10 Wrestlers That Would've Been WWE Champion Without Hulk Hogan
5. Mr. Perfect
Considering Mr. Perfect almost became WWF Champion in 1990 even with Hulk Hogan taking up the top spot in the promotion, it's safe to say that Curt Hennig likely would've seen himself wearing the Winged Eagle belt had The Hulkster stayed out of WWE.
In 1990, Perfect was being considered for a role as a transitional WWF Champion, a way to get the belt off Hogan and on to the Warrior without having to do the dreaded babyface vs. babyface match, a concept that was looked down upon at the time. Luckily, the right call was made for WrestleMania VI as Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior was one of the most epic main events ever presented by WWE, but it did prevent Mr. Perfect from having a brief run with the WWE title.
When Hogan returned to the WWF again in 1993, Hennig had just recently been turned babyface and was back in the main event, wrestling Ric Flair and Razor Ramon. Had Hogan never returned, it's possible Perfect could've remained at that elevated level, similar to Bret Hart.
Still, Mr. Perfect's best chance to have won the big belt would've been in the late 80s/early 1990, whether Hulk Hogan was there or not.