Who Means More To WWE: Hogan or Austin

This is a simple answer!! Vince Mcmahon!! Without him, Hogan, or Austin would never have gotten their names!! Back when Wrestlemania started, Vince very well could have given Steamboat the strap and let him have the Hogan type title reign. Austin was fired by WCW through a phone call. Vince gave him a chance and the era of Stone Cold began. But, yes, it was their bodies that were on the line. Hogan was huge in the 80's early 90's for WWF. Austin was huge for WWE. It is a shame that these two didn't headline Mania, but that is fine. But, Austin surpassed Hogan by far!!

I see where you are coming from on a lot of points, but I think that Hogan was meant to happen, it's just that with the fact that Verne Gagne had some problems with pushing Hogan due to his non-traditional background as a pro wrestler (Verne had a hard time getting past the fact that Hogan was not an amateur wrestler) it made things hard for Verne to progress in the business. But at the time Hulkamania started (which was in the AWA and not WWF like so many people are quick to assume), the AWA was consistently doing great business, in fact they were in the place that the WWF eventually became. They were highly popular and have major television deals, it's rumored that a television special with CBS was in the cards before Hulk Hogan returned to the WWF in 1983, and Hogan already knew how to market himself because the Hulkamania shirts started long before Hogan returned to WWF, in his previous stint with the WWF there was no Hulkamania and his heel demeanor did not allow for that.

So I would say Vince definitely gave Hogan that avenue to see his potential but I do argue that Verne Gagne had he been more lenient and faster in his response to Hogan's stardom, we could have seen Hogan's ascension to icon status with the AWA instead.

Again like the OP asked it's all about who's more important to WWE and not just wrestling, with what I said I feel Hogan's more important to wrestling overall, but with how WWE does their business and how they model themselves but Hogan's rightful intention to protect his best interests make it hard for me to pick him as being more important to WWE due to their controlling nature (at least that's how I see them to be).
 
Well the way I see it, Hogan probably did more for the WWE than Austin. Austin won WWF the war against WCW with the help of Rock and Triple H but Hogan helped in establishing WWE along with Vince Mcmahon. If it was not for Hogan wrestling would have probably never gone global and people like us who do not live in the US would have probably not got to enjoy it.

BUT, if you are talking about who means more to the WWE it has to be Austin. See Hogan tried to destroy WWF back in the 1990's and is trying to do that even now though it would be fair to say that he won't be as successful with TNA as he was with WCW. Its not that he was waging a war against WWF, he is just trying to make a buck but in the end he is being detrimental to the WWE. When you are considering importance you got to consider the negative impact as well.

Now I know Austin has his fair share of misdemeanours. He left the company in 2002 but he did not put WWE in an almost unrecoverable position which Hogan did back in 1996.

So that is why I would say Austin is more important to the WWE than Hogan mostly because Hogan tried to destroy the WWF and was almost successful.
 
have to be Austin, WCW sign Hogan and with Nash/Hall form NWO which nearly killed WWF. WWF on the edge of the mountain might be fall anytime but with Austin went out there do his unapproval promo at King of The ring along with his fued with bret slowly WWF gain momentum and going new direction with Austin "Stone Cold" edgy character. Hogan might put WWF/E on the map but Austin is the one who grab WWF from the throat from the bottom and save WWF. WCW did everything they can to beat Austin/Mcmahon but they couldn't. only Austin-Taker-Mankind is worthy main event at that time 98 while they built and and develop The Rock-HHH onto main event scene.

Although Hogan put WWF/E on the map and also Hogan nearly kill WWF/E. WWF is mean everything for McMahon family but only one man that Vince have turn to is Steve Austin which have revolutionized wrestling industry and helped revitalize WWF back when it was losing the battle in the “Monday Night War with his Stone Cold character and promos.
 
I would say Hogan. To me, I don't think there would have been a "Stone Cold" Steve Austin if it wasn't for Hogan. Hulk Hogan was one of the reasons why Steve Austin was bitter after leaving WCW, which caused him to cut all those promos he cut and the "Steve-a-mania" in ECW. Then from there, he ended up going to the WWE and brung out that ECW element out of him and raised it to another level, which started because of guys like Hogan, Bischoff, and Flair.

