WCW Nitro Debut Wrestlers: Where Are They Now?

Say what you will about Hulk Hogan, but he was a huge key to WCW turning the corner in the Monday Night Wars in the 1990s. Still playing his old babyface role at the time of broadcast, Hogan successfully defended his WCW Championship against Big Bubba Rogers on the first Nitro. His 469-day reign ended at The Giant’s hands in October, and in 1996, Hollywood Hogan and the NWO were born.

Hogan’s heel turn helped shift the balance of power in professional wrestling, but it’s tempered by Hogan’s role in WCW’s eventual demise. The Hulkster’s backstage politicking helped secure huge, multi-year contracts for his old, burned-out friends, and in the end, he was as much to blame as anyone not named Eric Bischoff.

Hogan bounced between WWE and TNA from 2002 to 2007, and eventually settled into a creative role with Dixie Carter’s company in 2009. After doing his best to run that company (and his own legacy) into the ground, Hogan reconnected with WWE in 2014, but now finds himself blacklisted.

The Gawker sextape/racism scandal saw WWE do their very best to erase Hulk Hogan from history. Hogan scored a cool $115 million in damages during the ensuing lawsuit and there are signs that WWE have soften their stance on him since winning the court case, but his status in industry remains up in the air.