'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Quick question: When you ask a non-fan to name a professional wrestler, who will they say? Some might say Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson because of his storied Hollywood career, but most people will still drop the name Hulk Hogan.
Hulk Hogan's exploding popularity in the 1980s and WWE's Classic era were synonymous with pro wrestling's rise from a fringe entertainment form, often associated with grindhouse horror, into a dominant entertainment platform which as endured for decades as 'mainstream' diversion.
Hulk Hogan, propelled by Vince McMahon Jr.'s brain child, the Rock and Wrestling connection, would take pro wrestling out of the bingo halls, the smokey convention centers and fair grounds into huge arenas which sold tens of thousands of tickets.
But, Hulk Hogan was more than just a huge pro wrestling star - he was a 1980s icon, as synonymous with the decade as Michael J. Fox, Ronald Reagan, and the Dallas Cowboys. His fame and charisma transcended the wrestling industry and helped him branch out into acting roles in his own right.
Given his status, it's only natural that the companies he worked for - namely WWE and WCW - would repeatedly try to create a Hulk Hogan successor, with varying degrees of success. All good things must come to an end, including Hulk Hogan's dominance over the pro wrestling world. Here are seven men meant to replace the Hulkster, with varying degrees of success.
#1. Macho Man Randy Savage
Hulk Hogan captured the WWE Championship from the Iron Sheik and would go on to a historic five year reign, which no one has as of yet eclipsed (though Hogan's reign is far from the longest in WWE history, but that's another article altogether.)
But everyone in the WWE, including Hulk Hogan himself, believed that the Hulkster's lengthy reign had grown stale. To that end, numerous names were bandied about in the locker room.
Popular stars like Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Don Muraco were ruled out, because it was thought they lacked enough polish to represent the company as a whole. Andre the Giant's health was declining, so putting the belt on him made little sense.
Vince McMahon pushed very hard for a babyface to take Hogan's spot, rather than the other top contender, Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase. Finally, the decision was made that Randy Savage - a veteran and highly skilled performer - would be the new face of the company.
What happened next: Despite a huge build up, Macho Man just wasn't as popular as Hogan, neither with fans nor the media. Part of this was due to Savage's rambling, unfocused interview style, and his intense persona, which was far less accessible than Hogan's do-gooder All American.
Savage would hold the belt for a year, before dropping it back to Hulk Hogan in a highly anticipated match. Savage would have a strong presence in both WWE and WCW, winning the World Championship once again in the former, and multiple times in the latter, but would never really reach the same heights he did here.
#2. The Ultimate Warrior
Randy Savage's attempt to succeed Hulk Hogan as pro wrestling's top star didn't pan out mostly because the Macho Man failed to resonate with fans as well as the Hulkster.
So when the time came for Hulk Hogan to try and drop his title again, WWE picked a man whose popularity was through the roof, especially with younger fans; The Ultimate Warrior, Jim Hellwig.
The Ultimate Warrior had been on a roll ever since conquering the Intercontinental Championship from Honky Tonk Man at the very first SummerSlam. His merchandise sales were huge, and he seemed to resonate with fans quite well.
He and Hulk Hogan faced off for the WWE World Championship at WrestleMania VI, in the Ultimate Challenge, which Warrior won.
What Happened next: The Ultimate Warrior was a great mid card champion, but his one dimensional character and lack of technical skill, as well as his bad attitude back stage, ruined his chances of remaining the face of pro wrestling.
He would drop the belt to Sgt. Slaughter due to interference from Randy Savage. The Ultimate Warrior would never again wear a 'big belt' for any major promotion, and eventually sort of faded away.
#3. Lex Luger
During the New Generation Era, the steroid scandal WWE had found themselves embroiled in had led to wrestler physiques shrinking. Gone were the gigantic men, replaced with more streamlined athletes.
Though Bret Hart won the WWE World Championship in 1992, his reign at that time was little remembered, as he was mostly a transitional champion to get the belt around the ample waist of heel Yokozuna. With the mock sumo devastating the roster and reigning dominant, a new hero would emerge to face him: Lex Luger.
Luger had already started a run with WWE as the Narcissistic character, but when he showed up on July 4, 1993 to answer Yokozuna's "Body Slam Challenge", he had transitioned to a flag waving American Hero.
Vince McMahon put Luger on a red, white, and blue decorated bus dubbed the "Lex Express", and had him paraded about the country in an attempt to recapture the glory of 1980s Hulkamania.
What happened next: Lex Luger has always been a solid if not spectacular performer, but he's never quite had the charisma to carry an entire company on his broad shoulders. The Lex Express cost WWE a ton of money with tiny crowds responding, if at all. Luger's WWE title reign never happened, and he would only briefly reign as WCW World Champion before his career wound down.
#4. Bret 'The Hitman' Hart
Bret Hart had reigned as a transitional champion, but after Luger's failure to catch on with fans, the WWE decided to throw their full weight behind him as the face of the company.
A big impetus for this change was the Royal Rumble held in 1994. Luger and Hart both double eliminated each other, with two different officials raising their arms. When Hart's arm was raised, the cheers were enormous. Luger's reactions were far more subdued.
Hart would recapture the WWE Championship from Yokozuna at WrestleMania that year, finally becoming the face of the company.
What happened next: The Hitman would dominate the World Championship picture in WWE for the next five years, racking up an impressive five reigns and defeating a veritable who's who of the wrestling world at the time.
While Hart would never measure up to Hulk Hogan in terms of popularity, both with wrestling fandom and the mainstream media, his rock solid technical performances are fondly remembered by fans from the era, and his stewardship of WWE is generally regarded as a success.
