Hulk Hogan is arguably the most famous wrestler there has ever been. He was certainly the face of entertainment wrestling for many years. I know The Rock is a star, but he has loads of fans who only know him as an actor. That isn't true for Hogan really. Yet, I've noticed none of us include him as a favourite. I've never heard him mentioned in real life as a favourite either, nor on any other forum. So, what gives? Is it a generational thing? I might be older than most of you because I do remember watching Hogan. I wouldn't call him a favourite though. I disliked the Hollywood gimmick and towards the middle of his career, he seemed unwilling to take big bumps or risks.

I met him at a fan signing as a lad and he was nice from what I remember. My older brothers loved wrestling, so I always watched it too. I didn't see it as I wasn't around yet, but I remember my brothers talking about the time that Hogan ran off with Miss Elizabeth during a promo or something and I was furious at him for it. I guess kid me is still holding a grudge because he's not a favourite wrestler of mine. Then again, I don't usually like Vince's favourites.

Hogan's a polarizing figure because of his scandal in the last few years, but also his wrestling career was loaded with politics. I think most of the wrestlers who talk about him being their favorite are thinking back to childhood nostalgia, because we viewed the world through different perspectives as a kid. As an adult, they can also respect him for his contributions to the wrestling world.

 

That being said, it's pretty easy to research and find out he screwed a lot of wrestlers over, he held a lot of them down, and was very self-serving. If you were his friend, you were usually in good (As long as you weren't trying to take a world title spot). If you were too small or not his friend, well, good luck.

People have short memories and we're not too keen on history. That, and as times change so too do our standards of what is "great". Time makes it subjective.

 

So was he the greatest wrestling entertainer? At the time, yes

Hogan's a polarizing figure because of his scandal in the last few years, but also his wrestling career was loaded with politics. I think most of the wrestlers who talk about him being their favorite are thinking back to childhood nostalgia, because we viewed the world through different perspectives as a kid. As an adult, they can also respect him for his contributions to the wrestling world.

 

That being said, it's pretty easy to research and find out he screwed a lot of wrestlers over, he held a lot of them down, and was very self-serving. If you were his friend, you were usually in good (As long as you weren't trying to take a world title spot). If you were too small or not his friend, well, good luck.

I agree with you; Hulk Hogan's wrestling career endeared him to many people, the same way it made others loathe him. He made his mark, but I doubt if it was anywhere ranking him among the greatest wrestlers of all time!

As far as his actual wrestling ability goes...he understands psychology, he knew how to work the crowd. Not the best in the actual "wrestling" department but he was adequate enough. His charisma more than made up for his short-comings in the ring.

So, what gives? Is it a generational thing?

I think some of it is generational. I think most of us on TWO fell into wrestling during the Attitude Era and by that time, there were plenty of hotshots to admire other than Hogan and we had plenty of other wrestling promotions to watch too. Hogan's star shined brightest during the 80s (the Hogan era) and he's been resting on that reputation ever since in my opinion. The oldest wrestler that I remember watching and rooting for back then was Andre the Giant and Hogan was around then. I just never became a massive fan. I loved his reality show on VH1 until his kid wrecked his car and greatly damaged the passenger, who is essentially in a state of semiconsciousness. Nick had been drinking and speeding like a loon when he wrecked. Hogan defended his son, which I guess is somewhat normal for a dad, but he truly didn't seem to care much about what happened and didn't appreciate that his son changed the other boy's life forever.