Hogan Matches With The Wrong Outcome

[RIPbossman]

Another Hogan topic from me...

What are some Hogan matches that had the wrong outcome, win or lose?

My picks:

Vs. The Genius, SNME

Hogan lost by countout after Mr. Perfect hit him with the title. Hogan shouldn't lose to Lenny Poffo under any circumstances.

Vs. Ultimate Warrior, WM 6

Warrior had tons of momentum going in, but him beating Hogan was when that era jumped the shark. Business went down when Warrior won the title and stayed down with future champions.

Vs. Sting, Starrcade

Hogan did lose, but it should have been clean. He was arguably the best heel ever, but even the best bad guys lose clean when the time calls for it. This time called for it.

A match outcome I do agree with...

Vs. Shawn Michaels, SummerSlam 2005

Michaels was a full time performer and Hogan wrestled occasionally. However, HBK didn't want to be champion and limited himself to being one of the top guys, not THE top guy. He didn't need to beat Hogan to fulfill that role. Instead we got a great story of the legendary good guy beating the legendary bad guy who wad jealous of him.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Summerslam 2006- Orton vs Hogan

To date Hogan last match in WWE and Orton with his "Legend Killer" gimmick. Really no need for Hogan to win at all. Guessing if he maybe stayed after that he would do the job for Randy but Randy taking a leg drop and pinfall in 2006 isnt really good way to elevate your next main event player.

Wrestlemania 9- Hogan vs Yokozuna

Not only that you had Bret Hart losing to Yokozuna but Hogan who in matter of seconds took title off Yokozuna. Which did nothing to either Yokozuna or Hart.

Fingerpoke of Doom

OK this one is more on Nash but fact that Nash ended Goldbergs streak which was hottest storyline at WCW and just gave it to Hogan next night was just wrong and start of fall of WCW. And that booking was all Nash and Hogan.

 

[ilapierre]

This is a good question:

Hulk Hogan had NO business losing, by pinfall, to Jacques Rougeau in Canada.
Hulk Hogan had NO business losing, by pinfall and on TV, to Arn Anderson.
Hogan should not have lost his match with Flair at Uncensored 99.
Hogan should have lost clean to Sting at Starcade.
Hogan should have lost, clean, to Randy Savage the Nitro after Spring Stampedie 98.
Hogan should NOT have lost to Roddy Piper at Starrcade 97.

 

[ilapierre]

Summerslam 2006- Orton vs Hogan

To date Hogan last match in WWE and Orton with his "Legend Killer" gimmick. Really no need for Hogan to win at all. Guessing if he maybe stayed after that he would do the job for Randy but Randy taking a leg drop and pinfall in 2006 isnt really good way to elevate your next main event player.

Wrestlemania 9- Hogan vs Yokozuna

Not only that you had Bret Hart losing to Yokozuna but Hogan who in matter of seconds took title off Yokozuna. Which did nothing to either Yokozuna or Hart.

Fingerpoke of Doom

OK this one is more on Nash but fact that Nash ended Goldbergs streak which was hottest storyline at WCW and just gave it to Hogan next night was just wrong and start of fall of WCW. And that booking was all Nash and Hogan.

1 Randy Orton hasn't lost a match since his match with Hogan.
2 Hogan vs Hart shouldhave been the money match. Not Hitmanvs Yokozuna.
3 Nash shoudn't have beaten Goldberg's streak. Nash was NOT booker in December 98. It was 8 days later that Nash laid down, not the next night.

 

[relentless1]

Hogan should've beaten Warrior

Hogan should've beaten Piper at Starrcade 96

Hogan should've lost clean and decisively to Sting at Starrcade 97

 

[BigDaddyKewl]

In what ended up being Hulk's last match in the 90s I think Hulk should've put Yokozuna over clean at King of the Ring 93. The finish was poorly executed and really hurt the match with the Japanese photographer and the exploding camera came off awkward. Hogan had beaten Yokozuna in seconds at Wrestlemania 9 and was leaving the WWE. We've all heard the stories behind the scenes that Hulk refused to put over Bret at the time, well if he's not going lose to Bret he could've at least lost to Yokozuna clean. Regardless Yokozuna had a good title reign and carried the belt into the next Mania, but I think it could of had more of an impact if Hulk Put Yokozuna over clean.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

What about Savage vs. Hogan at Wrestlemania V? My understanding is that House Show numbers went down after Hogan beat Savage, the reason being was that there was the heat for Savage being a heel and a champion was gone after Hogan won the title back.

