The match that never happened - John Cena vs Hulk Hogan.

[Richard]

According to Honkey Tonk Man's blog where he rips Hogan a new one, he claims that John Cena and Hogan were meant to have a match at a fairly recent past WrestleMania, probably WrestleMania 25 since Hogan was with TNA before WrestleMania 26.

I don't think it would be much of a technical wrestling match but I think that it would make sense as Cena is sort of a modern day Hulk Hogan for the WWE, has the kids behind him, fights for the people with the people, never gives up etc. It would be ok, nothing too spectacular though, definately WrestleMania moment worthy though.

I would like to think that Hulk Hogan would do the right thing, especially with it being WrestleMania and if Hogan was to have had one last WWE match, there would be no shame in passing the torch to John Cena and giving Cena just that much more of a massive rub.

That being said, I saw Hogan wrestle on TNA before shortly after he came there and I thought he looked terrible and I don't know if him taking up such a high profile match at WrestleMania with John Cena would even be that great in terms of the in ring action, the sheer name value and marquee for that match would be epic, the build up too I would think, but I don't think I'd be able to get over Hogan being shit in the ring.

What are your opinions on this match? Would it be any good? Would Hogan do the right thing and put Cena over? Any other comments aswell.

 

[LoganBomaye]

Hogan has been broken down since he fought Shawn at SummerSlam a couple years back--there ain't no way he could've put up anywhere near a decent match. Cena cannot carry talent, he gets carried--to put it abruptly--the match would have been horrible

 

[My Couch Pulls Out But I Don't]

Cena -vs- Hogan would draw and draw well. The match itself would be terrible. Hogan is so bad he couldn't even be carried in a match. Cena isn't as bad as Hogan but still doesn't have the capabilities to carry a match if he had to.

 

[Kofi/ZigglerClassic]

The buildup, promos, and overall name value would've made this match huge! Match would've been average at best but to see Immortal Hulk Hogan versus SuperCena would be epic. But once again Hogan coward out. He did it with Bret and then Cena.

This news about Hogan doesn't surprise me at all.

 

[roethlisberger78]

I gotta be terribly honest, and I'll say I'm 25 years old and to this day imma hulkamaniac. I have all of his ultimate collections and stuff with all his old matches, I still love to watch them just to get that feelings that Hogan was gonna pull off that big win for america for the young kids he faught for. All and all I'm a huge Hogan mark. All until here recently, I even dug his match with Micheals even though he was way to old, but he just never did realize when to hang them up. So onto this match with Cena, I dont even know if it would have drawn Hogan has a name but I think it ran out long before this match would have happend. I wouldnt have wanted to watch it I'll say that. Not to mention do you guys realize the money he would have wanted to do this show. If we think the rock is making alot for what he is doing, hogan would have trippled that probably. Then take in the he probably wouldnt have wanted to lose with out making him self look good in the process. Hell during his match with the rock at mania he turned the rock heel just to make him self look better, and if it wasnt for the rock being so damn good it could have ruined his character. So I do gotta say I just dont think this match would have been good at all.

Bad thing is he's still trying to go in TNA and they're using him. The guy has to be carried down to the ring hell with carried through the match.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Cena cannot carry talent, he gets carried

Before I get started, I just wanted to make sure that this guy hears at least one person tell him that he is full of shit. If you're still on this "Cena can't wrestle" bullshit, feel free to join the rest of us in the real world.

I'm not going to come out and just flat out say that the match would be terrible, but it's probably a pretty safe bet. At that point in his career, Hogan was about as mobile as a cement truck(as opposed to the mobility of a tree trunk that he possesses now.) Cena, while able to pull some good matches out of somewhat similar guys like Batista, would be in over his head with Hogan. He was just beyond being carried at that point in his career.

The build up and hype for the match would be phenomenal. It's pretty much the best match up you could get this side of Austin vs Hogan when it comes to star power. The buy rates would have likely been through the roof.

As for whether or not Hogan would have put Cena over, I honestly don't know. He wouldn't job to Shawn or Rock. But something tells me that he would have had to have seen the star in Cena and he would know that it is his job to pass the torch to him.

 

[Blisken]

It would have massive buy rates but would be a shockingly poor macth.

Hogan is too beat up and has been too beat up for a number of years he just cant go in the ring anymore.

 

[JGlass]

It would have been a pretty poor match on Hogan's end. Remember HBK vs. Hogan at Summerslam 05? The match bombed because HBK oversold the shit out of Hogan's offense for two reasons. 1) HBK didn't want to job to Hogan (for obvious reasons) and 2) Hogan's offense just doesn't fit in with today's wrestling scene. That was 4 years before Wrestlemania 25, and Hogan aged very quickly between those two events.