If you ask me, in a way, Hogan created "Stone Cold". Hogan pissed Austin off back then, which brought out that anti-hero character out of Austin that was building up since his ECW days. So because of that, either me or we gotta give Hogan credit for being a reason for Austin to become "Stone Cold", whether we like him or not. I'm a bigger fan of Austin but Hogan was more influential in more ways.
 
why don't you say Hogan save WWF/E? it wasn't for Hogan who got massive ego destroy WCW by buried so many talent that WCW have and book himself with NWO on Main Event week in and Week out. Jericho and Radicalz got piss so they went to WWE. if wasn't for Hogan jericho still be in mid-card no where near Main Event or get title shoot.

for god sake, it was Heyman tell Austin to be himself which we see the beginning of Stone Cold been himself say whatever you like which he bring that theory psycology to WWF which everyone beginning to follow that footstep. Mick Foley said about this on one of the 24/7 Legend of Wrestling Roundtable show and he also mention where Vince had a meeting with everyone call them to be them-self, and with the new direction they heading.
 
This is a difficult question, but I'm gonna have to go with Hogan. My main reason for this is because without Hogan, WWE probably wouldn't have become the biggest wrestling company in the business. While Austin helped the WWE recover from its lowest points and help bring the WWE to record high ratings, WWE couldn't have gotten there without Hogan popularizing the WWE before him.
 
The way I see it, without Hogan, there never would've been a need for an Austin. As many on here have stated, without Hogan, WWE wouldn't have become the global power it became, and still is today. And without Hogan going to WCW, we never would've had The NWO. Without the NWO, WCW may not have ever gained such a huge upper hand on the WWE in the ratings, and wrestling could've possibly evolved in a different way. Sure, the NWO may have still existed, but Hogan was certainly the huge exclamation point on the entire faction. And we all know what followed, ratings wise. Had Hogan never left the WWE and went to the WCW, and joined the NWO, there may have never been a need for the WWE to create a star like Austin. Sure, you can make the argument that Steve Williams the man would've still be hugely over, but if WCW had never pushed the envelope, the WWE may have never been prompted to do so either. There could have never been a beer-drinking, finger flipping, boss-stunning redneck that drew so much. The WWE could've went a different direction, with a different character. The NWO would've existed, but it wouldn't have meant as much without Hogan. Him leaving opened the door for new stars, a new era. If he had stayed, it's hard to believe that would've happened, from what I'm heard about Hogan.

Without Hogan, the WWE wouldn't have blown up in the 80's, and if it were to blow up at a later date, or at all, it's hard telling how the company would be effected, or how it would've been handled. But if Hogan had never helped WCW push the envelope so far, the WWE might have never needed to retaliate with Austin(and others) and thus Stone Cold wouldn't have needed to receive the push he did, and he wouldn't be the megastar he is. Like I said, the way I see it, without Hogan, there would be no Austin, at least not in the terms we know it. And because of that Hogan meant more, and means more to the WWE, regardless of what companies he worked or works for.
 
I didn't read through this whole thread so sorry if this had already been mentioned.

Would it be ok to say neither were more importants than Vince McMahon?

McMahon made Hogan by giving him his gimmick and letting him run with it and he booked him perfectly.

With Austin, he gave him the Mr. McMahon character to feud with. There would be no Austin if there was no Mr. McMahon.

So I have too go with Vince McMahon. He made them both.

Sorry if this comes across as a cop out.
 
It is a very tough question, and certainly not as cut and dry as some would have you believe.

On the one hand there would in all likelihood be no WWE today without the influence of Hogan, although we will never know that for sure though someone like Savage or Warrior could have become as popular as Hulk was if he never existed. He drew nearly 100,000 people in solely to see one of his matches and he was so over it wasn't funny. But then in the mid 90's he left WWF for dead joining the rival company, that move nearly ended up killing the company until Steve Austin came along. So while he had a hugely positive effect in the company he also had a negative one.

On the other hand if Austin doesn't come along and get insanely popular WWE dies period, there would be no WWE today without Austin and WCW would be the number one wrestling company on the planet.

