Hulk Hogan: WrestleMania 30 To Give The WWE Star A Match Or Is He Just A Figurehead?
Will Hulk Hogan get a WrestleMania 30 match or will the WWE star just be a sideshow intended to drive up sales of the WWE Network?
[UPDATE] “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is sitting in the ring right now threatening to put a beating on Hogan. So perhaps we’ll get some action? And now we have The Rock prancing around in the ring so perhaps it’s a Stone Cold / Rock moment. Either way, the fans just want something more than words.
[UPDATE 2] Right off the Divas match there was an animated segment featuring Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Mr. T, and Mr. Wonderful, who complained about losing the very first WrestleMania. There were some words thrown back and forth about having a match to settle it once and for all but that idea was killed off completely when they ended up burying the hatchet with a hand shake. So far it looks like our prediction is coming true…
In a related report by The Inquisitr, from “Rowdy” Roddy Piper to the Ultimate Warrior, all types of challengers have been suggested. Truthfully, it is doubtful Hogan will fight anyone in a full match at the New Orleans Superdome today but it’s promised by management that Hulkamania will at least get somewhat physical.
His Monday night RAW return was supposed to be about building visibility for the WWE network. Forbes claims the main reason WWE brought Hulk Hogan was because of his brand name recognition, not because they wanted him for a match but because they needed him to capture a general audience who might recognize his famous name:
“There’s also plenty on the line for WWE, and a lot of it comes down to Hulk Hogan’s popularity. Hogan hasn’t played much of a role in the in-ring build-up of this weekend’s action, but he may be the night’s most important player because, when it comes to WrestleMania, the casual fan is key. Just consider that last year WWE took home revenue of $67 million, or about 16% of its total gross, from pay-per-view buys. WrestleMania alone was accountable for $28 million, or more than 40%, of that revenue stream; the 11 other PPV events averaged around$3.5 million each. That April surge in PPV buys is, in large part, the result of not-so-serious fans returning to the fold for WWE’s version of the Super Bowl. And thus WWE caters to those casual fans, having previously turned to celebrities like Mr. T and Lawrence Taylor. The only way that this year’s event can hope to match or surpass the records set by 2012?s WrestleMania 28 (more on that in a bit), is Hulk Hogan’s star power. “
But we do know the hulk was training for WM 30 months before today:
#HulkHogan is traing at the #WWE facilities pic.twitter.com/e24dTacoFy
— Armando Barrera B. (@proxemia) February 21, 2014
It’s possible he simply did not want his snakes to be sagging, but otherwise he could have been working out to get back in shape for the ring. In truth, he’s only likely to rip some shirts and disrupt the occasional match involving highlights like John Cena. To give you an idea of his physical condition, back in 2010 Hulk Hogan went to the emergency room and spent nine hours in surgery because he ripped a back muscle… while collecting seashells at the seashore. Needless to say, that would not bode well for any type of WrestleMania 30 match. What do you think?
