Hulk Hogans Politicking career

[The MAC]

1985 - Would Hogan be willing to work a program with Rick Steamboat if Steamboat agreed to turn heel? No. Give him Big John Studd instead.

1986 - Hogan-Savage is tentatively planned for WM 2, after the two had feuded in house shows which Savage had won by DQ or countout. Hogan nixes the idea of facing the dynamic, atheltic Savage at 'Mania, even though he would be booked to win. Hogan handpicks King Kong Bundy to embarass in a cage match. Savage wrestles George Steele far down the undercard.

1986 - Hogan agrees to work with Paul Orndorff, but won't do the job to him. Hogan agrees only because he is guarenteed a win at a huge event. He defeats Orndorff in a cage match on SNME to end the feud.

1987 - Hogan again turns down the idea of feuding with Savage; but suggests turning him face, so Hogan can step aside for awhile, film a movie and get some needed rest.
Savage turns face that summer.

1988 - Hogan agrees to "drop" the belt to Andre, but only under questionable circumstances to preserve his character. Hogan agrees to "give the rub" to Savage at WM IV. Hogan only agrees because he is promised he will get the title back at WM 5.

1988 - Six months later, as Savage is having a successful run, Hogan suggests putting them together as a team "Mega Powers" and they headline Summerslam. Hogan is no longer the champion - but still in the main event.

1989 - Hogan finally meets Savage at Wrestlemania V. Hogan beats him for the title. Rather than face Savage in the anticipated rematch at Summerslam, or a program with Rick Rude as creative suggests - Hogan deccides to go a different route.

Hogan suggests a tag team match, pitting himself and his close friend Brutus Beefcake, against Savage and an ACTOR, Tiny Lister who played Zeus in the Hogan film "No Holds Barred". The film opened that summer to decent business, so Hogan uses a WWE PPV to promote the film, while "giving the rub" to his friend Beefcake.

1990 - Hogan agrees to drop the belt to Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania. Only with a guarentee of an extended break and the promise he would get the title back. A month after 'Mania, Hogan is "attacked" by Earthquake and off TV for a few months. After teasing retirement on TV, Hogan returns at Summerslam as "Immortal" and vanquishes his good friend John Tenta (Earthquake).

1990 - To preserve the Warrior character, creative decides he will drop the title to someone OTHER than Hogan. Despite the allure of a Hogan/Warrior rematch - Randy Savage is rumoured to be the man Warrior will drop the belt to at Royal Rumble '91. Hogan suggests Sgt Slaughter. Slaughter has just returned as an "Iraqi sympathizer" and Hogan pushes for Slaughter to beat Warrior, then he can beat Slaughter to regain the belt.

1991 - Hogan defeats Slaughter a few months after "Desert Storm" starts. He waves his flag and defeats the Iraqi villan at Wrestlemania. After headlining Wrestlemania for the past two years, Savage and Warrior are reduced to the undercard.

1991 - Hogan again decides against a rematch with Warrior at Summerslam, and suggests they team together against Slaughter & The Iron Shiek. Six months after he had beaten Slaughter for the belt, he feels the feud is not over and that fans will tune in to watch him team with Warrior against "the enemy".

1991 - Hogan agrees to drop the title to Undertaker, but refuses to do a clean job to him. Ric Flair interferes in the match with a chair and 'Taker gets the win.

1992 - McMahon decides that Flair will win the title at Royal Rumble, then drop the title to Hogan in a "dream match" at Wrestlemania VIII. Hogan decides he wants to take another extended break after 'Mania. He suggests Flair drop the title to Savage instead and he can work with Sid Vicious and "give him the rub".

Despite the fact that Flair/Savage is the WWE Title match, it is placed in the middle of the show. Hogan and the lumbering Sid Vicious close the show. The first time the WWE Champion has not been in the main event of Wrestlemania.

1993 - Hogan agrees to return to team with Brutus Beefcake against Money Inc. at Wrestlemania and it appears to be the first time he will NOT be in the main event.

When Hogan learns that WWE Champion Bret Hart is scheduled to drop the title to Yokozuna, he informs McMahon that this will be the first Wrestlemania that a face doesn't win the main event and the "people aren't gonna like it". Hogan suggests "surprising" the audience by challenging Yoko immediately afterward and beating him to win the WWE Title. Vince McMahon agees. Hogan beats Yoko to regain the title.

