At Their Peak, Who Was Hottest/Most Popular?

[st0rmb11]

Simple question, pretty much.

You look at each wrestler's peak, who was the hottest, most popular, best known wrestler? (within the realm of wrestling fans & outside of it)

I'm not going to answer, and I really don't feel qualified because I wasn't into wrestling at the time of Hogan's, Flair's, Andre's, HBK's, or Bret's peak.

To me, I live in South Carolina, and I don't know a person who doesn't know of, and whose parents don't know of, and whose grandparents don't know of...Ric Flair.

and this almost 30 years after the NWA/Mid-South Wrestling's popularity, so I can't even imagine how big he was in the late 70s and through the 80s.

[55]

Re: At Their Peak, Who Was Hottest/Most Popular?

Unless you're over 30 it would be hard to understand how HUGE Hulkamania was in the mid 80s. The guy got 93,000+ people to show up IN PERSON to watch him wrestle. Nobody else can say that. A lot of guys have been "over" but Hogan was beyond that. He singlehandedly brought pro wrestling into mainstream popular culture.

And this is coming from a guy whose favorite wrestler of all-time is Ric Flair.

[st0rmb11]

Re: At Their Peak, Who Was Hottest/Most Popular?

Unless you're over 30 it would be hard to understand how HUGE Hulkamania was in the mid 80s. The guy got 93,000+ people to show up IN PERSON to watch him wrestle. Nobody else can say that. A lot of guys have been "over" but Hogan was beyond that. He singlehandedly brought pro wrestling into mainstream popular culture.

And this is coming from a guy whose favorite wrestler of all-time is Ric Flair.

Yeah, like I said I wasn't around to experience "Hulkamania" at it's peak, but I was getting into wrestling soon after his heel turn, and even though he was a "bad guy", he was still getting cheers across the country and was the biggest name and draw in WCW. And, when he returned to WWE, people marked out for him like no one I had seen before, but I didn't know if it was more of a nostalgia thing (much the way they erupt when someone like Brock or Bret Hart or Mick Foley returns).

I know that for that one year span, Goldberg got some of the biggest pops I've ever heard from a wrestling crowd.

The only pops I've ever heard that compared were when Triple H returned from his first quad surgery, the first time The Rock returned, and several times during Austin's peak in the late '90s.

[Streets]

Re: At Their Peak, Who Was Hottest/Most Popular?

Unless you're over 30 it would be hard to understand how HUGE Hulkamania was in the mid 80s. The guy got 93,000+ people to show up IN PERSON to watch him wrestle. Nobody else can say that. A lot of guys have been "over" but Hogan was beyond that. He singlehandedly brought pro wrestling into mainstream popular culture.

And this is coming from a guy whose favorite wrestler of all-time is Ric Flair.

I think this is the only acceptable answer. In many ways, Hogan did for pro wrestling what MJ did for basketball (I guess that would make Vince David Stern, lol).

The more fair question would be who would be #2. I'd go with Austin as the second biggest star ever.

[OSUFan_88]

Re: At Their Peak, Who Was Hottest/Most Popular?

No question about it, it was Hogan. He was and always will be the most famous professional wrestler of all time.

[fpac]

Hogan #1 easily. And I'd agree that Austin was #2.

[goh]

Re: At Their Peak, Who Was Hottest/Most Popular?

Yup Hogan.

I'd actually go with Bruno for #2. Just going on what's been written about him but he certainly seems to be up there especially considering the timeframe.

[CJ1K]

Re: At Their Peak, Who Was Hottest/Most Popular?

It's hard to justify voting for anyone other than Hogan/Austin. Hulk Hogan however wins based on the length of his run not only in WWF but also in WCW. Austin however made WWF the hottest thing in '98, so I could understand some people voting him if they weren't really around and living in the 80's when Hulk Hogan was untouchable.

[JohnDoe8865]

Re: At Their Peak, Who Was Hottest/Most Popular?

It's clearly between Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair for many reasons. Both carried their respective companies thru the 80s and part of the 90s, both drew record live crowds wherever they went to wrestle & both men made the career of countless men they wrestled, moreso than anyone else on this list. Hogan led wrestling through it's first true boom period, especially on TV and PPV.

Andre was a great draw, but he was really a guy people showed up to see because of his tremendous size and mystique. He wrestled a ton of squash matches and it was believable. A great live draw, but not a guy who you build a company around.

Bret Hart had a great run from around 93-97 as a main eventer. But he never really had the massive popularity of the others on the list. On popularity alone, he isn't really in the discussion. Vince tried to hand him the ball after Hogan left and Hart couldn't really carry the company even with some great talent to work with.

Shawn Michaels had a great short run in the mid and late 90s, but he isn't really even in the discussion here for a couple of reasons. Longevity being one and the fact that he had more talent to work with than a lot of the other guys in this poll. He was pretty hot in 95 and 96 especially, and then again with DX in the late 90s, but at that point he was upstaged by Austin.