I would also like to add a recent one which was HBK vs. Hogan. IMO HBK should have gone over at Summerslam 2005. This would have done two things (1) HBK wouldn't have oversold this whole match turning it into a joke (I mean sure HBK was being kind of unprofessional here but Hogan probably had a hand in it too) and (2) Hogan would have agreed to a return match to get back the win (as he always does).

My guess is if HBK went over Hogan at Summerslam there would have been a Hogan vs. HBK rematch at WM22. Which would have made the card much stronger instead of wasting HBK with Vince McMahon.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Another Hogan topic from me...

What are some Hogan matches that had the wrong outcome, win or lose?

My picks:

Vs. The Genius, SNME

Hogan lost by countout after Mr. Perfect hit him with the title. Hogan shouldn't lose to Lenny Poffo under any circumstances.

Vs. Ultimate Warrior, WM 6

Warrior had tons of momentum going in, but him beating Hogan was when that era jumped the shark. Business went down when Warrior won the title and stayed down with future champions.

Vs. Sting, Starrcade

Hogan did lose, but it should have been clean. He was arguably the best heel ever, but even the best bad guys lose clean when the time calls for it. This time called for it.

A match outcome I do agree with...

Vs. Shawn Michaels, SummerSlam 2005

Michaels was a full time performer and Hogan wrestled occasionally. However, HBK didn't want to be champion and limited himself to being one of the top guys, not THE top guy. He didn't need to beat Hogan to fulfill that role. Instead we got a great story of the legendary good guy beating the legendary bad guy who wad jealous of him.

First, the Poffo match was a clear screw job, Hogan dominated from start to finish and the ending served the purpose of furthering the main storyline of the moment (Hogan vs Perfect). AND it was a surprise, generating buzz among fans. Finally, Hogan was so protected by the screw job he wasnt hurt at all by the loss (Poffo gained a bit). Absolutely right call the way this match ended.

HBK was not a full time wrestler at any point in his 2002 post come back. He was a part timer who would hot shot selected feuds, mostly for PPV events, took long absences off, and rarely did house shows. This was a match up of two PART TIME legends, Hogan was a bigger name, he got the win, but HBK was not even close to full time.

Hogan wanted time off after WM 6 & no superstar in WWE matched the fan support and excitement of Warrior. ABSOLUTELY the right call, Hogan was already transitioning into more of a part time role, UW was younger, and arguably the most over star on the roster. The only argument against this would have been to have Hogan screwjobbed by a heel like Rude or DiBiase, but who would fans want to see face the new champ in Hogan's absence (UW). And when Hogan came back after his histus who would fans want in the title picture ? Hogan of course. You could make an argument for 1) Hogan screwjobbed by heel at WM 6. 2) UW beats heel & wins belt. 3) WM 7 then becomes Hogan vs UW.

Either way, the biggest money match was Hogan-Warrior, after more than 5 years without a pinfall loss (clean) Hogan was due for a set back, Warrior was bigger than anyone else on the team at the time. UW failures as champ have nothing to do with it, and some (not all) of the decline in business was a nationwide trend affecting everyone in 1990-93, even when Hogan was active.

 

[FlairFan2003]

In what ended up being Hulk's last match in the 90s I think Hulk should've put Yokozuna over clean at King of the Ring 93. The finish was poorly executed and really hurt the match with the Japanese photographer and the exploding camera came off awkward. Hogan had beaten Yokozuna in seconds at Wrestlemania 9 and was leaving the WWE. We've all heard the stories behind the scenes that Hulk refused to put over Bret at the time, well if he's not going lose to Bret he could've at least lost to Yokozuna clean. Regardless Yokozuna had a good title reign and carried the belt into the next Mania, but I think it could of had more of an impact if Hulk Put Yokozuna over clean.

Yokoxuna was a heel, bad guys dont cleanly beat heroes, that's bad for business. Plus WWE wanted to protect its biggest ever superstar on his way out while leaving open the option for a return bout. Good decission all the way around. Yoko still got major heat from trouncing Brett at Mania & pinning Hogan, forcing him out of WWE, exactly what WWE wanted. This match outcome was fine.