1993 - McMahon and WWE creative suggests Hogan and Bret Hart engage in a face vs face match at Summerslam that will see Hogan "pass the torch" to Hart and drop the title.

Hogan turned the idea down, and agreed to drop the title back to Yokozuna, who in turn would drop it to Hart at SS. Some critics believe, however, that Hogan simply didn't want to drop the title to the new flagship of the company.

Hogan drops the belt to Yoko at KOTR (but doesn't drop it cleanly), while WWE goes with the failed Lex Luger "US Express" idea. Hogan leaves WWE two months later and does not appear at Summerslam.

1994 - Hogan signs with WCW after being courted by Ric Flair and Eric Bischoff. Hogan insisted on "complete creative control" over the Hulk Hogan character and a certain perrcentage of EACH PPV TOTAL REVENUE.

1994 - A three match series is planned with Hogan/Flair. Hogan would win the first, Flair would regain it and Hogan would win the finale. All parties agree.

Hogan wins the WCW World Title from Ric Flair in his first match back in a year. When the time comes for Flair to regain the title, Hogan refuses, saying the fans "weren't ready for him to drop it".

Flair later admits in his book, that fans were already booing Hogan at shows, but that WCW was dubbing in a "cheering crowd soundtrack".

The subsequent PPVs featuring Flair/Hogan fail to sell.

1994 - Hogan negotiates for former WWE stars and Hogan allies Brutus Beefcake, Earthquake and Typhoon to join WCW.

Creative suggests Hogan face Sting in a face vs face "dream match" at Starrcade. Hogan decides it makes better sense for him to face Beefcake as the heel, "The Butcher". The PPV flops.

1995 - Hogan convinces Randy Savage to leave WWE and join WCW. Instead of starting a feud between the two former WWE Champions, Hogan insists on teaming with Savage against Kevin Sullivan and his 3 Faces of Fear.

1995 - Hogan agrees to work with Vader, but the program soon falls apart when both acuse the other of "not selling for the other".

Fans are steadily losing interest in WCW. The company begins to falter seriously, as executives point at the Hogan contract and "creative control" agreement as being a main culprit. Hogan takes extended time off - but remains the highest paid man on the roster.

1996 - With WCW desperate to compete with WWE, WCW signs Hall and Nash and plot the NWO angle. Hogan is booked to turn heel and he agrees. The angle is a smash. Within weeks, Hogan wins the World Title from The Giant.

Instead of milking fresh matchups as a heel, Hogan decides that WCW should bring in Roddy Piper. Despite the possibility of a Starrcade matchup with Lex Luger or The Giant - Hogan faces Piper in a cage match in the main event. Hogan puts over Piper via the sleeperhold, in a NON-TITLE match.

1997 - Hogan feuds with Piper and Savage, while turning down suggestions he put over Luger or Diamond Dallas Page for the title. He appears weekly, but rarely wrestles on TV, while still remaining the highest paid star in WCW.

1997 - In his much hyped Starrcade match with Sting, it was decided that Hogan would beat Sting after an alleged "fast count" by referee Nick Patrick. WCW's newly contracted Bret Hart would accuse Patrick and have the match restarted with Sting winning by submission.

Hogan reportedly paid off referee Patrick, to count normally and make it look like Hogan had pinned Sting cleanly. When this DID happen, the planned finish played out - but fans booed because it was clearly botched and made Sting look bad.

1998 - Hogan agreed to put over Goldberg cleanly on Nitro, but with the condition that Karl Malone & DDP get involved to prompt a Hogan/Dennis Rodman team to debut on PPV at Bash At The Beach. Hogan promoted the match on "The Tonight Show" and later teamed with Bischoff against DDP and Jay Leno HIMSELF!

The Hogan celebrity tag team matches stole all the attention while WCW Champion Goldberg was all but ignored.

1999 - After six months without the title, and still being the top guy, Hogan regained the title from Kevin Nash in the "Fingerpoke of Doom" incident. Openly flaunting his creative control clause. He would lose the title, but not cleanly to Ric Flair.

When the NWO angle began to lose serious steam, Hogan turned face again. Randy Savage had recently turned heel and regained the WCW Title.

Once again, this time conviently as a face, Hogan defeated Savage to regain the title.

Despite having names like Hart, Luger and Sting to work with Savage - the title went baclk to Hogan. At his request.

2000 - Hogan begins feuding with WCW booker Vince Russo over how he's being used. Russo wanted to push younger stars and to appease Russo only, Hogan worked with young Billy Kidman.

