1993 was supposed to be a brave new era for the WWF. The previous year, Vince McMahon had started putting more emphasis on smaller, more wrestling-focused performers like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. It seemed like the days of Hulk Hogan were over, but the 'Hulkster' had other ideas. WrestleMania IX would set the company back to where it started. Winning the '93 Royal Rumble, the gargantuan Yokozuna was a killer heel. Fans witnessed him plough through Bret Hart in the main event of WrestleMania to become the new WWF Heavyweight Champion. Illogically, Mr. Fuji - Yoko's manager - then challenged Hulk Hogan to a quick fire match for the belt. Of course, Hulk won quickly, neutering the monster heel in the process. Yokozuna did win the title back at the first ever King Of The Ring pay-per-view, but significant damage had been done by that point. Fans didn't quite look at the big villain the way they had before, because he had been beaten by someone already considered a relic of the past. Yoko did stick around for years, but McMahon had already made the decision to replace him at the top of the cards by the time Hogan left the picture.