So it is really tough, I think I will go with Austin by a hair on the basis that without Hogan the WWF would survive but just not flourish but without Austin WWF goes under. On the flip side of that though, if the WWF never flourished because of Hogan it is very possible Austin would have never even existed, in pro wrestling terms that is, i'm sure he still would have been born. So Austin but I have very little confidence in that answer.
 
Hollywood Blondes was a tag team jobber but they work their ass of and they find themselves getting over with the crowd and Stunning Steve Austin got good push with few WCW titles under his belt. when Austin got injured in bad times, he got fired by WCW management in which Eric doesn't see him marketable and plus Hogan decline to work with Austin pretty much like when he decline to work with Bret Hart in WWF/WCW or Jericho in WCW. when WCW management fired Austin which drives him crazy, motivate him to be the best prove them wrong and thanks to Paul Heyman for let Austin been himself "stone cold" doing shoot promos in ECW. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llo7XiX3dAU (if you watch some his of the stuff from ecw like this one where he do a promo on sandman and shipwreck you could see "Stone Cold" in it). Fair to say without Eric Bischoff and WCW management fired him there would be no "Stone Cold" Steve Austin not Hogan. "Stone Cold" is always been himself one or another but it grow so fast due to WCW fired him, pretty much like The Rock(transformation from Rocky Mavia) got himself so over with the crowd and became Face of WWF/E fight with Austin beat Hogan & NWO. It's matter of promoter give guys a chance or not. you have toknow that HHH suppose to win King of The Ring 96 but due to Curtian Call at MSG WWF punish HHH and give it to Austin. Mick Foley said on Legend of Wrestling by the time around King of The Ring after Ted DiBiase left WWF Steve Austin was onto something the way Austin talked differently and his killer look that Foley doesn't like which turn out to be "Stone Cold" character. with or without Hogan it's matter of time and how. without Vince there's no Hogan. if Austin didn't get fired could he became megastar like WWF/E Stone Cold Steve Austin? alot of guys in WCW Ric Flair/Arn Anderson was very high of him. Austin & Pillman Clown Ric Flair and Arn Anderson >>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DRQDvuNheA and great WCW segment with Austin/Pillman http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzEaNpMQZfw. WCW make very dumb move to fired Austin and give Hogan booking power
 
I would say Austin - Hogan ain't on good terms with the WWE so definately Austin.

Austin is probably viewed as their biggest star, ahead of Rock, Hogan, HBK and Cena. I don't agree with it but thats how it is.
 
:hogan:


Without Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin in all likelyhood isnt known by nearly as many people. Nothing compares to were wrestling came from to were it got with Hulk Hogan. Austin also never put 100,000 people into a building to watch a show that otherwise had a nothing card.

Not even close.

I think you're forgetting a certain encounter involving Hillbilly Jim, King Kong Bundy and 4 dwarfs.

I actually see the point here. Hogan undoubtedly did more for the WWE than Austin ever did, and that isn't up for debate. Nor is his obvious greater popularity in his own era, and possibly subsequent eras.

However, you can answer Austin if you look at the question in another way. Without Austin, the WWF would have probably lost the Monday Night War, which at best would have relegated them to where they were pre-Hogan, but at worst would have put them out of business. Austin stopped that happening, so I suppose you could read that as him being more important. The WWF would never have gone out of business if Hogan never showed up, the same isn't certainly true of Austin.

However, that does rest a great deal on what if arguments, and ultimately if you look at the cold hard facts, there's no real answer except Hogan.
 
This one is easy Hogan. Austin may have helped save the WWE but Hogan made it as big as it was. Also WWE would have had The Rock to help them against WCW. Hogan was a bigger name and attracted more crowds as Austin had Rock, HHH, Undertaker, Mankind, Kurt Angle, Mr Mcmahon to help him.
 
It's a close call here. Hulk Hogan is the guy who put sports entertainment on the map and carried it for as long as he could. And then we have Steve Austin who pretty much kept the WWE afloat while it was losing to WCW and eventually put them over the top. It is a tough choice, but I'm going with Hogan. Hogan had the advantage of coming prior to Stone Cold and what Hogan did was incredible. He did something rare in the wrestling world and that was become a mainstream identity. Hogan made wrestling cool and pretty much made it as popular as it is today. I'm sure the WWE would have survived without Hulk Hogan, much like it would have without Austin. But I think without Hogan the WWE isn't the identity it is today. Austin helped in the rating wars for the WWE and got them to be the top dog once again, but Hogan put them on top and made the WWE into the huge company it is today.
 