When a WCW Title match with Jeff Jarrett was booked, Russo had Jarrett winning. Hogan refused, because his contract with WCW was almost up and he feared Russo wouldn't use him on future PPV events. Meaning Hogan would lose out on serious cash.

Russo pulled a swerve on Hogan by having Jarrett lay down for him intentionally. Hogan did so, winning the belt - then was immeditaely stripped of it.

Hogan was never seen in WCW again.

2002 - Hogan accepts an offer to return to WWE and reunite the original NWO, with the understanding he would be in a featured match with The Rock at Wrestlemania X8.

Hogan scored a huge deal from WWE, and agreed to put over The Rock. He suggests they close the show as he felt "they had drawn the crowd" - but McMahon and specifically Triple H refuse to put the WWE Title match in a secondary role.

Hogan is later booked to win the title from Triple H, but is dissapointed when it comes with the condition he drop it to Undertaker a month later.

After being booked to lose to Kurt Angle at KOTR 2002, Hogan decided he needed time off again. Despite only having been back for all of four months.

Hogan is convinced to stay long enough to get in a quick tag team championship win with Edge. He is then asked to put over Brock Lesnar, which he does.

He is dissatisfied with his role, because he isn't be portrayed the way "he thought he would". He takes another "extended break" after the Lesnar match.

2003 - He returns at the request of VinceMcMahon and the promise of a big Wrestlemania payday. Their street fight is a featured match on the card.

With the WWE Title now revolving around much younger wrestlers, Hogan is frustrated by Creatives decision to book him in a secondary role on Smackdown and he leaves WWE again.

2004 - Hogan is openly courted by TNA Wrestling, but the deal hits a snag when Hogan was reportedly told he would have to put over Jarrett at some point. Hogan begins to complain of "knee problems" as the deal falls apart.

2005 - Hogan is inducted into the Hall of Fame, and agrees to the idea of a Hogan/Shawn Michaels match at Summerslam.

McMahon proposes two matches, with each winning one. Hogan agrees.

After spending all of his comeback as a face, HBK agrees to turn heel to sell the match.

Michaels carries a clearly laboring Hogan through a decent match at Summerslam, and HBK does the clean job to Hogan.

The second match in the series is called off, when Hogan began to complain "his knee was acting up again".

Hence, the Hogan win over HBK stands as their one and only meeting.

2005 - Hogan proposes the"Dream Match" scenario of Hogan vs Steve Austin to WWE Creative for Wrestlemania. Austin says no - citing the HBK scenario at Summerslam. He refuses to put Hogan over.

2006 - Hogan is asked to appear at Summerslam and face Randy Orton. He agrees with the rumoured condition that WWE pushes his daughter Brooke's debut CD.

Instead of putting over "The Legend Killer", Hogan flexes his "creative control".

Despite being 53, having wrestled one match in over a year, and bad knees, Hogan defeats the 26 year old former World Champion via clean pinfall.

[James Steele]

Sad thing is that doesn't even include his current shit stint in TNA.

[CSL]

I'm up to 1990 so far and whoever wrote this is a clueless idiot

[Juan]

http://www.tpwwforums.com/showthread.php?t=75491

[CSL]

according to that thread, I've read this before. Oh how 4 years and a bunch of shit can change your perspective

[Ruien]

Haha that the guy making HBK seem like a saint in his match against Hogan.

[DLVH84]

When Hogan signed with WCW, he also stole Steve Austin's spot in a program with Ric Flair, as Austin and Flair was going to be the next feud, and Austin would've won the title.

[CSL]

bollocks and bollocks

[Captain of Fun]

I was born in 1982, and was at Wrestlemania X8.

Hogan would have to murder a kitten for me to hate him at this point.

[Innovator]

Bret talks about doing a photoshoot in 93 with them staring down, would've been a great moment.

[Shaved Monkey]

Originally Posted by Innovator Bret talks about doing a photoshoot in 93 with them staring down, would've been a great moment.

It was actually published in one of the old WWF magazines. I remember seeing that photo and being super pumped for the match.

He's the biggest star of all time. Who the hell cares. He was right the majority of the time.

