You know, no one speaks more bull shit about his past than the one and only Hulk Hogan. In fairness, he does speak plenty of truth, but there are just some things that you can't take seriously. Like, for example, that he and Vince rewrote the entire script of No Hold Barred, but didn't get any credit. Or, that he was given the script of "The Wrestler", and asked to be casted as The Ram himself.
However, there are some times, where he'll say something, and I kinda believe it. I really do believe that Hogan does speak some sense of truth in things that may seem speculative. And one of these times occurs in Hogan's book "Hogan Knows Best". In it, Hogan describes his stint in the AWA, and how Verne jerked him around throughout his time in the AWA. He also describes going to Verne's house, and alleged cases in which Verne tried to marry off his daughter to Hulk. Now, this may seem like Hulk's typical bullshit, but then again, maybe it isn't. After all, Verne did like to keep the title close to his family and friends. And with Greg not exactly being a hit in the ring, and Hulk getting massive pops every night, I can find it feasible to say that Verne would want him in his family, and to keep him tied to the AWA forever. So, let's just play a good old "What if" here. I don't need people saying how speculative this is, I get that. But let's just have a little fun here, shall we? What if Hulk did marry into the Gagne family?
Now, some will say that the course of history would have taken place. However, I'm not so sure. Remember, Verne Gagne had a brokered deal with ESPN that, at the least, had the potential to make his promotion as much a national name as the WWE. ESPN may not have been what it is now, but at the least, it was a national brand, that everyone could watch. Plus, on top of that, for big specials, the AWA could have run shows on ABC, the home channel of ESPN, in theory. So I wouldn't be so dismissive of the AWA's chances. With Hulk Hogan in the AWA as a permanent fixture, I could see the AWA becoming the #2 promotion, and perhaps #1, even today. That isn't to say the WWE would go out of business, there'd just be two national brands available to wrestling fans. Sure, there are now, but I feel as though it'd be competitive than WWE and TNA now. That, plus consider the worldwide empire that has become ESPN. For all intents and purposes, that could very well happen, as sports is such a national fixture.
With that in mind, I could see professional wrestling being seen in a more positive light by the sports media, at least.Think, ESPN and Disney aren't going to allow for their own product to be so harshly ridiculed on their own programming, and while Fox Sports may condemn wrestling, perhaps the AWA would allow for ESPN to be more indifferent, perhaps even accepting of wrestling.
Hulk Hogan may still be as big a star. All of his momentum came from Rocky III, which he filmed in between working for the WWWF and AWA. So what's not to believe he wouldn't be such a big star still?
So, again, let's just say the wedding is on, and Hogan becomes a member of the Gagne family. What happens to the lineage of professional wrestling? The Rock N' Roll Era? Hulk Hogan? Vince and the WWE?
However, there are some times, where he'll say something, and I kinda believe it. I really do believe that Hogan does speak some sense of truth in things that may seem speculative. And one of these times occurs in Hogan's book "Hogan Knows Best". In it, Hogan describes his stint in the AWA, and how Verne jerked him around throughout his time in the AWA. He also describes going to Verne's house, and alleged cases in which Verne tried to marry off his daughter to Hulk. Now, this may seem like Hulk's typical bullshit, but then again, maybe it isn't. After all, Verne did like to keep the title close to his family and friends. And with Greg not exactly being a hit in the ring, and Hulk getting massive pops every night, I can find it feasible to say that Verne would want him in his family, and to keep him tied to the AWA forever. So, let's just play a good old "What if" here. I don't need people saying how speculative this is, I get that. But let's just have a little fun here, shall we? What if Hulk did marry into the Gagne family?
Now, some will say that the course of history would have taken place. However, I'm not so sure. Remember, Verne Gagne had a brokered deal with ESPN that, at the least, had the potential to make his promotion as much a national name as the WWE. ESPN may not have been what it is now, but at the least, it was a national brand, that everyone could watch. Plus, on top of that, for big specials, the AWA could have run shows on ABC, the home channel of ESPN, in theory. So I wouldn't be so dismissive of the AWA's chances. With Hulk Hogan in the AWA as a permanent fixture, I could see the AWA becoming the #2 promotion, and perhaps #1, even today. That isn't to say the WWE would go out of business, there'd just be two national brands available to wrestling fans. Sure, there are now, but I feel as though it'd be competitive than WWE and TNA now. That, plus consider the worldwide empire that has become ESPN. For all intents and purposes, that could very well happen, as sports is such a national fixture.
With that in mind, I could see professional wrestling being seen in a more positive light by the sports media, at least.Think, ESPN and Disney aren't going to allow for their own product to be so harshly ridiculed on their own programming, and while Fox Sports may condemn wrestling, perhaps the AWA would allow for ESPN to be more indifferent, perhaps even accepting of wrestling.
Hulk Hogan may still be as big a star. All of his momentum came from Rocky III, which he filmed in between working for the WWWF and AWA. So what's not to believe he wouldn't be such a big star still?
So, again, let's just say the wedding is on, and Hogan becomes a member of the Gagne family. What happens to the lineage of professional wrestling? The Rock N' Roll Era? Hulk Hogan? Vince and the WWE?