Just how important was the Hulk Hogan brand for the NWO?

[seabs]

​

Let's just have some wild speculation for a moment, Hulk Hogan turning heel was the launch pad for WCW's rise and the Monday Night Wars as we all know but I'm really curious how important him carrying over the name "Hulk Hogan" and Hulkmania as names were. I'm assuming Hulk owned the name since he wasn't hit with the backlash Hall was for using the mannerisms of Razor Ramon but say he was. Hogan couldn't use the name Hulk Hogan, the Hulkamania trademarks etc, does that effect his heel turn at all? Was it the man who people wanted to see turn to the darkside or the brand of Hulk Hogan?​

 

[Danielson]

I'll put it this way, Heel NWO Hogan> Any other hogan.

That's just me, but as I remember, the older people wanted him heel, and the kiddies wanted him face. Sort of like Cena.

 

[Leo C]

Maybe it would've made the turn somewhat less effective but not really that much. I think WCW could've still been greatly elevated, maybe not as much as it really was but still, it'd be very close.

 

[Lockard 23]

I'm of the opinion that everything about someone makes them who they are - their name, their mannerisms, their theme music, everything.

I don't think Terry Bollea or anything else WCW would have come up with would have had the same impact. People associated the name Hulk Hogan and The Hulkster with all the other things that Hogan did - ripping the shirt, hulking up, pointing the finger, posing, etc. With a degree of luck, he could have kept the mannerisms like Hall and Nash did but it still wouldn't have felt complete. One of the things that made the heel turn magic was taking that larger than life, heroic image that people had associated with the man himself and then flipping it around and transforming it into something entirely different. And without the name Hogan, you don't even have the great name "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, a name so awesome WWE even continued to use it even when he brought back the red and yellow in 2002.

 

[Zack Ryder]

I likes him in the NWO. He was better at being heel then what I thought he would be

 

[Aids Johnson]

Greatest heel turn ever IMO. He was great for nWo, and it made the WCW brand much greater to watch in the main event.

 

[Zack Ryder]

Good being a heel and face

 

[seabs]

Lockard is the only person who actually answered lol.

 

[Shadie T]

It was a big thing because he was this big face with this big connection and was the biggest guy in wrestling and the shock value on how this man could just turn his back on everyone and try and tear down this company