if Hulk Hogan had RETIRED after the early 00s...& no racism tape, how would he be viewed all-time?

[prophecypro]

Add how he handled the Nick Hogan shyt too, that I think is connected to the other stuff and the divorce too.



At the very least he would have still retained that cool pop culture retro feel of liking to him that Austin, Taker, Flair, Rock, DX, Macho all get. He pretty much had that for like a year when he came back in 2014 on the legends deal.

I dont even think his backstage politics hurt him, cause that aint hurt how casuals view the Kliq guys. Even the steroid shyt I could see people being like "Well everyone did it"

Its not just that the tape, but I think its the years since he came back, hes not really shown any understanding of why it wasnt just a simple flub/hes only human kinda deal. He's kinda just hid in Tampa with the Trump crowd and then says asnine things every now and then (like what he said about Covid) I thought about this after he got booed again in Cody's promo on RAW and last year at Tampa. That was pretty glaring, and WWE if you noticed have just given up again including him in marketing stuff for legends even if he still gets merch made, its pretty much in the background. He dont even get like mainstream invites to things or even to comic cons/fan conventions

For a minute there it seem like he could get away with coming back to WWE shows and people forgetting, but I think seeing how some of the current stars feel about him hurt his rep again (Rollins saying hes not a good guy, The New Day being very clear they dont fukk with him).
Hes really fukked up his legacy while making it hella easy for other legends to get their flowers and get the looks from the mainstream he would. Its no longer Hogan as the babe ruth.

 

[Eddie Brock]

I’m thinking about hitting up his bar/restaurant when I go to Florida later this year. Would that make me a c00n brehs?

 

[Norrin Radd]

He'd probably be in the condition Flair is right now.

 

[TreySav]

Behind Austin.

This right here. Yt fans got to live vicariously through Austin’s pissed off tell it like it is redneck persona. Cacs loved that shyte

 

[Cornershooter]

Fukk “IF”,
he SAID what he said.
Stop tryna save that CAC!!

It’s going to be hard for brehs to get accept it lol that’s a childhood hero. I grew up on John cena and Rey mysterio I would be heartbroken if they said some racist shyt.

 

[MushroomX]

Here is the thing for me that would have made Hogan in higher standing.

• Retire after the Hollywood Hogan phase
• Come back, without the NWO, as Hulk Hogan; challenging The Rock.
• Retiring again.

For me Hollywood Hogan was the better persona, but he always need the spotlight because he was insecure about not being close to the championship. If you take away all the other stuff, that was his downfall as a wrestler... he was very insecure about his standing in the pecking order. Some guys don't need a world title run, Hogan ALWAYS needs it, because he felt like he wouldn't be a success without it.

 

[Metal Face]

Hogan was a notorious piece of shyt before the tape came out

 

[The Intergalactic Koala]

Probably 20s tops for me. Despite the tapes and etc, I always hated the fact that Hoegan always ran the fukking show. Even before the slamming of ass and his racist shyt, dude ruined WCW, did not put over shyt, and was overrated as all hell. If dude bowed out after the Rock match, he would be good as a childhood memory, but GOAT status

 

[Jmare007]

Hogan is too big of a carny to not fukk up his legacy and end up as a walking parody anyway. He would've end up being seen as the crazy grandpa that says funny :ducktales: all the time.

I mean, Austin beat his wife and it's like nothing ever happened there's levels to this teflon legend game

 

[El Cocodrilo]

If he didn't have the racist tape leak then he would be considered a beloved cultural icon despite the fact that people laugh and roll their eyes at his fukkery

They definitely would not boo his name when Cody said it
But like they said in the dark knight, you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain

 

[ℒℴѵℯJay ELECTUA]

Let's say...
-No terrible TNA run
-No racism tape
-No sex tape

He retires after his last WWE run in like 03-04.

Where wouldhe be ranked all time? Would he be the GOAT to many fans?

 

[jerniebert]

It would still be fukk Hulkkk Hoegan! He's always been a piece of shyt. That's why it was so easy for him to say the shyt he said. You're basically asking what if he was a completely different person who had his WWF wrestling career.

 

[Stop_It_5]

Hogan was a notorious piece of shyt before the tape came out

Absolutely, but scumbag politics and "that doesn't work for me, brother" wouldn't have him getting boo'd in person in his city of residence and just the mention of his name triggering boo's as recent as this week.

Wrestlemania 30 is a good example of where he would be, a cultural icon who WWE would gladly roll out to a huge ovation every other year or so. Instead he's a hermit down in Tampa who they don't even bother trying with anymore.

 

[JQ Legend]

I don’t give a shyt about the racist tapes

Hoegan was corny as fukk to me in the 90s

Hollywood was cool but I soured on him after what he did to Sting at Starrcade. And I was not a Sting fan AT ALL

Then the shyt he pulled on HBK really did it for me



Overall he hurt the business more than he helped it. Wrestling would still have blew up with Macho Man in his spot in the 80s

 

[Damnshow]

There are plenty of news, shoot interviews about Hogan being a piece of shyt who sold out other wrestlers to become richer and all the other politicking he's done in the locker room. Racist tapes is the icing on the cake since too many wrestlers back then were racist as hell.