and I can vividly remember Hogan looking like he was gonna cry after the match cause he wasn't the big star of the night and nobody really gave a shit about him. what's the point of this post nothing really but then again what's the point of this thread

 

[Deexter Jorgan]

The logic in this trhead in beyond stupid. Norcal, just because Hogan was far and away more popular oesn't mean he was better. I don't understand why wrestling fans try and objectify everything. If someone is more entertaiend by Randy Savage, then let them be, it's certainly not a controversial opinion. If you want to like who the WWE tells you to like, go ahead and do that. Does it really matter?

Its actually true, the company only gets round a certain amount of wrestlers and push them, In that era it was all about Hogan, it was Hogans world and Macho Man was just living in it, no matter how each of us perceives this situation Macho man did something that most wrestlers in the WWE at that time only dreamed of, Win the Big one in the era where it was all about Hogan, he pretty much had pull over whatever he wanted to do, his grasp over the WWE championship was relinquished after the steroid scandal but be certain hogan was always one of the biggest draws in this industry and in the 80's Hogan was the biggest draw this industry had ever seen, people where there to see the man from Rocky 3, they loved the action but came to see Hogan go up against whatever credible contender challenged him, and the macho man unfortunately had his push stalled because he became that challenger, his rise to the top was supposed to be slower then expected as Hulk was scheduled to take on Ted Dibiase but instead Mach got the Nod and hence only had the title for a cup of coffee until hogan got back what he never lost.

Remember this is not wrestling we are talking about its the WWE and at that time Hogan was the main reason people tuned in

 

[Big Daddy Fool]

ah, fantastic, our first contestant. if you would sir, please enlighten us all as to why Savage was SO much better in the ring than Hogan? If he was SO much better, then why was he, at his absolute apex, nothing but a second fiddle, being built for a Hogan squash? Did nearly 100,000 people sell out one building to watch a Savage match? no, no they didnt.

True but I hear as many people talk about the Savage/Steamboat as I do about Hogan/Andre. I remember reading that Hogan and McMahon were pissed because they felt that Savage and Steamboat stole the show that night.

Being over and ring ability have nothing to do with each other really. There apples and oranges. If ring ability alone was the sole criteria to being a main event star guys like Dean Malenko and Shelton Benjamin would have world titles on their resumes. While Hogan may of sucked in the ring he made up for it so much with his charisma that his lack of in ring ability meant shit. To say Savage wasn't good in the ring is a crime and your love of hogan and what seems to me to be a hatred of Savage is blinding you.

Maybe the reason why Savage had to share the spotlight with Hogan was to keep Hogan's humongous ego happy. Which was the right thing to do because you dont want to get your cashcow upset. Plus from everything ive read about Hogan he was never real big on passing the torch. Bret Hart complains about that all the time.

Honestly if you asked a random person to name 2 wrestling stars from the 80s the answer would most likely be Hogan and Savage and to say that the only reason Savage is remembered is cause of Hogan is unfair to say. Plus Randy Savage made an awesome rap album

 

[Agent-67]

Bottom line is Savage was not as big as Hogan! Savage in my opinion was the best in ring performer in the mid to late 80's in the WWF/WWE at that time. However, Hogan was the reason people tuned in. As far as Hogan not putting people over, well that is just a false statement. Hogan has put over many guys. He put the Ultimate Warrior over at WM 6 and the Warrior dropped the ball. He put Yoko over in his last 90's match in the WWF/WWE at King of the Ring 93. He brought Luger's wrestling career back to life and even lost the belt to him on a live nitro. He put Sting over, as a matter of fact I don't think Hogan has ever actually beat Sting. He put Bill Goldberg over big time on live nitro. He put Lesnar over on Smackdown, Lesnar really destroyed him. He gave the Taker his first title victory in the WWF/WWE. He even put Savage on the map with the Mega Powers angle. I love Bret Hart but he is a guy who thinks this stuff is real. Hall's comment on a shoot was perfect. Bret would like to make 400,000 dollars a year and win every night rather than make millions and market the product. Bret does not like Hogan bottom line. You cant believe everything he says. Remember he is the one who would not give up the belt. But the guy who puts no one over is the Taker. Who's career got better because of a fued with that guy???