Now John Cena wouldn't oversell like HBK, but at least HBK's overselling made the match somewhat memorable. All of HBK's offense was riddled with Hogan botches as he has lost the ability to keep up with the younger guys. Despite what his detractors might say about him, John Cena wrestles a fairly fast paced match when he's in control, and Hogan wouldn't be able to match that pace. As bad as HBK vs. Hogan was, Cena vs. Hogan would be even worse.

Still, everything that happened before and after the match would be the most important parts. It would be a passing of the torch of sorts, and if Hogan could swallow his pride to hold Cena's hand in the air after the match was over it would do wonders for Cena's reputation.

But it's in the past, and it'll probably never happen. As HTM says in his post, Hogan will never work with the WWE again, he's spit in Vince McMahon's face a few too many times and his expiration date has passed.

 

[neildittmar]

I tend to slam WWE for some of the creative decisions they've made over the years. However I have little doubt that Cena vs. Hogan, particularly at a Wrestlemania, would've been something special. As evidence, I point to WM6 in the beautifully orchestrated and choregraphed match between Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior. Both guys had "limitations" (Hogan by his accepted moveset, Warrior by his inability to do anything but brawl), but nonetheless were "booked" into one of the greatest main events in Wrestlemania history. A quick look at their abysmal rematch 8 years later in WCW illustrates the point even more.

I don't think Cena/Hogan would've happened at all unless Cena went over. Sure, Hogan would've gave a good accord (or, the best he could at the very least) of his abilities and the fans would've marked out the second Hogan began "hulking up." In the end though, I'm sure you would've seen Cena hit the AA on Hogan (probably as some kind of reversal to the Big Boot) and get the 1-2-3. No sense in Hogan going over your top talent in the company when there is no real future with the former.

Regardless of how the specifics played out, I'm sure it would've been a tremendous match that'd definitely qualify as Wrestlemania worthy.

 

[willross]

First off....Hogan has never beaten The Rock. He lost to him twice. He only ever beat him on RAW. And we(Toronto fans) turned Hogan face simply because we are just like that lmao, we like to do the opposite of what is wanted, you can blame 1997 Bret Hart for that.

Secondly, Hogan I believe would of lost to Cena. It was a situation where it made no sense for him to win in terms of long term gain for himself and the WWE. The match would of been kept basic. Probably a 10 - 12 minute match with a lot of poses, false finshes, Hulk Ups, etc. I truly believe Hogan would of put Cena over. Hogan has always been business when it comes to "the torch". He gave it to The Rock at WM18 and he dropped the ball. There was no "torch" to be passed in his matches with HBK because he was already way over and with Orton because Orton wasn't in a position to be a guy to carry the company at the time.

Cena would of won, via STF.

 

[BigDaddyKewl]

Cena wasnt really established as a main eventer until 2005 when Hogan was nearing the end of his in ring career. I dont think it would have been the same spectacle like Hogan vs The Rock. Cena would have probaly been bood out of the building. It might have hurt both Hogan's and Cena's legacies if they went out and stunk up the joint.

 

[jackhammer_27]

If anybody truly believes that Vince would never work with or use Hogan ever again you've got your head in the sand. Hogan walking out of the curtain on any WWE program would generate a pop that was just as thunderous as the one the Rock was showered with here recently. Hogan is one of those guys in wrestling that no matter what he does will always be SUPER over. And Vince knows this. Believe it, if there is money to be made in Hogan, Vince would bring him in in a heartbeat. As for a Hogan/Cena match, would it be a great in ring spectacle? In no way, but as many have said the match would almost be an afterthought in the wake of the build up and payoff afterward. I think most people would set aside how mediocre the match would be on Hogan's part just to see this supermatch happen. I also think Hogan would agree to put over Cena. If he doesn't, I don't think this match happens, thus he misses out on his payday. And not to be a jerk, but to the guy who posted Cena wins by STF, no way no how. Hogan's knees couldn't have taken this at the time while, his back was still able to take bumps, so I would see either an AA or a surprise roll-up as Hogan is making his hulk-up comeback. It would be great if his legs could take the stf, just don't think they would hold up to that.

 

[The Mighty Tiger]

First off....Hogan has never beaten The Rock. He lost to him twice. He only ever beat him on RAW. And we(Toronto fans) turned Hogan face simply because we are just like that lmao, we like to do the opposite of what is wanted, you can blame 1997 Bret Hart for that.

Secondly, Hogan I believe would of lost to Cena. It was a situation where it made no sense for him to win in terms of long term gain for himself and the WWE. The match would of been kept basic. Probably a 10 - 12 minute match with a lot of poses, false finshes, Hulk Ups, etc. I truly believe Hogan would of put Cena over. Hogan has always been business when it comes to "the torch". He gave it to The Rock at WM18 and he dropped the ball. There was no "torch" to be passed in his matches with HBK because he was already way over and with Orton because Orton wasn't in a position to be a guy to carry the company at the time.

Cena would of won, via STF.

