Garth’s Deep Dives: Hulk Hogan’s WWF Return, 1993 Edition

We’re trying out something a little different from me, where I examine a specific time period of a subject, could be a solo star, tag team, or a noted rivalry. There will be some match reviews, but it’s more breaking down the timeline of events and examining why something did or didn’t work out, with the match reviews being secondary.

What introduction is necessary for Hulk Hogan? Arguably one of the most popular wrestlers of all-time who grew more polarizing as the years passed due to his incredible ability to misremember certain stories and more importantly, via secret recording, a revelation of his character with the excessive use of negative stereotypes towards African-Americans (and then issuing an apology that was more of a “don’t get caught” warning than anything, and playing ignorant of the subject going forward). Just mentioning Hulk Hogan’s name in recent years often brings those negative memories and wanted to get that out of the way before we dive into today’s topic.

Before we dive into Hulk Hogan’s final months with the WWF, we need to paint a picture of how we got there in the first place. Hogan’s dominance in the world of professional wrestling carried the WWF to new heights as they expanded nationally (and then more comfortably toured globally) with the collapse of the territories. With more highs than lows during his first 7+ years on top of the WWF, and an attempt at making it as a leading man in Hollywood, there didn’t seem to be much cause for concern. One popular theory for the sudden shift in Hogan’s popularity was the infamous appearance on the Arsenio Hall Show, where when questioned about steroid use, Hogan denied using (and then later said he used them a couple of times for injury recovery). As a child who was very much into the WWF at the time, matching Hogan with cool heels like The Undertaker and Sid Justice seemed more damaging to their target demographic.

In a carny business where no one can be fully trusted, the accepted reasoning for Hogan’s farewell at WrestleMania VIII is due to the negative media attention surrounding the company. Was it just for Hogan’s alleged use and denial? Maybe the sexual misconduct allegations brought against WWF officials on top of the steroid distribution headlines put more pressure on them to protect their biggest star from answering questions about the culture of the locker room and any seedy behavior. Maybe Hogan wanted a longer break to rethink his next move. Hell, it could have been a combination of things, but all we know is that Hulk Hogan was gone from WWF programming after April 5th, 1992, and the company marched on with him gone for an indefinite period for the first time since before the launch of WrestleMania. As we progressed through 1992, attendance slipped, PPV numbers were down, syndication was being dropped in markets all over the country, and guys like Randy Savage and Ric Flair fell on the sword.

What is the official timeline of Hulk Hogan’s return and how far in advance were the plans laid out for him? Who knows. We can make an educated guess, based on the timeline of how stories unfolded on TV, that conversations could have started as early as Survivor Series ‘92 when Vince terminated Warrior and dismissed Savage and Flair as valuable assets to build around, but there’s no argument that a conversation and handshake agreement was in place by the time of the 1993 Royal Rumble and they needed buzz to drum up interest for WrestleMania IX which was being sold mostly on the spectacle of being in Las Vegas and the venue didn’t have faith in what was in play without Hulk Hogan’s attachment.

Of course, we cannot dive into Hulk Hogan’s return from hiatus without talking about his brother to the end, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake. With almost little warning, Brutus Beefcake made his return to WWF television on the live episode of Monday Night Raw broadcast on February 1st. Beefcake appeared in front of roughly 900 fans in the grand ballroom of the Manhattan Center, giving a detailed synopsis of his life since his near-fatal parasailing accident on July 4th, including the death of his parents and his wife leaving him (the sob story fell on deaf ears, as most fans seemed disinterested, and one smart ass was clearly picked up yelling “kill yourself”). To make a long story short (“too late”), Beefcake gives credit to God and HULK HOGAN for his recovery and announced his return to action, that he had an open contract for whoever wanted to accept. Later in the show, Tag Team Champions Ted Dibiase and I.R.S. jumped at the opportunity despite the pleas of their manager, Jimmy Hart. Following a coin-toss, it was determined that Dibiase would face Beefcake in what would be Brutus’ first match in 2 ½ years.

Taped later that night for broadcast on February 15th, Brutus and Dibiase worked a simple 4-minute match of mostly schtick, featuring Beefcake repeatedly frustrating Dibiase. The match ended via Disqualification when I.R.S. whacked Beefcake from the floor with the briefcase. The assault continued, with Jimmy Hart repeatedly stepping between Beefcake and his men. Growing frustrated with his compassion, Irwin threw Hart aside and blasted Beefcake across the face, busting him open and putting his in-ring future in doubt just minutes after it resumed.

