10 Misconceptions About Hulk Hogan You Probably Believe
6. “He Was Universally Loved By Fans.”
One other glaring difference between John Cena and Hulk Hogan is that, patriotic as Hulk was, he never had to interrupt his promos to tell an audience in revolt how great it was that in the United States of America, you can boo or cheer whomever you want. But that’s not to say Hogan didn’t have his detractors among fans of professional wrestling.
Firstly, there were plenty of wrestling fans who loathed Hulk Hogan and his style of wrestling. However, in the '80s, before Vince McMahon had gained a virtual monopoly on the sports entertainment industry, those fans had alternatives in the form of the well-established NWA and AWA. If fans hated Hogan because he wasn’t like Ric Flair, they could just watch Ric Flair rather than try to shout down kids at live events with dueling chants of “Let’s Go Hogan/Hogan Sucks”.
Secondly, even the fans who did show up to WWF events weren’t always supportive of the Hulkster. In late 1986, Vince McMahon scrapped a planned feud between Hulk and Jake Roberts, protecting Hogan’s popularity after a good number of fans cheered Roberts against the WWF’s top star at house shows.
When Sid Justice eliminated Hogan from the 1992 Royal Rumble, viewers could see and hear cheers from fans in the audience (which were dubbed over with boos in replays).
Fans at Monday Night Raw the next year booed when Vince shouted Hulk’s name, then chanted “Hogan sucks” as his King of the Ring opponent Yokozuna vowed to crush the champion (which he did, to the joy of many fans on camera). No wonder Hogan left the company right after the King of the Ring pay-per-view. Or could that be another misconception?