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Post by rkmo: 9 Month Warning on Mar 18, 2022 12:41:48 GMT -5
No mention of The Rock? He must be way above Hogan and Cena. OP established it.
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Post by CM Tusk on Mar 18, 2022 15:15:56 GMT -5
Nobody is ever touching Hulk. It's just not possible. Hulk was on top at a time when this stuff mattered. Hogan affected people. WWE now, and pretty much since 2001, it's just a show. They are people playing roles. It's like going to a concert, or a play, you are going to be entertained. I don't know how many people on here were even alive and fans at Wrestlemania 7, but this was like real life. If Hogan lost, the United States was losing the war to Iraq. That's how it felt. People wanted Slaughter dead. Hogan represented the entire country.....you can't get that kind of emotion from fans these days because kayfabe is dead and people know it's all part of the show. Even MJF, who is undoubtedly the BEST heel in the business right now...when he says and does evil things, the fans pop for it. People tune in specifically to see what he's going to do or say and fans cheer and laugh. Nobody is waiting in the parking lot to stab him or calling AEW HQ with death threats on MJF. When Slaughter joined Iraq, nobody was laughing. Nobody was entertained. It was a treasonous betrayal....Hogan was defending America and that's legit how it felt and people believed and it seriously affected people. So no. Cena is not, never will be, and nobody else will ever surpass Hulk Hogan. And when Hulk joined the nWo, it mattered. Now, people turn heel and face every few months and nobody really cares. Jericho turned heel and the fans still sang his song this week. John Cena could legit come out on TV and knock over Becky Lynch's baby stroller, and people would laugh instead of getting upset. Cena is bigger in Hollywood than Hogan is....but I don't think that translates to overcoming Hogan's overall "star power". Like somebody pointed out, Batista is technically a bigger box office draw than Cena, but I don't consider Batista to be a name "everyone knows". Everyone knows Hulk. A lot of people know Cena, but EVERYBODY knows Hogan. The Rock eclipsed Hogan a long time ago.
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Post by Triple S: POOR on Mar 18, 2022 15:59:22 GMT -5
I’m going to say no.
Hulk Hogan was a bigger name in the 80’s and 90’s (even outside of wrestling) than John Cena is today.
Hulk Hogan is/was a household name.
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Post by BoJack Hogan on Mar 18, 2022 19:22:15 GMT -5
Although it’s a very different business now I’d argue that Hogan STILL has the more recognizable name/face, even if it isn’t all for the best of reasons. What people aren’t mentioning is that Hogan is also galvanized in the pop culture of the 80’s with Michael Jordan, Madonna, and all of those huge iconic personalities - which is still super popular to this day. The only difference is that the wrestling fans of this era hate him. Over time he may disappear from wrestling circles after the last of his fans are gone, but until then his contributions can’t be erased, no matter how hard people try. As for Cena, I’d say The Rock is more ensconced in the pop culture of this era, but I’d still argue not to the degree of Hogan in the 80’s or Austin in the 90’s. For that reason, to me, the answer is no.
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judas
Superstar
Joined on: Feb 20, 2020 7:42:06 GMT -5
Posts: 641
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Post by judas on Mar 19, 2022 6:06:45 GMT -5
Without Hogan doing films/TV then there is no opening of the door for The Rock, he wouldn’t have got in without Hulk testing the water. Then without Hulk/Rock there is no Cena acting career. He wasn’t as successful as those after him but Hulk broke the door down in the acting world for others after him. (Guess Andre could be counted too).
In terms of mainstream appeal no one touches Hulk, my gran knows who he is, people round the world know who he is. Only kids today don’t and there’s soon going to be kids growing up who don’t know that Cena was a wrestler as he’s hardly there now. While I’m sure Cena has his fans outside of wrestling he simply is nowhere near the levels of worldwide fame Hogan was outside of wrestling, I’d definitely say The Rock is more famous than Cena.
Hogan Rock Cena
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Post by Triple S: POOR on Mar 19, 2022 16:37:46 GMT -5
Hulk Hogan was a pop culture icon. Hence why people still to this day associate wrestling with Hulk Hogan. I even cringe when I mention Savage to someone and they start impersonating Hogan.
… and I hate Hogan.
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Post by CM Tusk on Mar 19, 2022 16:56:53 GMT -5
Hulk Hogan was a pop culture icon. Hence why people still to this day associate wrestling with Hulk Hogan. I even cringe when I mentioned Savage to someone and they starts impersonating Hogan. … and I hate Hogan. I used to have a Hogan tattoo when I was younger and I’d constantly have people come up impersonating Savage. So weird.
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Warriah'
Main Eventer
Joined on: Dec 22, 2019 19:46:02 GMT -5
Posts: 3,150
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Post by Warriah' on Mar 19, 2022 18:15:20 GMT -5
Hogan is Michael Jordan.
Maybe not part of the current gen but forever the face of the sport. Cena will never have the long term notoriety Hogan had.
The way culture has shifted, people don't get famous in the same way they used to in the 80s and 90s.
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Post by Emerald Enthusiast on Mar 21, 2022 5:35:19 GMT -5
I think we all agree that The Rock is the biggest star to ever emerge from the pro wrestling industry, but before him was the man who is still arguably #2, Hulk Hogan. But my question is...is Cena getting close to surpassing Hogan? With The Peacemaker, other films, and generally becoming a household name known to even non-wrestling fans, I feel like we may be closing in on Cena being considered a bigger star than Hulk Hogan. Is Cena getting close to surpassing Hogan in star power? In terms of mainstream star power, Cena very well might pass Hogan. Hogan was a bigger draw in wrestling, but unlike Rock, he certainly didn't become an even bigger star after he left the business. Cena is positioning himself to be relevant after his wrestling days, and he has a tremendous start with Peacemaker.
