Would Hulk be as popular......

[Jacjac]

So, every now and then I would find myself wondering why so many fans boo'ed John Cena. The other night, while watching the match against Wyatt, I could kind of see why. Cena has "Rocky Maivia Syndrome"; smile no matter what they say and be positive to no end. He doesn't tread the line between being a "good guy" and being a "heel". There are no blurred lines where he is concerned and this bothers those who enjoyed the Attitude Era. If I'm right then I have a question:

Could the Hulk Hogan of the 80's have been as popular today as he is now? There's absolutely no difference in the 2 of them; in fact Cena has more in ring ability than Hogan.

 

[Thecorporatechamp]

The only person on Hogans level of charisma is The Rock (imo). I feel that while Hogan would get a better response than cena it would still be slightly mixed. I am not a cena fan but I realize he does a lot for charity and is probably a good dude in real life. On the other hand he comes across as slightly smarmy. Maybe its because im from new england but I feel like cena's character does not have the charisma of a Hogan or Rock to sway the fans that are on the fence. When he feuded with Rock it looked like he didnt take it seriously and didnt really rise to the challenge or bring his normal intensity. I feel that Rock and Hogan are just so different than everyone else while cena comes across as a very strong dude that you would see on the street, sort of a meat head with nothing that really seperates him. Im a huge Rock and Hogan mark so im pretty biased but as a huge attitude and rock n roll wrestling era fan, this type of stuff is why id boo cena. Prob a great guy in real life, but his character and reactions are just so damn lame. Now if it was still the thuganomics character I think hed get cheered more just because its not such a generic schtick. its creative and different. Again this is just one mans based opinion.......

 

[Catacomb]

So, every now and then I would find myself wondering why so many fans boo'ed John Cena. The other night, while watching the match against Wyatt, I could kind of see why. Cena has "Rocky Maivia Syndrome"; smile no matter what they say and be positive to no end. He doesn't tread the line between being a "good guy" and being a "heel". There are no blurred lines where he is concerned and this bothers those who enjoyed the Attitude Era. If I'm right then I have a question:

Could the Hulk Hogan of the 80's have been as popular today as he is now? There's absolutely no difference in the 2 of them; in fact Cena has more in ring ability than Hogan.

what a dumb thread, hogan made tons of money in the 80s, had more products with his face on it than any other wrestler ever has or will have, then completely reinvented himself in the 90s and did it again. if hogan was in his prime now hed be the face of wwe and hulkamania would be just as big today if not bigger, after all super heroes are back in style and bigger than ever

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Cena & Hogan's character are cut from the same cloth. Hulk Hogan was this ultra patriotic, family friendly, old school comic book character come to life who always did the right & moral thing while somehow managing to overcome the forces of evil. John Cena is, for all intents & purposes, the exact same sort of guy, just somewhat upgraded.

If you were to take a 30 year old Hulk Hogan exactly as he was circa 1984 and put him in front of modern WWE fans, he'd get every bit as rough a treatment from a lot of fans as Cena does, probably even worse because of Hogan's lack of athleticism and limited in-ring set. Hogan would very much get the "you can't wrestle" treatment from any number of smarky audiences across the country. Would he still make lots of money like Cena does for WWE? Quite possibly, which would indicate that most fans genuinely wouldn't seem to "hate" him. Guys that most fans genuinely don't wanna see don't stay on top & make as much money as Cena has for WWE.

 

[Headman]

Would John Wayne be a big movie star now days? Who knows? Maybe the cream always rises. Maybe it takes the right people at the right time. It's impossible to know. Honestly, the business is going to have a rough period going forward because the bingo hall crowd have taken over the arenas and now the age of vanilla midgets has begun.

 

[OYDK]

As unpopular of an opinion as this may be, Hulk Hogan could not survive in this day and age because quite frankly he can't wrestle. Every single match or at least 90 percent of his matches have been one star matches, and the reason he was able to get over in the 80's is because it was a completely different time, with a completely different crowd. If Hogan came in wrestling the style of matches he did in the 80's, he would have gotten booed out of the building!

His mic skills may have helped him, but if your just a big muscled up goon who can't actually do anything, your not gonna survive in the WWE today.

 

[JJ15776]

Absolutely Hulk Hogan would be as popular today as ever. To suggest otherwise is just silly and naive. Here's the funny thing about those people who say he couldn't wrestle...see, they're wrong. Hogan could wrestle, just like Cena can wrestle. We saw it from Hogan from time to time, and we see it from Cena from time to time. They don't show it all the time because they don't have to, not because they can't. It's not part of their characters. They're in the ring to tell a story, and they're both exceptional at that. That's why they're main eventers.