#5. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Bret Hart would eventually leave the WWE for rival WCW in the much ballyhooed aftermath of the Montreal Screwjob. The next biggest star in the company, Shawn Michaels, was struggling with lasting injuries and personal issues, so he could not be the new face of WWE.
In the aftermath of the Screwjob, Vince McMahon decided that wrestling should evolve to reflect changing social consciousness. All American do gooders were the past, and fans liked grittier, edgier characters in other forms of media. Even Superman grew out his hair and listened to heavy metal during this era, and wrestling needed to adapt.
To that end, Stone Cold Steve Austin became the antihero face of the WWE's Attitude era, eschewing prayers, training, and vitamins for cursing, middle fingers, and beer.
What happened next: Finally, the WWE had a bonafide Superstar on their hands as the face of the company. Steve Austin was LUDICROUSLY over during the Attitude Era. If Steve Austin had said "if you want me to sit down in the ring and read a newspaper for twenty minutes, give me a Hell Yeah", the fans would have responded in the positive.
He racked up multiple Championship reigns, and other than a botched heel turn, he was the most popular Superstar in the WWE during his era, possibly in all of wrestling as well. Unfortunately, nagging neck injuries forced him to retire from active competition, but there's little doubt he helped WWE win the ratings war against WCW.
#6. The Rock
Even as the sun began to set on the in-ring career of Stone Cold Steve Austin, a new star was on the rise; The Rock.
Originally billed as a do gooder, third generation Superstar, who absolutely no one liked, Rocky Maivia was repackaged as The Rock. He referred to himself in the third person, was undeniably arrogant, and was thoroughly intended to be a heel, not a face.
But, the fans will cheer for whoever they want, and Rock's charisma and gift of gab won over the WWE Universe. Soon he transitioned from being the heel everyone hated to being WWE's top babyface.
What happened next: The Rock would go on to capture multiple Championships, including the company's 'big belt'. However, he soon sought fame outside of the world of pro wrestling and became a full time Hollywood actor. It seemed that his charisma could not be contained by a wrestling ring. This led to his premature departure from the WWE, where he would no doubt have become as iconic as Hulk Hogan.
#7. Brock Lesnar
With Austin out of action, and The Rock set to leave for Hollywood, the WWE needed a new star to shake things up after acquiring WCW from Ted Turner.
To that end, they turned to the "next big thing", Brock Lesnar.
Brock Lesnar was decidedly a throwback. Rather than mic skills, he relied upon his massive physique, athletic ability, and amateur wrestling skill to defeat opponents. The massive monster heel demolished many opponents on his way up the ladder.
His build up was intense, and he rolled over just about everyone on his way to capturing the WWE Championship from The Rock to become the new face of the company.
What happened next: Brock Lesnar suddenly decided to walk away from pro wrestling entirely in 2004 to pursue a career in MMA. Lesnar's departure meant walking away from a multi million dollar multi year contract. He wound up being the top star of UFC for many years before returning to WWE as a part time World Champion.
#8. John Cena
Brock Lesnar's abrupt departure had WWE scrambling for a replacement to find the next big star that could reach the heights that Hulk Hogan did. Two men would wind up vying for the top spot in the company; Batista, a favorite of management due to his massively jacked body, and John Cena.
The company initially went with Batista, but the charismatic rapper persona of Cena garnered far more fans and attention. Eventually he would rise to being midcard champion, and then finally take the steps up to the big leagues and defeat JBL for the big belt at WrestleMania.
What happened next: It depends on your point of view. With sixteen World Championship reigns to his credit, and over a decade spent as the no-questions-asked biggest star in WWE, Cena was a resounding success.
However, he was also polarizing as Champion. "John Cena Sucks" chants prevailed in many of the arenas he worked at, as the ostensible babyface. Cena's superman booking went over well with the younger fans, but older ones tended to reject him outright. Cena is mostly retired from the ring, spending most of his time making movies in Hollywood.
#9. Roman Reigns
The shield as a group was wildly popular. Inevitably, as all factions usually do, The Shield imploded on itself, with Seth Rollins betraying the group and becoming the company's top heel.
This positioned Reigns to be the top face in the company, and he won the Royal Rumble and was set to take on Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.
However, Seth Rollins would spoil his initial title shot, but eventually Reigns would become both big belt champion and the undisputed face of the company.
What happened next: In an eerie parallel to John Cena, Roman Reigns sold tons of merch to the younger fans and received their support, while older fans resented both his 'superman' booking and the way he shoved past other stars like Daniel Bryan on his way to the top. Still, the WWE relentlessly pushed him as their top star, until a recurrence of cancer forced him to step away from wrestling for treatment. Reigns is currently on the shelf as of this writing, but has promised a dominant return.
The future?
Currently, it could be argued that WWE is more of an ensemble show than one with a particular star. Drew McIntyre is holding the WWE Championship on RAW, while the Universal title is held by Braun Strowman.
While capable both in the ring and on the mic, neither is really seen by fans or promoters as the 'face of the company. So, who will be the next Hulk Hogan? Or will there be any attempt to recreate this type of phenomenon again? If you're tossing names around for a contemporary analogy to Hogan, Keith Lee's should be at the top of the list.
There are other names bandied about as well; Adam Cole of the Undisputed Era has Superstar written all over him. Other contenders to be the next Hulk Hogan could be female, such as Charlotte or Asuka.
Will pro wrestling ever see another cult of personality like Hulk Hogan? Only time will tell.
Thanks for taking this trip down memory lane with us, and we'll see you next week!
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
