Interesting article on Hulk Hogan

January 26, 2003

I, like many of you was shocked to see Hulk Hogan walk out onto “Smackdown” this week in Albany as an effort once again for the WWE to build for the future by using the past. I know Hogan, in his day was a draw, but why have companies repeatedly turned to this guy when looking for a business spark? Did WWE even look at the history of when WCW looked to Hogan for help? They got more bad than good when they turned to the Hulkster.

Hulk Hogan is a smart guy. I will never discredit him on that accord. The guy has made a living out of political manipulations (case in point, getting back in the WWE). You cannot fault a guy for capitalizing and becoming a very rich man in the process, at this stage of the game; the blame is on World Wrestling Entertainment for thinking, that in 2003, Hulk Hogan is the answer.

Let’s trace this back to 1995, when Hulk Hogan left New Japan Pro Wrestling to ink a huge deal with World Championship Wrestling. The deal included 25% of all PPV revenue for PPV’s he appeared on and allowed him to make six digits for his first pay-per view, “Bash at the Beach” where he defeated World Champion Ric Flair on his first night in. The show did a significant buy rate but the legs of Hogan as the flagship was more questionable as house show attendance only increased by an average of 300 people after Hogan arrived, although shows that he did actually appear on did draw above their average. House show attendance did not really pick up until 1996 when Ric Flair and Randy Savage were headlining house shows. Ratings for the television actually dropped with the addition of Hogan by .10, so he meant absolutely nothing to the ratings. In Hogan’s defence, his run from 1995-1998 gave WCW the mainstream buzz that they had never had and were the dominant company in North America. Without Hogan it can be argued that Bischoff never would have been given the Turner chequebook, nor the Monday night slot on TNT. Hogan was able to bring in big names like Dennis Rodman, Jay Leno, and George Foreman and appealed to the business people because no matter how much of a “non fan” someone is, they know the name Hulk Hogan and it did open doors for WCW.

It was when WCW business was really down that Hogan’s lack of drawing came through. His first big hiatus from WCW came in November of 1998 when he and Bischoff orchestrated that ridiculous gimmick that he would run for President as a spoof on Jesse Ventura (both who do not see eye to eye at all). Hogan worked a supposed retirement on the “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno. The backstage story on all of this was that Nash and Hogan conspired to work the boys with Nash being the only one willing to stand up to Hogan backstage, in turn for going with this angle, Nash would get the book and the first pin on Bill Goldberg and Hogan would return at the January 4th “Monday Nitro” to win the title from Nash in front of 34,000 paid at the Georgia Dome in WCW’s home camp. Therefore Nash got the book and Goldberg win, and Hogan got the title and Nash didn’t have to do a real job for Hogan as that was the infamous “one finger touch” match that for all intents and purposes killed the Atlanta territory for WCW as they never fully recovered from the damage to the title of that match and only drew significantly in Atlanta one more time (July of 1999 for the return of Goldberg, but that show was partially papered unlike the January show). Many look at this night as the night WCW officially headed towards disaster and two years later were out of business.

The next big hiatus for Hogan came in October of 1999 when Vince Russo first joined the company. Rumours were flying of the status of Hogan in the new regime in WCW. It was during the “Halloween Havoc” PPV on October 24th that Hogan was scheduled to take on WCW Champ, Sting. Hogan arrived to the ring in street clothes and lay down for Sting, who looked confused and pinned him (more damage to the title). Hogan waited until Russo got swerved out of power and then made his return on February 14th 2000 (conveniently, the same night that Raw was pre-empted for the annual Westminster Dog Show and was guaranteed to have a higher audience than usual and he could take credit for it). The result was a rise due to the pre-emption, but the truth came out a week later on February 20th at the “SuperBrawl” PPV where Hogan squared off with Lex Luger and did a horrible buy rate, followed by an equally horrible buy rate the following month at “Uncensored” with Hogan against Ric Flair. Number tailed off even further and in April of 2000, Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo were put back in power and Hogan changed his image into a Steve Austin knockoff and was put into his not so memorable feud with Billy Kidman.

His last leave from WCW took place on July 9th of 2000 when Hogan was set to challenge Jeff Jarrett for the World Title in Daytona Beach, Florida. Once again WCW did the angle of Hogan coming in street clothes and Jarrett lay down for Hogan this time. Hogan then told Russo that it was stuff like this that kept WCW in the state it was. This was all a storyline and Hogan was to leave with one title and Jarrett be crowned later in the evening the new champ and Hogan would come back months later and they would have two champions, one with the new blood and one with the older guys and that would create a new feud (in fact a deal with Fox was being negotiated to have separate shows, but that never came to be). Where it got tricky was after Hogan left, Russo came out and cut a promo where he tore into Hogan and bad mouthed him. Hogan felt he had been defamed and filed a real like lawsuit that his drawing power would be hurt by Russo’s comments of him being unprofessional, old and untalented. Hogan never appeared in WCW again as Russo was basically gone by October and the company was sold to Vince McMahon in March of 2001 for $2.5 million dollars. Although he wasn’t there for the bitter end, Hogan was one of the guys most responsible for the demise of WCW.