Now I personally think WWE should have had Hogan vs Brett with Hart winning, Hogan leaving in a dignified manner, and Brett feuding with an outraged Yoko afterwards. WWE wasnt sold on Hart that much and after 12 years of almost non stop long term fan fav champs it a good argument exists for WWE going with a long term villain on top. Strictly speaking Yoko vs Hogan, Im fine with the outcome.

 

[FlairFan2003]

This is a good question:

Hulk Hogan had NO business losing, by pinfall, to Jacques Rougeau in Canada.
Hulk Hogan had NO business losing, by pinfall and on TV, to Arn Anderson.
Hogan should not have lost his match with Flair at Uncensored 99.
Hogan should have lost clean to Sting at Starcade.
Hogan should have lost, clean, to Randy Savage the Nitro after Spring Stampedie 98.
Hogan should NOT have lost to Roddy Piper at Starrcade 97.

Hogan put over a friend in his hometown in a meaningless non title match that wasnt televised (Rougeau in Canada). Nothing wrong with this, it hurt no one

Hogan was over due for a major loss and Piper was just the guy to deliver it and make fans happy (Starrcade 96). WCW fans & likely fans overall would have preferred Flair here as Mr WCW, anti NWO, etc but remember he was on injured reserve rehabbing rotator cuff surgery. Piper was a long established legend with a well documented history against Hogan (similar to Flair) and was clearly established as anti NWO, etc. Plus, the title wasnt on the line, this was a feel good/give back match for the fans & Hogan's loss made fans happy, this was a good call. Plus, while it added some much vulnerability to Hogan & NWO, Hogan still kept the belt so balance of power didnt really shift.

WCW needed a jolt in the early days of live Nitro, and Hogan suffering a pinfall loss on TV was big (Hogan had lost only 3 pinfall decissions since 1984, 12 years earlier). Arn Anderson was a well respected vetetan star with over a decade near the top of the card, and lets not forget the match was hardly clean, Hogan was clearly cheated. This match furthered the evolution of the reformed Four Horsemen as a legit threat to Hogan/Savage/Sting fan fave power trio. The top feud on the card was Flair-Savage, which this match (and Flair's much more competitive but still unclean win a week later over Hogan) clearly burnished, plus it added an air of vulnerability to Hogan to aide interest in his storyline vs Big Show, which considering what a newbie Show was then needed all the help it could get, and since WCW was making a huge investment in Show, his run vs Hogan was hugely important to establishing his credibility with the audience, so any burnishment is good.

Hogan shouldnt have lost at Uncensored 99 only because that match shouldnt have taken place. Flair was red hot when he returned and should have gone over clean vs Hogan at SuperBrawl 99. That would have created storyline chaos for the newly reformed NWO if Hogan dropped the belt to his arch nemesis (much to fans delight) after the FingerPoke of Doom, a great catalyst for stress between Hogan-Nash-Biachoff. Plus, at that point in Feb 99 Goldberg was super over and there was big money potential in re matches with him vs either Hogan and/or Nash. Meanwhile, Sting, Savage, & Hart are all soon returning from injured reserve with the NWO on its heels for the first time since early in their 96 inception with a potential wild card as Pres & Champion (Flair), afterall, he was Mr Fan Favorite Lives Wrestling Loves Fans Pro Tradition when his company was under attack & his arch rival had all the power, but there a ton of storyline directions WCW could have gone here with a guy known as "The Dirtiest Player In The Game". Especially if WCW would have a had a long range plan to put their only true YOUNG superstar (Goldberg) back on top by year's end. So much money just flushed down the shoot here, add Hogan winning at SuperBrawl 99 as an outcome that should not have happened.


Hogan-Savage with Macho getting a clean win shouldnt have been wasted on a Nitro, Savage deserved that on a premium PPV setting (SuperBrawl, Bash At The Beach, Haliween Havoc, Starrcade).

 

[ilapierre]

Hogan put over a friend in his hometown in a meaningless non title match that wasnt televised (Rougeau in Canada). Nothing wrong with this, it hurt no one

Hogan was over due for a major loss and Piper was just the guy to deliver it and make fans happy (Starrcade 96). WCW fans & likely fans overall would have preferred Flair here as Mr WCW, anti NWO, etc but remember he was on injured reserve rehabbing rotator cuff surgery. Piper was a long established legend with a well documented history against Hogan (similar to Flair) and was clearly established as anti NWO, etc. Plus, the title wasnt on the line, this was a feel good/give back match for the fans & Hogan's loss made fans happy, this was a good call. Plus, while it added some much vulnerability to Hogan & NWO, Hogan still kept the belt so balance of power didnt really shift.

