Hogan in DX?! It was closer to happening than you think.

[It's...Baylariat!]

I recently watched a Guest Booker with Bruce Prichard concerning the Montreal Screwjob and he dropped a pipebomb during his laying out of rebooking the whole Hart/HBK deal.

It appears as if nearing the end of 1997, Hogan's contract was up in WCW and he was in what was called 'serious' discussion to return to the WWE for Survivor Series. According to Prichard, if Hogan returns to WWE, it could have prevented the Screwjob because it gives Hart a viable hand to drop the belt to that's not Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series. All of that sounds great, except the way Prichard layed out Hogan's deal after beating Hart for the title...

Prichard basically wanted Hogan to be a part of DX with Shawn and HHH and the others, and pass the torch to Austin instead of HBK. HBK, meanwhile would tease dissension with HHH and have HHH beat HBK at WM and send him packing, thus giving HHH the reigns to DX like it was done without Hogan.

SO basically, Prichard wanted to replace HBK with Hogan to give Austin the torch.

What are your thoughts on this scenario? Ridiculous? Hilarious? Brilliant?

How would you have liked to seen Hogan used during that time frame?

 

[Soulblazed]

Pretty interesting to think of Hogan in DX..I can imagine Hogan's remixed theme "I am a real Degenerate, fight for the rights of all DX"...

But in all seriousness, that'd have been an interesting way for Bret to lose the title to a Hogan Legdrop instead of the Montreal Screwjob...I could see Hall, Waltman and Nash following Hogan back to the WWF, say, re-debuting at the 1998 Royal Rumble and joining DX.

 

[shafe_41]

Personally... sounds ridiculous. Hogan didn't have that type of attitude necessary for DX. Like Hogan or not... he's a born leader of the elite. Even with HBK as sort of a "leader" mentality with DX, DX was sort of always a band of upper-card misfits. Not saying Hogan wouldn't have been running around saying "suck it," but can you honestly imagine Hogan with his ego not being on top of the company? Sure DX was always one of the most popular week to week segments for their run... but would DX have really been the DX we know with Hogan as the leader?

I don't think so. Like I said, Hogan and his ego wouldn't allow it. HBK never held the WWE Title after '98. Hogan would have certainly done so. Many times. DX was happy running around raising a little hell and being a very entertaining annoyance. Hogan wouldn't have lowered himself to holding the European Title and making dick jokes. Again, DX would have had a totally different meaning and feel with Hogan. It would have probably ended up a little more nWo-like but not watered down to the extent it was in WCW. I think Hogan and Triple H would have had some really interesting stuff going on, but it wouldn't have been anything near what we saw with HBK. You could not have just switched those two and had the same result. Audiences wanted to see Austin go over HBK because HBK was the young, brash, cocky SOB that needed put in his place... character-wise and also as a man. Austin going over Hogan would have had a totally different meaning. Austin obviously became a top guy once he won the title. But he always seemed like he was fighting to STAY at the top even though you knew he was a made man at the top. Going over Hogan would put Austin in that upper echelon, and then knocked the ladder down once Austin hit the top.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

Wouldn't have worked. People like Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart didn't belong in the WWF's Attitude Era, nor were they needed. Hogan and Sting drew WCW's biggest buy ever at Starrcade 1997 and Hogan went on to have a very fruitful and profitable 1998, so it would have been a mistake.

 

[ilapierre]

I find the belief they thought they might get Hogan back very interesting (as this is how delusional and desperate the WWE was when their company was falling to pieces just before the screwjob). I appreciate Pritchard for coming forth and sharing this but it's simply just the WWE people being absolutely ignorant of the company south. WCW had built up the Hogan Sting angle for 14 months at this point for the big payoff a month later at Starrcade. Although the match itself left a lot to be desired, the buildup for it was as big as the buildup of Hogan/Andre at WM3. Actually can't even remember once ever a main event that so well hyped. So losing Hogan to WWE would NEVER have happened in a billion years. Hogan was getting paid a ton for far less work and travel. Bischoff would have given him everything in Billionaire Ted's pocket to keep him and protect the storyline direction. And at this point WCW ruled the roost and WWE was a sinking ship with rumours swirling that WCW could put Vince out of business. As neat as it is to think about, Hogan would never have fit in with DX and if he was forced into it the group would have been much more elitist and less juvenile as one poster above alluded to. Shawn circa 97-98 was perfect for DX and for the heat and animosity he got from his part in the upcoming screwjob. It's funny that after Shawn retired he didn't really 'fit' in with the Attitude Era any more as he found Christ. So in a way, surprisingly, Hogan would have fit in better with that group after WM 14. I would have loved to see Hogan rather than Shawn put Austin over at WM 14. But the Hogan of 98 would probably have done no such thing. And if he did he'd ruin the moment like he did for Sting at Starrcade.

