3. Hulk Hogan leaves for WCW
Of all the talent that WCW successfully wooed away from the WWF, there is no one acquisition that hurt Vince McMahon more, on a personal level, than Hulk Hogan. Hulk Hogan, to many, IS professional wrestling, in that he is the man most people in the world are quickest to associate with the industry.
Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan turned professional wrestling from a tiny, niche, territorial genre to a bonafide pop culture phenomenon. Without each other, it’s quite likely that neither man would have ever experienced the kind of success that they did. Hogan was more than just Vince’s most prized creation. He was also a trusted friend. As the years passed and Hogan’s star began to slowly diminish with age, the relationship between the two got rockier. Seeing the writing on the wall, Hogan would jump ship to WCW and reinvent himself, shedding his red and yellow superhero-like persona to adopt the rebellious character of “Hollywood” Hogan in one of the most infamous heel turns in wrestling history.