Money Inc. would most certainly pay the consequences for this vile act, and on February 22nd, the Red and Yellow of Hulkamania would finally return after nearly 11-months away from the spotlight. The Manhattan Center crowd that showed little interest for Brutus were all decked out with their finest Hulk Hogan merchandise in what would oddly enough be Hulk Hogan’s one and only appearance in front of a live crowd on Monday Night Raw for the duration of this run. Hulk details the events of what happened to his best friend the Barber, but despite his face being crushed into a million pieces, HE’S OK (…). He publicly thanks the big man upstairs for being with Brutus Beefcake since day one, as well as Jimmy Hart for stepping in. Hulk wants it to be known that he’s officially back in the WWF and he’s going to right the wrong of Money Inc. He brings out the Bionic-Barber, who is selling the devastation of the assault with some makeup and tape across his nose, then Jimmy Hart, who Hogan reveals is their brand new MANAGER… Hulk Hogan really needs a manager?

Anyway, Jimmy Hart comes out with a new airbrushed red-and-yellow Hulkamania-style outfit. Hart professes admiration for Hogan and that he always idolized him. He believes Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake will be the greatest tag team of all time. Hogan says Jimmy’s first order of business for THE MEGA MANIACS is to get the Multi-Million Dollar Man or I.R.S. either in singles or tag team matches. Though no official match was announced for WrestleMania IX, in storyline, it was confirmed that the Nasty Boys, the team previously feuding with Money Inc., would “step aside”, opening the path for Hogan and Beefcake to challenge for the Tag Team Championship, and turning WrestleMania IX into a “double Main Event” spectacular. We’re just a couple of weeks into the return of Hogan and everything feels wrong. Beefcake doesn’t fit the product, at least not the crowd they are drawing at the Manhattan Center, Jimmy Hart as a babyface manager, Hulk needing a manager for the sake of it… SPOILERS: Had Jimmy Hart done a short-term turn just to screw Hogan and Beefcake over, I’d probably accept this more, but nope, because of their personal relationship, and Hogan being able to call his shots more than ever, the move was made and the doomsday clock just started ticking at an accelerated rate for the Mouth of the South.

With WrestleMania IX being sold on the return to the ring for Hulk Hogan, it’s no surprise that his television appearances were limited to mostly pre-tapes, but between the return at the Manhattan Center and Mania, there were three dates for taping syndication still to clear; March 7th in Fayetteville, NC, March 8th in North Charleston, SC, and March 9th in Augusta, GA. Hogan and Friends taped interviews in front of the live crowd at the first two nights, featured on the March to WrestleMania USA Network special and Superstars respectively, but with almost a year away from the ring, would Hogan get some work under his belt? Yes. Yes he would, and for North Charleston and Augusta, Hulkamania ran wild in the squared circle…

The Mega Maniacs (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. The Beverly Brothers – Taped on March 9th from Augusta, GA and featured on the home video “Grudges, Gripes and Grunts” that was released later in the Summer. I guess with slim pickings for tag teams to squash, it makes sense to feed the Beverly Brothers here, but seriously, what a weird timeline where HULK HOGAN AND BRUTUS BEEFCAKE are wrestling Beau and Blake Beverly. 1993 was a weird, wild year. It’s a shame Lanny Poffo isn’t still around for old times sake. Beefcake starts by spamming the taunt button and tags in the Hulkster. Lockup and he sends Blake (Mike Enos) crashing down to the canvas. Hogan runs wild with fingerpokes to the eyes. Beau (Wayne Bloom) rushes in and he’s quickly sent to the floor with an atomic drop. Double big boot to Blake and Hogan with more fingers to the eyes, followed by a rake of the chest. The Beverly Brothers finally get some heat on Beefcake, for all of about 45-seconds. Beau’s flying nothing is met with a boot to the face and Hogan with the hot tag. He unloads with rights and a big boot and finishes by smacking Beau with the megaphone and covering for three at 6:54. Come on, Hulk, can’t even give them a leg drop? WE NEEDED TO CHEAT FOR THE SAKE OF CHEATING TO BEAT THE BEVERLY BROTHERS?! That was a hell of a warm-up to shake the ring rust. Just nothing of a match with the bare minimum effort. ½*