And, by the way, that's true of just about everyone in WWE. Just about none of them show their full potential as far as wrestling ability goes. Because WWE is more entertainment than it is wrestling. Because that's what most of their fans want, despite the cries of the vocal minority.

 

[Pérez84]

Only in his NWO gimmick could be a larger than life character nowadays. The cheesy Hulkamania thing would be rejected much more than current Cena's character and forced to turn into a less cartoonish character to connect with modern audiences.

 

[Asmo]

Absolutely Hulk Hogan would be as popular today as ever. To suggest otherwise is just silly and naive. Here's the funny thing about those people who say he couldn't wrestle...see, they're wrong. Hogan could wrestle, just like Cena can wrestle. We saw it from Hogan from time to time, and we see it from Cena from time to time. They don't show it all the time because they don't have to, not because they can't. It's not part of their characters. They're in the ring to tell a story, and they're both exceptional at that. That's why they're main eventers.

And, by the way, that's true of just about everyone in WWE. Just about none of them show their full potential as far as wrestling ability goes. Because WWE is more entertainment than it is wrestling. Because that's what most of their fans want, despite the cries of the vocal minority.

Hogan showed more wrestling ability in his matches he did in Japan, too.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

I think there's no way in hell Hogan (of the 80s) would be as popular today. Back then you needed a unique, marketable, and appealing (muscular) look and intensity on the mic. That was it...the in-ring action didn't have to be as impressive. Now days, there's so much stress over spot-filled matches, multiple finishers, meaningful speeches, and discontent fans. You can be intense on the mic and have a good look and still not amass the Hogan-level appreciation from the crowd. *Sheamus nods*

Hogan worked well with the era he was in. Among the guys with the most unique looks and best intensity on the mic, he simply had time on his side. Hulkamania came before Savage and Warrior. Hogan was "the man" before others who did what he did in arguably a more entertaining fashion.

 

[L@RISANO]

Honestly, since Cena is basically a repeat of Hogan when all things are said and done...I think Hogan would get a very similar reaction or, dare I say it, he would arguably be booed even more.

Hogan has loads of charisma, but yet, his character and his abilities were perfect for that time when he was on top.

Today, it seems as though, WWE attempting to blur the lines between Face and Heel is definitely the right way to go and in the next couple of years, the long standing Babyface-Heel dynamic won't be as evident as it has been because fans seem to be cheering and booing who they want, whether the Superstar is an absolute evil character or a happy, honest character...

Here is an interesting excerpt from an Interview with John Cena and Hulk Hogan just before Mania30:

WrestleMania XXX is putting some of the younger stars like Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan in high profile matches. Do you see any of these guys as main event players in the next five to ten years?

Hulk Hogan: Well, John Cena is definitely not done, brother, and to me, he’s at the perfect time to pull a “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan on everybody. If he was to switch and take that hustle, loyalty and respect and tell everybody how he was running game on everybody the whole time, he’d have another ten years wide open without even looking back. So maybe in five years, it’s John Cena running the game on everybody. When I look around the roster, Daniel Bryan is on one hell of a roll right now, but he gets beat to death every night he goes out there. The big guys just go out and stomp on him. Can he handle that for five more years? I don’t know. It’s anybody’s game at this point.

John Cena: I think this is a very interesting time, and this is why I love WrestleMania XXX. If you look back at WrestleMania XX, all of the showcase matches had these up and coming talents like Randy Orton, Batista, Brock Lesnar and John Cena. These names became etched all these years later as the people who would be carrying WWE. This year, you have a flux of brand new superstars or superstars who are just waiting to make their impression once they get their opportunity. Bray Wyatt, The Shield, anyone involved in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, and then, of course, you have Daniel Bryan. So if you ask me right now who is going to carry the WWE into the next decade, I don’t know, but I truly think that you will get your odds on favorite at WrestleMania XXX on April 6, and that’s one of the things that just makes this event so interesting. It will give you a little bit of insight into what’s to come for WWE.

Today it seems as though, Superstars who are hated because they are 'boring' or because of something that has happened outside of the ring and externally is the cause of some Superstars getting heat.
Whilst guys who are great in the ring are being cheered, and those with engaging characters(whether Face or Heel) are likewise...

