[Stardust]

As we all know, Hogan's character was becoming less and less popular with the new generation of fans at the time. After doing everything there is to do in the WWE, Hogan jumped ship to WCW. The rest is history.

But... What if Hogan chose to stay in the WWE? In the wake of the Attitude Era, could his All-American persona hit a re-spark with the fans? Could we have seen a heel turn to Hollywood Hogan? Could we have seen feuds with the likes of Shawn Michaels (pre-back injury), Steve Austin or The Rock?

[LWC]

If I remember hearing correctly, it was Eric Bischoff that suggested the heel turn, so he never have turned heel in the WWF/E.

[I Am The Genius]

That's a good question, although we'll never know, it's fun to debate! IMO he still drew a huge pop in 1993 when he left, even after the steroid issue. I think that he would have risen back to the top in 94 and most of 95 like he did with WCW had he stayed. That being said, fans would have been eager to see a new star rise toward the late 90's, and then I believe Vince would have pushed a heel turn for Hogan. I don't think Vince would have ruled out turning Hogan heel had the crowd lost interest in him. Stone Cold and The Rock both were heels at one point later in their careers (stone cold for a short time in 2001, and the rock not too long after he faced Hogan at Wrestlemania).

I don't think Hollywood Hogan would have been created though. Honestly, I think Vince would have had the pro-American Hogan turn anti-American, similar to how Sgt. Slaughter turned heel.

On another note Stardust, nice avatar. Valentine was a heck of a wrestler!

[Stardust]

^ Great post. If Hogan does not leave WWE, would there ever have been an attitude era? Monday night wars never turned in WCW's favor until the Hogan turn, which prompted the rise of the NWO. I don't believe that WCW could have booked the Outsiders any further had it not been for the hatred that Hogan received for them.

So, where would WCW have gone without Hogan? Let's face it, Flair was still the centerpiece of WCW at the top. He controlled his booking until Hogan came on board and threw his weight around in for booking. Flair still has been keeping his face in the ring well into his 60's, thus there is no reason for me to believe that he would not have influenced the booking of WCW product.

Had Hogan stayed in WWE, Vince would still have relied on the instant pops that Hogan got when times were bad. I'm not sure that WWE would have ever been forced into the booking of charecters such as Stone Cold and Rock had it not been for Hogan's departure.

[LWC]

It is for sure one of, if not the, biggest turning point in wrestling history.

[I Am The Genius]

^ Great post. If Hogan does not leave WWE, would there ever have been an attitude era? Monday night wars never turned in WCW's favor until the Hogan turn, which prompted the rise of the NWO. I don't believe that WCW could have booked the Outsiders any further had it not been for the hatred that Hogan received for them.

So, where would WCW have gone without Hogan? Let's face it, Flair was still the centerpiece of WCW at the top. He controlled his booking until Hogan came on board and threw his weight around in for booking. Flair still has been keeping his face in the ring well into his 60's, thus there is no reason for me to believe that he would not have influenced the booking of WCW product.

Had Hogan stayed in WWE, Vince would still have relied on the instant pops that Hogan got when times were bad. I'm not sure that WWE would have ever been forced into the booking of charecters such as Stone Cold and Rock had it not been for Hogan's departure.

Interesting point Stardust. That is one thing that is often thought about when it comes to WCW. Where would they have gone without Hogan?

Signing Hulk Hogan in 1994 changed WCW and the style of the company completely. Before Hulk Hogan, WCW in the 80's and early 90's consisted of a lot of pure technical wrestling, and long, classic matches. It wasn't uncommon in WCW to see a 60 minute main event match or a match go close to that time (ex: Flair vs. Steamboat). When Hogan came that changed, since he was the big star and a lot of his matches typically didn't go over 20 minutes.

Even without Hogan coming to WCW I believe they would have made a gain on the WWE in the mid-90's, despite some good talent (Diesel, Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, etc.). Signing guys like the Macho Man, Lex Luger, Earthquake, and a young (and much skinnier) Paul Wight, they would have been able to be a threat to WWE, but I don't think they would have provided the big threat to Vince McMahon that they did when the NWO formed and the ratings went through the roof. Like Stardust mentioned, the Outsiders wouldn't have been able to draw the heat that they did had it not been for Hogan. I do think WCW would have stayed afloat simply because the style of wrestling they had (assuming it remained the long, classic matches) and that it would have attracted a solid fanbase, but I think they would have always been second to WWE.

