10 Wrestlers Who Refused To Work Together

It only takes a cursory glance at the WWE roster in the mid-‘80s for one to query some of the booking decisions. With workers like Jake Roberts, Ted DiBiase and Rick Rude on the roster, why was WWF Champion Hulk Hogan stuck lumbering around the ring with King Kong Bundy, Akeem and the rest? Hogan could have had some molten feuds with the best heels in the history of the business, but those giants aren’t going to slay themselves.

Truth be told, the numbers don't like. 'Hulk Hogan vs. Insert Monster Here' was a story that drew money time and time again. Was it predictable? Sure, but that isn't a bad thing. Who could get tired of seeing Hogan fail to bodyslam his opponent, only to do so towards the end of the match following a trademark rake of the eyes? Hogan and big dudes was a guaranteed moneymaker, why jeopardise that by feuding Hogan with someone the crowd might get behind?

Hulk was famously scheduled to feud with Jake Roberts in 1986, an angle that got off to a hot start when Jake hit Hulk with the DDT on an episode of the Snake Pit. The crowd went wild, but that was where the problems started. The audience went batsh*t in their approval of their hero being hit with the deadliest move in the game, and that wasn’t about to fly with Captain Prayers and Vitamins.

Hogan as good as demanded the feud be stopped before it could begin, using fear of drawing money as an excuse. The real reason was of course professional paranoia, as babyface Hogan knew that the evil heel would get a better reaction than him. The feud never happened, although Hogan has since expressed regret over his conduct.