the modern myth

Hogan certainly did alot to draw alot of new interest to WCW. I'm pretty sure that the ratings for WCW began to improve when Hogan was signed to WCW. Ultimately, it was nWo that did the real 'big business' for WCW and Hogan was a large contributing factor to their success.

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Too many freaks, not enough circuses.

dave 1981

The answer to your question is both yes and no because whilst Hulk Hogan was the reason behind WCW jumping up HUGE in the ratings between 1994 and 1996 they also had Ric Flair and Sting who ate the time were the two biggest names in wrestling outside of Hulk Hogan himself and having Ted Turner's money they still would have gone on to be a major wrestling company but it was Hulk Hogan who really put them on the same level as WWE.

In reality though Hulk Hogan needed WCW as much as WCW needed Hulk Hogan because Hulk Hogan had run out of steam in WWE and new guys had come through and WWE's product wasn't about the bigger men like Hulk Hogan but about great but smaller wrestlers like Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Razor Ramon and Owen Hart so WCW was a new and fresh challenge but within 12 months he was getting booed because people were tired of his act so having Hulk Hogan turn heel and creating the NWO put an extra 5-6 years on Hulk Hogan's career.

Whilst some people will say that The New World Order wouldn't have become so big without Hulk Hogan i completely disagree because it was such a major storyline with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash invading WCW that it would have worked as long as the third man was a big name wrestler so in my mind it would have worked with any of Randy Savage, Ric Flair or The Giant although it wouldn't have caught so quickly without Hulk Hogan.

I also believe that whilst Hulk Hogan is responsible for WCW becoming so big so quickly he was also responsible for WCW's downfall because he believed he was soley responsible for WCW's success and that he should be able to do whatever he wanted when he wanted and because he would never let anyone else have top spot or put anyone over clean WCW lost a lot of stars in The Giant, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko and Rey Mysterio who were all good enough and young enough to have carried the company once the older wrestlers stepped aside.

So whilst Hulk Hogan is mainly responsible for WCW becoming so big so quickly upon his arrival because of his he is also mainly responsible for it's downfall becauase he would never allow younger wrestlers to come through to the main event scene and put them over and there is also the small matter of a little known wrestler called Steve Austin who despite being with WCW for a number of years and due a deserved push was held back by Hulk Hogan telling management that this Steve Austin will never be a real star so he should be happy with a mid card role or let go, if my memory serves me right that little known wrestler called Steve Austin went on to do quite well in the end which was all thanks to Hulk Hogan holding him back in WCW.

supremegmn

I never cared for Hulk Hogan, NWO or WCW ever….so I can’t speak on that matter but really quickly , I notice all the slams on TNA for using the veterans and not pushing the young guys…Do any of you guys even watch TNA? Cuz if u did u would know that they’re doing a very interesting angle where the vet’s are going against the young guys in a massive stable war..where in behind the scene interviews with Kurt Angle and Booker T they openly say the young guys will come out on top by the time the feud is over…TNA is doing a great job of getting their young guys over…

Algernon

If you mean beat the WWF in the ratings for almost two years the answer is NO.

Hogan initially did two things for WCW

1. Give them instant recognition and a ratings boost

2. Drew the ire of the old loyal NWA based that largely hated the old WWF.

The second of which is what ultimately led to the NWO. If you watched the Red and Yellow Hulk Hogan from 1995 you could hear all kinds of boos. Hogan's character had been stale for a good 4 years going back to his last couple of years in the WWF.

Some people may not realize this but there's always a been strong WWE hating contingent in the south going back to the mid 80's.

When Vince bought Georgia Championship Wrestling, the NWA fans were furious that his cartoonish WWF took over that time slot on TBS and they called the station to bitch and complain. That led to Vince selling the territory back to Crockett who then was bought out by Ted Turner and then you had WCW.

When Hogan came in those same fans saw that New York guy that they loved to hate but at the same time Hogan did bring in some of the WWF loyalists. The heel turn was perfect because you already had the people who hated him and you could couple that with all the kids and kayfabers that feel that Hogan "turned their back" on them. When you consider all that you see why people were throwing shit at him and the NWO guys.

WCW's turnaround from 1995 to 1996 is really remarkable. The 1995 WCW is pretty much WrestleCrap hall of fame. What a difference bringing a lot of the big names from the WWF and the talented workers from ECW can make.