10 Best Booking Decisions In Wrestling History

7. Strapping Up Hulk Hogan Immediately

The Elite Comeback
WWE Network

What's ironic about one of 2023's most exhausting buzzwords - "adversity" - is that very few tippy-top WWE stars ever faced it. It's a strange Mandela Effect, all this talk of Cody losing at WrestleMania was good, actually.

Steve Austin, John Cena and Batista all won the big one when they were red-hot and when it was time, and they turned out all right. This isn't a response to trolls who don't deserve the oxygen, either. Steve Austin and Mick Foley have echoed Paul Heyman's rhetoric, and they aren't shy about criticising WWE.

It's a lie told to excuse WWE milking the pretentious teat that is the Bloodline cash cow.

Hulk Hogan didn't face adversity, and he had the most longevity of any of the big WWE draws. Vince McMahon Jr. strapped him up within weeks of his return to the WWF, and while a lengthy babyface run was standard operating procedure, and not some bold, maverick move, it was still one of the best booking decisions ever. That, objectively, is the case. Before episodic prime time TV was the dominant revenue stream in wrestling, people wanted to see a live entertainment show, back a winner and a star, and go home happy. Hogan was exactly that. The best ever at it.

And perhaps it was more bold than it would appear through a retrospective lens: Hogan's act while very effective was super cartoonish, far less gritty than the WWWF norm.

Vince was as much a visionary as Hogan was a mega star. Their eventual WrestleMania XIX match did a bad number, but the idea for the story was great. Each man did have a great case for building WWE as we all know it.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!