50 Fascinating Facts About WWE in The 1980s

50. Dusty Rhodes Was Nearly “Hulk Hogan”

Firstly, the entire decade as you know it could've been drastically different.

Hulkamania became a go-to buzzword to sum the WWF's boom period up, but here's a quick 'did you know?'. Musclebound brute and all-round action figure come to life Hulk Hogan didn't leap into Vince McMahon's mind as the first viable candidate to build his retooled company around. No, it was one Dusty Rhodes. Vince told this story for maybe the first time during his six-part Netflix doc.

There, Dusty's son Cody appeared as a talking head and might've revealed exactly why daddy dearest didn't get the nod in front of Hogan. Basically, Rhodes said his father never truly believed in what McMahon was trying to do with all the glitz, glamour and monopolisation. Pivoting, Vince pinpointed Hulk as the idea replacement for a technical wrestling babyface like Bob Backlund, and the rest is history.

Imagine how different things could've been?! It's kinda wild that Cody is to modern WWE now what his dad nearly was in the 1980s. Dusty was going to be the focal point - the kind of smart-talking promo machine who could sell fed pay-per-views aplenty, and the sort who watched merchandise fly off the shelves. 'American Dream' instead of 'American Made' would've been the battle cry.

It wasn't to be. McMahon either decided against Dusty in the end or didn't feel like Rhodes was meeting him halfway anyway. Dusty stayed put in the NWA (for now), Hulk became the water carrier, and the WWF revolution burst into life. It's hard to envision anyone in Hogan's shoes, but that almost happened.