[Phenomenal 1]

Politicking is done by all of the top wrestlers in the business for the majority of the 1970's through the 90's all the way to the early 2000's. Still happens from time to time these days but not as often. Few incidents that happened that come to mind obviously Montreal when Bret refused to put Shawn over cause Shawn refused to put Bret over in a re-match. Shawn refused to put Bulldog over, refused to put Owen or Vader over as well. Austin buried and refused to put Kurt Angle over during his last big run with the company. Top guys think they are biggest draw for the company and that their name on the card alone draws buyrates and attendance revenue at the gates, all the while their politicking makes them look like pricks and does nothing but soil the locker room morale and ppl then don't wanna work them knowing they are likely to get buried if they don't put the main eventers over. If you wanna hear some good politicking stories, watch alot of Kayfabe Commentaries with Jim Cornette. I can't vouch for how accurate they are but the man accounts alot of stuff that happened in the mainstream of WWF/WWE in the late 90's. Alot of ppl say Cornette exxagerates things that went on but he was a booker and a member of the creative team so he obviously has more insight to it then we do. Plus he's hilarious when he goes on a tirade dropping the f' bomb every 5 seconds.

[#1-norm-fan]

In some ways I like politicking. It forces creative to make a guy look like a star as opposed to having everyone beat everyone and look as equals. Hogan was over in part because he didn't lose twice a month and desensitize the fans to the outcome of his matches. Sometimes the writers need someone to politic and say "Hey, dipshits. No one is gonna give a shit about me winning or losing at any given time if I'm already losing half the time I'm in the ring. Figure out a more creative way to build interest."

[Steveviscious89]

Probably splitting hairs here, but the match at Starrcade '96 was not a cage match. It was a regular non-title match because the story was that Piper did not have a WCW contract. I know this because I recently watched the PPV.

Anyway, no one in wrestling has protected their character better than Hogan. Maybe Austin to a certain degree, but Hogan knew that the only way his gimmick would work is if he won more often than not. The reason it didn't work as well in '95 and early '96 was because the fans were in fact just getting tired of it, and Hogan knew it. It wasn't the first time it happened and he knows when to pick his spots. I do think that they could have found a way to make his character work even if he lost clean to Sting. They could have just done something similar to what they did in TNA last year. Hogan could have disappeared for awhile while the nWo would be run by Nash in the meantime, then he could have returned later as a face to huge fanfare I'm sure.

[Attitude99]

Great List, somebody should also do Triple H and HBK, those two knew how to suck Vinces Dick to get to the top, just like Hogan did.

[CSL]

bless

[Captain of Fun]

Hogan was just smarter than everyone else.

[whiteyford]

Originally Posted by Captain of Fun Hogan was just smarter than everyone else.

He knew how to pick his spots and get what he wanted,he might have been a dick but you can't fault him for getting paid. If people were daft enough to give him,and a bunch of other guys, full creative control then its going to get used. Theres a bunch of stuff in the Death of WCW book about him taking holidays/getting surgery during the NBA playoffs when he knew the ratings would dip and getting a push/raise when he came back because he convinced whoever was in charge it was because he left. Sure every top guy has politicked to get themselves what they wanted at some point its just easy to bash Hogan.

[James Steele]

Originally Posted by Attitude99 Great List, somebody should also do Triple H and HBK, those two knew how to suck Vinces Dick to get to the top, just like Hogan did.

Oh shut the fuck up you miserable shitstain on the underwear of the world. Shawn Michaels was on top because he was THE BEST WRESTLER IN THE FUCKING WORLD and Triple H actually had to pay for the sins of the entire Kliq. If anything, Triple H had to bust his ass to finally make it to the top. I can't stand ignorant pieces of shit like you. You make blood almost shoot out of my eyes from your stupidity.

[Shadrick]

James Steele right on cue.

[CSL]

the thing I always enjoy about the Hogan bashing is the only people you ever hear bitch and moan about him are mostly utterly clueless people that have never been near the wrestling industry that still think it's an "artform there strictly to entertain themselves and only themselves" and a couple of bitter or overlooked guys inside it. The consensus from people around him, close or not, who have been employed by the same company for a long or short period of time etc, worked a program or a simple match with him, basically been anywhere in the same building as him in a professional capacity is pretty much "Hogan is the man"

[Corporate CockSnogger]

Posted this in 100,001 replies last week but whatever.