Then came January of 2002 and Vince McMahon needed something to spark TV ratings, so when in doubt whom did Vince turn to? Hulk Hogan. McMahon went out and signed Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall to contracts in January and promoted their return for the February 17th Pay-Per View, “No Way Out” in Milwaukee. The show did an above average buy rate and can definitely be attributed to the curiosity.

Although the New World Order return sparked a mild interest in the product, the ratings for the most part remained stagnant, you could say they did 3 big ratings (the night after “No Way Out” they did a 4.7 on “Raw” up from the 4.4-4.5 range of the previous weeks and followed up with a 4.5 on that week’s “Smackdown” up from the 3.9 level’s of the previous week and another 4.7 on the February 25th “Raw”, after the 25th ratings returned to normal levels). Hulk Hogan would prove to be valuable in sparking the buy rate for “WrestleMania X8” for his match with the Rock as the show did over 800,000 buys. Hogan did put over Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar but as far as ratings went, that was a different story. Due to the massive pops that Hogan received at all of the arena’s Vince was thinking Hogan could draw once again and April 21st 2002, the day of “Backlash”, Vince changed the finish of Triple H Vs Hogan title match and put the strap on Hogan. The result was ratings bottoming out on both “Raw” and “Smackdown” (the night after “Backlash” the show did a 4.8 and the next week dropped to a 4.4 and the show has never done a 4.8 since and 3 weeks after Hogan got the title the show went from a 4.8 to a 3.9, which is scary, “Smackdown” dropped to a 3.4 the week Hogan won from a 3.8 the previous week when HHH was champ and then one week later “Smackdown” did the lowest rating ever with a 2.9 for an advertised Hogan title defence against Jericho). The company decided to have Hogan drop the title the following month at the May 20th “Judgment Day” PPV in Nashville. For the rumoured $3 million a year, Hogan produced one buy rate and some big pops at the arena’s and do not be fooled as much as the fans got into cheering Hogan at the arena’s, it is the classic nostalgic pop that fans will get when seeing a legend (and he is a legend) in person and those pops failed to correlate to business and make fans at home want to go out of their way to purchase tickets and buy the next Pay-Per View with Hogan headlining.

As the WWE approaches WrestleMania time, they have once again turned to Hogan to help the “Smackdown” show. First off, to have him on the “wrestling” show with guys like Angle, Guerrero, and Benoit is beyond me as I see no one he can work with the exception of Brock, whom was the big stumbling block is bringing Hogan back in November as Vince wanted Hogan to put Brock over a second time at “Survivor Series” and Hogan turned down that idea and that resulted in the stalemate between Vince and Hogan. The likely scenario is to build to a Vince Vs Hogan program at “WrestleMania 19” and from there I have no clue where they go. Originally they planned to have Hogan face Vince at “SummerSlam” but that never occurred as you can see.

Credit - LiveAudioWrestling.com

January 27, 2003

I've developed markish tendencies for Hogan's last run, but only because I thought it was his last run. He won't do any good for buyrates, so he'll fall back in to the midcard again (where I don't have a problem with him really) then leave again, then come back, then come back etc etc. The only real good that can come out of this is his retirement (the dreaded 'R' word) but I think vince retiring him after he went up against all the major stars last year is a joke. I'll find him funny for the time being, but it's a bad idea. Good article though.

January 27, 2003

This is from the Law, this is no good. The Law of course being the LAH, Lovranski Against Hogan - and all his Hogan-Hating Minions.

January 27, 2003

I'm actually surprised that the article (being that it's from the Law) didn't take time out to suck Flairs dick a couple hundred times.

January 27, 2003

[email protected]

That is the email address of the person who wrote the article. I assume those who bitched about it being biased will email their opinions to the author.

January 28, 2003

Hulk Hogan's last last run:

Great for fans in the arena.

But the title win made ratings bomb a full point.

Will they learn this lesson???

January 28, 2003

Hmm.....why is it considered some big libel statement? I mean everything he says is true.

January 28, 2003

I've already bitched at the higher ups about their astonishing bias. I don't really call Pollock an 'author' so much as 'lacky' - so why bother writing to a guy who has his opinions fed to him from above?

January 28, 2003

But the numbers and things he gave are all true! Hogan doesn't draw anymore.

January 28, 2003

Dama, do you listen to the LAW?

January 28, 2003

No I don't. But even if he has this horrible anti-Hogan bias when he presents cold-hard numbers then you can't deny it.

January 28, 2003

I am not denying the numbers. I am denying the purpose/motivation of the article in general. This is not to 'educate' anyone, it's just another brick in a big wall of Hogan-hate by the LAW.

Do you actually think the WWF is putting the fate of their company on Hogan’s shoulders?

