In 1993, Hulk Hogan left the WWF, and Hulkamania wouldn't grace the company again until 2002. As Bob Dylan once said, 'the times, they are a-changin', and they certainly were in the wrestling world. Hogan had been on top since the mid-80's, and something fresh was required in order to shake up the product. Smaller, more robust and technical wrestlers like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels seemed to be the future, and it was remarkable to see them headline at the 1992 Survivor Series, in a match that resembled something grappling fans could expect to see more in WCW circa 1989. Vince McMahon seemed impressed at ringside behind the announce desk, but he had something different up his sleeve, he was going to try the Hogan experiment again, this time with someone else. Enter Lex Luger, who initially signed on as an ambassador for McMahon's World Bodybuilding Federation. Relatively quickly, Luger started wrestling, going under the guise of a stereotypically arrogant and vein heel. From there, he was transitioned into 'American Hero' Lex Luger, but fans didn't really buy what the WWF were selling. The whole thing failed, and Lex would be gone by 1995, returning from whence he came, WCW. Simply put, the WWF audience didn't want another Hulk Hogan, they wanted something new, and thus they rejected the idea to turn Luger into the next Hulkster. What other times can you think of when the WWF/WWE mis-read their core audience? Do you agree with any of the choices on this list? Let us know down in the comments section!