In case a couple of short matches with the Beverly Brothers wasn’t enough, the WWF did put Hulk on one live event before WrestleMania IX; a non-title match between the Mega-Maniacs and Money Inc. for a crowd of 2,400 in Lakeland, FL on March 19th. Not a bad spot to get them familiar ahead of Mania IX; a small market that you can give them Hulk and still expect them to pay to see the match again for the title on PPV. It’s at this point, as I’m ready to talk about WrestleMania and all the drama surrounding the show, I realize how little reason I have to care about the tag team match. Lucky for us, after already purchasing the PPV (or watching on scramble-vision), there was a tease that Money Inc. put a hit on Hogan to keep him out of action.

WWF Tag Team Championship Match: Money Inc. (c) vs. The Mega-Maniacs (w/ Jimmy Hart) – The first half of the WrestleMania IX Double Main Event, from Las Vegas, NV on April 4th, 1993. With the tease of some shady underhanded tactics at hand, Hulk Hogan shows up with the nastiest black eye you could imagine… but what is the real story on the black eye? The popular rumor is that there was a confrontation between Hulk and Randy Savage and you can draw your own conclusion, while the Hogan story (and passed along via other channels) is that he was struck in the face in a jet ski accident. I know it’s hard to defend against something as juicy as the former, but we’ll put a pin in that and come back to it soon enough, I promise.

The Champions try to get the early jump, but the Maniacs clear the ring. Once things settle down, Beefcake and I.R.S. start. Money Inc. with the early advantage, keeping Beefcake in their corner. A shot to the face doesn’t work out with the protective mask, and the crowd barely reacts for the spot, so you can tell how much they have invested in Beefcake’s involvement. Hogan tags in and unloads on Dibiase with right hands. Whip and a double boot from the challengers. Hogan sends Dibiase over the top rope with a clothesline, then sends I.R.S. after him. The Champions tease a walk-out, but Earl Hebner over-steps his authority and threatens to strip them of the belts if they don’t return.

Dibiase gets some shots in on Hulk and chokes him across the middle rope. I honestly have no memory of Hogan selling for ANYONE (in this match) and am shocked he’s showing any vulnerability. Dibiase locks in the Million Dollar Dream, and now it’s coming back to me. Hogan is in the hold FOREVER, but then Beefcake saves by knocking Dibiase out with his own sleeper in about 1/20th the amount of time. Beefcake gets the hot tag, but he’s quickly overwhelmed and the mask is removed so we can build to the REAL hot tag. Beefcake gets a sleeper on I.R.S. but Dibiase saves, and in the process, wipes out the referee. Hogan back in, hitting Dibiase with right hands and a big boot. He bonks both Dibiase and I.R.S. with the mask, but the referee is still out, so Jimmy turns his jacket inside out, revealing pinstripes, and counts the double pin himself. The Maniacs celebrate with the belts, but OH NO, another referee comes out, and Money Inc. are declared the winners via Disqualification at 19:00. What in the holy fuck was this mess? It was like someone took all the lamest house show tropes AND PUT IT IN THE SEMI-MAIN EVENT OF THE BIGGEST SHOW OF THE YEAR. I go back-and-forth on how much I hate this match. They went out there and did a weekend matinee house show match, which is fine and dandy, but this is WrestleMania, and THIS is the best you can do? *½

It almost seems like a weird waste of Hogan to bring him back for the sake of a cheap cop-out Tag Team Championship Match… What’s this? We haven’t seen the last of Hogan at WrestleMania IX?! In an unusual turn of events, instead of a promo from either the reigning WWF Champion, Bret Hart, or Royal Rumble winner and challenger, Yokozuna, we get a word from THE HULKSTER, who has Bret’s back and makes an ignorant comment about Yokozuna’s kayfabe ethnicity. Following shenanigans from Mr. Fuji, Yokozuna would shock the world by pinning Bret for the Championship in the most anti-climatic finish you could imagine! It didn’t take long for Hulk to run out and protest the finish as Bret writhers around in great discomfort from a fistful of baby powder. Then, for no good reason, Fuji starts barking at Hogan, calling him a yellow-belly and issuing a challenge on the spot for the WWF Championship. With the iggy from Bret, Hulk jumps in the ring, only for Yokozuna to immediately pounce on him. Fuji loads up the salt again, but this time the plan backfires! Yokozuna takes the shot in the face, Hogan knocks the monster off his feet, and the leg drop wins Hogan his record-extending 5th WWF Championship in less than half-a-minute in an impromptu match.

