10 Times WWE Pleasantly Surprised Their Audience

10. Hulk Hogan's 2002

Hulk Hogan's WWE Championship run may not have been the needle-mover Vince McMahon hoped for in 2002, but the version of the man he knew was the one he enjoyed pushing after a New World Order return quickly stalled after a WrestleMania 18 babyface turn.

Reinventing him as a contemporary version of his older self, Hogan's return to red and yellow didn't come with the laboured condescension of WCW's 1999 attempt but a hybrid blend of the 'Hollywood' gimmick that had served him well and the 'Hulkamania' look Vince constructed an empire around.

Though middling figures at the time suggested he wasn't a long term prospect on top, there was clear emotional investment if not financial from a dissilusioned and dissolving fanbase.

Hogan worked beyond expectations as result of the push. Defeating Triple H in an April 2002 clash that was better than it had any right to be, he lost clean(ish) in a stinker against The Undertaker the following month, squeaky clean to Kurt Angle in a fabulous match a month after that, and clean - save for the claret that covered his face - to Brock Lesnar on television to prep 'The Next Big Thing' for a SummerSlam main event against The Rock.

Never since then has he felt quite so welcome on the show.