 

[RedRegan1005]

Boy scouts don't work today the way they use to. Being a good all american, do no wrong, and stand for whats right doesn't translate to people liking you the way it use to. Would hogan get over if he debuted today? I can't really say. I think he could, but he wouldn't get as big today as he was able to in the 80's. He could very easily have the Cena problem. Kids love would him, and the older audience would hate him. He definitely wouldn't be as popular. The only difference is that if Hogan was getting boo'd as a face, he would just turn heel cause he would see a chance to make money as a heel.

 

[chicagokmc]

Many reasons why he would not. The biggest reason is that before his rise to prominence in the WWE, there was no Hulk Hogan. There was no mega star equally at home in the Wrestling business and the real entertainment business. Hogan (and WWE) created that star who bridged both worlds. Hogan was the trailblazer and set the standard. And let's be clear, without that standard we don't ever get to where we are today.

The problem is that standard that Hogan set in the 80's has since been upped by the limousine riding, jet flying lady loving of Ric Flair, the "sticking it straight up candy asses" beer drinking of Steve Austin, the guitar playing calling a lady a "beeeyotch" on national tv of the Rock and even the cerebral I'm going to talk inside because I'm cool standard of HHH/Kevin Nash. Hogan's say your prayers/eat your vitamins was a gimmick geared to young people at a time the world probably needed that. But I think people want more now and I don't think a Hogan, coming on the scene after we've lived thru Austin, Rock, etc. would make people go crazy now like he did in the 80's when Hogan was setting the bar.

 

[Jacjac]

what a dumb thread, hogan made tons of money in the 80s, had more products with his face on it than any other wrestler ever has or will have, then completely reinvented himself in the 90s and did it again. if hogan was in his prime now hed be the face of wwe and hulkamania would be just as big today if not bigger, after all super heroes are back in style and bigger than ever

Apparently, the thread wasn't so dumb after all. In fact I think it's a very valid thread. Watching Mania a few nights ago Rock compared Hogan and Cena. I'm sorry (smirking) but they are cut from the same cloth.

What has changed are the times and the level of knowledge of the fans. The fans are more vocal and in unison let it be known what matches they feel are "awesome" and when they thing something is BS. I'm also going to disagree that Hogan was not a good wrestler. His wrestling was about as good as his acting and both of them together were about as realistic as HHH's sledge hammer bit. Hogan had no athleticism. He had an arm bar, clothes line and his finishing move was a deadly leg drop.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Absoultely not. Hogan could be a popular character if he was in his prime today but just like Cena he was viewed as very one dimensional and boring. Remember, WWE crowds were already slowly tiring of Hogan even as he was still the company's biggest star in the early 90s and fan fav Hulka-Mania was loudly booed by portions of the crowd (mostly older fans, just like with Cena) in his mid 90s comeback in WCW. Now part of the reason Hogan wasn't universally cheered in WCW was the Flair Factor, WCW audiences were partial to their guy, the other half of the 80s Super Duo of Top Wrestling Stars, and wanted to see Flair go over, even if he was clearly booked as a villain. The other part however was the older audience was looking for more colorful characters, and better wrestling. Of course compared to Flair Hogan came up short in that area but I feel even a mid 90s return to WWE would have had some booing, and at least not as much excitement as WWE was already giving much more air time and storyline time to very colorful, and talented in ring characters like HBK & Nash, Brett Hart might not have had much color to his bland character but Hart was basically playing the Hogan Good Guy role in Hogan's absence, only he was wrestling much more often and was much better in the ring.

Hogan's a legend but part of that comes from having the right look and the right character at the right time (he's also probably the singles best wrestler at protecting his image and character that there has ever been!!). If he starting today playing the same or similar all American, Say Your Prayers, take Your Vitamins, etc kind of character he would be like Cena, the kids and teens would cheer, parents would be OK with him, older fans would be bored. That's not too say he wouldn't have some success though, Cena is the biggest Post Attitude Era/Monday Night Wars character WWE has produced. When you think about the last decade plus of WWE post 2001 most of the biggest fueds and money making moments revolved around HHH, HBK, Taker, Flair, some Hogan, all guys that traced back to at least the early 90s (HHH started in the early 90s, all the others started in the 70s and 80s). Randy Orton & Batista have done well Post Attitude as has CM Punk but Cena has been the biggest star. He just doesn't bring the universal cheers and excitement that 80s Hogan did and I don't think 80s Hogan playing today would merit that success either.

