Ranking 10 Most Successful Wrestling Defections

Hell froze over in the summer of 1994 as the face of WWE joined WCW amid a ticker tape parade in Disney World. After leaving WWE in 1993 for the promise of Hollywood, Hulk Hogan would soon receive an offer from Eric Bischoff that he just couldn’t refuse. Hogan signed a massive contract that included creative control and a huge cut of pay-per-view revenue, among other incentives, and WCW signed the biggest star in pro wrestling history.

Immediately, Hogan was scheduled to face arch rival Ric Flair for the World Heavyweight Championship in a dream match that fans had been dying for since both men were in WWE two years earlier. They competed at Bash at the Beach, drawing an estimated 1.02 buyrate and grossing $2.58 million, compared to a .5/$1.18 million for Beach Blast the year prior. Of course, Hogan’s importance to WCW would grow even more two summers later…