I dont think it is.... I mean, I know tons of non -wrestling friends and everyone, even people in my family if I mention I like wrestlling to people who dont watch/know about it, they automatically say Hogan.
What does that prove in light of your previous claim?
I'll say it again, to say Hogan is "for sure one of the most recognizable people not only in wrestling, but in the world" IS waaaaaay over the top.
If you still think not, have look at the global population and then hazzard a guess about how many of them have never even seen wrestling or 'Hogan Knows Best'. Then think current & former world leaders (Bush, Clinton, Blair, Mugabe, Hussain...) movie stars (Ford, Cruise, Will Smith, Arnie S, Stallone...), rock n pop stars (Mick Jagger, Madonna, Elton John...) truly globally renowned sports stars (Tyson, Woods, Pele, Maradonna...)...
Hogan don't mean shit on a global super-stardom scale.
Slyfox696 said:
Airfixx said:
That's waaaaay over the top.
No, he's the most world re-known wrestler ever.
I wasn't arguing that... Read again.
Slyfox696 said:
Airfixx said:
...And he has done everything in his power, since his long-gone heyday, to ensure that it stays that way.
Which makes him a) a good business man, and b) just like every other wrestling in the history of the business.
a) Business-wise, good for him maybe.
b) Given the fact that he had more power at his disposal than probably any other wrestler ever; no, not just like every other wrestler.
The key to my point is "since his long gone heyday"....
Gimme one good reason why he should have gone over HBK or Orton?
Btw, I started watching in '89 so I'm not a teenage unconditional fan of the 'Attitude'-era. By '92 it was a miracle he hadn't almost single-handed driven me away from WWF altogether... His presence made it all so one-dimensional (and that's after the 'shock' of WM6) and when he did actually get in the ring the match was shit! (Hogan V Sid is to my mind possibly the worst WM ME ever... I'd rather watch LT V Bam Bam!).
I wasn't a regular veiwer, but I was shocked when I caught pre-NWO WCW one day to see that they'd signed him and he was just pulling the same old routine... Just seemed so bizarre seeing him on WCW TV, I can remember thinking "Surely the viewers of the so-called "real" wrestling promotion aren't gonna buy that Hogan crap".
Granted the Heel turn was a masterstroke... Tho' how much of that was actually Hogan's creative thinking will forever depend on whether you speak to him or Bischoff I should imagine.
Also, I know the undisputed title-era was little more than a belt-share around all the big stars, but seeing HHH drop the belt to Hogan just one month after WM18 and his huge injury/comeback absolutely stank!
Bottom line is that, whilst it spelt boom-time in the 80s, all that Hulkamania shit played a big part in the WWFs dark times around '95 onwards as they had so few fans left that actually still believed in wrestling because of Hogan, his cheap title reigns and his refusal to take a clean loss.