10 WWE Stars Who Didn’t See Their Own Downfall Coming

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan John Cena
WWE.com

Cast your minds back to 2014. Back then, Hulk Hogan was a WWE ambassador who could be relied upon to show up, pop fans and spew catchphrases like, "Let me tell you something, brother" as people smiled in the stands. He was a relic, sure, but he'd be able to ride the wave of goodwill and nostalgia forever.

Or not.

Hogan's racism scandal ended his relationship with WWE in July 2015 and altered public perception of him for good. It had to be an alarming day when Hulk realised that sh*t was hitting the fan, the media had their claws into him and Vince McMahon wanted nothing to do with any severe backlash coming Hogan's way for using racial slurs.

This stink may never wash off 'Hulkamania'. His most recent WWE appearances have felt a little muted compared to the God-like cheers he played to before, and that's not something anybody (least of all Hulk himself) could've predicted.

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Which other WWE stars couldn't see their own downfall coming? For more like this, check out 10 Major Stars Who Questioned Bad WWE Booking and 10 Things We Learned From VICE’s Dark Side Of The Ring: Dino Bravo!

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.