10 Wrestlers Who Were Notoriously Difficult To Work With
2. Hulk Hogan
"That doesn't work the Hulkster, brother."
Very little did.
Hulk Hogan, and for long stretches of his career was fully justified in doing just this, worked a simple routine: his opponents were to wrestle a safe, conventional match, after which they were to stare at the lights. This was a veritable money-generator of a formula Hogan followed long after the money stopped rolling in. Throughout his initial WWF run, Hogan - again, justified - refused to work a programme with Jake Roberts. When he eventually was persuaded to do a clean job, to put over the Warrior at WrestleMania VI, he did the old 3.000005 kickout bit, pointed to the sky, and called out "You!" - "You" being "God" - for failing all of the little Hulkamaniacs. Bret Hart made him "question Hulkamania's greatness" at WrestleMania IX, but there was never any question of Hogan putting him over as a transitional champion.
That didn't work for the Hulkster, brother.
Neither did Vader's stiff ring style, Ric Flair's chances of a rematch, Jeff Jarrett, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton - the latter two of which were inexcusable ego trips, given the relatively dismal number WrestleMania XIX, promoted heavily around the Hulkster, pulled in. Hogan, a total fantasist, probably thought 2005 and 2006 were both 1987.
Hogan showed a bigger cheek than he did in his gruesome Wrecking Ball parody at Bash At The Beach 2000. "That's why this company's in the state it's in, because of bullsh*t like this!"
Though WCW's infrastructure was an omnishambles, Hogan's 24-inch political muscle hardly helped bring forward much-needed creative change.