Sting, as great as he is, never really carried a company even at his peak of popularity and even though he's a legend for good reason, he has always needed a great foe. He has and still is having an amazing run, but it's hard to justify him as the choice since he never had the opportunity to carry the ball as the man, other than a short stint when Flair left WCW in 91-92 and in TNA in 2005-2006.

Both Triple H and the Rock got hot at the same time and helped make each other in what was really some of the most compelling TV and PPVs that have ever happened. Both had short runs at the top, but both were incredibly hot when they were the "man".

Goldberg was white hot during his one to two year run at the top of WCW, never moreso than the night in Atlanta in 1997 when he beat Hogan for the belt. That was probably the peak of his career looking back. Again, lack of longevity and the fact that he had Hulk Hogan to be his heel foe make it very tough to even consider him.

Stone Cold was an incredible story. He was a fantastic mid card wrestler throughout the 90s with WCW before getting traction in ECW and finally breaking through despite horrible booking in his first shot with the WWE. But once he broke through at KOTR in 1996, he arguably carried them to heights they've never been able to re-create through the late 90s. In terms of merchandise sales, popularity among every type of fan, bringing in new fans, etc he probably rivaled Hogan. He's #3 behind Hogan and Flair in my mind.

Cena has been a WWE main eventer and on top of the company for, what, 8 years now? He sells merchandise at a Hogan like level and has certainly got the biggest push since the likes of Hogan and Austin, but the lack of great competition and great heel challengers has really hurt him. The crowd seems to be split on him too, so it's kind of hard to gauge how much of his heat is legit and how much is people being tired of being force fed him. He could one day be at the top of this list if he continues to be the main draw and the business hits another hot time.

TL;DR - It's Hogan or Flair.

[st0rmb11]

Re: At Their Peak, Who Was Hottest/Most Popular?

Great analysis, John, and while I agree that Hart isn't in the same rarefied category with Hogan, Flair, & Austin, he had, arguably, the greatest international fan base of any of these guys.

In Canada, Mexico, Germany, the UK, China, all over..he was the hottest superstar for at least 5 years.

I don't really think you can lump The Rock & Triple H in the same category. Triple H "carried" the company after Rock & Austin's departures. The Rock exploded shortly after Austin exploded, and provided a great foil to Austin, and vice versa. You could argue that, even though Austin kick started the Attitude Era and incredible popularity, The Rock was just as hot from 1998-2000. Hell, when Austin went down with his neck injury, The Rock carried the company for a year, and it continued soaring to heights it hadn't seen in years, if ever. Also, he was really the first one to successfully transition full-time into Hollywood. I know Hogan, Austin, & Andre had done it, but Rock was the first one to make a career out of it. You could probably find as many non-wrestling followers who know The Rock as you could that know Hogan; maybe more.

Also, I understand the longevity point, but the question I posed - at their peak, who was the hottest? Whether that peak lasted a year, or whether that peak lasted a decade or more.

Like I said, here in the south, it's Ric Flair, by far. But, overall, I agree that it comes down to Hogan, Flair, & Austin.

But, as I mentioned, I asked at their peak...and at his peak, no one can deny that Goldberg was as over and as hot as anyone.

[Chrisksaint]

Re: At Their Peak, Who Was Hottest/Most Popular?

Yeah it's definitely those 3 that's been mentioned with Hulk first. Wildcard would also be Goldberg as mentioned, but the downfall of WCW kind of killed that

[st0rmb11]

Re: At Their Peak, Who Was Hottest/Most Popular?

Yeah it's definitely those 3 that's been mentioned with Hulk first. Wildcard would also be Goldberg as mentioned, but the downfall of WCW kind of killed that

Eh, I would say the fact that Hogan & Nash realized he was getting so big was his downfall...

[Control-X]

Re: At Their Peak, Who Was Hottest/Most Popular?

Hulk Hogan popularized pro wresting in his time but Steve Austin catapulted it to greater heights, then the Attitude Era happened, where he was the most popular WWF/E merchandise at that point. Stone Cold got my vote and it hurts 'cause I'm a huge Hulkamania fan.

[goh]

Re: At Their Peak, Who Was Hottest/Most Popular?

Hart is loved in Canada more than anyone else on the list. Hogan can compete but otherwise a complete blowout.

I think Stone Cold gets too much credit. Can't forget The Rock and DX. Even Mankind for some reason.

Flair never transcended wrestling in the same way Hogan did. Maybe in the Southern states/around NC but worldwide I don't think so. Hogan had all these movies and I would assume guest spots on shows and they were all mainstream things. Not like today where a wrestler gets on a C or D show for a guest spot. I can't name anything Flair has been in off the top of my head. Maybe the opening of Highlander. It was the Freebirds and someone.

[areobee401]

Re: At Their Peak, Who Was Hottest/Most Popular?

The age of some posters is showing in the poll results.

The answer is Hogan.