WCW needed a jolt in the early days of live Nitro, and Hogan suffering a pinfall loss on TV was big (Hogan had lost only 3 pinfall decissions since 1984, 12 years earlier). Arn Anderson was a well respected vetetan star with over a decade near the top of the card, and lets not forget the match was hardly clean, Hogan was clearly cheated. This match furthered the evolution of the reformed Four Horsemen as a legit threat to Hogan/Savage/Sting fan fave power trio. The top feud on the card was Flair-Savage, which this match (and Flair's much more competitive but still unclean win a week later over Hogan) clearly burnished, plus it added an air of vulnerability to Hogan to aide interest in his storyline vs Big Show, which considering what a newbie Show was then needed all the help it could get, and since WCW was making a huge investment in Show, his run vs Hogan was hugely important to establishing his credibility with the audience, so any burnishment is good.

Hogan shouldnt have lost at Uncensored 99 only because that match shouldnt have taken place. Flair was red hot when he returned and should have gone over clean vs Hogan at SuperBrawl 99. That would have created storyline chaos for the newly reformed NWO if Hogan dropped the belt to his arch nemesis (much to fans delight) after the FingerPoke of Doom, a great catalyst for stress between Hogan-Nash-Biachoff. Plus, at that point in Feb 99 Goldberg was super over and there was big money potential in re matches with him vs either Hogan and/or Nash. Meanwhile, Sting, Savage, & Hart are all soon returning from injured reserve with the NWO on its heels for the first time since early in their 96 inception with a potential wild card as Pres & Champion (Flair), afterall, he was Mr Fan Favorite Lives Wrestling Loves Fans Pro Tradition when his company was under attack & his arch rival had all the power, but there a ton of storyline directions WCW could have gone here with a guy known as "The Dirtiest Player In The Game". Especially if WCW would have a had a long range plan to put their only true YOUNG superstar (Goldberg) back on top by year's end. So much money just flushed down the shoot here, add Hogan winning at SuperBrawl 99 as an outcome that should not have happened.


Hogan-Savage with Macho getting a clean win shouldnt have been wasted on a Nitro, Savage deserved that on a premium PPV setting (SuperBrawl, Bash At The Beach, Haliween Havoc, Starrcade).

What bothered me was that Hogan only put over mid carders like Rougeau and Arn because he knew they couldn't diminish his value or surpass him in any way. Meanwhile, he wouldn't lose properly to main eventers like Flair, Hitman or Savage on big time PPVs. As for Piper at Starrcade 96, I get that it made sense to send the fans home happy. I just remember thinking it was silly that Piper could actually beat Hogan so easily considering the New World Order was so large and was always interfering. Even though the matchup had a fantastic build, the match was uninteresting. Starrcade 96 was a fantastic PPV..but that was by far my least favourite match on the card.

I watched a Kevin Sullivan interview that pretty much sums up why Hogan lost to both Flair and Anderson 2 weeks in a row. Apparently Flair was constantly whining to Sullivan over Hogan not losing cleanly to him or anyone. There was supposedly a Hogan camp and a Flair camp backstage. At some point, Hogan came to Sullivan and offered to lose to Arn and Flair (just to shut Flair up). It's clear when reading Flair's autobiography and watching the whole real life feud with Bischoff go down that Flair was pretty insecure with his standing in the company and with his legacy. He wasn't really much of a team player the entire time the New World Order was dominant and completely outshining everything the Horsemen had ever done. I love Flair as a wrestler and entertainer. But, from what I've learned, I'm not a big fan of the way he carried himself in WCW backstage between 1997-1999.

I enjoyed Flair's comeback in late 98 though and WCW set up what could have been a fantastic feud between the reformed NWO and Horsemen right after the FPOD. But, like you said, they screwed that up. I would have much preferred to see Hogan lose to the figure four leg lock at Uncensored rather than the 'first blood' match. And the big thing that still bothers me about how WCW fell apart is how they just took the NWO and phased it into the B-team with any official disbanding. I would have liked to see some finality with the old rebels, the Horsemen, officially retiring the new rebels, the NWO angle, in some sort of stipulation match..and that would have been a cool way for the Hogan and Flair match to have ended at Uncensored.