The crowd certainly seems entertained as the PPV feed cuts out, but the post-match celebration sees Hogan joined in the ring by Brutus Beefcake (makes sense), Vince McMahon (uh… sure?) and… RANDY SAVAGE?! OK, so back to that black-eye business. We know the weird love-hate relationship the Macho Man and Hulk had, but this seems like an odd time to act like best friends if you’re the man responsible for wrecking the headlining act’s face less than 48 hours earlier. No matter what the truth is, all that matters to the WWF audience is that Hulk Hogan is back on top of the world… and they wouldn’t see him anywhere near a WWF ring again for nearly 2-months.

Even with the announcement of a new PPV and a return match scheduled, the Hulkster was not present for the round of TV tapings following WrestleMania IX. With a built-in excuse for the rematch, there was no need for taping a heat segment for syndication, and Hogan’s television appearances between WrestleMania and King of the Ring were limited to pre-tapes (along with Jimmy Hart and The Bionic Barber) from the set of Thunder in Paradise, some of the worst promos Hogan ever delivered for the WWF, just rambling nonsense for 2-3 minutes per spot. It’s easy to say with hindsight, but even in the Spring of ‘93, and at a young age, something about Hogan’s return didn’t feel satisfying, and there was plenty of doubt that he would leave the Nutter Center in Dayton, OH as the WWF Champion.

Despite having little TV presence, the business was still about selling tickets at the untelevised shows, and the limited dates Hogan worked saw varying results, most of them showing little increase in attendance from previous stops, though they did draw improved numbers for the Meadowlands and a healthy gate in Manitoba. Now are the less-successful houses on Hogan alone? No. Despite being the WWF Champion, Hogan’s few dates working the houses were more tag team matches where he and Beefcake challenged Money Inc. for the Tag Team Titles. Hogan’s name was still worth enough to keep business at level, but having Beefcake, Dibiase and I.R.S. attached to him as the big draw? Who knows if Hogan had a say in what he did (with WCW, we knew 100% he was calling his shots), but you’d think Hogan doing title defenses against Yokozuna and doing DQ finishes would have been more appealing.

As the King of the Ring approaches, you might be wondering why I jumped over another major appearance of Hogan that gained some infamy among the “hardcore” audience who had access to international content. Earlier, I said Hogan didn’t step inside a WWF ring for nearly two months (zero appearances between April 4th and May 21st), but he did appear for New Japan Pro Wrestling, defeating IWGP Champion the Great Muta in a Non-Title Match. The match itself wasn’t controversial, but the promos Hogan cut for local media were, where he was quoted calling the WWF Championship a toy and putting over the IWGP World Championship as the top belt in the world. Of course, smart fans jump all over this, but it’s clearly Hogan cutting a promo for a specific market that was never intended for Western audiences. It’s like the modern era of WWE and AEW fans getting mad at workers playing to their audience and then doing the same when they find employment elsewhere. (Oh, and for the record, Hogan vs Muta is a solid effort, like 3-3.5 stars if you need me to throw something out there)

WWF Championship Match: Hulk Hogan (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. Yokozuna (w/ Mr. Fuji) – From King of the Ring 1993, held on June 13th from Dayton, OH, the place Vince loved so much he refused to have it identified by name, just simply as “the heartland of America.” Yokozuna is followed to the ring by a group of “Japanese” photographers (including one oddly dressed man who REALLY stands out). He’s also beefed up to a healthy 568 pounds. Lockup and a push-off barely moves Yoko. They lockup again, and this time Yoko sends Hogan to the canvas. Yoko with a slam, but Hogan avoids an avalanche and unloads with rights. Whip to the corner and Hogan charges in with a clothesline. He goes for a slam, but is unsuccessful. Rake of the eyes and another attempt, also unsuccessful. Yoko finally cuts Hogan off and grabs a bearhug. Hogan with the escape, only to run into an elbow. Belly-to-belly suplex from the challenger and it’s HULK UP TIME, BROTHER. Hogan with right hands and a big boot, but Yoko won’t go down. More rights and another boot, still standing. THREE MORE RIGHTS AND A THIRD BOOT FINALLY KNOCKS YOKOZUNA DOWN! Hogan drops the leg, but Yokozuna kicks out! Hogan takes a swing at Fuji on the apron, then is suddenly distracted by a photographer on the apron. The flash goes off and a FIREBALL SHOOTS IN HOGAN’S FACE. Yokozuna with the double thrust to take Hogan down and the leg drop earns Yokozuna his second and final reign as WWF Champion at 13:11. YOKOZUNA PINNED HOGAN WITH HIS OWN MOVE! Post-match, Hogan gets a Banzai Drop for his troubles. If this were a 5-minute sprint, a solid match, but they did SO LITTLE in the middle there, and it just felt like another “take it easy matinee effort” from Hogan. *