Originally Posted by CSL the thing I always enjoy about the Hogan bashing is the only people you ever hear bitch and moan about him are mostly utterly clueless people that have never been near the wrestling industry that still think it's an "artform there strictly to entertain themselves and only themselves" and a couple of bitter or overlooked guys inside it. The consensus from people around him, close or not, who have been employed by the same company for a long or short period of time etc, worked a program or a simple match with him, basically been anywhere in the same building as him in a professional capacity is pretty much "Hogan is the man"

This x1000

Another fav of mine is people who claim Vince could have stuck any roided up big man in Hogan's role and he would have been just as over.

Fucking clueless losers

[Theo Dious]

I'm not huge Hogan fan, but this list is seriously biased horseshit. I love the constant complaints about him not putting over heels cleanly. Especially in the early days, putting over heels cleanly was NOT a good booking idea, jackass.

[Kane Knight]

Haters gonna hate.

[Emperor Smeat]

Somewhat amazing WCW realized giving Hogan too much power was hurting the company a year after getting him but ended up just doing all his requests/demands without really fighting back until the company was essentially dead years later. He ended up being the one who benefited the most from the entire nWo angle and all it took him was to simply turn heel.

Hogan might have over-politicked in the 80s but it didn't have as negative of an effect to the WWF than it did to WCW during the mid to late 90s.

I've never understood why people think Savage was as big a draw as Hogan, or you could have interchanged the two and had the same results. He's not in Hogan's league.

[Vastardikai]

One thing I will note: if Orton had gone over Hogan and his Legend Killer gimmick had flopped (which it had 2 or 3 Times already), he'd have been done. Who would they have dragged out for him to "Kill" after having killed the biggest legend of all?

Also, no mention of the Jake feud that was killed because the crowd was split (especially telling due to Jake being the heel?).

[Theo Dious]

I don't think even the author of this piece is stupid enough to call that Jake bit politicking. Jake is the first guy to admit that it would have been a bad idea to set him against Hogan if he was getting the face reaction. He certainly says it on his DVD.

[Zeeboe]

Sounds like typical Internet fan boy cliche Hogan-hating propaganda to me. Nice guys finish last in the wrestling business. You can't be a pussy backstage if you have any desire to make it. In the wrestling business, you can either be -

1. A nice guy who is friends with everyone, who is over with the internet crowd, makes shit money, and is a mid-carder in WWE and you'll end up working for ROF or TNA or some crappy Indy fed one day and you can go on the internet when you're older and be a bitter man who bitches all the time about how you were treated in WWE when you were younger.

Or....

2. A self-serving prick who is hated by the internet crowd, loved by the mainstream fans, make millions of dollars, have few friends in the wrestling business, be a main eventer, and be in the WWE Hall of Fame one day.

This knowledge comes from HBK himself -



Pay close attention at 3:07.

[KayfabeMan]

If you want to bash Hogan, than this is the list to use as ammunition.

If you want to think about it logically - this is the reason Hogan, unlike many of his contemporaries (the ones who are still alive anyway) is completely relevant and legendary; if you will.

In my personal experience, I can say he's done no more wrong / right than any of the other guys who were up close to his league at any point. All of the upper-tier guys have egos, etc. - however, most of them haven't paid the dividends that Hogan's has.

Or the settlement money to Linda either.

KAYFABEMAN!!!!!!

[GD]

Hogan comes across as old school and I am pretty sure that it might have been very difficult to be in his shoes. I must add that I am not a supporter or a sympathizer.

[Swiss Ultimate]

I think Hogan is an asshole and some reports I've read about him showing up at indie shows and swiping the majority of the money after doing nothing seemed credible.

That said...I'd need some sort of verification other than this. First-hand testimony for one.

Hogan is the man and will always be the man.

[#1-norm-fan]

Originally Posted by Zeeboe 1. A nice guy who is friends with everyone, who is over with the internet crowd, makes shit money, and is a mid-carder in WWE and you'll end up working for ROF or TNA or some crappy Indy fed one day and you can go on the internet when you're older and be a bitter man who bitches all the time about how you were treated in WWE when you were younger. Or.... 2. A self-serving prick who is hated by the internet crowd, loved by the mainstream fans, make millions of dollars, have few friends in the wrestling business, be a main eventer, and be in the WWE Hall of Fame one day.

That's entirely too cut and dry.

Which one of these two would Cena fit in for example?

[MoFo]

He shoulda lost to Orton but I couldnt give a fux about them other guys.

Would love Hogan v Cena.

[Xero]

Hogan vs Austin vs Cena

[Swiss Ultimate]

Want to see Cena VS. Samoa Joe with Joe being pushed as a Main Eventer.