Would The "Hulkster" Gimmick Work Today?

[The Crock]

Plain and simple, if thrust into today's world of wrestling would Hulk Hogan be as big of a success today? Now, don't overthink this, it's simple. Would the "eat your vitamins and say your prayers" gimmick work today? Would PG affect it in any way?

I believe that yes, the gimmick would work today. Why? A few reasons. One, look at John Cena. He is the most over guy in the business, and he is nearly a Hulk Hogan clone. Wrestling today and wrestling in the 80s are quite similar. The ratings are the same, the general demographic is the same, why wouldn't it work? A gimmick that experienced that much success and revolutionized wrestling the way it did would most certainly work in almost any environment. Another thing is that children, the main demographic, would latch on. They'd set the trend, it wouldn't be as if they're totally changing wrestling to fit him in, he would be a perfect piece to the puzzle. He's entertaining, and although limited in the ring, gets the job done. There would be no reason for him to fail.

Your thoughts?

 

[Adalam]

I dunno maybe, just cause we're back to the PG era that Hulkamania started in during the late 80's. Problem is, I don't really see a superstar that could get that kind of reaction with the same gimmick. The superstar would almost have to be the same build as Hogan, and would have to be built up in a similar fashion. Hogan wasn't thrust into stardom, so there was no guarantee the gimmick would work back then. Problem is, what real world issues would they use as part of gimmicks to help get Hulkamania 2.0 off the ground? That's part of what clouds it up for me. Anyways, just wanted to give my two cents.

 

[Dzone]

This idea has potential but will most likely repel "those that hate Cena" even more. Eventhough I know your saying it should be another guy it may have the same effect.

On the other hand I read somewhere that WWE thinks of Skip Sheffield in high regard as their potential next in line uber face after Cena, could it work for him?

 

[titadab05]

Well, John Cena's superhero (much like the superHulk) gimmick works very well. Instead of eat your vitamins and say your prayers it's "Never give up" & "Hustle, Loyalty & Respect."

Pretty close to the same gimmick minus the hulking up.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I think that the "Hulkster" gimmick would not have worked in this era as well as it worked in the 80s. The reason being that it would get criticized out of its ass by us smarks. We would not stop bickering about how the guy never loses and how cheesy and unrealistic his promos are. Plus there would be all that nonsense about how the guy knows only 5 moves. The criticism would just be 10 times more if Hogan was wrestling in place of Cena today. And can you even imagine the backlash Hogan would get as soon as the smarks came to know that Hogan was a huge backstage politician?

Would it be a success? Probably yes and it would be just as successful as Cena is today or perhaps even less successful because of the reasons I have mentioned above. It would certainly not be as successful as it was in the 80's.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

The ratings are most certainly NOT the same now that they were then. Just off the top of my head Saturday Night Main Event used to do stronger ratings than Raw gets now. A SNME before Wrestlemania III had a battle royale w/ both Hogan and Andre in it and got an 11.6 on Saturday night, STILL the record for the highest rating in that timeslot. Then, the WWE had a few television specials called "The Main Event", which featured Hogan vs. Andre in their infamous double referee Hebner match, and it drew a 15.2 and 33 million viewers, by far the highest rated and most watched pro wrestling event in US history. And guess what, folks, those weren't just kids up that late watching it. There's a misnomer that Hogan (and Cena) only appeal to children. Every wweek on Raw you can plainly see adult males in Cena gear, and the same was even more true for Hogan.

Anyway, Hogan would still get over because he's Hogan, and he's insanely charismatic, and the gimmick transfers, and just because there's more snarkiness on the Internet doesn't mean anything, since the IWC is by FAR the minority of wrestling fans.

Really, it's an impossible question to know, though, since for Hogan to be here in this age, he would have to have not existed in the 80's wrestling scene, and then the current wrestling landscape would be completely different...you get what I mean.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think that the "Hulkster" gimmick would not have worked in this era as well as it worked in the 80s. The reason being that it would get criticized out of its ass by us smarks. We would not stop bickering about how the guy never loses and how cheesy and unrealistic his promos are. Plus there would be all that nonsense about how the guy knows only 5 moves. The criticism would just be 10 times more if Hogan was wrestling in place of Cena today. And can you even imagine the backlash Hogan would get as soon as the smarks came to know that Hogan was a huge backstage politician?

Would it be a success? Probably yes and it would be just as successful as Cena is today or perhaps even less successful because of the reasons I have mentioned above. It would certainly not be as successful as it was in the 80's.

Well said, I agree with you 100%. I think the reason that this wouldnt work AS WELL as it did for Hogan is the Smarks wouldnt like it, it would get unbelievably criticised, just like the Undertaker gimmick would if that debuted now. I think the kids would buy into it, same as they already love the Cena character- which is basically Hogan on a much toned down level, but the adult fans wouldnt take to it.

Its interesting though that Hogan appealled to everyone, not just kids and I am struggling to see why that worked so well when I believe it wouldnt work as well today. Maybe fans are smarter these days? I dont know

 

[Safari.GFX]

Great questions, and Yes. I do think the Hulkster gimmick would work today, and I might venture to say that it would work even better! If you take a look at what John Cena has done within the last decade, it's basically a carbon copy of what Hogan did decades ago. Children followed Hulk Hogan like he was a super hero. Now look at John Cena. Kids gather around him like he's god. Some would argue that Hulk Hogan wasn't a great in ring performer, and I know a lot of people that would argue that John Cena is a not a great in ring performer. I hear a lot about how "John Cena sux cuz he only got 5 moves!!!" well look at Hulk Hogan. He got the crowd behind him so well, that he didn't need a book full of moves, because his moves sold!