As for Hogan and Savage, I would have loved to see Savage beat Hogan at a PPV. But when I think of all the times that Hogan beat Savage, the one time that made absolutely no sense was the night after Spring Stampede 98. Savage was over huge as the lone wolf dividing the New World Order. The whole off and on Hogan/Savage feud was entertaining on so many levels over the years and it was the perfect time to give fans what they wanted: Savage finally getting his first ever clean win over Hogan..The fans would have gone bananas - (And Hogan obviously wouldn't let that happen - he'd rather wait and lose to a midcarder at a house show in Quebec).

 

[Lowdown]

For me, the Starrcade match with Sting should've ended up being a clean win for Sting instead of the mess it ended up being.

Outside of that, I feel the outcome of WM5 should've ended with Hogan turning heel instead of Macho Man. I know that Hogan was the top face at the time, but I wonder how it would've been had Hogan had been proven to be everything that Savage said he was leading up to the PPV.

 

[Rulk25]

From numerous sources HBK was suposed to go over Hogan and like you said a rematch was set but mid way through the PPV Hogan (Much like the Imfamous Bash at the Beach) changed his mind invoked Creative and said I am winning. That pissed off HBK and thus his juvenile reaction...but yeah Hogan was def at fault....I cant belive they gave him such expansive creative control....I mean he can could call an audible up till the point he exited the curtain and apparently did it

I would also like to add a recent one which was HBK vs. Hogan. IMO HBK should have gone over at Summerslam 2005. This would have done two things (1) HBK wouldn't have oversold this whole match turning it into a joke (I mean sure HBK was being kind of unprofessional here but Hogan probably had a hand in it too) and (2) Hogan would have agreed to a return match to get back the win (as he always does).

My guess is if HBK went over Hogan at Summerslam there would have been a Hogan vs. HBK rematch at WM22. Which would have made the card much stronger instead of wasting HBK with Vince McMahon.

 

[sikkbones]

For me, the Starrcade match with Sting should've ended up being a clean win for Sting instead of the mess it ended up being.

Outside of that, I feel the outcome of WM5 should've ended with Hogan turning heel instead of Macho Man. I know that Hogan was the top face at the time, but I wonder how it would've been had Hogan had been proven to be everything that Savage said he was leading up to the PPV.

No, wrestlemania vi was the right time...

Warrior was set to fail... But had hogan turned on the warrior, Jim hellwig might have gotten over.

But without hogan staying megaface till the bash in 1996, there is no nwo.

There is one match where I feel it had the wrong outcome...

Goldberg vs hogan should not have happened clean on nitro.
The nitro match could have still happened with a Goldberg win, but one from hogan being DQ from neo interferemce .
The only way that heel hogan should have lost to goldberg clean was for a paying audience
It should have happened on ppv with lots of buildup over the DQ win/loss.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

Undertaker dropped the title to Hogan on a special show that was promoted like a week or so in advance. This Tuesday in Texas was built up just a little bit more than a house show, but nowhere near the levels of Summerslam or I'd argue an In Your House event. It wasn't all that great, except maybe a killer promo or two between Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Randy Savage. Going into the main event, it was established that Jack Tunney would be sitting at ringside to make sure no shenanigans would take place in the championship match.

It still had interference (Flair) and a dirty win for Hogan.

Tunney stripped Hulk of the belt later and put it on the line in the Rumble, making Hogan pinning Taker sort of silly in hindsight. Why not just have Taker cheat, knocking Hogan out with the urn or something? Tunney would see it and vacating the title would still go according to plan, but now Hogan doesn't look like an asshole for cheating. Both wrestlers would have saved some face at what was really a forgettable event.

 

[sikkbones]

Undertaker dropped the title to Hogan on a special show that was promoted like a week or so in advance. This Tuesday in Texas was built up just a little bit more than a house show, but nowhere near the levels of Summerslam or I'd argue an In Your House event. It wasn't all that great, except maybe a killer promo or two between Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Randy Savage. Going into the main event, it was established that Jack Tunney would be sitting at ringside to make sure no shenanigans would take place in the championship match.

It still had interference (Flair) and a dirty win for Hogan.

Tunney stripped Hulk of the belt later and put it on the line in the Rumble, making Hogan pinning Taker sort of silly in hindsight. Why not just have Taker cheat, knocking Hogan out with the urn or something? Tunney would see it and vacating the title would still go according to plan, but now Hogan doesn't look like an asshole for cheating. Both wrestlers would have saved some face at what was really a forgettable event.

