Guest tank_abbott Report post Posted March 29, 2003 What if the NWA had brought Hogan in for Starcade 83? The WWF would've probably then turned to Sgt. Slaughter, Savage, JYD to be thier top faces... NWA would have Hogan around so maybe Race/Rhodes/etc and the other established main eventers would've possibly jumped ship alot sooner than then they ended up doing anyway... Would the Horsemen been considered "big enough" size wise to contend with Hogan? What about Lex Luger,Rookie Sensation of 1985, might Hogan being in the NWA made him decide to go to Vince, and Luger very well might've been molded by Vince to be "The biggest Star in History" Come 1986 Bam Bam Bigelow might've gotten a monster push in the WWF, since he had the look, was big, and Hogan was no where near by to hold him down... And maybe, just maybe, all the great workers of the NWA would get fed up with Hogan's refusal to wrestle anyone who wasn't a "Monster Heel" and started drifting else where... into the AWA and World Class's open arms, giving both promotions the shot in the arm they would need to survive just a while longer... If Magnum TA wasn't in the NWA at that point chances are he'd be prepping for his retirement right around the present day (2003) etc etc... interesting scenerio I guess.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest WrestlingDeacon Report post Posted March 29, 2003 The main question you have to ask yourself, is what is more important, Hogan himself or the WWF's ability to market him? If Hogan would have gone to the NWA, he probably would have been held down by Dusty Rhodes, much like Verne Gagne held him down in the AWA. He probably would have had a good run with US Title and flirted with a couple shots at the World. But without Vince to properly market him and his novelty wearing off, he would have slid down the rankings, especially with the rise of Magnum TA as the number two babyface behind Dusty. Hogan only had political power in the WWF becuse Vince let him have it, Crockett and Rhodes probably would not have. On the other side, instead of having someone who had that ready made mainstream appeal, MacMahon would have to create somebody. Paul Orndorff or Don Muraco probably had the best look of who Vince had at that time, with Roddy Piper having the best personality. Andre the Giant might have been a good stopgap while Vince brought in and built guys like Savage and JYD. Vince was hell bent on going mainstream and national, so even without Hogan I think some wrestler or some angle would have clicked enough to work. Possibly even Steamboat vs. Savage. I would say that Hogan probably would have got fed up in the NWA and tried to go to the WWF by around 1987 if not before, but then the opportunity to make Hogan a superstar might have been missed. Sometimes it's all about the specifics of the situation. Another interesting thought, would be with both Hogan and the AWA flailing in the late 80's if the pair would have gotten back together and tried to reclaim their missed opportunity. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted March 29, 2003 This is kind of hard to do since it was so long ago... The Thing is, Hulk Hogan Needed Vince to make him that superstar...He never would've been given that chance... If Hogan went with NWA...NWA would've INSISTED on staying a Terrotorial company...Vince easily could have Made Savage his MAJOR Name or someone else... It was Vince's ego that made Hulkamania work...all he needed was a imposing figure with Insane charisma...Savage, Orndorff, Piper, all whom were Hogan's foes...Would had been Vince's Major faces...He still would had his "Big" guy fetish and likely, Bam Bam, whom was Crazy over would had been Vince's biggest push ever. The Bottom Line Is though Wrestling would never reach the heights it did if Hogan signed with NWA. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Frankie Williams Report post Posted March 30, 2003 I got some news for ya. Hogan was origanlly supposed to wrestle at Starrcade 83. It was supposed to be a tag match with I believe him and Wahoo McDaniel vs Bob Orton and Dick Slater. I could be wrong about the match. It was advertised in an issue of Inside Wrestling right before the event. I will look for the mag in my basement and see if the match is any different. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LooseCannon25 0 Report post Posted March 30, 2003 Hogan would have been an uppercard guy battling for the U.S Title , but thats it. Vince made Hogan what he turned out to be with all the hype and the national exposure. Vince would have probably made Savage his top guy or maybe even Orndorff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