 

[finneycom1]

You know, looking back at my first post, NorCal, I forgot to thank you getting the honor for being the "first contestant." But, let me remind you that you did ask "why was Savage SO much better in the ring than Hogan?" I will agree with Big Daddy Fool that comparing who is over and ring ability is like comparing apples and oranges. If you really want an answer as to why Savage was SO much better than Hogan then I suggest you watch a compiled list of matches both had in their careers. Can you really sit there and tell me that Hogan had better in ring work than Savage?

The facts are: Hogan was basically at the right place at the right time. McMahon was looking for someone to build the company around and Hogan had the look and charisma to get the job done. Was he over? YES, way over. Did he sell out more arenas than anybody else? Absolutely. Did Savage play second fiddle. YES, he did. None of those I will not argue with you one bit on.

But...... you did ask why was Savage SO much better than Hogan in the ring? Just watch the matches. I think the people on this thread are arguing two different arguments.

Hogan- Over, Main stream star, Biggest star of the eighties, household name

Savage- Better in ring performer than Hogan

My question is, Can anyone honestly say, without throwing in merchandise sales, ticket sales, stardom, can anyone honestly say that Hogan was better in the ring than Savage? If you can, you are seeing something that I am not.

 

[TheLoyn]

It comes down to the simple choice of two extremes; which does the average WW(F)E fan want wrestling or 'sports entertainment'?
Sure, Hogan was the charismatic entertainer who all the fans loved (even myself as a child) but equally, Savage was THE MAN if you wanted to see a good 15-20 psychology based wrestling match.
My modern day comparison is if you want charisma and entertainment look to John Cena, as much as I personally detest the man he draws a crowd and can elicit a reation. Compare that to, say, Shelton Benjamin. One of the best technically gifted athletes the WW(F)E has had on the roster ever (regardless of what Jim Ross says about Billy Gunn) and he only really gets a response from the crowd during career shortening matches such as Money In The Bank.
All I say is that I'm thankful that today we have the technically gifted and charismatic athletes such as CM Punk, randy Orton, John Morrison, Chris Jericho, Jeff Hardy, Rey Misterio (Jr), countless others too numerous to name and the ever-legendary-soon-to-be-retired Shawn Micheals to choose from depending on if we want match quality or entertainment value.

 

[midgensa]

The OP has a fantastic point here ... this clearly was just the WWF trying to build up a plausible and strong opponent for Hogan ... they had kind of made him "unbeatable" so they took an entire year to build up Savage as the guy who could beat Hogan, making Hogan look like he might not be top dog.

Of course ... in the end it was just a way to serve someone else up to Hogan, but to deny the impact that this run had on Randy Savage's career and legacy is a little naive.

Lets be fair ... no matter what the long term reason was ... they let Savage hold the belt for longer than a calendar year in the middle of Hulkamania ... that is definitely a big deal. From January 3, 1984 until April 1, 1990 ... a 75 month span ... Hulk Hogan held the belt for 63 months. For 12 months in between ... Savage got his hands on it. That is quite an accomplishment ... not matter the final outcome.

Savage is pretty clearly a better in-ring performer than Hogan, contrary to some's statements here. I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but to claim Hogan's ringwork as better than Savage's just seems a little overboard.

I guess in the end I am saying ... the OP is definitely correct ... this was nothing but a ploy to build up Hogan even more and give him a "strong" opponent to "overcome the odds" BUT ... that still, in my eyes, does not diminish the fact that Savage's year-long run in the middle of Hogan having the belt for more than six years is extremely impressive.

 

[psykohurricane]

It comes down to the simple choice of two extremes; which does the average WW(F)E fan want wrestling or 'sports entertainment'?
Sure, Hogan was the charismatic entertainer who all the fans loved (even myself as a child) but equally, Savage was THE MAN if you wanted to see a good 15-20 psychology based wrestling match.