I would like to go further on this (fun stuff to talk about!) but I would like to hear a couple more replies before I do. There are SO many factors that could play into this. For instance, if Hogan doesn't leave WWE, would WCW have signed the Macho Man? Lex Luger? The Outsiders? That remains up for debate.

[zaga_fan]

I honestly don't see how Hogan's character would have worked during the attitude era....
Hollywood Hogan would have worked....but that wasn't Hogan's idea.

[Stardust]

Interesting point Stardust. That is one thing that is often thought about when it comes to WCW. Where would they have gone without Hogan?

Signing Hulk Hogan in 1994 changed WCW and the style of the company completely. Before Hulk Hogan, WCW in the 80's and early 90's consisted of a lot of pure technical wrestling, and long, classic matches. It wasn't uncommon in WCW to see a 60 minute main event match or a match go close to that time (ex: Flair vs. Steamboat). When Hogan came that changed, since he was the big star and a lot of his matches typically didn't go over 20 minutes.

Even without Hogan coming to WCW I believe they would have made a gain on the WWE in the mid-90's, despite some good talent (Diesel, Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, etc.). Signing guys like the Macho Man, Lex Luger, Earthquake, and a young (and much skinnier) Paul Wight, they would have been able to be a threat to WWE, but I don't think they would have provided the big threat to Vince McMahon that they did when the NWO formed and the ratings went through the roof. Like Stardust mentioned, the Outsiders wouldn't have been able to draw the heat that they did had it not been for Hogan. I do think WCW would have stayed afloat simply because the style of wrestling they had (assuming it remained the long, classic matches) and that it would have attracted a solid fanbase, but I think they would have always been second to WWE.

I would like to go further on this (fun stuff to talk about!) but I would like to hear a couple more replies before I do. There are SO many factors that could play into this. For instance, if Hogan doesn't leave WWE, would WCW have signed the Macho Man? Lex Luger? The Outsiders? That remains up for debate.

EXCELLENT reply!

Even though the guys was psychotic, Kevin Sullivan may have been the most underrated booker in the history of the business. I truly believe that he could have taken better advantage of the High-Flyers and had he continued booking matches, versus the booking that took place after the Outsiders came on-board. If WCW would have built around the more athletic talent of the Luchas, Japanese and more specifically guys like Benoit, Guerrero, Rey, Jericho and Pillman, just maybe the WCW could have changed the face of wrestling. Instead, the old guys one the battle of managing the storylines, and WCW floundered a great opportunity. WWE took better advantage and used these guys in Main Event matches. That was WCW's only chance at competing with WWE and ultimately resulted in their downfall.

[zaga_fan]

EXCELLENT reply!

Even though the guys was psychotic, Kevin Sullivan may have been the most underrated booker in the history of the business. I truly believe that he could have taken better advantage of the High-Flyers and had he continued booking matches, versus the booking that took place after the Outsiders came on-board. If WCW would have built around the more athletic talent of the Luchas, Japanese and more specifically guys like Benoit, Guerrero, Rey, Jericho and Pillman, just maybe the WCW could have changed the face of wrestling. Instead, the old guys one the battle of managing the storylines, and WCW floundered a great opportunity. WWE took better advantage and used these guys in Main Event matches. That was WCW's only chance at competing with WWE and ultimately resulted in their downfall.

WWE had nothing to compete with when it came to the cruiserweight division that WCW had.
However, if you look back at it I think it was a mistake to have 8PM to 9PM the hour where the cruiserweights went at it.
WWE didn't come on until 9 so by putting the high-flyers on at 8 they didn't take away from WWE.
I think if they would have just pushed the cruiserweights back until 9 or spread them throughout the show they would have had more success.
IMO

[Stardust]

^ I agree, and the point I was making was that WCW had no clue what they had. ECW got mainstream attention because of their extreme style, but it was the cruiserweights that dominated that organization. It was something that WWE and WCW never understood. Both organizations went about stealing the undersized superstars and once they got them, the buried them in curtain jerkers.