Vince McMahon or Hulk Hogan

[Mr. TM]

Who is responsible for the supposed Golden Era of the WWE?

The promoter or the talent? The question that has been asked for centu.... a decade or two. Is Hogan the reason that Wrestling kicked off, or was Vince McMahon the reason?

Hulk Hogan was a God among grapples. 6'6, almost 300 lbs, blond hair, bronzed body. He knew how to talk, he was a huge presence, he ... could play the bass guitar.

Vince McMahon refreshed his dads business. He created the MTV era, making it kid, teen, and adult friendly.

It is obvious that they needed eachother, but the simple fact of the matter is, it was Vince's brain that created the company, and I think that Hogan could have easily been replaced.

 

[boozinjedi]

It was VINCE!!!

the man behind the muscle..if not for the blood clots...it could've just as well be Ventura?...who was Hogan without the likes of Heenan and Piper to be his foils?

 

[Superman]

Vince should get most of the credit because hogan could have been replaced by any other wrestler who was in good shape and had good mic work. Ex: Randy Savage Jake Roberts Ted Dibiase etc.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

Ummmm, it was both. LOL at Hogan being easily replaced. It was tried. There's a reason Vince went out of his way to bring Hogan back to the WWF. He was the guy. Nobody...and I mean nobody, could have done what Hogan did. That's why nobody ever has gotten near that level again.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

Ummmm, it was both. LOL at Hogan being easily replaced. It was tried. There's a reason Vince went out of his way to bring Hogan back to the WWF. He was the guy. Nobody...and I mean nobody, could have done what Hogan did. That's why nobody ever has gotten near that level again.

I agree with both. Hogan had the charisma and Vince had the marketing machine.

I disagree with the last part. Austin drew more money in one year than anyone(including Hogan)ever has. The Rock is another I would put up top too. Now you can argue who you think is #1 but those 3 are clearly in a class together.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

I agree with both. Hogan had the charisma and Vince had the marketing machine.

I disagree with the last part. Austin drew more money in one year than anyone(including Hogan)ever has. The Rock is another I would put up top too. Now you can argue who you think is #1 but those 3 are clearly in a class together.

Of course Austin did. It was a different time. At the height of HOgan's popularity, there were not more then a couple of PPV's a year, but they sold HUGE. WWE merchandise was only sold thru magazines or at live shows, as opposed to when you could buy an Austin shirt at Wal-Mart. I mean, Raw was considered a success during Attitude Era if they drew a 5 on the ratings. When Hogan was on TV, they drew like a 15. It's different. Not that Austin wasn't huge in his own right, he definitely was. But people make too much of the raw numbers without looking at their context.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Vince should get most of the credit because hogan could have been replaced by any other wrestler who was in good shape and had good mic work. Ex: Randy Savage Jake Roberts Ted Dibiase etc.

This might be the wrongest answer in the history of wrong answers. Vince McMahon had great ideas and a great vision, but none of those would come to fruition without Hulkamania. Plain and simple. If Vince created that, then Vince is responsible, but he didn't. Sure he might have told Hulk what to do and how to act, but it's a whole other ballgame when actually putting that to task, which is what Hulk has done for 25 years. It takes a unique individual to carry a gimmick that long and grab that longevity and make a brand out of it. That's what Terry Hogan did to Hulkamania.

Vince had a great vision and eventually it ended up working, but it wouldn't have without the fans following Hulkamania. Without Hulkamania, the WWF isn't mainstream, and is therefore not on TV as much and not involved in popular culture. So Hogan played a bigger role in the WWE's success.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Vince McMahon had great ideas and a great vision, but none of those would come to fruition without Hulkamania.

Of course. The purpose of this thread is to determine who was most responsible for the success of that era, but a phenomenon of that size and nature needs more than the vision and efforts of one person. It takes a happy mixture of vision, planning, luck, and the right cast of characters to make it all come true.

I admit to resenting Hogan's assertion that he taught McMahon the business. The concept is ridiculous; Vinnie Mac was the modern day equivalent of P.T. Barnum before he ever met Hulk Hogan.

But it would be wrong for either man to try and take all the credit for the success of Hulkamania. Bollea was a unique individual who came along at the perfect time, but remember this; if the boss doesn't put you in the proper forum to succeed......you ain't gonna. Without the resources and efforts of the company behind him, there would have been no Hulkamania.

Terry Bollea might keep that in mind as he tries to run another wrestling company.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Both of them were needed and both of them were responsible in their own ways. I know that it's fashionable to bash Vince McMahon but give the man credit. Vince had a vision and he had the guts, connections and intelligence to make it happen. He needed a lynchpin, however, he needed something to set it all off and that something was Hulk Hogan.

Hogan had the charisma that was needed at the time. Here was this ultra-patriotic, kid friendly superhero that endorsed Christian values while battling the forces of evil and general Un-Americanism week in and week out. Frankly, Hulk Hogan was just about everything that a Ronald Regan era conservative American loved. Vince may have ultimately told Hogan what the plan was and what he wanted to happen with Hogan, but Hogan ultimately had to go out there and get the crowd behind him. Hogan had the charisma to pull it off, he made people believe in Hulkamania and all that.

When you think about it, it sounds a lot simpler than it actually is. Just because a company wants or needs someone to be that superstar, that face of the company that can propel it to another level doesn't mean that the fans are going to accept it. Jim Crockett Promotions tried to do the same thing, more or less, with Lex Luger. They wanted Luger to be their Hulk Hogan and, no matter what they tried, it simply didn't happen. It can't just done with just anyone, no matter how much of a superstar someone might look.

 

[Dagger Dias]

It is obvious that they needed eachother, but the simple fact of the matter is, it was Vince's brain that created the company, and I think that Hogan could have easily been replaced.

I don't really agree there. They are both equally deserving of credit for it becoming mainstream because without Vince there would never have been a "Hogan".... but it's not necessarily true that Hogan could easily have been replaced. He was in the right place at the the right time, and was so good that everything worked out perfectly. That is why I give Hogan a little more credit for that than Vince. It is very close though, like 55% to 45% with Hogan being the higher one.