10 Wrestlers Who Changed Their Perception In A Heartbeat

5. Hulk Hogan

Dr Britt Baker
WWE Network

Before:

Sure, he talked b*llocks, and yes, he was as carny as the scent of fried doughnuts, but he was your childhood hero. My childhood hero. He fought for the right of every man* in vibrant, loud, simple spectacles in which he glistened so spectacularly that he had to be done for. His plight looked dire. He was working himself to the bone to overcome the baddies out there, and when he shook his hair from side to side, and it looked like a golden retriever shaking itself dry, it were as if he genuinely needed your help to do it. He looked magnificent, his theme reduced us all to total lame-os by playing air guitar to it, and even his politics career was so audacious as to draw a begrudging respect.

In a heartbeat:

*About that...

If he was a carny, you had to be eight feet tall to go on his ride. The racism furore that struck Hogan in 2015 ruined his perception irrevocably - he literally admitted to being a racist on tape - because he never truly apologised for it. Contrary to that theme, he did take trouble for quite some time by instead blaming the evils of modern technology on his downfall, and not his own awful conduct.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!