How did Rock drop the ball didn't he leave make a movie, come back became the 1st 7 time champion beat Ric Flair on a Raw, so he beat the top two Legends in the business in the same year, lost to Brock left made another movie or worked on the same movie & then came back to beat Austin at Wrestlemania 19. Doesn't sound like any balls was dropped besides the fact that he was in & out most of that year.

Anyways I don't even feel like the Hogan/Cena match would have been that big of a deal, Hogan already had a passing of the torch kind of match w/the Rock not to mention he gave a big push to Brock also, w/Brock pretty much damn near killing Hogan in the ring w/an F5. So to me Hogan puting Cena over really wouldn't mean that much to me cause Hogan couldn't go like he use to & everybody knew it, shit he couldn't really go in his matches w/HBK & The Rock but they made it work. If this match would have happen it would have been another Brock vs Goldberg match & do any of you guys really want to see another repeat of a match like that?! Now on paper the match sounds epic, but once you put reality in the mix Hogan's body is finished, but if it did happen I see John winning w/the stfu cause Hogan wouldn't have been able to take an FU.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

It would have made for a great WM moment thats for sure, but the match itself would have sucked.

Hogan was incredibly limited in the ring by then...and he never was particularly good, and Cena is also no technical wizard, but the build-up of the match and the way the 2 of them would have got the crowd involved would have been awesome.

It would have to be a Face v Face match, but I could have seen the crowd turning on Cena as they did for The Rock at WM 18, and after a painfully average back and forth match, with both men making comebacks in their "superman" style, Hogan would miss a leg drop and Cena would manage to get him up for an AA and the victory.

I do not think WWE would allow its main event player John Cena to lose at a WM right now, just as WWE very rarely, if all let Hogan lost at Mania in his day unless he was putting over a new star (Warrior).

Hogan would get more money, but he would only have been given the match had he been willing to do the job for Cena. He didnt, so the match never happened. Shame, really...but just shows again how big the Hogan ego is. He still believes he is the biggest thing going

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I think the match would have been a lot like the Hogan vs Rock match at WrestleMania 18 only a bit more shittier due to Hogan's advanced age. There is no doubt that the match would have been the special attraction of the WrestleMania and would have attracted a lot of attention from the mainstream media as well.

Onto the much more trickier question of whether Hogan would have agreed to lose, I think he would have agreed just like he agreed to lose to The Rock, the face of the company at that time, at WrestleMania 18. Hogan might be a big mark for himself but I think that he would have had a hard time justifying to Vince as to why he should go over the face of the company. In the case of Orton in 2006 and HBK in 2005 as they were not the biggest name in the company despite being huge names. Refusing to lose would have meant Hogan losing out on a WrestleMania paycheck and I do not think that Hogan would have been willing to do that.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

If there was a plan for this match to happen, I'm actually glad that it didn't go down. Hulk Hogan, really for the past several years, just hasn't been able to put on an even remotely competitive match. A big reason why the Hulkamania tour did the numbers it did, which weren't at all impressive, was due to the nostalgia of seeing Hogan again.

It wouldn't have surprised me if Hogan had demanded to go over had the match taken place. I mean, it's Hulk Hogan after all. If he'd demanded that much younger and healthier wrestlers like HBK & Randy Orton jobbed to him, there'd be no reason to think that he wouldn't expect the same of Cena.

Due to Hogan's limitations, this would have been a horrible and very low energy match. I'm so glad that we didn't have to endure it.

 

[ptsheridan]

Before I get started, I just wanted to make sure that this guy hears at least one person tell him that he is full of shit. If you're still on this "Cena can't wrestle" bullshit, feel free to join the rest of us in the real world.

I'm not going to come out and just flat out say that the match would be terrible, but it's probably a pretty safe bet. At that point in his career, Hogan was about as mobile as a cement truck(as opposed to the mobility of a tree trunk that he possesses now.) Cena, while able to pull some good matches out of somewhat similar guys like Batista, would be in over his head with Hogan. He was just beyond being carried at that point in his career.

The build up and hype for the match would be phenomenal. It's pretty much the best match up you could get this side of Austin vs Hogan when it comes to star power. The buy rates would have likely been through the roof.

As for whether or not Hogan would have put Cena over, I honestly don't know. He wouldn't job to Shawn or Rock. But something tells me that he would have had to have seen the star in Cena and he would know that it is his job to pass the torch to him.

But he did job to The Rock. The Rock beat him at Wrestlemania X8.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

But he did job to The Rock. The Rock beat him at Wrestlemania X8.

Agreed, but Hogan was coming back full time. He stuck around long after that WM and ended up with another World Title reign and a tag team title with Edge. One defeat wasn't a problem, Hogan knew he was getting the big money for a permenant contract.

All his other comebacks have been one-offs. If he was to come back for another one, I would be certain he would expect to win.