If It Wasn't for guys like Ricky Steamboat and Ted Dibiase, Savage would be just as good of a wrestler as Hogan was. The fact of the matter is that every little thing he did in the ring was scripted to the very last move. The classic match he had against Steamboat was scripted for the opening belt all the way to the end and if it wasn'T for steamboat, he wouldn'T have been one of the best match in wrestlemania history. People seem to think that savage was this great wrestlers but in reality he was just as good as Hogan was and all his accomplishment prove that. Outside of a couple of classic matches, the guy never did anything note****thy.

 

[Ryanhitman316]

I am sorry but I will choose Macho over Hogan anytime. I just hate when someone becomes so popular and he can't wrestle. Wrestling is Wrestling. Now people judge wrestlers based on popularity. The only true wrestlers that I can think of today are Jericho and Edge. I seriously think Hogan is over-rated.

 

[CJ The Pirate]

This thread is completely ridiculous. Hogan was the most popular guy in wrestling at that time. He was not the most talented in a wrestling capacity. Much like the Rock after him and John Cena after him... the talent lies in their showmanship. That's what got them to the big time. They are entertainers. Not real wrestlers. Not like guys whose names will live on forever for wrestling. Ric Flair, David and Kerry Von Erich, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit and I could go on for much longer.

Ask true fans about their most memorable moment of any of the above wrestlers and they'll name a match. Ask the same about Hogan and the Wrestlemania III moment will more often than not be mentioned, if not that, then his Heel turn in WCW. The closest thing to an actual match you'll hear about is when he challenged Yokozuna who had just won the WWF title from Bret Hart with Hogan then going on to win it. Sure, we all were happy and in tears that 'our guy' had done it for us!

This is a pathetic thread by a Hogan fan who is asking for all of us to agree with him and when we didn't he couldn't accept it.

And as for the ring of honor thing? There are hundreds of thousands of fans of ROH and it stretches across the seas and there are fans in so many countries now. Another person, like Danielson, who was insanely popular in ROH was one of the biggest, and controverisally so some might say, stars in the WWE today. CM Punk.

 

[MetaphoriK]

basically what you shallow ass darts are saying is that as long as you have enough sheeple that buy into your foolish gimmick your skills don't matter, and the world wonders why you had George W. Bush in office for 2 fricken terms. I never was huge on hulk hogan, fuck money and fame give me kurt angle or bret hart any day of the week. If money and fame is how you judge the ability of a "wrestler" Then Santino should be your undisputed wwe champion. Santino sells t-shirts and gets over with his gimmick, but tell me of a match he was in that blew your mind.

 

[DhA]

Yeah, I like guys like Hulk Hogan, hell my favourite wrestler is The Rock, but it seems that there's a trend amongst the IWC to raise the awesomelly popular guys onto a pedestal they shouldn't be on - just because they're popular? Who cares if Hogan can sell out an arena - doesn't mean he's as good in ring as Randy Savage, just like U2 can sell out an arena doesn't mean Bono's better in the ring. People go to see Hogan's character/showmanship, U2's music and Savage's wrestling - don't pretend that people went to see Hogan under the impression that he was a ring genious.

 

[Deexter Jorgan]

Yeah, I like guys like Hulk Hogan, hell my favourite wrestler is The Rock, but it seems that there's a trend amongst the IWC to raise the awesomelly popular guys onto a pedestal they shouldn't be on - just because they're popular? Who cares if Hogan can sell out an arena - doesn't mean he's as good in ring as Randy Savage, just like U2 can sell out an arena doesn't mean Bono's better in the ring. People go to see Hogan's character/showmanship, U2's music and Savage's wrestling - don't pretend that people went to see Hogan under the impression that he was a ring genious.

Firstly compaing Hogan to U2 is like comparing a Al Snow to Hulk Hogan, neither one is the same, One sold out arenas the other ate his own dog to get over!.