How much of that was hogan moaning and politicking?
In the modern era they would have waited a month.

 

[Goldie]

Even though Warrior was a much weaker than anticipated champion in 1990, Hogan had to drop the belt to him, because he took time off to film his action flick- Subberban Commando.

Much like when Rick Steamboat had to take time off as IC champion, dropping it to Honky ... if one of his champs couldn't defend the title, Vince would put the belt on someone who could

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Wrestlemania 7... but the outcome is affected by the opponent. Should never have been Slaughter but Rick Rude - and Hogan should have lost.

Hogan had no business picking Slaughter for his opponent and dismissing Rude - it led to him leaving the company and while he fulfilled his potential in WCW with his stellar US title run, making THAT belt more meaningful than the WWF title at the time - it robbed us of seeing Rude help elevate talents like Shawn, Bret, Perfect and even that dream match of Savage v Rude for the title.

It seemed dumb to let Rude go and then bring Flair in to fight Hogan less than a year later. WWE have at least acknowledged the error a bit by basically upgrading Rude to a recongnised World Champion in his HOF video - but it's classic case of Vince kotowing to Hogan and not seeing the bigger picture.

 

[Makaveli31]

Wrestlemania 7... but the outcome is affected by the opponent. Should never have been Slaughter but Rick Rude - and Hogan should have lost.

Except that Hogan outweighed Rude by a 100 pounds lol. I personally liked the angle with Slaughter. It was one of the greatest heel turns of all time and brought out raw emotion from fans. Too bad it didn't happen closer to Slaughter's prime. By 1990, his best days were done.

Rude left the company because he was paid substantially less than Warrior for SummerSlam '90 despite carrying the match. He was scheduled to feud with Boss Man next so a match with Hogan was never in the cards. Hogan and Rude did have some house show matches in the mid-'80's I believe around 1987.

 

[FlairFan2003]

It seemed dumb to let Rude go and then bring Flair in to fight Hogan less than a year later. WWE have at least acknowledged the error a bit by basically upgrading Rude to a recongnised World Champion in his HOF video - but it's classic case of Vince kotowing to Hogan and not seeing the bigger picture.

Rude was well known for tough to deal with, there are plenty of stories of him causing trouble backstage with people he didnt see eye to eye with, part of the reason Hogan refused to work with Rude when he signed with WCW (a moot point since Rude was injured around that time anyway & forced to retire).

As for Flair, that wasnt planned. No one thought Flair would be a free agent. Vince tried to sign him circa 1985 but Flair declined, he was making big money, prominently featured, and was loyal to Jim Crockett, Jr for sticking with him and pushing him. Vince tried again to sign Flair in 1989 but Flair again declined, having just been given a new deal to stay in WCW post Crockett's sale to Turner (a deal Turner refused to make unless Flair was on the roster). The whole disaster of The Jim Herd era (which actually got off to a very promising start) left a lot of top stars looking for new homes, as Road Warriors, Scott Hall, & Lex Luger all bolted for WWE between 1990-92. Flair fell in Vince's lap almost by accident.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Even though Warrior was a much weaker than anticipated champion in 1990, Hogan had to drop the belt to him, because he took time off to film his action flick- Subberban Commando.

Much like when Rick Steamboat had to take time off as IC champion, dropping it to Honky ... if one of his champs couldn't defend the title, Vince would put the belt on someone who could

Hogan was given considerable leeway with time off, he usually only a did a few weekend shows per month at most, and routinely went over 40 days without a single match.

Warrior was RED HOT, personally outside of Hulka-Mania at it'peak, I cant think of anything approaching the frenzy of Warrior's popularity at it's peak, Im not even sure Austin topped it (although like Hogan, Austin maintained that level for an extended period, Warrior peaked and fell quickly).

 

[Greg4WWE]

I'll always think it should have been Savage to beat Hogan at Starccade 96. They seemed to want to build it up as Savage was even more over than Sting at the time and it was Savage who Hogan turned on. But I guess Savage and WCW had some dispute and ended up being a horrible match at Halloween Havoc with Hogan cheating to win.

The Warrior loss at WM6 didn't both me so much. Hogan was due to lose anyway.

Sting Starccade 97 should have been clean.

