How Good Was 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan Actually?

People can make their claims for Austin and Roman, but Hulk Hogan is a different animal altogether. The notion that WCW could beat WWE for 83 straight weeks would've been beyond the wildest imaginations of Ted Turner and Eric Bischoff when they acquired a Hulk who was widely considered a relic of the 80s and a busted flush upon signing with the company.

To reinvent himself so successfully and rule the wrestling world twice was unfathomable.

Ask yourself this: Is there a single star who could jump ship from WWE to AEW and make that kind of splash today? Would Reigns siding with AEW be worth enough to change the tide of wrestling? CM Punk brought AEW sell-out crowds, record PPV buys, and global attention. Would him jumping ship back to work for Tony Khan and face The Elite (followed by bringing Bryan Danielson out of retirement for another run) be enough to change that tide? Maybe. But with Hogan it isn't speculative.

He literally did it and has the numbers to back it up.

WCW's biggest PPV of all time was headlined by Hogan (vs. Sting at Starrcade '97). 3 of the top 5 highest rated episodes of Nitro were headlined by Hulk, and mainstream attention for WCW was at an all-time high when he was on top. When it comes to drawing a house, Hulk Hogan is still the measuring stick by which every other top star is measured.

9/10