Hogan is a legend in this business for one of many reasons, firstly because he made this business what it is today because Vince put the belt on him and set him up as the unbeatable champion, he helped WCW beat the WWE and nearly put the company out of business, the fact is Hogan sold out arenas should be the main reason you understand that he is better then Savage, just like John Cena is better then AJ Styles because the guy has the whole company on his shoulders, yes AJ wrestles better, yes AJ is more awesome then Cena but do you see TNA actually putting Styles in films, promoting his t shirts and having him sell out their arenas... the answer to that my friend is no.

Hogan made alot of money for the business and for himself, he had nearly twenty years on top of the industry and over 13 world title reigns, thats why hogan keeps getting what he wants, thatts why hogan does what he likes because Hogan makes money plain and simple!, Randy Savage bitches about Hogan all the time but the fact is Macho was couldnt get over, he was repackaged three damn times and still couldnt draw heat like Hogan could, heel or Face Hogan was better then savage as an entertainer Ability has nothing to do with htis arguement its about what earns the company money, without money wrestling would not be on the level it is today and that my friend is a FACT!

 

[DhA]

First of all, U2 aren't liek Al Snow, U2 are far bigger than Hulk Hogan, no matter how "big" wrestling fans like to think the industry is.

And I never said Savage was bigger than Hogan, and I don't think ANYONE did. What I'm saying is, Hogan is bigger because more people liked him. That gives me, the individual, no real reason to like Hogan over Savage, just because everyone else does. I'm not Vicne McMahon, I don't care how much a wrestler draws.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

This is a pathetic thread by a Hogan fan who is asking for all of us to agree with him and when we didn't he couldn't accept it.

Actually, the only thing thats pathetic, apparently, is your reading skills, since this thread isnt even about Hogan, its about Savage being grossly overrated. Its about people making a huge deal about him winning the title during Hulkamania, when given the actual facts, its a rather hollow accomplishement.

It also proves my point that he is insanely overrated, given the amount of times ive seen people say "Well, Savage was better, but everyone tuned in to see Hogan. he was better but everyone liked Hogan"

Well what the fuck are you talking about? So the vast majority enjoyed the sucky wrestler? How fucking stupid does that sound? Everyone going on and on about this "in ring ability" shit needs to learn what pro wrestling is actually about.

I am sorry but I will choose Macho over Hogan anytime. I just hate when someone becomes so popular and he can't wrestle. Wrestling is Wrestling. Now people judge wrestlers based on popularity.

He cant wrestle? then please, enlighten me, what the fuck was he doing in the ring, with the punches and the headlocks and all that? what is it that you call that, if its not wrestling?

Allow me to explain something to you. Professional wrestling companies are started to make money. THAT is the end all, be all, for ANY coporation. The guys who are the most popular, who can engage a crowd enough to make those people pay money to see them preform, are the best wrestlers. Pretty easy.

Savage- Better in ring abilty

WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN




and this thread proves it. I cant even start a thread about Randy Savage without the masses turning it into a Hulk Hogan thread. I guess life imitates art eh? The point of this thread was that the IWC vastly overrates Savage, and a lot of it is becuase he held the title during Hulkamania, which is silly, since the whole show was still abotu Hulk Hogan the entire time, and Savage didnt end up being anything besides another Squash for Hogan. Randy Savage MIGHT just be the most overrated wrestler on the planet earth. For all of these mounds of "in ring ability" (still waiting for someone to define that for me) He sure never made shit for any company on his own. The majority of his feuds, he wasnt the main focus of them. Look em up, count em. He isnt. He is fine and all, but given FAR too many accolades for someone who didnt accomplish much. I guess all you IWC experts out there know more than the men running the companies, since none of them felt Savage deserving of being a lead guy.

 

[DC24]

In ring ability doesn't mean shit because it all is fucking fake. This isn't wrestling its entertainment there's no 3 count in wrestling its a one count; there are no ropes and promos in wrestling. I love both Hogan and Macho Man so I won't bash Randy but I do think Hogan is Greatest of All-Time. I hear people say if wasn't Hogan then it would be somebody else I would like to know who then. Please get off the backstage shit i could care less honestly about people wanted Hogan thats why he was on top plain and fucking simple.