10 Wrestlers That Would've Been WWE Champion Without Hulk Hogan
3. Rowdy Roddy Piper
Rowdy Roddy Piper made his name by kicking Cyndi Lauper in the head and becoming the first major antagonist to the WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, leading to the industry phenomenon known as WrestleMania.
Like Curt Hennig, Piper almost won the title despite Hulk being in the promotion and, had this program been presented today, the two men would've likely traded the belt back-and-forth on several occasions.
While Piper should've been given a run as the WWF Champion, Piper benefited just from working with Hogan.
What made The Hulkster so special and so valuable is that he brought tons of new fans to the product that, even in defeat, new superstars could be made just by wrestling Hogan. While Piper was one of the few heels that didn't lose clean on TV to Hogan, Roddy became a much bigger star than he was before his program with Hulk.
It even lead to the company having to turn Hot Rod babyface shortly before his "retirement" at WrestleMania III because he was being cheered by so many.
Undoubtedly, Piper's charisma would've taken him to the WWF Championship if Hulk Hogan wasn't present, but that doesn't mean his career would've been any better than what it turned out to be.