Hulk Hogan reveals what he thinks killed WCW (Exclusive)
Hulk Hogan was WCW's marquee attraction between 1994 and 2000. In an exclusive interview, The Hulkster addressed the reason why WCW went downhill before former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon bought the promotion in 2001.
A recent VICE TV docuseries, Who Killed WCW, gave various accounts of how the company struggled in its later years. Hogan was approached about appearing on the show but thought the topic was too negative to discuss.
Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter asked Hogan to summarize what he would have said had he appeared on the show. The two-time WWE Hall of Famer made it clear that WCW's parent company, AOL Time Warner, ultimately made the call:
"I think that it was just a corporate decision," Hogan said. "I think it had nothing to do with talent or who was fired or anything like that. I just think that big corporate Ted Turner/Time Warner just didn't want that as part of their portfolio. They wanted Turner Classic Movies for the week in their programming. They were very highbrow as far as their approach to programming and they didn't want a rasslin' show on the network." [0:50 – 1:20]
WCW's former owner Ted Turner grew up as a huge wrestling fan. Hulk Hogan believes the company's days were numbered when Turner began losing power after Time Warner merged with America Online (AOL) in 2001:
"I think it was simply because Ted loved wrestling. That's pretty much what got him into the TV business in the 50s. I think he was loyal to wrestling to a fault and when there was a Time Warner merger, they saw their chance to depower Ted and get him in a position as far as his stock went that they could eliminate him from the picture or basically put a power move on Ted, and his office went from being front and center to the aisleway there in the CNN tower." [1:20 – 1:56]
Watch the video above to hear Hulk Hogan's take on Goldberg losing his undefeated streak against Kevin Nash at WCW Starrcade 1998.
Hulk Hogan on Ted Turner's importance to WCW staying in business
In 1996, Ted Turner's Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. merged with Time Warner, Inc. Turner held a prominent role as Vice Chairman for another five years before Time Warner was purchased by AOL in 2001.
Hulk Hogan further explained how a lack of AOL Time Warner executive interest in wrestling led to WCW's sale to Vince McMahon:
"I think once he [Ted Turner] lost power they decided to cut the wrestling out, which was their highest-rated program, simply because of the look of wrestling. They wanted the Hollywood A-list type mentality TV topping. They just didn't want wrestling, so I think it's just basically a corporate move." [1:57 – 2:20]
Some of Hogan's biggest career moments occurred in WCW, most notably his 1996 heel turn and the creation of the nWo stable. He also won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times.
Who do you think killed WCW? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
Hulk Hogan recently launched Real American Beer. You can buy merchandise and find out more details about the brand via therealamerican.com.
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