Hogan did make WWF into mainstream media but Austin took it further make it to globally and broke all records. right now WWE travel around the world and Austin is more well known. without Austin WWF/E could not survive from the WAR and JR said in Legend of Wrestling they need to take a pay cuts and unable to compete with WCW dollar, everything went downhill for WWF when Hogan left and sign with WCW, alot of shoot interview they said that things turns around when Austin took over business getting better more attendance gates and house show is sold out. WWF is McMahon family business and it means everything to them and Vince Mcmahon himself admit that Austin did save WWF/E. when you see or read about Monday Night War and Attitude era it will mention Austin 3:16. which one more value to WWE? Hogan put WWF into mainstream vs Austin who save WWF and got so hot that World Wild Foundation sue Vince and now become WWE. i bet any money Mcmahon will answer Austin. remember that Vince dad doesn't want to sign Hogan because he going to take part in Rocky movie and when Vince took over brought out territories Vince sign Hogan making headlines.
 
McMahon made Hogan by giving him his gimmick and letting him run with it and he booked him perfectly.

Which would be great...except Hogan was already doing the Hulkamania gimmick before he came to WWF. Hogan ran with the gimmick he created in AWA (and was already famous with) when Vince brought him back.

No disrespect intended to Austin, but I think the answer is clearly Hogan. Hogan took the WWF to a level never before seen, and then he's the one who, by leading the nWo, created the need and put the WWF in the position where they had to try something desperate, and thus the Attitude Era was spawned on the back of Steve Austin. Steve Austin is the only person who could ever be even put in this conversation, and that's a credit to his career. But Hogan main evented the first NINE Wrestlemanias. There's a reason.
 
Hulk Hogan. He took wrestling to a much larger audience. Steve Austin's contribution to the WWE was keeping it afloat and winning the Monday Night Wars. Very important, but Hulk was more important. You have to crawl before you can walk. If there was no Hogan to "grow the WWF", there would not have been a WWF / WWE for Austin to save.
Both are clearly the two most important wrestlers in WWE history.
 
WWF was on a war with WCW on the edge of the mountain would gone bankrupt, if WWF went out of business then whole thing with Hogan and WWF became history and what hogan done for WWF could have no meaning for McMahon family and fans. in Savio Vega and few other shoot interview they said after Bret left WWF everyone in lockerroom is quite, gone downhill and Undertaker/Foley doesn't want to show up on raw but after 2-3 week Austin took the spotlight everything changes locker room alive again, sold out arenas and more pay checks. Edge said in his book they was superstars like The Beatles.
 
I'm not so sure there is an answer to this... I mean each one was the biggest star of their era. Hogan undoubtedly put WWE on the map and is the single biggest wrestling star EVER! But... Austin kept WWE on the map, sure he had help from the rock and idk if there'd even be a stone cold with the Mr. Mcmahon character to go against but when they need a star they got one. He was the reason WWE even had an attitude with a little help from ECW and bischoff of course. So they both hole their own really well.


As for who means more well in the 90's Austin won the war when Hogan went to WCW and Hogan might have put WWE on the map but Austin kept it there in the 90's! So Austin but you could make a case for both!
 
It's hard to pick. Hogan basically took the entire world of pro wrestling into the mainstream and presented it on a silver platter. Without him, there's no RAW, no WrestleMania, arguably no WWE right now, and the fan base is a hell of a lot smaller than it is right now. Hogan (McMahon is the other) is one of the two men who kick-started the modern world of pro wrestling. On the other hand is Austin. The man who took a company that was slowly crumbling in a losing war and brought it back to become the biggest company in the world and one of the most watched things on TV every week. Steve Austin was the personification of the Attitude Era. He was the man who the company was built around for a period of 4 years or so (give or take due to injury).

If I had to be honest, I'd say this is Hogan's. Without him, it's hard to even imagine Austin even being heard of, let alone becoming a worldwide sensation. Hogan basically brought wrestling into the public eye across the globe and as soon as someone says wrestling, people think of the Hulkster.
 
