8 Signings That DESTROYED Wrestling Promotions
6. Hulk Hogan
The third of three appearances on this list for Hulk Hogan, and the one any remaining Hulkamaniacs (are there even any...?) may argue is the most unfair.
In 1994, Hogan spiked WCW's business in ways hitherto unseen, as thousands of new eyes flocked to pay-per-view in particular to see a familiar face in unfamiliar surrounds. A Bash At The Beach 1994 supershow debut and long-awaited headline feud with Ric Flair smashed every record in company history, with the dream match WWE elected not to bother with two years earlier proving itself undeniable as an attraction across multiple shows in Hogan's maiden summer with the promotion.
As more and more information leaked out about just how much influence 'The Hulkster' was permitted to yield per his extremely generous deal, the more it looked as though it could do more harm than good in the longterm. Two years after his ticker tape arrival and weeks before his historic heel turn as part of the nWo, fans had seemingly booed Hogan and his vision of wrestling all the way out of the company. The bloom was well and truly off the rose, but how? For a change, The Nasty Boys were the least of anybody's concerns, and herein lay the biggest problem with Hulk Hogan's maniacal power trip disguised as a healthy contract for a new star; some of the changes were positive.
Pay-per-views really could compete with WWE. The landscape shifted enough for WCW to launch Nitro. The roster probably did need a bit of a refresh and all this growth certainly facilitated it. But half of the new faces were Hogan's mates looking to beat-for-beat relive their WWE glory years rather than contribute positively. Hogan Vs old pal Brutus Beefcake as the first Starrcade main event of red-and-yellow era was a damning sign of things to come, and between that and the infamous 8-on-2 triple decker cage match won by Hogan and Savage (!) at Uncensored '96, Vader, Steve Austin, Sting, Flair, Savage himself and even industry lightning rod Lex Luger all had their pushes extinguished or marginalised by Hulk and his many dud pals.