Notice how little time Pollock puts in saying the NWO was the cause for WCW’s rise in the mid-90’s. An angle where Hogan was a key participant. And notice how much time he puts into the fall of WCW where there were other mitigating factors determining their success (or lack thereof - which is not to say that Hogan wasn‘t part of their decline - they just give him way too much credit for its fall).

Do fans want to see Hogan? Yes - why else would they cheer him so loudly on TV? The LAW has been trying to pass Hogan off as a nostalgia act - guess what? Nostalgia pops aren’t that loud, or long, and don’t last for months. This is a genuine respect and admiration of an icon - this isn’t popping for Mr. Perfect at the Rumble because he is a throwback to a better time or a warm fuzzy memory. The Law tried to paint the reaction at WM to “Well, Hogan hasn’t been worn out up here” (even though we got Nitro) “Wait until he goes south to the states - then lets see what happens” (Crowd goes crazy when Hogan comes out). “Let’s see what happens after they get to see him wrestle” (Crowd still goes crazy) “Let’s see what happens next month” (Crowd still going crazy).

Of course, never along the 3/4 months the crowd was going wild for Hogan did they ever admit they were wrong (oh no, can’t have that. They also said Hogan wouldn't put over anyone...). Right now the WWF shouldn’t worry about ratings - they have done so for the past 2 years and look where it has got them - they should worry about pleasing the fans - and Hogan pleases the fans.

Of course, this is the same radio show/website that spent an entire show breaking down Hogan's books and citing the inaccuracies. Not to mention putting up 'Moments in history that Hogan forgot to put in his book' - which is still being continued. I think some animal rights groups should investigate - no dead horse should be beatin that badly.

As for Smackdown being the ‘wrestling show’ - Demott vs. Rikishi isn’t wrestling. Torrie vs. Dawn isn’t wrestling. It’s the LAW assuming one thing and sticking with it - and when their assumption proves false, they get in a big hissy.

January 28, 2003

Rudo your arguments makes tons of sense and appeal to my greater intelligence. I concede and agree with you.

January 28, 2003

You also have to take into account that Hogan feuded with Undertaker after he won the title.

I think Undertaker is what tanked ratings more than anything.

Had it been a feud with Austin things would've been different.

January 28, 2003

UT does tank ratings true....it's ok though.....Hogan can never tank them worse than HBK.

January 28, 2003

But, Hogan can't be absolved from all blame because the rating dipped nearly a full point on each side within two weeks and SmackDown to new lows, and Undertaker's reign didn't hit that low. There was a huge turn-off in the teen audience that played out. Should the WWE really be worrying right now about what pleases the fans at the live shows or what draws people in? For the WWE, those big ratings drops and that one big buyrate should have been a wake-up call. Yes, Hogan can work in a small roll but he should be nowhere near the top.

January 28, 2003

Well I don't think he'll be on top. Brock and Angle are Vince's golden boys. So he'll probably focus on them till WM and beyond!

January 28, 2003

Do people want to see Hogan?

Yes. HEll...even I want to see Hogan.

Will people PAY to see Hogan?

Hell no. That's a step backwards. People wouldn't even turn on the TV to see him for free.

January 28, 2003

I think if you made noise that this was indeed Hogan's last match, both through real hype and through angles, you could get a nice buyrate from that. Or you could give a WM that creamy historic filling.

It's not that hard. Hogan's getting so old now that he shouldn't weasel out of it, and "Hey guys! Hulk Hogan is going to have his last ever match on Sunday" pretty much sells itself.

Nobody is dumb enough thinking The Return Of Hogan's Return is going to save ratings. To be that dumb, you'd have to be... Uh, well, WCW, I guess... But the point is that Hogan vs Whoever in a retirement match isn't going to make a buyrate on it's own, it's just the kind of thing though that can cement someone who's unsure if they want to buy the show or not.

January 28, 2003

The trouble is that WWE very rarely, if ever, adheres to stipulations, so I doubt anyone would buy it really being his last match. Plus you know Hogan will never really leave. He'll always wind up coming back.

January 28, 2003

I agree.

I would order a show to see Hogan's last match.

But I'd get real pissed if he just came back again.

Interesting article on Hulk Hogan

Recommended Posts

Guest NoSelfWorth

Guest saturnmark4life

Guest RavishingRickRudo

Guest Lord of The Curry

Guest NoSelfWorth

Guest bps "The Truth" 21

Guest The Mighty Damaramu

Guest RavishingRickRudo

Guest The Mighty Damaramu

Guest RavishingRickRudo

Guest The Mighty Damaramu

Guest RavishingRickRudo

Guest The Mighty Damaramu

Guest Mad Dog

Guest The Mighty Damaramu

Guest Brian

Guest The Mighty Damaramu

Guest bps "The Truth" 21

Guest Jobber of the Week

Guest NoSelfWorth

Guest bps "The Truth" 21

Please sign in to comment

Browse