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Post by cordless2016 on Mar 26, 2022 6:53:08 GMT -5
In overall star power? Nope, not even close. Hogan was a part of 80s pop-culture. The guy was a legit household name, and even with Cena having a better movie career already, he doesn’t touch how popular Hogan was (Hogan literally started two wrestling-booms while Cena was the face of a company while rating and popularity were spiraling downward).
You mention Hulk Hogan’s name to non-wrestling fans and even today the majority would know who he is. Can’t say the same about Cena.
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Post by Grenouille on Mar 27, 2022 18:50:16 GMT -5
I wonder sometimes if it’s hard to grasp how big Hogan was unless you were there living during his peak. I felt like this when Michael Jackson died too. To teens/early 20s he was the weirdo seen on those documentaries and not the global icon he was in the 80s/early 90s. They didn’t experience him at his peak so they couldn’t fathom his popularity at one time.
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Post by cordless2016 on Mar 27, 2022 23:48:05 GMT -5
I wonder sometimes if it’s hard to grasp how big Hogan was unless you were there living during his peak. I felt like this when Michael Jackson died too. To teens/early 20s he was the weirdo seen on those documentaries and not the global icon he was in the 80s/early 90s. They didn’t experience him at his peak so they couldn’t fathom his popularity at one time. This. It’s like kids today claiming Lebron James is a bigger star that Michael Jordan. Jordan was a legit global-icon before the internet was even a thing most people knew about. Hell, people from third world countries knew who Michael Jordan was. Just like Jordan and Michael Jackson, Hogan was a legit part of 80s pop-culture.
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Post by Next Man’s Knowing Rock on Mar 28, 2022 7:47:37 GMT -5
Nobody is ever touching Hulk. It's just not possible. Hulk was on top at a time when this stuff mattered. Hogan affected people. WWE now, and pretty much since 2001, it's just a show. They are people playing roles. It's like going to a concert, or a play, you are going to be entertained. I don't know how many people on here were even alive and fans at Wrestlemania 7, but this was like real life. If Hogan lost, the United States was losing the war to Iraq. That's how it felt. That’s how it felt to a naive child. Adults in 1991 didn’t think wrestling was real, except for the illiterate backwoods hillbillies that wrestling fans used to be stereotypes as. And the Gulf War was over before WrestleMania 7. Kids in our era were super into Hulk Hogan. Because we’re not kids anymore, it’s hard to imagine kids being that into a Bret Hart, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Rey Mysterio, Drew McIntyre etc. But they are/were. At Survivor Series, there was a kid on my mind who was losing his mind over Rey and[/] Dominik lol.
It’s similar to how we tell ourselves that 1980s/1990s cartoons were better than cartoons now. But going back to most of them now, they’re awful. The original He-Man cartoon is almost impressive in how utterly bad it is. But when I was four years old, I couldn’t miss it.
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Post by JC Motors on Mar 29, 2022 6:49:55 GMT -5
Hulk Hogan was a pop culture icon. Hence why people still to this day associate wrestling with Hulk Hogan. I even cringe when I mentioned Savage to someone and they starts impersonating Hogan. … and I hate Hogan. I used to have a Hogan tattoo when I was younger and I’d constantly have people come up impersonating Savage. So weird. Be a Man Hulk
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Post by greenjack1992 on Mar 29, 2022 7:07:35 GMT -5
Cena's been a bigger star than Hogan for a few years.
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CymruX2
Mid-Carder
Joined on: Sept 5, 2020 9:35:33 GMT -5
Posts: 312
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Post by CymruX2 on Mar 29, 2022 7:55:56 GMT -5
Thats a really good question.
Hogan was at the top during the Golden Era, arguably, Hogan WAS the golden era, he left for WCW and WWF became the "other wrestling show" the nWo formed and changed the way business was done behind the scenes, and brought something extremely fresh to the fans.
The way modern era WWE is Cena probably had more exposure, more wins, more matches and 16 times world champion, hes been the focal point for WWE for YEARS, done so much with make a wish, and is conquering Hollywood.
In recent years Hogan has made some mistakes that have impacted his career and legacy. I don't know if Cena has surpassed Hogan yet, but I think by the time Cena is Hogan's age, he will have.
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Post by LA Times on Mar 30, 2022 8:04:34 GMT -5
Does anyone remember when Eva Marie said she was going to be the biggest star to emerge from wrestling? 😄😄
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Post by Codyverse: Tag Team Champion on Mar 30, 2022 18:53:08 GMT -5
Cena is the better and more notable actor but I think it’s not even debatable who the bigger wrestling star is/was.
And that’s the Hulkster. By a country mile, brother!
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Post by shanieomaniac on Mar 31, 2022 4:35:51 GMT -5
I'm not a Hogan fan by a long shot but I think if you take the entirety of their careers, both in and out of the ring, then add in cultural impact/influence and pop culture sticking power?
Hulk Hogan by far.
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Post by k5 on Mar 31, 2022 9:20:16 GMT -5
I wonder sometimes if it’s hard to grasp how big Hogan was unless you were there living during his peak. I felt like this when Michael Jackson died too. To teens/early 20s he was the weirdo seen on those documentaries and not the global icon he was in the 80s/early 90s. They didn’t experience him at his peak so they couldn’t fathom his popularity at one time. it's strange, because i grew up after the true boom of hulkamania (1990) and i would STILL not even try to debate that stone cold was as big as hogan, despite how big stone cold got. hogan was the biggest thing in the history of wrestling, and he was a cultural icon. cena doesn't have an iota of hogan's popularity at it's height and never did.
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