Thirty years ago, in the summer of 1994, the wrestling world was shaken. Vince McMahon and the WWF were on trial for steroid distribution. The most high-profile witness for the prosecution had just left Vince’s employ: Hulk Hogan was making the jump from the WWF to WCW. At that time, many feared the WWF—and perhaps even pro-wrestling itself—might not survive.
that notion seems absurd. Like any staple of popular culture, wrestling changes—adapts, evolves, morphs—but endures with loyal fans and the ebb and flow of casual viewers. Back then, it felt like the end times for the WWF and a significant shift towards WCW. While the former did not come to pass, the latter did, and within a year, the Monday Night Wars ignited.
Hulk Hogan’s exit from the WWF was anything but gracious. Vince McMahon had hyped the Hogan versus Sid Justice matchup at WrestleMania VIII as possibly Hogan’s last match. Hogan returned for WrestleMania IX for what was supposed to be his real farewell match, tagging with Brutus Beefcake to face Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase and I.R.S.). In an unexpected twist, Hogan ended the night as WWF Champion, defeating Yokozuna in under ten seconds after Yokozuna had just won the title from Bret Hart. At King of the Ring 1993, Hogan wrestled his last WWF match of the decade, losing the belt back to Yokozuna.
Although everything was set up for Hogan to return and reclaim the title, negotiations fell through. Hogan claimed he was more interested in pursuing movies. Instead of Hogan, newly turned Lex Luger bodyslammed Yokozuna on the U.S.S. Intrepid on July 4, 1993. The fans aboard the Intrepid, eager for Hogan, chanted his name when the chopper carrying Luger landed. Hogan has always known when to exit a scene. When the Dr. Zahorian trial in 1991 revealed Hogan’s name as a client, he was the focus of media scrutiny. Not only was he the most famous wrestler, but he was also the one telling kids they could achieve his physique and skills through training, prayers, and vitamins. Hogan appeared on the Arsenio Hall Show to mitigate the scrutiny but only worsened it by denying recreational use and admitting to using steroids only a few times for recovery.
Ever wonder why Hogan vanished from WWF TV between WrestleMania VIII and IX? That’s why. If you’ve watched the 1992 Royal Rumble or WrestleMania VIII on the Network, you’ll hear Hogan cheered wildly (and Sid booed when he eliminated Hogan at the Rumble). This is a postproduction edit. Go back and watch the original live versions (if you can find them), and you’ll hear Hogan booed mercilessly during his Rumble entry and his traditional entrance at WrestleMania VIII. Moreover, Sid Justice received a huge pop when he eliminated Hogan at the Rumble and cheers for his WrestleMania entrance. These reactions were a direct result of perceived steroid use and the cover-up. Hogan wanted to escape the scrutiny and pressure from the media and fans. He stayed away for nearly a year.
In the spring of ’94, McMahon was indicted by a grand jury after two years of investigation and, that summer, taken to federal court to face charges of steroid distribution to wrestlers. The federal case was weak and, unlike the Dr. Zahorian trial of 1991, presented no solid evidence of a steroid distribution conspiracy. Hogan did testify but offered the same flimsy excuses he had previously used on Arsenio. He claimed he only used steroids for recovery. While Zahorian had been caught red-handed destroying evidence as the feds stormed his office, McMahon was never directly tied to a distribution conspiracy. At the end of July 1994, a neck-brace-clad McMahon celebrated when the jury found him not guilty due to lack of evidence. The trial of Vince McMahon on steroid distribution charges began on July 11, 1994, and concluded with his acquittal on July 22, 1994.
Fans still turned away from the WWF in droves, and wrestlers were increasingly seen as inflated cheaters. Needless to say, Hogan wasn’t interested in returning to the WWF.
In the summer of ’94, Hogan was busy filming Thunder in Paradise in Orlando at Disney MGM, where WCW filmed its syndicated shows. With promises of future movies and television roles with Turner networks and a central spot at WCW pay-per-views, Hogan’s ego was won over, and he signed with Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling. While Vince was on trial in July, Hogan won the big gold belt from Ric Flair at WCW’s Bash at the Beach, in his first match for the promotion.
Hulkamania marked a significant departure for WCW, which had for years positioned itself as the anti-WWF. On commentary, WCW often discussed the “real wrestling ability” of its “athletes” and the “state athletic commission” that sanctioned this “sporting contest.” The WWF, by contrast, cast itself as more of a comic book storyline than a sporting competition. The famous phone call between Turner and McMahon reflects this mentality. When Turner told McMahon he had purchased WCW and was in the “rasslin’ business,” Vince responded that was great, but he and the WWF were in the “sports entertainment business.”
For those of us who had loyally followed WCW, the shift was shocking. What had felt like an equitable distribution of talent with a focus on wrestling prowess suddenly became the Hogan show. Hogan insisted on making mid-1990s WCW resemble late-1980s WWF. He brought in Brutus Beefcake to team with and feud with, Earthquake to feud with, and Randy Savage to form a new Mega Powers connection. Hogan’s WWF buddies also came over: The Nasty Boys, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and others. Duggan quickly defeated Stunnin’ Steve Austin, one of WCW’s best homegrown talents, for the US Championship. They created the Giant as the kayfabe son of Andre, back for revenge on Hogan for WrestleMania III. Hogan even brought back Zeus (renamed Z-Gansta in WCW) to face him in a cage match reminiscent of the No Holds Barred pay-per-view.
It wasn’t WCW.
I wasn’t the only WCW fan who didn’t buy it. I wasn’t the only one rooting for Flair and Vader to beat Hogan. It felt like a slap in the face to the WCW that had been, an admission that the WWF had always been better. It suggested that the best of WCW couldn’t match the best of WWF. While Hogan did draw viewers, his appeal in WCW waned quickly. By the end of ’94 and the beginning of ’95, Hogan was frequently booed by WCW fans. We were tired of the Hulkamania routine, the single-minded booking, and seeing our favorite wrestlers held back because Hogan needed to be on top. We were frustrated by Hogan’s refusal to lose cleanly.
And wouldn’t you know it, Hogan decided to disappear again after ’95?
When he re-emerged at Bash at the Beach ’96 as the third man and introduced the NWO, he had finally taken the hint and tried a different approach. This time, it stuck. The NWO changed wrestling forever by popularizing faction warfare, casual attire on TV, real names instead of fake ones, invading groups, and onscreen commentary about promotion politics (Eric Bischoff played the evil heel boss before Vince assumed that role). It was immensely popular with fans. In just two years, from ’94 to ’96, the industry was back. The WWF responded to the NWO with the Attitude Era. You can watch documentaries to see how exciting wrestling became and how captivating the Monday Night Wars were in the late 1990s.
Online, you’ll find forums where fans debate the what-ifs of a world where Hulk never left the WWF. “What if Hulk Hogan never left the WWF?” they ask. It’s a pointless debate, as Hogan was never going to stick around in a sinking ship. It was the right move. If not for WCW firing Stunnin’ Steve Austin in ’94—allowing ECW and then the WWF to hire him—the WWF might never have made its comeback during the Monday Night Wars. WWE and the Network might never have existed. Hulk Hogan might have been cast by history as the only major draw in the business.
There’s no point in debating what didn’t happen. What we can say, 30 years later, is that looking back at the summer of ’94, wrestling appears to be an indestructible force in our culture… However, Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan have both been part of numerous controversies; including the court room too.
