10 Times WWE Made MASSIVE Changes That You Didn’t Even See

3. Hulk Hogan & The Ultimate Warrior Vanish Without Trace

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How can one address the total disappearance of two of the biggest stars in the company, even if their time appeared fleeting?

Put simply? Don't.

Between 1991 and 1993, Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior both left the company they'd been dual figureheads of, and on both occasions, explanations ranged from vague to completely non-existent.

We were presumably led to believe that Warrior had taken on a Forrest Gump-sized running challenge after SummerSlam 1991 that he miraculously completed at WrestleMania VIII, so nondescript was his exit. On the same night he returned, 'The Hulkster' said a rather ambiguous farewell.

There was no kayfabe reason that effectively masked the realities of the pressures placed upon him thanks to increased scrutiny on steroid abuse in wrestling, but very little had changed on that front considering Warrior's sudden departure just months before Hogan's 1993 return. That wasn't built to last either - his WrestleMania IX and King Of The Ring pay-per-view clashes were the only on-screen outings for the cheeky b*stard before he was gone again. It took a decade and the demise of WCW for the door to be opened again.

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Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. 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