10 Wrestlers Who Saved Promotions From Ruin
5. Hulk Hogan, The First Time
Oh, for f*ck's sake, you've thought at least once, how much could people possibly care about this tw*t?
You've probably thought it a lot in recent years, when WWE, despite online protest and audible rejection, has slyly reintroduced grandad back into the fold.
Why is Hogan being brought back just because Gene Okerlund passed away?
Oh, because Gene Okerlund passed away and it allowed them to get away with it.
Why is Hogan guest hosting WrestleMania alongside Titus O'Neil?
Oh, because they want him to not look racist.
Why is Hulk Hogan going to Saudi Arabia?
Oh, because he's a piece of sh*t and they are pieces of sh*t and they put him there to get the controversy out of the way. Imagine if WWE as good at the productive kind of creativity. The entertaining kind of creativity.
The answers to these questions are simple: Hulk Hogan is a draw.
His ability to draw diminished over the years, but even after his peak, when he boasted more longevity than anyone, Hogan was a guaranteed short-term success. He is effectively the definitive answer to the complex topic of the WWF's 1980s expansion. Vince did it because he had Hulk Hogan.
Hogan was a magician. Hogan changed the colour red into the colour black in 1985 when, after closed-circuit advances for WrestleMania I bombed, his last-minute TV charm offensive rescued the WWF from almost certain bankruptcy.