10 Most Hated WWE Champions

5. Hulk Hogan

John Cena
njpw1972

Hulk Hogan was inarguably the greatest WWE Champion of the 1980s, and a month-long nostalgia run in 2002 as a broken down tribute act to himself started well despite a predictably bitter end.

Lacking the drawing power of his pomp and the charm of his latter chapter though, his 1993 comeback didn't just rain on Bret Hart's parade - it p*ssed all over it. 'The Hitman' was headlining his first WrestleMania against devastating new heel Yokozuna shortly before midcarder-for-the-night Hogan stuck his Fu Manchu in. Dreaming up a longstanding friendship with Hart out of thin air after Yoko and Mr Fuji screwed Bret out of the title, 'The Hulkster' stormed the ring and took the title from the brand new Champion in just 22 seconds.

Topliners toppled, Hogan then f*cked off from the organisation completely, never once even appearing in front of a televised WWE crowd before returning the favour to the sumo star at June's King Of The Ring pay-per-view. He instead took a New Japan Pro Wrestling payday in which he referred to his belt as a 'toy' and a 'trinket' to any media outlet that'd listen.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett