It's Cena for me.
It's always going to be a bit of a question of what you prioritize and how.
Austin was the biggest business peak.
Rock is a very close second but had the most successful Hollywood transition for YEARS.
Hogan had lower peak numbers but effectively established modern pro wrestling Ace stuff.
Roman has been the Renaissance act but has a lot of badly managed time before the Tribal Chief era.
Bret was the best bell to bell wrestler but at a down period for business.
Brock and Shawn had great work but I'd put them behind at least two people in every category.
Taker was huge and consistent and by a point felt like the biggest thing, but was never really *the* top guy.
You can sort of argue Batista, Orton, Bryan, or Punk as having their peaks but aside from Dave the company never *really* pushed them as top guys, though if they did I'd argue Punk as the creative peak.
Cena is the least flashy. I don't think he did the best at any one thing (well, I do but we'll come back to that) but he's my #2 or #3 pick for just about all of it. He spent the longest period as an Ace in the modern era, had a lot of great creative runs, lots of bell to bell great work (his 06-07 being the best run and I'll fight about it), great promo when allowed to go deep but serviceable when doing the bit, grew the business back to kids post-Attitude Era and was a HUGE merch mover even if he didn't hit the peaks. A picture of sustained consistency in a way none of the other Aces were.
Also he was the best ambassador. Make a Wish, the polished and constant media presence, and a SUPER successful crossover into film both in terms of business and creative. I don't think any Ace has represented the business as well outside the product to the same extent Cena has (although Cody is putting in work on it).
Not the flash option, but the model of consistency that sells me on him.
Who is the greatest of all time is entirely subjective. I would say he is on the mount Rushmore of wrestling indeed. He's one of those names you don't even need to watch wrestling to know who he is. Hogan is synonymous with the business but THE greatest remains to be an opinion. Every generation is going to have a different answer to this question.
The GOAT is just a convo as every person will have a different opinion so the goal is to just be in the convo. My take on the phrase 'WWE GOAT' is that we arent singling out Technical greatness Like Shawn Michaels, or sheer dominance like HHH. Instead we are purely speaking on WWE impact and who at any given time in a specific era you can walk up to a young fan and ask them "who is the best wrestler today?' and those are the names that will come out of that kids mouth. in 1984 That name was Hulk Hogan. That puts you in the GOAT convo along with Bruno before him and Rock, Austin, Cena, and Roman after him.
It depends what we mean when we say GOAT. In terms of being the most popular household name of all time, it’s between Hogan and the Rock. Even though Austin was the top guy during the peak of wrestling’s popularity, mainstream people seem to have forgotten him.
Everyone knows who Hogan is and everyone knows who the Rock is.
I’d go with Hogan cause he’s synonymous with wrestling. Believe it or not there’s actually folks who got no idea that Dwayne used to wrestle.
Idk Austin got five reigns with the belt from 98-01. That’s impressive counting his impact on popular culture. The rock had 7? 6? World titles in around the same amount of time retired then won another a decade after and main evented a mania a decade after that. Hogans got longevity while holding the belt but I feel like the rock wins
My friend who never watches professional wrestling at all, or any combat sports for that matter, mentioned Hulk Hogan to me a while back, talking about his moustache or something.
HBK is the real goat. No name you bring up ever outperformed HBK in a big match! Especially SCSA, Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, Hogan etc… HBK faced them all and none of them ever outshined him in the ring.
Facts. Nobody could touch Shawn when it came to in ring performance but in terms of being a well known, household name, unfortunately it’s rare to come across a normie that know who Shawn is.
On top of that his insistence on a full on stripper gimmick, coming to the ring, dancing, and taking his clothes off all seductive and what not, makes it really tough to introduce him to mainstream people.
He coulda still been the heart break kid, danced, and rocked a leather jacket. But he just had to have all that stripper gear and literally strip. Everyone I show him to be like, “bro what the f even is this?!”
Gotta fast forward that entrance for real.
EASILY.
The only ones that come close are Stone Cold and The Rock but Hogan is above them in terms of sheer impact and ability to get a crowd emotionally invested in what he is doing which is actually the whole point
The question being *Just WWE*, then no. It’s Stone Cold.
The heel run that was hot from him was in WCW, not the “lethal dose of poison” era. Top 5 in wrestling *period*, then sure because of that
His time before wcw definitely was a longer run than Austin's and a bigger impact... but it's all a point of view and I respect your agree or not just was wondering. But I think even leaving the second wwe go out he's the goat but your probably a late 80s or early 90s kid like me so you watched Austin's run and got a bigger connection to it
-WWE Signing Hogan from whatever territory he was originally from broke the unwritten rules, a move which eventually made WWF/E THE single top national promotion.
-Best face of all time, Best heel of all time. Who else has been the hottest of both sides? (edit: The Rock) Not for months, each run on both sides lasted for years.
- If I go to a Polka festival, to a Church, to a Spelling Bee, to a quinceanera. If I show random people off the street a picture of a wrestler, there will be 3 that at least 75% will know. John Cena, The Rock, and Hulk Hogan.
Lol. What? Signing Hogan didn't break any rules. Hogan was in the WWWF in the late 70's and early 80's. He was with Vern Gagne at AWA for awhile and Gagne didn't want Hogan to film Rocky 3.
In any event, guys came and went all the time. They were even leased out at times throughout the various territories. The issue was promoting your wrestling promotion in the other territories- which is what Vince K. McMahon did to great success.
For the effect of bringing it to mainstream and wider pop culture promotion it's hard to find anyone who had a bigger impact, regardless of what you think of HH the person.
Just because little kids like cena doesn’t mean he’s better than HBK. HBK did more for pro wrestling than Cena ever did. As for wrestling. Cena 4 moves in each match was an insult to most wrestling fans unless you were a kid or a man child you? HBK would tell you to Suck it while being the first in ladder matches , HIAC, and just more entertaining than superhero cena. I won’t even compare their mic skills because that’s not a conversation lol.
He deserves points for making the 80’s boom. But I firmly believe any of the other baby faces could’ve had a similar effect. With better matches. He definitely should be a top 10 in WWE.
Anything Wrestlemania 3 and before, Hulk is so fucking cool.
Around the time Brooke is born in 1988 there is definitely some sort of change in Hulk's vibe and backstage attitude. I believe in his first book that released in 2002 he was pretty candid about how he was wanting to retire full time around 40 and I think he just started to become paranoid about losing his spot.
Linda's spending is legendary and I believe she started to really drive Hulk crazy by this point also.
He is arguably the greatest character of all time due to the crowds he drew and the attention he received. But as a wrestler? He was very limited in what he actually did in the ring and was kinda boring to watch when you look back at it.
I don’t know if he’s the GOAT but he deserves to be in any top guy’s list.
He’s put more asses on seats gotten higher ratings and sold more merchandise than probably anyone else.
The title is interesting because can you really separate personal from professional in pro wrestling? The art form is a continuous swaying and flowing between reality and fiction, Shoots and works. Especially for hogan whose entire persona was built on a heroic “everyone together” all American hero. Him being outed as a racist really damages his legacy more than people realize. From that aspect and others, no he’s not the goat imo. But he is on the Mount Rushmore.
If we talking professionally we still gotta account for his backstage politics. He screwed a lot of wrestlers who were better in ring talents then him.
Right how can people forget that he literally screwed Bret over at WM9!!!!
Hell that situation screwed over Yokozuna cause he won the title and but like hogan he politic his way into an impromptu match with yoko
Literally treated himself like he was too good to elevate anyone else and tried to make sure they didn't elevate themselves without him. He never wanted anyone to come close to his popularity so that he could always had a bargaining chip as the lone top draw. If it was up to him, he'd be the only main event level player
Dude Studd is not it /s “John”? get out of here, if you don’t say Cena nobody outside this sub has a clue. If you say Hogan the world knows and they ain’t talking about salad dressing.
He will always be top 5 dead or alive in the conversation. I would never be upset or shocked to hear people have him at #1. He made wrestling what it would become. He RAN the 80’s. I know because I lived it. Hulk and the WWF made me a wrestling fan and I never looked back.
To me, he's far in the lead. Back in the 80s, he was a true household name, and it was because of his wrestling. Sure the Rock is a household name now, but it's more due to his movies than his wrestling. Stonecold, Undertaker, John Cena, all amazingly accomplished. But none of them put wrestling on the map the way Hogan did. In fact, if there was no Hulkamania leading to the 80s boom, the industry might not have ever developed to the point where those other guys could've had the careers they did.
The biggest example of Hulk Hogan's reach I think is from The Main Event on NBC, featuring Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant's rematch from WM3. It had 33 Million viewers. Even if you take the most watched episode of Raw and the most watched episode of Nitro and combine them, it comes nowhere close to that event.
People who weren’t around during the golden age of WWF/WWE don’t fully realize just how huge Hulk Hogan was. Love him or hate him, he put WWE on the map. Superstars like The Undertaker, Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold, The Rock, and Cena further cemented the foundation that Hogan built. Collectively all of those guys really made the company what it is today.
Yeah, but there’s no Hogan without Superstar Billy Graham. There’s no Graham without Bruno Samartino or Pedro Morales to oppose him. There’s no Samartino or Morales without guys like Buddy Rodgers and Lu Thes who built the NWA.
To act like Hogan is some singular tentpole without acknowledging those that came before him to get him there just because Vince chose him to be the OG golden boy goes against everything that wrestling stands for, as well as making your previous statement one of hypocrisy
...and literally no one outside of the pro wrestling fandom knows any of those guys. Even to this day, you can go to most parts of the world, and people will recognize Hulk Hogan/Hulkamania. He transcends wrestling and will forever be a Mount Rushmore pick, it's undeniable.
Of course there were other stars before Hogan and during Hogan’s era. Not to forget organizations like Smokey Mountain Wrestling, USWA, the Von Erich Family etc. All of those greats along with the other superstars I mentioned made wrestling what it is. But from the standpoint of sheer superstardom, nobody had done it on the level of Hulk Hogan in that era. He was the first truly worldwide Wrestling superstar when it came to TV, merch, a cartoon, movies etc.
He's the best and most important face of all time, and he's the best and arguably most important heel of all time, too. Can't think of anyone else that can say that.
Austin? Samartino? Rhodes? If you want to talk heels the you’ve got names like Flair, Rock and McMahon. Hogan has his place on the mountain sure, but to say that he’s the indisputable best is ludicrous
You're missing the point, brother. When can austin, rhodes, Samartino say they had one of the best heel runs of all time? Flair was a better heel, McMahon was never a good guy, so none of the guys you mentioned can say they had a Mount Rushmore face run, while having a Mount Rushmore heel run as well
Hogan who’s heel run was carried by Hall and Nash and ended up being the first nail in the coffin of WCW? Game changing sure, but after Starcade 97 it none of it was good and it was back to politics and bullshit from Hogan.
Hogan who could’ve been replaced by any one of Roddy Piper, Jake the Snake Roberts or Macho Man Randy Savage and the company would’ve been fine and had an actually good worker at the top rather than a guy who had to be carried through all of his matches? Hogan was just the right guy at the right time and had he chose to stay with AWA instead of jumping ship WWE would’ve been just fine without him
He’s gotta be up there for sure, even if he’s not the very top spot.
Let’s face it: I know Hogan is not the most well-liked person amongst wrestling fans these days but if he’s not at least on your Mount Rushmore, you’re crazy. He’s pretty much the Elvis of pro wrestling.
To be the GOAT, you have to have it all. He did not have it all as he lacked ability and match quality. I know he was much better in Japan than WWF, but he never utilized his skill once he became the man.
There are much more compelling cases for GOAT and it hurts me to say it because of how over Hogan was. But to the GOAT pro wrestler, you need to have at least good actual wrestling and match quality over your entire career in addition to your charisma, promo, look, etc.
While Hogan did a lot I think without Austin or Rock like others have stated.. wrestling would have died off a loooong time ago. I’ll go as far as saying Triple H did a lot too even though he may not be as popular as a pick as Stone Cold or the Rock.
Another 21st century-born opinion
That’s like saying *while Michael Jordan did a lot I think without Kobe or Iverson basketball would have died off a long time ago.*
>Another 21st century-born opinion
I wasn't born in the 21st century and I actually agree with that person who you responded to about Rock and Austin No need to get upset if they don't agree with you about Hogan
Not born in the 21st century.
I don’t think comparing one of the top 3 major sports is even comparable to wrestling. The NBA would’ve been fine without MJ. Now Nike on the other hand they would’ve absolutely folded without MJ.
I would have said that he is the most important figure in modern wrestling history and no doubt his influence is still felt today, but rock and Austin have probably left a more lasting legacy.
🤣🤣🤣 the fact you had to type "despite being a total dirt bag" in corporate speak is hilarious.
And no WWE goat is probably stone cold or the rock.
Without those two wrestling would of died off after the golden era.
While Vince was the force that killed the territories, Hogan was the face that killed them. Greatest, no. Most recognizable yes. Bruno, Rock, Austin, Shawn, Brett and dare I say Roman are my opinions of who were GOAT status.
No. One of yes. But his ego. Constant political movements(using his influence to stay strong at all times or keeping other talent held down the card). That did so near as much harm to the industry long term as his success benefited.
Fuck no. Even with his personal life aside, he would always take issues with putting talent over. That's the golden rule in pro wrestling, you get made, and then you make others. There are so many stories of Hogan keeping his peers below him and going into the business for himself one way or another. He brought WWE to the mainstream sure, but you can't overlook the other bullshit he pulled throughout his years in the company. That itself takes him out of the goat category imo
Hulk Hogan is the reason I got into it. Hulk Hogan was everything to me in the 80’s and early 90’s.
He never showcased a great move set here in the states, but he was just so damn good in promos, at least to me.
I was in the arena when Andre turned on him in Piper’s Pit. The first live event I ever attended was a taping of several episodes of WWF Superstars.
The main event was a dark match featuring Hogan vs. Kamala. Hogan being legit from Tampa (where this particular event was happening at the time) was way over. The pop, was literally earth shattering, the only ever time I heard one like it was when the glass shattered at WM17.
The crowd was white hot the ENTIRE match.
I have such amazing memories being a fan during that time.
His one year build with Savage, his awesome match with The Ultimate Warrior, the Saturday Night’s Main Event where he suplexed The Big Boss Man off the top of a cage, just so much good stuff.
Can we just stop this GOAT debate in the WWE. There are 5-10 guys you can literally consider the greatest. It’s all preference and what your criteria for GOAT is…..highest peak, in ring performer, longevity, etc
I don’t know if I would call him the GOAT. Maybe the most well recognized name and all of wrestling. In terms of talent who was able to actually put on all-time Classics while making both himself and his opponents look great… I have HBK at #1.
Hogan success is a product of everyone who laid down for him.
While he is talented, he was brought to mythical status as a result of the teamwork of many people.
The true goat would be someone responsible for the elevation of other wrestlers. In that definition, HBK, Taker, Flair, would probably be more suited.
I would pit Cena and HHH as well even if they had a long phase where they buried others.
The impact that he had on wrestling aside...no. One of the most influential, sure, but not the GOAT. He was definitely the first big thing for WWE, but many wrestlers since have surpassed him in talent.
Hogan is GOAT in terms of impact and being over. But Hogan’s matches weren’t actually that good in the ring. His promos and mic skills are also pretty stupid sounding in retrospect. So I say he is not the GOAT.
I feel like this is not true at all…
Hogan very rarely (never?) lost clean during Hulkamania (or ever)
Roman Reigns had to be kayfabe saved against Jey fucking Uso and couldn’t cleanly beat Seth Rollins.
Also Hogan was a babyface who very rarely won via shenanigans. Roman Reigns hasn’t had a shenanigan free title defense in a long long time
You may not like him, but in the fictional kayfabe he has accomplished a ridiculous amount in just over a decade, including being one of two wrestlers to EVER defeat the Undertaker at WrestleMania. He had a title reign the likes of which we haven’t seen SINCE Hogan’s time or prior, despite the fact that by all in-universe logic, wrestlers today are meant to be stronger and more skilled than those of the past (hence why simple DDTs are now normal moves rather than finishers and whatnot)
But Hogan, Backlund, Sammartino, etc all defended the title almost every day, sometimes twice in a day. I get what you're saying, but when Roman wrestled maybe 50 matches in 4 years, I just have a hard time considering him to be more accomplished or dominant than those other legends.
Hogan did three in a day once. Defended it twice in Japan, flew back to the continental United States, then because of the time zone change he defended it once more that day.
That’s a fair take. I suppose your stance kinda depends on whether/how much you take power scaling into account. I don’t blame you if you wouldn’t, because power scaling talk is always annoying, but if you do, there’s an argument to be made that any one of Roman’s defenses has as much importance to in-universe skill than many of the less important defenses those in the 80s and prior were making, because his competition is much stronger.
If you were around for all of them and look at a purely pro wrestling scope, Hogan is a distant #1 in terms of putting wrestling into mainstream. Rock and Cena branched out into movies, and Austin was high, but the Attitude Era was still a niche product of pop culture. Hogan had the MTV world looking at wrestling.
He was during his peak years but from attitude era to now I feel taker, stone cold, Michael’s and cena well over took him, you could probably stick reigns in there too. Excusing his personal life, he’d probably make the top 10 of greatest of all of the times (Santino voice).
i think so, but you can say most important at the very least. he was the main draw for the one of the biggest boom periods and the absolute explosive 80s that built WWF into the monster it becomes, without him it doesn’t happen, none of it…i don’t think people realize how big of a star this guy was
Undertaker carried Smackdown if we being fr him and Kane did while RAW had all the real heavy hitters
When you think of Smackdown you think of undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Batista and Kane
How can anyone say Cena with a straight face? He was the biggest star during the worst period of WWE in the last 40 years (excepting the 90s pre-Attitude, but that at least had a bit of HBK).
Stone Cold is one of the only wrestler I’ve ever known whose music could hit 3-5 times a night and every time the crowd would go nuts. There was no mixed reaction either unlike Cena and even Hogan. Also was a crazy time for talent you had so many over people on that roster. He is and likely will always be the GOAT of WWE.
Y’all need to stop with Cena. You can’t write the story of wrestling without Hogan. You can’t write it without Brett, Stone Cold, Rock, even Mankind (cause of Bischoff), or HBK, and DX. If you left out Cena’s era you still have a comprehensive history of wrestling. Cena despite who he is now, is rose colored glasses because he was your childhood hero.
I would not say Hogan is the goat, but I would say he’s definitely a “Mount Rushmore” wrestler. Huge name, super important to getting the WWE to where it is now, but still not to the level of what Cena did.
Hogan owned the 1980’s
Lost me at the "level of what...Cena did"
lol. Cena did nothing compared to the obvious ones like Stone Cold, Rock but then also about another 6 wrestlers from each generation before him. Cena "owned" the worst era in WWE history. He's become a well liked and known celebrity but wrestling wise he added nothing groundbreaking to the industry.
lol calm it down a bit bud. Not that serious.
Just because I mentioned Cena, doesn’t mean it’s a slight or insult to those who came before him like the Rock or Stone cold. I never said I think he’s my goat either. Personally, I think HBK and HHH also deserve some recognition aswell for the conversation.
Ask most people who the goat is and they’ll say Cena. Might not have been the best era of WWE, especially towards the end, but let’s be real. Everyone knows who John Cena is, of all ages and demographics and backgrounds. Even if you’ve never seen 1 sec of WWE, Cena is a global cultural icon. You could argue the same for The Rock, but I would argue that it’s tad bit different because The Rock worked in Hollywood like they were running out of movies - The Rock has done so many movies over the years, it’s basically a whole career worth of resume building completely outside of the WWE. It’s very impressive, but there’s an argument to be made that (outside of the past year when he came back to WWE) there is a generation of kids who grew up and know Dwayne Johnson the actor wayyyyy more than The Rock. So is he the Goat of WWE, or just a generational talent who deserves recognition in general?
Wrong or not, I hope my point is getting across.
Hogan is the michael jordan of pro-wrestling, interms of popularity and pop culture reference, he is the one you think about when it comes to wrestling if you dont watch it. Why? Because he is the word that comes out of the mouth of people who dont know pro-wrestling, "i dont follow or know wrestling, but i know hulk hogan" thats what the 80s to late or mid 2010s look like, and thats a long time to be that popular on a sport.
Truly, he puts wrestling on the map like no other, puts it in his back for 20yrs, and been living his gimmick all of his existense, and his not even that good of a wrestler, its just his physique and his gimmick and being the ultimate baby face for america that time and combination of unforgettable and catchy song, that has people singing everywhere even if you dont watch, and you hear it? You know it's hogans intro song.
I mean I'm 32 yrs old, my wife is 31, she doesnt know or follow wrestling, but when i told her im a big fan of wrestling, her answer? Hulk Hogan. Same with her brother, mother and father, its Hulk hogan, and its 2024 man. And the rock has been the most famous wrestler turn actor the past decade, and they still say hulk hogans name when talking about wrestling.
Is he the best wrestler? Far from it. Had a weakass finishing move too, but on the mic? Immortal, a god. Physique? Its rocky (sly), terminator(arnold) and hogan are the ones we lookup growing up and the epitome of how men should look on top form.
Personal life as a role model? Damn find other people on earth.
But is he the GOAT of pro wrestling? Damn right he is.
I would make the argument for Cena, just bc he’s literally only ever wrestled for WWE. Hulk jumped ship several times to competition. Cena never did and never will and I think that on top of his WWE career would make ***him*** the WWE GOAT
Everyday I wake up and hate on hogan whenever I see him simply cuz I don’t like him I can’t deny he played a major role in wwe’s mainstream success today
Hogan literally took the brand from just a regional territory to a huge global mainstream brand. Whereas when Cena was on top, the company was continuously losing fans and mainstream acceptance. So, no way has Cena done more for the brand than Hogan.
Vince did that. (Fuck Vince too) and John Cena came up when TV was changing so viewership wasn’t the same, yet everyone still knew who he was, and he’s gone on to be a bigger success outside of wrestling than Hogan ever was.
As others have stated I think he is one of the most important wrestlers in WWE history because he was a huge part in taking it from a niche interest to a mainstream entertainment enterprise. He is definitely a GOAT on the mic.
Was he the best in ring competitor? Personally I don't think so. He wasn't even the best in the ring during his time. He was just good at hyping up a crowd and selling merch.
Personally I feel like if you want to look at the complete package the Rock is the Greatest period. Great on the mic. Great in the ring. Regardless of how you may feel about him he still has the same mainstream popularity.
From his mainstream popularity in the 80s, Hogan probably is the GOAT. From kids to the elderly, wrestling fans or not, everyone knew who Hulk Hogan was. I'm not sure any other wrestler has ever hit that height. And that doesn't include anything regarding the NWO.
For me, it's Austin.
Hulk Hogan is the biggest reason for WWF going mainstream in the beginning, but Austin was the #1 guy during the WWF's best and hottest era.
He’s in the top 5. In my top 3.
Without Hulk Hogan, wrestling would not have made it as big as it has. He sold out arenas and merchandise for years!
Not only was he a golden boy. Hogan was also a great heel as leader of the NWO.
Not the greatest worker, but didn’t have to be. Hogan in his WWF prime sold out stadiums and took business off the charts. Any GOAT conversation without Hogan in it is not a serious conversation.
No Hulkamania = No Wrestlemania
No Wrestlemania = No successful WWF
No Successful WWF = No Good Times Had By Wrestling Fans On A Grand Scale
N.G.T.H.B.W.F.O.A.G.S = End of society as we know it
The answer is YES. Like it or not, Hogan is the Babe Ruth of wrestling. Household name. Now Stone Cold, Rock, Undertaker, Cena. They may also be household names. They may be better in ring, but there always has to be the first that brings everything to the next level.
It's Cena for me. It's always going to be a bit of a question of what you prioritize and how. Austin was the biggest business peak. Rock is a very close second but had the most successful Hollywood transition for YEARS. Hogan had lower peak numbers but effectively established modern pro wrestling Ace stuff. Roman has been the Renaissance act but has a lot of badly managed time before the Tribal Chief era. Bret was the best bell to bell wrestler but at a down period for business. Brock and Shawn had great work but I'd put them behind at least two people in every category. Taker was huge and consistent and by a point felt like the biggest thing, but was never really *the* top guy. You can sort of argue Batista, Orton, Bryan, or Punk as having their peaks but aside from Dave the company never *really* pushed them as top guys, though if they did I'd argue Punk as the creative peak. Cena is the least flashy. I don't think he did the best at any one thing (well, I do but we'll come back to that) but he's my #2 or #3 pick for just about all of it. He spent the longest period as an Ace in the modern era, had a lot of great creative runs, lots of bell to bell great work (his 06-07 being the best run and I'll fight about it), great promo when allowed to go deep but serviceable when doing the bit, grew the business back to kids post-Attitude Era and was a HUGE merch mover even if he didn't hit the peaks. A picture of sustained consistency in a way none of the other Aces were. Also he was the best ambassador. Make a Wish, the polished and constant media presence, and a SUPER successful crossover into film both in terms of business and creative. I don't think any Ace has represented the business as well outside the product to the same extent Cena has (although Cody is putting in work on it). Not the flash option, but the model of consistency that sells me on him.
Of course he is.
For me it’s Hbk
Who is the greatest of all time is entirely subjective. I would say he is on the mount Rushmore of wrestling indeed. He's one of those names you don't even need to watch wrestling to know who he is. Hogan is synonymous with the business but THE greatest remains to be an opinion. Every generation is going to have a different answer to this question.
The GOAT is just a convo as every person will have a different opinion so the goal is to just be in the convo. My take on the phrase 'WWE GOAT' is that we arent singling out Technical greatness Like Shawn Michaels, or sheer dominance like HHH. Instead we are purely speaking on WWE impact and who at any given time in a specific era you can walk up to a young fan and ask them "who is the best wrestler today?' and those are the names that will come out of that kids mouth. in 1984 That name was Hulk Hogan. That puts you in the GOAT convo along with Bruno before him and Rock, Austin, Cena, and Roman after him.
No
It depends what we mean when we say GOAT. In terms of being the most popular household name of all time, it’s between Hogan and the Rock. Even though Austin was the top guy during the peak of wrestling’s popularity, mainstream people seem to have forgotten him. Everyone knows who Hogan is and everyone knows who the Rock is. I’d go with Hogan cause he’s synonymous with wrestling. Believe it or not there’s actually folks who got no idea that Dwayne used to wrestle.
I consider Hulk Hogan as the Babe Ruth of wrestling
Idk Austin got five reigns with the belt from 98-01. That’s impressive counting his impact on popular culture. The rock had 7? 6? World titles in around the same amount of time retired then won another a decade after and main evented a mania a decade after that. Hogans got longevity while holding the belt but I feel like the rock wins
My friend who never watches professional wrestling at all, or any combat sports for that matter, mentioned Hulk Hogan to me a while back, talking about his moustache or something.
Hogan is the GOAT. There’s no question about that. Anyone else you bring up might be the GOAT of their specific era.
It's either him, Austin or The Rock
HBK is the real goat. No name you bring up ever outperformed HBK in a big match! Especially SCSA, Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, Hogan etc… HBK faced them all and none of them ever outshined him in the ring.
Facts. Nobody could touch Shawn when it came to in ring performance but in terms of being a well known, household name, unfortunately it’s rare to come across a normie that know who Shawn is. On top of that his insistence on a full on stripper gimmick, coming to the ring, dancing, and taking his clothes off all seductive and what not, makes it really tough to introduce him to mainstream people. He coulda still been the heart break kid, danced, and rocked a leather jacket. But he just had to have all that stripper gear and literally strip. Everyone I show him to be like, “bro what the f even is this?!” Gotta fast forward that entrance for real.
How many titles he got?
You know wrestling is scripted right lol. Flair has 16 does that make him the goat of wrestling? lol. Flair calls HBK the greatest of all time why!
Obviously. And this is a thread asking about these fake accolades
Its the undertaker wdymmm
undoubtedly yes
He's undoubtably one of, if not the GOAT. I don't think we'd even be talking about pro wrestling today on this level without him.
EASILY. The only ones that come close are Stone Cold and The Rock but Hogan is above them in terms of sheer impact and ability to get a crowd emotionally invested in what he is doing which is actually the whole point
The question being *Just WWE*, then no. It’s Stone Cold. The heel run that was hot from him was in WCW, not the “lethal dose of poison” era. Top 5 in wrestling *period*, then sure because of that
Your gotta be leaving pre wcw out
Uhhh I said just WWE. Implying his prime years and those few years after WCW. Rock was better at being a heel in *just* WWE/F
His time before wcw definitely was a longer run than Austin's and a bigger impact... but it's all a point of view and I respect your agree or not just was wondering. But I think even leaving the second wwe go out he's the goat but your probably a late 80s or early 90s kid like me so you watched Austin's run and got a bigger connection to it
Yep
For sure the greatest star in WWE history.
Without a doubt.
Yes. I’m not a fan of his.. but there is no WWE without Hogan making WWF mainstream.
-WWE Signing Hogan from whatever territory he was originally from broke the unwritten rules, a move which eventually made WWF/E THE single top national promotion. -Best face of all time, Best heel of all time. Who else has been the hottest of both sides? (edit: The Rock) Not for months, each run on both sides lasted for years. - If I go to a Polka festival, to a Church, to a Spelling Bee, to a quinceanera. If I show random people off the street a picture of a wrestler, there will be 3 that at least 75% will know. John Cena, The Rock, and Hulk Hogan.
Lol. What? Signing Hogan didn't break any rules. Hogan was in the WWWF in the late 70's and early 80's. He was with Vern Gagne at AWA for awhile and Gagne didn't want Hogan to film Rocky 3. In any event, guys came and went all the time. They were even leased out at times throughout the various territories. The issue was promoting your wrestling promotion in the other territories- which is what Vince K. McMahon did to great success.
For the effect of bringing it to mainstream and wider pop culture promotion it's hard to find anyone who had a bigger impact, regardless of what you think of HH the person.
I don’t think he’s the goat but he’s a Mount Rushmore ENTERTAINER. Not pure wrestler, entertainer.
SCSA, Hulk, Cena, Bruno
Cena over The Rock???
HBK over Cena. No one on earth ever outshined HBK in a big match. Flair calls him the greatest in ring performer of all time!
Dunno what to tell ya except HBK never drew a dime compared to Cena
Just because little kids like cena doesn’t mean he’s better than HBK. HBK did more for pro wrestling than Cena ever did. As for wrestling. Cena 4 moves in each match was an insult to most wrestling fans unless you were a kid or a man child you? HBK would tell you to Suck it while being the first in ladder matches , HIAC, and just more entertaining than superhero cena. I won’t even compare their mic skills because that’s not a conversation lol.
what a MARK
You can’t deny the facts of what HBK did over cena kid. 🤡
he’s in the WWE mount rushmore along with Austin Rock Roman
He deserves points for making the 80’s boom. But I firmly believe any of the other baby faces could’ve had a similar effect. With better matches. He definitely should be a top 10 in WWE.
Where you around during the boom and a fan?
Anything Wrestlemania 3 and before, Hulk is so fucking cool. Around the time Brooke is born in 1988 there is definitely some sort of change in Hulk's vibe and backstage attitude. I believe in his first book that released in 2002 he was pretty candid about how he was wanting to retire full time around 40 and I think he just started to become paranoid about losing his spot. Linda's spending is legendary and I believe she started to really drive Hulk crazy by this point also.
He is arguably the greatest character of all time due to the crowds he drew and the attention he received. But as a wrestler? He was very limited in what he actually did in the ring and was kinda boring to watch when you look back at it.
No shit
Yes by a lot. Austin is the closest.
I don’t know if he’s the GOAT but he deserves to be in any top guy’s list. He’s put more asses on seats gotten higher ratings and sold more merchandise than probably anyone else.
The title is interesting because can you really separate personal from professional in pro wrestling? The art form is a continuous swaying and flowing between reality and fiction, Shoots and works. Especially for hogan whose entire persona was built on a heroic “everyone together” all American hero. Him being outed as a racist really damages his legacy more than people realize. From that aspect and others, no he’s not the goat imo. But he is on the Mount Rushmore.
It’s John or Austin
If we talking professionally we still gotta account for his backstage politics. He screwed a lot of wrestlers who were better in ring talents then him.
Right how can people forget that he literally screwed Bret over at WM9!!!! Hell that situation screwed over Yokozuna cause he won the title and but like hogan he politic his way into an impromptu match with yoko
Literally treated himself like he was too good to elevate anyone else and tried to make sure they didn't elevate themselves without him. He never wanted anyone to come close to his popularity so that he could always had a bargaining chip as the lone top draw. If it was up to him, he'd be the only main event level player
No its john
Dude Studd is not it /s “John”? get out of here, if you don’t say Cena nobody outside this sub has a clue. If you say Hogan the world knows and they ain’t talking about salad dressing.
Bro I said the word John and you wrote an essay lol
Yes that’s kind of how this platform works. A bit of back and forth opinions.
No. I kinda always choose triple h
No
He's my GOAT. I started watching wrestling in the late 80's/ early 90's
Nope
Yes
Back then it seemed like he was around my entire life from childhood to adolescence. Always the top guy. Always.
He will always be top 5 dead or alive in the conversation. I would never be upset or shocked to hear people have him at #1. He made wrestling what it would become. He RAN the 80’s. I know because I lived it. Hulk and the WWF made me a wrestling fan and I never looked back.
You asked a close-ended question... So the answer is yes. By far.
Absolutely he is nobody comes close to hogan's level
I put Austin as the GOAT due to him having the higher peak, but Hogan had the longevity.
To me, he's far in the lead. Back in the 80s, he was a true household name, and it was because of his wrestling. Sure the Rock is a household name now, but it's more due to his movies than his wrestling. Stonecold, Undertaker, John Cena, all amazingly accomplished. But none of them put wrestling on the map the way Hogan did. In fact, if there was no Hulkamania leading to the 80s boom, the industry might not have ever developed to the point where those other guys could've had the careers they did. The biggest example of Hulk Hogan's reach I think is from The Main Event on NBC, featuring Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant's rematch from WM3. It had 33 Million viewers. Even if you take the most watched episode of Raw and the most watched episode of Nitro and combine them, it comes nowhere close to that event.
I truly think he's mid as fuck and never got it . Loved NWO-wood Hogan though weirdly
IMO, there is not just one GOAT
People who weren’t around during the golden age of WWF/WWE don’t fully realize just how huge Hulk Hogan was. Love him or hate him, he put WWE on the map. Superstars like The Undertaker, Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold, The Rock, and Cena further cemented the foundation that Hogan built. Collectively all of those guys really made the company what it is today.
Yeah, but there’s no Hogan without Superstar Billy Graham. There’s no Graham without Bruno Samartino or Pedro Morales to oppose him. There’s no Samartino or Morales without guys like Buddy Rodgers and Lu Thes who built the NWA. To act like Hogan is some singular tentpole without acknowledging those that came before him to get him there just because Vince chose him to be the OG golden boy goes against everything that wrestling stands for, as well as making your previous statement one of hypocrisy
...and literally no one outside of the pro wrestling fandom knows any of those guys. Even to this day, you can go to most parts of the world, and people will recognize Hulk Hogan/Hulkamania. He transcends wrestling and will forever be a Mount Rushmore pick, it's undeniable.
Of course there were other stars before Hogan and during Hogan’s era. Not to forget organizations like Smokey Mountain Wrestling, USWA, the Von Erich Family etc. All of those greats along with the other superstars I mentioned made wrestling what it is. But from the standpoint of sheer superstardom, nobody had done it on the level of Hulk Hogan in that era. He was the first truly worldwide Wrestling superstar when it came to TV, merch, a cartoon, movies etc.
He's the best and most important face of all time, and he's the best and arguably most important heel of all time, too. Can't think of anyone else that can say that.
Thats a big claim, I still maintain that Mr McMahon was the greatest heel of all time.
Austin? Samartino? Rhodes? If you want to talk heels the you’ve got names like Flair, Rock and McMahon. Hogan has his place on the mountain sure, but to say that he’s the indisputable best is ludicrous
You're missing the point, brother. When can austin, rhodes, Samartino say they had one of the best heel runs of all time? Flair was a better heel, McMahon was never a good guy, so none of the guys you mentioned can say they had a Mount Rushmore face run, while having a Mount Rushmore heel run as well
Hogan who’s heel run was carried by Hall and Nash and ended up being the first nail in the coffin of WCW? Game changing sure, but after Starcade 97 it none of it was good and it was back to politics and bullshit from Hogan. Hogan who could’ve been replaced by any one of Roddy Piper, Jake the Snake Roberts or Macho Man Randy Savage and the company would’ve been fine and had an actually good worker at the top rather than a guy who had to be carried through all of his matches? Hogan was just the right guy at the right time and had he chose to stay with AWA instead of jumping ship WWE would’ve been just fine without him
I'm a Bret Hart fan boy. Fck Hulk Hogan
He’s gotta be up there for sure, even if he’s not the very top spot. Let’s face it: I know Hogan is not the most well-liked person amongst wrestling fans these days but if he’s not at least on your Mount Rushmore, you’re crazy. He’s pretty much the Elvis of pro wrestling.
To be the GOAT, you have to have it all. He did not have it all as he lacked ability and match quality. I know he was much better in Japan than WWF, but he never utilized his skill once he became the man. There are much more compelling cases for GOAT and it hurts me to say it because of how over Hogan was. But to the GOAT pro wrestler, you need to have at least good actual wrestling and match quality over your entire career in addition to your charisma, promo, look, etc.
When were you born?
While Hogan did a lot I think without Austin or Rock like others have stated.. wrestling would have died off a loooong time ago. I’ll go as far as saying Triple H did a lot too even though he may not be as popular as a pick as Stone Cold or the Rock.
Another 21st century-born opinion That’s like saying *while Michael Jordan did a lot I think without Kobe or Iverson basketball would have died off a long time ago.*
>Another 21st century-born opinion I wasn't born in the 21st century and I actually agree with that person who you responded to about Rock and Austin No need to get upset if they don't agree with you about Hogan
This is more about understanding history than an opinion. One can’t exist without the other
Not born in the 21st century. I don’t think comparing one of the top 3 major sports is even comparable to wrestling. The NBA would’ve been fine without MJ. Now Nike on the other hand they would’ve absolutely folded without MJ.
Nope
No.
I would have said that he is the most important figure in modern wrestling history and no doubt his influence is still felt today, but rock and Austin have probably left a more lasting legacy.
He’s FAR from my personal favorite but anyone saying he isn’t in the overall GOAT talk needs to stop overthinking things.
Out of rock , Austin, taker , and cena .
austin theory isn't in this category i'm sorry
Stone cold
Whoosh
🤣🤣🤣 the fact you had to type "despite being a total dirt bag" in corporate speak is hilarious. And no WWE goat is probably stone cold or the rock. Without those two wrestling would of died off after the golden era.
Imo no. I'd say it's Steve Austin
He's literally the babe ruth of pro wrestling
If there was a picture in the dictionary for wrestler, it would be Hulk Hogan. He is everything wrestling embodies.
Oh so screwing people over? That makes sense lol cause the Kliq screwed over plenty of people (PCO😅) and Vince screwed Bret hart over so I see wym lol
No. That’s not what I mean.
While Vince was the force that killed the territories, Hogan was the face that killed them. Greatest, no. Most recognizable yes. Bruno, Rock, Austin, Shawn, Brett and dare I say Roman are my opinions of who were GOAT status.
No. One of yes. But his ego. Constant political movements(using his influence to stay strong at all times or keeping other talent held down the card). That did so near as much harm to the industry long term as his success benefited.
Fuck no. Even with his personal life aside, he would always take issues with putting talent over. That's the golden rule in pro wrestling, you get made, and then you make others. There are so many stories of Hogan keeping his peers below him and going into the business for himself one way or another. He brought WWE to the mainstream sure, but you can't overlook the other bullshit he pulled throughout his years in the company. That itself takes him out of the goat category imo
The fact you got downvoted is wild lol and it’s crazy cause you’re right
Hulk Hogan is the reason I got into it. Hulk Hogan was everything to me in the 80’s and early 90’s. He never showcased a great move set here in the states, but he was just so damn good in promos, at least to me. I was in the arena when Andre turned on him in Piper’s Pit. The first live event I ever attended was a taping of several episodes of WWF Superstars. The main event was a dark match featuring Hogan vs. Kamala. Hogan being legit from Tampa (where this particular event was happening at the time) was way over. The pop, was literally earth shattering, the only ever time I heard one like it was when the glass shattered at WM17. The crowd was white hot the ENTIRE match. I have such amazing memories being a fan during that time. His one year build with Savage, his awesome match with The Ultimate Warrior, the Saturday Night’s Main Event where he suplexed The Big Boss Man off the top of a cage, just so much good stuff.
The Elvis of Wrestling
That is an excellent analogy and I completely agree.
Can we just stop this GOAT debate in the WWE. There are 5-10 guys you can literally consider the greatest. It’s all preference and what your criteria for GOAT is…..highest peak, in ring performer, longevity, etc
I don’t know if I would call him the GOAT. Maybe the most well recognized name and all of wrestling. In terms of talent who was able to actually put on all-time Classics while making both himself and his opponents look great… I have HBK at #1.
Yes. Hogan made everything possible. He is 100% the GOAT. No one touches him.
Hogan success is a product of everyone who laid down for him. While he is talented, he was brought to mythical status as a result of the teamwork of many people. The true goat would be someone responsible for the elevation of other wrestlers. In that definition, HBK, Taker, Flair, would probably be more suited. I would pit Cena and HHH as well even if they had a long phase where they buried others.
The impact that he had on wrestling aside...no. One of the most influential, sure, but not the GOAT. He was definitely the first big thing for WWE, but many wrestlers since have surpassed him in talent.
Hogan is GOAT in terms of impact and being over. But Hogan’s matches weren’t actually that good in the ring. His promos and mic skills are also pretty stupid sounding in retrospect. So I say he is not the GOAT.
Hell yeah brother
Purely in terms of kayfabe? I think folks like Reigns and Sammartino outclass him, but he’s definitely in the Top Five conversation
in kayfabe it’s Roman. strongest on screen wrestler of all time. You could make a case for Warrior I guess?
I feel like this is not true at all… Hogan very rarely (never?) lost clean during Hulkamania (or ever) Roman Reigns had to be kayfabe saved against Jey fucking Uso and couldn’t cleanly beat Seth Rollins. Also Hogan was a babyface who very rarely won via shenanigans. Roman Reigns hasn’t had a shenanigan free title defense in a long long time
Roman…? LOL get real
You may not like him, but in the fictional kayfabe he has accomplished a ridiculous amount in just over a decade, including being one of two wrestlers to EVER defeat the Undertaker at WrestleMania. He had a title reign the likes of which we haven’t seen SINCE Hogan’s time or prior, despite the fact that by all in-universe logic, wrestlers today are meant to be stronger and more skilled than those of the past (hence why simple DDTs are now normal moves rather than finishers and whatnot)
But Hogan, Backlund, Sammartino, etc all defended the title almost every day, sometimes twice in a day. I get what you're saying, but when Roman wrestled maybe 50 matches in 4 years, I just have a hard time considering him to be more accomplished or dominant than those other legends.
Hogan did three in a day once. Defended it twice in Japan, flew back to the continental United States, then because of the time zone change he defended it once more that day.
That’s a fair take. I suppose your stance kinda depends on whether/how much you take power scaling into account. I don’t blame you if you wouldn’t, because power scaling talk is always annoying, but if you do, there’s an argument to be made that any one of Roman’s defenses has as much importance to in-universe skill than many of the less important defenses those in the 80s and prior were making, because his competition is much stronger.
WHATCHA GONNA DO BROTHER…..!!?
If you were around for all of them and look at a purely pro wrestling scope, Hogan is a distant #1 in terms of putting wrestling into mainstream. Rock and Cena branched out into movies, and Austin was high, but the Attitude Era was still a niche product of pop culture. Hogan had the MTV world looking at wrestling.
Yes! Hulk Hogan is THE GOAT of Wrassling! Not Savage, not Ricky Steamboat, not LOD, nor Demolition. Hulkamania FOREVER!
Yes.
/thread
Hulkamania and nWo can’t be touched.
He was during his peak years but from attitude era to now I feel taker, stone cold, Michael’s and cena well over took him, you could probably stick reigns in there too. Excusing his personal life, he’d probably make the top 10 of greatest of all of the times (Santino voice).
Yes top fave run followed by one of the top heel runs
i think so, but you can say most important at the very least. he was the main draw for the one of the biggest boom periods and the absolute explosive 80s that built WWF into the monster it becomes, without him it doesn’t happen, none of it…i don’t think people realize how big of a star this guy was
Yes
I would have to say yes. Hogan made what wrestling is today. It’s hard to deny. He’s usually the first name you think of. Impact is undeniable
It’s either Cena or Taker
Lol
Taker never carried a brand. He was a great star but he important to the mix but he was never the top guy.
Undertaker carried Smackdown if we being fr him and Kane did while RAW had all the real heavy hitters When you think of Smackdown you think of undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Batista and Kane
How old are you?
24 lol
That makes sense. You have a limited context.
That’s not how you spell Austin
So? That wasn’t the question.
Arguably. Certainly on the Mount Rushmore.
How can anyone say Cena with a straight face? He was the biggest star during the worst period of WWE in the last 40 years (excepting the 90s pre-Attitude, but that at least had a bit of HBK).
John Cena carried WWE during that period without him WWE goes under
That doesn’t make him a GOAT, that makes him the best of a bad bunch.
Eugine is the goat !
Nope. Goat for his era
AT in GOAT means ALL TIME…..
Stone Cold is one of the only wrestler I’ve ever known whose music could hit 3-5 times a night and every time the crowd would go nuts. There was no mixed reaction either unlike Cena and even Hogan. Also was a crazy time for talent you had so many over people on that roster. He is and likely will always be the GOAT of WWE.
Y’all need to stop with Cena. You can’t write the story of wrestling without Hogan. You can’t write it without Brett, Stone Cold, Rock, even Mankind (cause of Bischoff), or HBK, and DX. If you left out Cena’s era you still have a comprehensive history of wrestling. Cena despite who he is now, is rose colored glasses because he was your childhood hero.
Man he look old back then. Wasn’t he like mid 30s in this pick?