Remember when Hulk would put his hand behind his ear and do his little thing? Well think about the "You can't see me" thing that Cena does with his hand waving in front of his face. I think it is obvious that Vince has in theory, created another "Hulk Hogan"

Wouldn't you agree?

 

[CKguy217]

John Cena is pretty much the "Hulkster" gimmick. Kids love Cena. His version of "Hulking Up" is throwing his fists in the air and doing the "You Can't See Me" gesture.
The "Say your prayers, take your vitamins" line may not work nowadays, but Cena could say something to promote exercise (since supposedly a lot of kids are obese), but not address the "obesity" for self-esteem sake. "Go play a sport! Eat your fruits and vegetables!" Something along those lines, but maybe not so lame sounding.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

I think the core character would work today. As mentioned earlier the John Cena character is extremely similiar to what the Hulk Hogan character was.

Although with all the PC nuts out there, telling kids to "say your prayers" would somehow be considered offensive.

 

[DForce]

The Attitude Era with Austin and his antihero persona would have killed that bubblegum type of Hulkamania character. Things in general were becoming more edgy in the world. If Hogan wasn't over in WCW doing the nWo thing and in WWF/E doing the same Hulkamainiac gimmick, he would have eventually feuded with Autin. And for the first time, people would have booed Hogan, the good guy.

Seeing that Hogan couldn't get over as a face, creative would have submitted and made Hogan a heel; therefore, regardless of whether Hogan was in WWE or WCW, he would have inevitably become a heel. Thus a precedence would have been set thereby killing that type of bubblegum gimmick.

Now, John Cena is a hybrid of Austin and Hogan; that's why his persona works so well. John can be this superhero character like Hogan, but he can also be pretty aggressive at times, with his speech and actions. So my answer is no: the Hugan gimmick alone, without some edge to it, could not work this day and age. Sorry Hulkamaniacs.

 

[neildittmar]

It's the irresistable force meeting the immovable object - Gorilla Monsoon.

Though Monsoon used that line for other wrestlers and other bouts, it almost always applied to Hulk Hogans matches. Hogan was a "force" that, along with his legion of Hulkamaniacs, was absolutely irresistable to an overwhelming majority of wrestling fans.

Having said that, yes, the Hulk Hogan gimmick could certainly work today. As others have stated, it can be argued that it is currently working now for Cena in a limited capacity, as his general aura is essentially identical. So why isn't Cena as over as Hogan? Why isn't Cena popping double digit ratings on network television? Why isn't, with very little exception, the entire wrestling audience not supporting Cena in unison? Two reasons really.

One is time. Even though his rise to superstardom seemed extremely quick, the Hulk Hogan we reminisce about today was built up not unlike other top superstars in wrestling. His win against the Iron Sheik for the WWF championship could be pinpointed as one of Hogans first "biggies", but the character would go on to wrestle quite a number of matches before reaching legendary status. Hogan versus Andre is probably where the "force/object" phrase was coined. Most fans thought that, due to his size and perceived strength, Andre was unbeatable. Hogan on the other hand had a "cannot, must not quit" persona that would not be denied. Hogan going over Andre simply added a ton of coal to the hype train that was already well in motion. Then there is the Ultimate Warrior bout at WM6, where even in losing the Hulkster was effectively granted "immortality" in the eyes of wrestling fans. That match was supposed to give Warrior the same catapult to superstardom that Hogan got vs. Sheik and later Andre. I believe that ultimately, Hogan got more out of that bout than Warrior did in the end.

The second main factor is the constant presence of "immovable objects." Said differently, the caliber and status of opponents must be such that it presents a seemingly insurmountable challenge. Though Vince tried something similar with Cena vs. Big Show and Cena vs. Khali, neither of those matches were the caliber of a Hogan/Andre or perhaps even Hogan/Earthquake, nor did either have the same level of buzz surrounding them. In my opinion, Cena has yet to face an opponent that can be perceived by fans as simply unbeatable. "Training, Prayers, and Vitamins" was put to the test countless times and in almost all cases provided a winning formula. The same can't be said right now about "Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect" despite Cena winning a majority of his matches. Fans need to believe that one of Cena's opponents can not only beat him, but decimate him insomuch that Cena effectively goes away. The parallels to the number of Hogans opponents whose primary agenda was to "kill Hulkamania" is obvious.

Winning all your matches and having moves that everyone gets excited about is really only part of the successful Hulk Hogan gimmick equation. Insurmountable odds, a universally likable personality, and the realistic threat that the superhero can be defeated are just as important if not moreso. It can work today, just as it can work in any era, but all the key components need to be present. With Cena, they just aren't... yet.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

The Hulkster gimmick IS working today. The comparison between Cena and Hogan is just ridiculous. You're very right about today's product being similar to the wrestling world of the 80s, except that ratings were much much higher. Wrestling used to be cool I guess...

 

[The Eighties]

Cena has taken the gimmick and twisted it into a blue collar working mans version, there is no doubt that Hogan would have still been a massive draw but he would have had to alter the mechanics of his superhero gimmick if he was debuting now.

For instance the finisher no sell complete with shaking and then punches, big boot, leg drop sequence would have to go. I'd imagine him booked more in the vein of Batista with added showmanship.