 

[SSJPhenom]

I see some people saying that Hogan shouldn't have lost to Piper at Starcade 96, but I disagree with that wholeheartedly. That loss to Piper made Piper a 'made man' from that point on in WCW. It was the right thing to do.

Everyone's already pointed out the whole Sting mess at Starcade 97. What a way to flush a years worth of build up down the shitter. Just because you didn't want to be beaten clean. That whole thing stunk to high heaven and it wasn't just Hogan. Nick Patrick fucked up the count. Remember it was supposed to be a fast count but it wasn't fast at all. That whole thing just pisses me off when I think about it.

I don't even want to talk about the Finger Poke of Doom. Fuck you Nash and Hogan. It's you're faults that WCW folded.

Hogan shouldn't have beaten Jarrett at Halloween Havoc that one time. You know the one where Hogan refused to lose so Jarrett just got in the ring and laid down for him. That shouldn't have happened. Again, Hogan was the bullet in the gun that shot WCW in the head.

Hogan should have never beaten Trips for the Undisputed title in 2002. I understand that he was insanely over, but come the fuck on. I won't complain too much about that one though because he dropped the title to 'Taker a month later, so...... 'Taker and Trips, though, would've been a much better match for the title though.

Last but certainly not least, Hogan should have never won his last two matches against HBK and Orton. I know that HBK didn't need the victory, however, he would've done a lot more with it than Hogan did. Orton, on the other hand, did need the victory. He was still reeling from having been buried by Trips and he needed all the help and push he could've gotten. Orton needed and should've won that match up.

 

[sikkbones]

I see some people saying that Hogan shouldn't have lost to Piper at Starcade 96, but I disagree with that wholeheartedly. That loss to Piper made Piper a 'made man' from that point on in WCW. It was the right thing to do.

Everyone's already pointed out the whole Sting mess at Starcade 97. What a way to flush a years worth of build up down the shitter. Just because you didn't want to be beaten clean. That whole thing stunk to high heaven and it wasn't just Hogan. Nick Patrick fucked up the count. Remember it was supposed to be a fast count but it wasn't fast at all. That whole thing just pisses me off when I think about it.

I don't even want to talk about the Finger Poke of Doom. Fuck you Nash and Hogan. It's you're faults that WCW folded.

Hogan shouldn't have beaten Jarrett at Halloween Havoc that one time. You know the one where Hogan refused to lose so Jarrett just got in the ring and laid down for him. That shouldn't have happened. Again, Hogan was the bullet in the gun that shot WCW in the head.

Hogan should have never beaten Trips for the Undisputed title in 2002. I understand that he was insanely over, but come the fuck on. I won't complain too much about that one though because he dropped the title to 'Taker a month later, so...... 'Taker and Trips, though, would've been a much better match for the title though.

Last but certainly not least, Hogan should have never won his last two matches against HBK and Orton. I know that HBK didn't need the victory, however, he would've done a lot more with it than Hogan did. Orton, on the other hand, did need the victory. He was still reeling from having been buried by Trips and he needed all the help and push he could've gotten. Orton needed and should've won that match up.

The Jarrett thing was at bash at the beach 2000, Halloween havoc 99
Had hogan just lay down for sting.... Never understood why.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

Without looking at it from a hindsight perspective, and judging it solely on the events and circumstances going into the match and what at that time was known to occur after the math I offer the following:

WrestleMania VIII vs Sid Justice:

Sid had signed with WWE almost a year earlier and was instantly thrust into the main event picture with his involvement in the Hogan/Warrior vs Slaughter and cronies match at SummerSlam 91. He would be on the self for most of the 2nd half of 91 but upon his return he was right back on top as evident by his standing in the Rumble and his series of tag matches with Hogan vs Flair and Taker in early 92. Of course this all set up the Sid/Hogan match when WWE backed away from the Flair/Hogan match. Now going into the match WWE knew Hogan would be gone for quite some time and if I remember correctly their was some uncertainty surrounding weather this would be his last match (both in story and in reality). Now we know Sid would be gone shortly after Mania too but I don't believe this was something that WWE knew prior to Mania.

As long as that was the case then it would have made more sense to have Sid beat Hogan (doesn't necessarily have to be clean) followed by the post match attack that we got but have the heels inflict more damage before Warrior runs out to sell Hogan being out. This still sets up Warrior vs Shango while Sid gets to defend the title and be built up as your top heel to ultimately set up a match with Warrior.