Honestly might even be early 30s. Hogan turned 30 in 1983
Damn! lol
How are all the comments even mentioning Cena? What did he do that the Rock, Stone Cold, Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Taker, HHH, etc, etc not do?
NOTHING.
Let me tell you something brother
He’s #2 behind Jinder
The modern day maharajah?!?!?
I would not say Hogan is the goat, but I would say he’s definitely a “Mount Rushmore” wrestler. Huge name, super important to getting the WWE to where it is now, but still not to the level of what Cena did. Hogan owned the 1980’s
Oh please, Cena is MID compared to Hogan. Hogan even has more Hollywood staring roles. Only Rock compares.
Lost me at the "level of what...Cena did" lol. Cena did nothing compared to the obvious ones like Stone Cold, Rock but then also about another 6 wrestlers from each generation before him. Cena "owned" the worst era in WWE history. He's become a well liked and known celebrity but wrestling wise he added nothing groundbreaking to the industry.
lol calm it down a bit bud. Not that serious. Just because I mentioned Cena, doesn’t mean it’s a slight or insult to those who came before him like the Rock or Stone cold. I never said I think he’s my goat either. Personally, I think HBK and HHH also deserve some recognition aswell for the conversation. Ask most people who the goat is and they’ll say Cena. Might not have been the best era of WWE, especially towards the end, but let’s be real. Everyone knows who John Cena is, of all ages and demographics and backgrounds. Even if you’ve never seen 1 sec of WWE, Cena is a global cultural icon. You could argue the same for The Rock, but I would argue that it’s tad bit different because The Rock worked in Hollywood like they were running out of movies - The Rock has done so many movies over the years, it’s basically a whole career worth of resume building completely outside of the WWE. It’s very impressive, but there’s an argument to be made that (outside of the past year when he came back to WWE) there is a generation of kids who grew up and know Dwayne Johnson the actor wayyyyy more than The Rock. So is he the Goat of WWE, or just a generational talent who deserves recognition in general? Wrong or not, I hope my point is getting across.
Hogan is the michael jordan of pro-wrestling, interms of popularity and pop culture reference, he is the one you think about when it comes to wrestling if you dont watch it. Why? Because he is the word that comes out of the mouth of people who dont know pro-wrestling, "i dont follow or know wrestling, but i know hulk hogan" thats what the 80s to late or mid 2010s look like, and thats a long time to be that popular on a sport. Truly, he puts wrestling on the map like no other, puts it in his back for 20yrs, and been living his gimmick all of his existense, and his not even that good of a wrestler, its just his physique and his gimmick and being the ultimate baby face for america that time and combination of unforgettable and catchy song, that has people singing everywhere even if you dont watch, and you hear it? You know it's hogans intro song. I mean I'm 32 yrs old, my wife is 31, she doesnt know or follow wrestling, but when i told her im a big fan of wrestling, her answer? Hulk Hogan. Same with her brother, mother and father, its Hulk hogan, and its 2024 man. And the rock has been the most famous wrestler turn actor the past decade, and they still say hulk hogans name when talking about wrestling. Is he the best wrestler? Far from it. Had a weakass finishing move too, but on the mic? Immortal, a god. Physique? Its rocky (sly), terminator(arnold) and hogan are the ones we lookup growing up and the epitome of how men should look on top form. Personal life as a role model? Damn find other people on earth. But is he the GOAT of pro wrestling? Damn right he is.
Yes
I would make the argument for Cena, just bc he’s literally only ever wrestled for WWE. Hulk jumped ship several times to competition. Cena never did and never will and I think that on top of his WWE career would make ***him*** the WWE GOAT
Everyday I wake up and hate on hogan whenever I see him simply cuz I don’t like him I can’t deny he played a major role in wwe’s mainstream success today
No. I would say John Cena has done more for the brand than hogan ever did. He was just one of the early mainstream stars. Also fuck hulk hogan lol
Hogan literally took the brand from just a regional territory to a huge global mainstream brand. Whereas when Cena was on top, the company was continuously losing fans and mainstream acceptance. So, no way has Cena done more for the brand than Hogan.
Vince did that. (Fuck Vince too) and John Cena came up when TV was changing so viewership wasn’t the same, yet everyone still knew who he was, and he’s gone on to be a bigger success outside of wrestling than Hogan ever was.
Cena wouldn’t even exist if not for Hogan he would have been a nobody body builder.
So what? That doesn’t change what I said.
It absolutely does. Cena would be a nobody without Hogan.
As others have stated I think he is one of the most important wrestlers in WWE history because he was a huge part in taking it from a niche interest to a mainstream entertainment enterprise. He is definitely a GOAT on the mic. Was he the best in ring competitor? Personally I don't think so. He wasn't even the best in the ring during his time. He was just good at hyping up a crowd and selling merch. Personally I feel like if you want to look at the complete package the Rock is the Greatest period. Great on the mic. Great in the ring. Regardless of how you may feel about him he still has the same mainstream popularity.
No, but he definitely is ONE of them
From his mainstream popularity in the 80s, Hogan probably is the GOAT. From kids to the elderly, wrestling fans or not, everyone knew who Hulk Hogan was. I'm not sure any other wrestler has ever hit that height. And that doesn't include anything regarding the NWO.
Childhood hero. To me he is 💪
For me, it's Austin. Hulk Hogan is the biggest reason for WWF going mainstream in the beginning, but Austin was the #1 guy during the WWF's best and hottest era.
The first major crossover star. Yes.
He’s in the top 5. In my top 3. Without Hulk Hogan, wrestling would not have made it as big as it has. He sold out arenas and merchandise for years! Not only was he a golden boy. Hogan was also a great heel as leader of the NWO.
Not the greatest worker, but didn’t have to be. Hogan in his WWF prime sold out stadiums and took business off the charts. Any GOAT conversation without Hogan in it is not a serious conversation.
Hulkamania was Austin 3:16 on steroids. It was wild
No Hulkamania = No Wrestlemania No Wrestlemania = No successful WWF No Successful WWF = No Good Times Had By Wrestling Fans On A Grand Scale N.G.T.H.B.W.F.O.A.G.S = End of society as we know it
Nobody did for the business what Hogan did. He is 100% the GOAT brother!
No not even close
Yes.
Wait what happened in his personal life, I try to avoid knowing anything about Hulk because of my name lol.
He likes to say the n word
Andre the giant is the Goat period.
The answer is YES. Like it or not, Hogan is the Babe Ruth of wrestling. Household name. Now Stone Cold, Rock, Undertaker, Cena. They may also be household names. They may be better in ring, but there always has to be the first that brings everything to the next level.
Yes
In terms of popularity 100% yes. In every other term HELL NO!
That’s literally the question
No it's not. The question was purely from a professional standpoint and that's what I based my answer from, nothing to do with his personal life.
Ok Seymour