How is this even a debate? It should be clear as day that Hogan has had more impact on WWE than any 2 people combined, this man will forever be remembered as the hero who headlined the first 9 WrestleManias, and came back time and time again to run wild and create magic (WrestleMania X8 vs Rock)
 
Note: I am NOT asking who is more important to wrestling as a whole as that isn't up for debate. This is WWE only. Austin or Hogan: who is more important in the company's history?

If it's WWE only, than it has to be Austin.

Austin single handedly saved the WWE from being destroyed by WCW. When WWE needed to make their comeback, Austin was the guy who drew everyone away from WCW. Let's face it, WWE was going down the shitter in the early 90's. I love guys like Bret and HBK, but they couldn't draw like those before and after them could. Austin and his feud with Vince took WWE beyond anything they had ever seen and saved WWE from its demise.

If you wanted to look in the grand scheme of things, obviously Hogan was bigger. He essentially made wrestling and gave it credibility.No one person has ever made a bigger impact in the world of professional wrestling than Hogan. It really is hard to judge though, because they were in two completly different time frames. When Hogan made his mark, WWE was only running a few pay-per-views a year, where Austin had montly pay-per-views and every media option know to man to get his name out there.

Hogan took something realtively unkown and made it big, but Austin was the man to save the dying beast. I have to give it to Austin.
 
This is just another debate where there will be no clear cut answer. Both guys were of a major significance, in both similar and vastly different ways. I really don't see the point, it's becoming more about preference it seems than anything.

I always hear how Hogan opened the door for wrestling in the modern era, and how if he hadn't helped create the WWF into the monster it was, than Austin would've never happened. Let's not jump the gun here people, as in wrestling, doors are constantly opened leading to new chances. Doors had to be open for Hogan as well. We would not have seen the charisma and natural prescence Hulk brought to the table as a superhero, had the AWA not turned him into a babyface. And let's talk about the WWF, they became a powerhouse territory thanks to the likes of Bruno Sammartino, had it not been for him, they would not have gained a significant reputation had it not been for his superstardom. Doors always open in the wrestling biz, and I agree, doors open for Austin as well.

But reading some of what I read, it's as if Hogna started the wrestling biz. Yes, I agree Hogan along with Vince, and a great supporting cast, were the ones who took wrestling from a local past time, into a pop culture phenomenon, but again, you have to think about the things that happened befor that.

Also, as much as I enjoyed Hogan vs. The Rock, Hogan vs. Austin, would've drawn over a MILLION buys guaranteed!!! If Hogan vs. SHAWN could draw well over half-a-million...think about it!
 
Are you talking about Wrestlemania III? Cause I wouldn't say the I.C. Title match between Savage and Steamboat was nothing. In fact that card was full of something that you don't find much of in a WWE show these days....and that was matches..

I think you missed NorCal's point. The fact that Savage/Steamboat was perhaps the single greatest match in North American wrestling history is beside the point. That match didn't sell a single ticket to the Pontiac Silverdome. That card was sold entirely on the strength of Hogan/Andre, which was BY FAR the single most hyped/anticipated wrestling match up until that time...hell, of all time. The fact that Savage/Steamboat ended up being a masterpiece is looking at it through hindsight, which tends to be 20/20. The fans who attended Wrestlemania III had no idea that match would be epic (hell, its my all time favorite match) they came for Hogan and Andre. That was the star attraction, the reason to go, not a midcard title match.
 
It has to be Hulk Hogan, while this isn't a debate on who had the biggest impact on wrestling as a whole, the very fact that Hogan made wrestling main stream still has a huge saying in how much Hulk Hogan should have of importance in the history of WWE.

Without Hulk Hogan, who knows, the territorial system might still exist, without Hulk Hogan we might not even have been able to watch WWE all around the world, and without Hulk Hogan there might not even have been a WWE anymore.

Steve Austin is a big name in professional wrestling, and a very very big asset to WWE, however there would've been no need for Steve if it wasn't for Hogan, because WWE might never have made it that far if it wasn't for Hogan, or ever had the relevance for WCW to even want to contest against WWE.
 

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