 

[BestWrestlingOpinions]

I think you have misunderstood the terms popular and want-to-be-seen. Cena is popular, one of the most popular guys of all time. Hogan is on the top 3 list. Would fans treat Hogan right now the same way they do with Cena, if Hogan was given the same character as Cena? ABSOLUTELY. If anything, Cena is appreciated at times because he puts on good matches. Hogan can't even do that. Different times back then though, Hogan's charisma was enough to be appreciated. We weren't so much in touch with the product back then to be presented with the same stuff over and over again and we didn't learn backstage stories about how a certain guy is being a dbag to someone else.

We couldn't know what was going on with Hogan backstage so that we can hate the guy the same way we do with Cena. We didn't have everyday contact with Hogan's whereabouts as we do with Cena. We are in the era of overexposure, and that is why certain people just get boring really fast. I will go as far to say that Hogan would have been today's Ryback. Just another big guy. His catchphrases would be too generic and stupid if used today and the only reason we accept and mark out to them now is because of what they meant back then.

Times change and the stars need to change it up too so that they keep up. Jericho said it best; "I came back to the WWE in 2007 and I became the guy in a suit. Why? Because that's who I was. I watched that movie where the main guy didn't talk much, but if you looked into his eyes, you knew he was gonna kill you. I was no longer here to entertain. You have to change it up and adjust to what people need everytime." Hogan's style worked back then. It would flop now. Now, if you can't perform in the ring, as far as the fans are concerned, you are a failure. It doesn't really mattere if you are a big guy or if you came in from the indy circuit. You need to be exciting to be watched and have certain in ring skills. Hogan didn't have that.

 

[Jacjac]

We also have to recognize that it was a different time back then. We didn't have as much cable tv and "pushing the envelope" meant something different. WWE was geared towards children so Hulk was good for cartoons, ice cream bars and merchandising. We had regional wrestling promotions but none of the guys we were going to see live had the look or physic of Hogan.

I think Cena's image is intentional. If you remember he did do the heel thing several years ago in a program against Taker. It didn't work and it just didn't fit. Cena is creating a legacy he can be proud of and i guess that's why it doesn't matter to him if he's boo'ed. Hogan has controlled his image down to the hair-piece and he is still the most recognizable figure in wrestling.

 

[KBTwentyIV]

He wouldn't be as popular as long as he was in was in the 80's because most the fans today are young spoiled idiots, and some "adults" follow right behind them. He'd win a few consecutive matches and they'd start booing him. I'm 34, so I watched wrestling when fans cheered for the good guy/girl, and booed the bad guy/girl, now these fools just follow what the previous city did because they think it's cool, with no mind of their own, and continue with offensive and other stupid chants. I wish there was a way to just mute the crowd/nursery, when watching.

 

[jones.ben1977]

Hogan was the guy that put wrestling on the map, not just in the 80's but also his heel turn in WCW was the beginning of the attitude era. If Cena ever does anything to create another huge wrestling boom then I will pay attention but imo Vince decided Cena is the face of the PG era and we had no choice but to accept him (best of a bad batch?). I admit the under 15 year olds love him but again, if Hogan didn't do his thing in the 80's and 90's there wouldn't even be a WWE today.

 

[Jacjac]

Hogan was the guy that put wrestling on the map, ........ if Hogan didn't do his thing in the 80's and 90's there wouldn't even be a WWE today.

I think it's giving Hogan entirely too much credit for "putting wrestling on the map". This ball was going to roll with or without Hogan. He didn't step off the bus as a superstar his stardom was created. Just like they found him they would have found someone else. I was a wrestling fan long before I saw Hogan on tv.

 

[Catacomb]

Apparently, the thread wasn't so dumb after all. In fact I think it's a very valid thread. Watching Mania a few nights ago Rock compared Hogan and Cena. I'm sorry (smirking) but they are cut from the same cloth.

What has changed are the times and the level of knowledge of the fans. The fans are more vocal and in unison let it be known what matches they feel are "awesome" and when they thing something is BS. I'm also going to disagree that Hogan was not a good wrestler. His wrestling was about as good as his acting and both of them together were about as realistic as HHH's sledge hammer bit. Hogan had no athleticism. He had an arm bar, clothes line and his finishing move was a deadly leg drop.

it is a dumb thread because you compare hogan to cena then ask if hogan would make it when cena is the number one guy in wwe.