10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Hulk Hogan

8. WCW Reinvented Him When WWE Couldn't

eric bischoff hulk hogan wcw
WWE.com

As aforementioned, Hogan's star power helped turn the WWF into a global entertainment machine in the 1980s. WCW had hoped his red and yellow heroism could do the same for them in 1994, but Hulk's initial years in Atlanta were blighted by a staleness that seemed out of step with what fans wanted.

Then, Bischoff had the idea to turn Hogan heel in '96 and reinvent the icon as a figurehead for the uber-cool new nWo. That, along with the invasion of ex-WWF stars Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, and the unpredictable nature of Nitro, changed everything.

On 6 June 1996, WCW beat Raw in the ratings for the very first time, and it was the beginning of 83 weeks on top.

Hogan, once a loyal McMahon trooper, played a huge role in turning WCW from distant second-best into a WWF-whipping, money-making machine. The fact, whether WWE like it or not, remains that Bischoff and WCW successfully prolonged Hulk's career with something totally new when they couldn't.

Advertisement
In this post: 
Hulk Hogan
 
Posted On: 
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.