 

[MC_Live]

Apparently this topic came up when Pritchard debated Eric Bischoff before the Rumble. He said that Hogan was planned to join DX, win the belt, and drop it to Steve. Vince Russo, the head WWF writer at the time, came out on his site and said it was complete BS. Now, I get that these aren't the most credible of people to listen to given their histories. But when you think about it, a lot of that idea doesn't make sense. First, Bret was leaving because Vince didn't have enough to cover his contract. Sure, Vince would have some money to throw around. But if he couldn't pay Bret in 97, I doubt he would have been able to have enough money to cover the giant price Hogan would have asked for. Next, Pritchard says that there was a plan in November for Hogan to come in and HHH to wrestle Shawn at Mania. Now I don't know because I wasn't there, but I don't think Shawn decided to retire until his back injury that resulted from the casket match, which happened two or three months after this plan to bring Hogan back was hatched. To me, it seems like it would have been saying they knew Shawn would retire before Shawn actually decided to retire. Finally, let's be honest. Hogan was riding high with the nWo in 97. I doubt he would have wanted to leave that. Also, I don't think the WWF would have wanted him back. They had moved on. So I just think the whole idea is Pritchard making stuff up because whatever.

 

[Khalifa]

I would of hated it. I could only imagine it would of generated buzz the first week because everyone would of thought "wow he was just with the NWO now he is with DX" but I think Hogans character wouldn't of allowed him to be any good in DX. Even his Hollywood gimmick wasn't anything like HHH or HBK in DX, it would of just been weird. The idea is somewhat okay I suppose if you wanted to make Austin mega but it probably would of hampered the legacy of DX as a faction and I quite like the way things turned out.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

One thing I find with a lot of these old guys when they're looking back at stuff... is how off their timelines are. It makes sense though if you think about it. They're on the road for weeks at a time, and eventually everything just starts blending together.

I say this because I do remember reading in someone's book about either Hogan doing a negotiation with the WWF in the late 90's, or at least there was the rumor that he was going to jump. Obviously it turned out to be nothing since it never happened... and if true was probably just Hogan playing the game trying to get more money. But if Pritchard does say that there was a plan to bring Hogan in, then maybe there was something to that rumor. I don't know that the timeline works to have it happen exactly when Pritchard says it would have though. The NWO's at it's height. WCW is killing it in the ratings. He's making a fortune and having all his friends come in to work with him. Why jump at that specific time? Although like I said, maybe he didn't intend to and was just angling for a better deal, which would have totally been like Hogan. Maybe it was a year down the road, and when remembering that Hogan might have come back, and doing his whole guest booker thing, his mind just starts racing?

Would it have worked? I don't see it. For one, if Hart didn't want to drop to Michaels at Survivor Series, there was probably only one other guy in the business at that time he would have felt the same way about... and that was Hogan. Remember when Hogan left the WWF, he had been screwing around Hart pretty badly. He'd also refused to put Hart over, which if you recall, was the exact same reason Hart had for not wanting to put Michaels over in Montreal (HBK said that he'd never put Hart over, which started the whole screwjob ball rolling).

Even if Hart goes for it though and drops to Hogan... Hogan in DX? I guess that original version was the one version that Hogan would have worked in (they did have Rick Rude in a suit, so visually they could have made it happen). DX at the time was their answer to the NWO, so getting the NWO leader for it is a logical leap. Still though... the thing DX had going for them was that they were cool and anti-establishment. Hogan wasn't cool, and he was the establishment. Hogan wasn't cool in the NWO either (even more so because he tried so hard to be), but the NWO wasn't as hyper as DX was. They were more laid back and thuggish, which helped Hogan's personality fit better. DX were spoiled, bratty kids that stopped taking their Ritalin.

If that does happen, I've got the feeling that DX would be looked at today like a Nation of Domination. A faction that people remember fondly, but was never overly important in the grand scheme of things. HBK and HHH fighting for who gets DX? It takes away a lot of the allure the next night of HHH saving DX from basically being ruined by bringing in X-Pac (to the biggest pop he ever got in his life), and the later shocker of getting the Outlaws. You can still do all those things, but something's still missing for me at least, and I don't think it would have worked as well in the end.

 

[Waylon Mercy]

Somehow I don't think Bret would have been any more likely to want to drop the belt to Hogan than he was to Shawn at the time. In all due fairness, Hart was amenable to dropping the title to Shawn....just not at that event in Montreal. I think Bret would have had a harder time with the idea of losing to Hogan, given all the years he spent in his shadow. Adding insult to injury, Bret lost the title to Yokozuna at WM, only for Hogan to march out and take it for himself right after.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Yeah... that wouldn't have worked at all. In reality, Hogan wasn't nearly as cool as the other guys in the NWO. The people who made those vignettes should be commended for making Hogan look like less of a fucking dork. Watch him when he says "Too sweeet!" or, "4 LIFE!!" They were awkward as fuck. Having him going around saying suck it and crotch chopping would have been so bad... I'm cringing just thinking about it.

Hogan was an old, out of touch fuck. It wouldn't have worked.

 

[Vader]

Not to question your source (I don't know who that guy is), but it seems highly unlikely and conjecture that Hogan would have left WCW at that time. As most know, Survivor Series was just before Starrcade. Hogan was the dominant heel, and face of the company. Hogan's clout was so far overarching that he didn't have to lose cleanly to Sting after a year and a half buildup in arguably one of the biggest matches in wrestling history. We've all heard various stories of Hogan's ego pulls and him getting 10% of the gate at every Nitro or something like that. If Hogan was talking leaving the WCW for the WWE, it seems more like a ploy on his end to conjure up more money. If Vince couldn't afford Hart, then he couldn't afford Hogan. That or he thought Hogan could resurrect the company which seems unlikely since Vince thought he was too old several years earlier.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Look at what/who they would have lost had they done that in terms of talent coming through who actually turned the tables.

Rocky doesn't grow as he did - whether Hogan likes it or not it is Dwayne who will go down as the most over, most famous, most successful wrestler of all time. Hogan had a cameo in Gremlins 2 as his finest movie moment... The Rock has been close to an Oscar nom already for Be Cool and Pain and Gain... it's not inconceivable he'll get one one day... He's also made billions at the box office... and WWE suckles at that tit like it's all their creation lol... Hogan comes in, Rocky ends up leaving/going to WCW...

Mick Foley - Hogan would bury Mick, he'd have never got the title and that one moment that permanently turned the tide doesn't happen... Long term his impact is diminished but he had a 2 year window where he was crucial as a main eventer.

Jericho - No way is Jericho getting near WWE or anywhere if he does... Hogan would bring Goldberg in first and all the same issues Jericho ended up leaving for would be in WWE instead... You might however see Jericho do better in WCW, especially with Bret around. He'd be in the same bracket as DDP and Booker and Benoit as someone who could "step up" if all those Hogan cronies were gone. Bischoff saw it, he just couldn't use it with the Hogan era in place.

Kurt Angle - How is Hogan gonna handle having a more legit "Real American" like Kurt around? Probably not or he'd be reduced to that fawning sidekick like they did with Edge for a while...

Intriguing as the idea is, I am glad it never happened... that being said, the sheer shock of it would have jump started the WWE for sure.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Sounds iffy to me. Bret Hart left for WCW because Vince McMahon couldn't afford him. If Vince couldn't afford Bret, what makes you think he could afford Hogan?

 

[FlairFan2003]

Hogan's appeal as a heel was that he was elite, he was "above everyone", DX were juvenile delinquents (granted, they were juvenile delinquents played by 40 year olds, but still....). Hogan's image was anything but childish and immature, in fact he was the opposite. It wouldn't have worked.

Now you're assuming Hart would have been happy losing the title in Canada to Hogan, a guy he eviscerates to this day as opposed to HBK (Hart has had plenty of nasty things to say about many of his co workers but as he's gotten older and had his legacy celebrated by WWE he has walked back a lot of his vitriol EXCEPT when it comes to Hogan). Id love to have been a fly on the wall for that discussion when it was offered to Brett.

Finally, if WWE didn't want to pay Hart what makes you think they could have topped Hogan's WCW deal, where he got 1 million PER PPV....plus total creative control over both his character AND the complimentary storylines of the wrestlers most tied to him ? Vince wouldn't give half of that to Austin at his height, what makes you think he would give it to Hogan ?

Seems like one of those ridiculous stories that gets borne out of other stories with more legitimacy, like how close HBK was to leaving for WCW and how close Flair was to returning to WWE....

 

[FromGlasgow]

I hadn't heard anything about Hogan joining DX before, I like the idea of him facing Austin but I did enjoy the whole HBK vs Austin with Mike Tyson and wouldn't have liked that to get replaced but perhaps build Austin vs Hogan up for Summerslam or the following years Wrestlemania, Also for the montreal screw job to have never happened there possibly would have been no Vince Mcmahon heel turn and was such a major turning point in the WWE which people are still talking about, I just can't imagine Hogan being a good fit in DX. Would loved to have seen Hogan after Wrestlemania time though possibly being brought and managed by a heel Mr Mcmahon to feud with Austin.

 

[Emmet]

There is no way Bret puts Hogan over after the shit that Hogan pulled with Bret and Vince over Summerslam 1993, I'd safely say if Bret had to put over HBK or Hogan at that time he would have went for Shawn, which is really saying something for how much he disliked Hogan, and still does.

 

[whoopin' ass]

I just can't see it. Let's start with the basics - there is a 12 year age difference between Hogan and HBK. Would anyone who bought into DX really believe that a guy a decade older was running it? The nWo was different, infact it needed the main members to be older so they knew the ropes and how to get to talent. DX was about young arrogant guys thinking they were better than everyone else and could just ignore the system. nWo was about screwing over the other talent so you got everything, DX was about outshowing the other talent - they are not the same. I don't see it being something the WWF audience would have bought into.

Then there is the other side - was it necessary. While this was going on, was Hogan needed in WWF? Would people have bought into him as a heel without Nash and Hall? How long until Hogan started working things behind the scenes like he was in WCW? I can't see Hogan passing the torch and putting guys over when he didn't want to do that in WCW. Given the options, why leave WCW when you are pretty much in control? I don't think WWF would have gained as much as people thought beyond the initial month or so of his return and I think it would have hurt them further down the road.