9 Reasons Steve Austin Was Better In WWE Than Hulk Hogan

Professional had long been the purview of the younger crowd, with parents bringing their kids to a WWE event the same way parents today might take them to a Justin Bieber concert (or whoever it is the kids are "hip to" these days.)

But most adults weren't quite into the product the way the pre-teen audience was. That's largely because the WWE's biggest stars were actively targeting children with their message. Everything about Hogan's persona exuded family friendliness: the prayers, the vitamins, the borderline inappropriate amounts of yellow spandex he wore. It was all aimed straight at ages 4 to 14.

Flash forward a decade or so and there wasn't much about Stone Cold's personality that was suitable for children. He cursed like a sailor, guzzled beer, gave everyone (including the fans) the middle finger, disrespected authority figures, kicked the crap out of his boss, and basically went out of his way to be the exact opposite of Hulk Hogan.

And adults respected that. Teenagers, especially, responded to his anti-authority antics. The very kids who grew up having Hulkamania's moralism shoved down their throats were ready for something a little grittier. Stone Cold delivered that to them.