At this point, the run hits a fork in the road. If you were going by the television product, Hulk Hogan’s presence is completely gone. He’s not marketed for upcoming live events, there’s no talk about getting revenge for the King of the Ring, it’s as if he vanished off the face of the earth. Oh, there were ads in the Fall for “Mr. Nanny”, and you could still see his figure and likeness in ads for WWF action figures and Royal Rumble for Sega Genesis, but Hogan was gone, and life went on with Vince McMahon wrapping the American flag around Lex Luger, who spent all of 1993 as the obnoxious “Narcissist” and now he was fighting for the foreign menace because REASONS. Despite his removal from TV, Hogan did appear at the TV tapings following King of the Ring, working dark matches with Money Inc. (AGAIN), one with Sgt. Slaughter as the special referee (a GOD AWFUL match on the Unreleased DVD set), and a Lumberjack teasing a confrontation with the Giant Gonzales that obviously didn’t go anywhere (but was eventually found and published on WWE Vault’s YouTube channel).

If you were a fan in the UK, there was still life left in Hulkamania, as local promos were taped for their live event segments. For the final week of July and first week of August, the WWF scheduled a European Tour with Hulk Hogan attached as the headline attraction, and THANK THE LORD, we finally ditched Money Inc. and Hogan is challenging Yokozuna for the WWF Championship across the tour, with stops in Austria, Germany, Scotland, France, and England, and each match ending with a Disqualification and Hogan posing to send the fans home happy (two matches from this tour have surfaced via Fan-Cam, from Dortmund on July 30th and Munich on August 1st, both about what you would expect as far as quality is concerned). On Bruce Prichard’s “Something to Wrestle”, he mentioned the European tour as a major factor in the decision to putting the belt on Hogan, first incorrectly saying it was the post-Mania tour in the middle of April, and then of course ignoring that he wasn’t the Champion here, but like anything else (like the rumors of Bret vs Hogan and the phantom photoshoot), you never know where the truth lands, you just accept what is on the table and form your own opinion.

On August 6th, 1993, Hulk Hogan and Yokozuna worked in front of the sold out Sheffield crowd, and that would be the final chapter of Hulk Hogan in the WWF. Hogan would make a few more appearances overseas before being aggressively courted by WCW, a make-or-break move that involved giving Hogan creative control, a lucrative contract, bonuses based on gates, bonuses based on PPV buys, and almost all of the money from his merchandise. With that kind of offer on the table, there was no way Vince was going to match, at least when looking at what business looked like just months earlier where improvement across the board was marginal at best, and wouldn’t be worth that kind of contract. It didn’t stop Vince and friends from taking shots at Hogan throughout the rest of the decade for being an old, overpaid primadonna, but that’s a story for a different day.

After ushering in a new era that kicked off the WWF’s national expansion and being the brand standard for the better part of 9 years, Hulk Hogan finally felt out of place in the WWF. Between WrestleMania VIII and his return in February, the roster saw a massive overhaul, with new faces and more outlandish gimmicks being introduced to replace the stars of the “Golden Era”, and with little familiarity, Hogan stuck out like a sore thumb. Maybe it was the work he put in… the matches weren’t very good, not even when adjusting for the standards of the era and his own work in recent years, and the promos didn’t click. Maybe you could blame it on the booking… Hogan’s best work was coming back from a heinous betrayal or attack, but here, the big sell is avenging his buddy that the fans crapped all over while giving a wishy-washy sob story. There was little done to make him feel like he belonged as he had zero TV presence between PPV’s outside of those handfuls of pre-tapes while filming Thunder in Paradise, and his last impression on the WWF audience was a middle-of-the-card title switch on a throwaway PPV, a far cry from building the biggest show of the year around his possible retirement just 15 months earlier.