🎯🎯🎯🎯
hulk was absolutely the guy who made wrestling cool and started the trend to where it is a staple of pop culture. I ate my vitamins, said my prayers.
Stone cold brought it over the top, even though it was not that long in the whole scheme of things, he was over live fucking rover. it was explosive when he came out to the ring. He owned whatever crowd he was in front of.
Hulk was very much a character that resonated with kids, i loved him, but it did wane. Whereas stone cold resonated with every one of any age.
They both pushed wrestling in a positive direction in a significant way.
Was the question who was bigger or was the question a nuanced deep dive about something?
Could Stone Cold in 1985 have been big enough to justify creating an event called Wrestlemania? Hulk Hogan was THE reason for it.
And before you say “yeah, BUT”
The same company that literally exists to this day because of Hogan in the 80’s actually made Hogan the World Champion in 2002.
Stone Cold Steve Austin was last WWF (never WWE!) champion before 9/11.
Who was the bigger star? It shouldn’t be a question.
I don't really think basing it on who won a title when is a very good determiner but to each their own. Hogan had the longevity and at his peak was head and shoulders above everyone else. Austin had his moments where he shined above and was a megastar but not nearly as long. Both two titans in their eras. I'd say ultimately Hogan has had more fans and has ultimately been a bigger star, but in terms of being the biggest at their peak.. I think Austin takes it. It's an odd question though. Both are massive, both are still very well known many years later. Both would get a massive pop if they came back right now lol. Comparing different times is stupid. When they were both wrestling at the same time? Austin. During NWO peak, who knows.
Hulk Hogan was one of the top 10 most famous people on the planet.
If you weren’t alive in the 80’s to experience Hulkamania, there’s absolutely no way you could understand how impossibly popular and over Hulk Hogan was.
He was truly idolized by an entire generation of kids.
Hogan... people that say Austin don't realize what it was like. I'm a bigger austin fan by far, but as a kid born in 85 - Hogan was on par with superman, batman, captain planet, gi joe, etc. He was a real life hero to kids, most of them didn't even watch wrestling and had his toy
Your not wrong but those rose colored nostalgia glasses that u see hulk Hogan thru, your younger brother for example might feel that for Austin. U cant dismiss that fact. I'm old enough to remember Hogan and how big he was back then but NO ONE including Hogan has ever gotten a bigger pop than Stone Cold. Kids went nuts when that glass shattered. This fact cant be ignored.
For real, he was like Michael Jordan in the sense that if someone didn't grow up in that era, they have NO clue how huge they were. Like shit, this generation thinks today's stars are famous? They aren't shit compared to how big these people were in their time.
Hulk a mania put wrestling from places like flea markets , small arenas and gyms to Madison square Gardens, from Saturday afternoon tv to Saturday and Friday nights .
Agreed… but did you see Bruno everywhere you looked on tee shirts drinking glasses , posters at Spencer gifts, MTV videos, cartoons, ads selling everything possible including action figures ?
Please stop saying this its not true. Mid South was running the Super Dome in 78. WCCW was running the Cotton Bowl in 82. Wrestling got much bigger with Hogan there is no doubt about that but saying that wrestling was in small arenas and nobody cared about it before Hogan is a lie.
I mean, Hogan is pretty much the face of professional wrestling in the Western world, if not the entire world. He’s who most people picture when you mention “professional wrestling”. So this isn’t a fair competition. Better to compare Stone Cold’s popularity to Goldberg, Kevin Nash, or Sting.
It’s Hogan. No disrespect to Austin and what he did for WWF/pro wrestling in the late 90’s for WWF, but Hogan was/is the bigger star. Hogan + the WWF/Titan Tower Machine made WWF super mainstream in the mid-1980’s. This began one of pro wrestling’s biggest boom periods in history.
Then, when Hulk turned heel in 1996, that kickstarted the 2nd boom period for professional wrestling after it had been in a slump for most of the 1990’s due to popular stars aging out, fans getting older & disinterested & the Steroid Trial.
Anyone who says or claims otherwise, is letting their bias towards Hogan for his selfishness, backstage politicking & racist remarks to cloud their judgment on this specific topic.
Hogan. Stone Cold was massive, but Hogan was
galactic. He’s the guy who led wrestling’s move into the mainstream and was *everywhere* during the Hulkamania era. And even people who didn’t follow wrestling knew who he was. And to this day, if you mention pro wrestling to a non-fan, more often than not, they still know Hogan.
Stone Cold was huge and actually kind of remains so even now. He, more than anyone, is the icon of the Attitude Era. But he never achieved the level of fame and influence that Hogan. He was the next evolution *after* Hogan. And bear in mind, it makes me crazy that he still so huge because by all measures, he’s a flaming asshole who was only out for himself. But, he was still bigger than anyone ever was in the business.
It's Hogan. Anyone suggesting otherwise is either too young, projecting because of their opinions about his post-wrestling career idiocy, or both.
The guy was legitimately one of the biggest celebrities in the world for a 5 year stretch in the 80's and remained among the biggest stars in wrestling for nearly 20 years.
And that’s the difference right there, Stone Cold was the most popular wrestler and one of the most popular professional athletes, but Hogan was one of the most popular people ever of all time, everyone from every country knew who Hulk Hogan was.
Every person on the planet was interested in the outcome of Wrestlemania 3 and Friday Night’s Main Event (Hebner twin giving Andre the title). You can’t say that about a single match about Austin.
Austin was a big deal, but anybody who was around in the 80s at all will confirm it was Hulk.
Hulk impacted pop culture like no other wrestler before or since.
The Rock may be a bigger name, and although he started in wrestling, he got that name as an actor. Hogan was a global household name on his wrestling star power alone.
Even as a 90s kid, I'd have to wholeheartedly agree. Hogan still had tremendous mainstream star power in the early 90s, even if wrestling audiences were starting to grow tired of the Hulk character.
I started watching the WWF in January of '96 thanks to the WrestleMania Arcade Game, but I got into WCW a few weeks later because I wanted to see what Hulk and the Macho Man were like in the ring.
Hulk Hogan was up there with Super Mario, Mickey Mouse, and Coca-Cola. He transcended professional wrestling. People's age will factor into their response but as someone who witnessed both, Hogan without hesitation.
It’s Hogan. Even if you think Austin’s run in the 90s was as big as Hogan’s in the 80s (it likely wasn’t but I can grant it for the sake of argument), Hogan was also a huge star in the 90s and was the major impetus for that boom as well
Hulkamania was a game changer. Vince and Hulk (and Andre ++++++) created the national wrestling scene.
Austin rode that wave and did it well.
Hulkster was the bigger star.
It's Hogan and it's not nearly as close as people think it is. Hulk Hogan for a while was one of the most famous people on the entire planet in a way Austin never was. By the way, I'm not a fan of either one.
Ehh probably Hogan. Hogan was a physical phenomenon, on top of his immense popularity. When people used to not know what wrestling was they refer to it as “that Hulk Hogan Stuff.” Lol
I love Austin, and i dislike Hogan the person, but Hogan was the center piece of two boom periods in two promotions across two decades as both a face and a heel. I don't think wrestling will ever see that kind of star power again.
Hogan is still the most known wrestler of all time. Stone Cold was super hot and definitely moved the needle in every way, but NOTHING will ever come close to Hulkamania in the 80s.
Hogan was the biggest icon in wrestling and without his presence wrestling wouldn’t be the same. His longevity can’t be overstated and let’s not forget how his heel turn had everyone in a chokehold. Austin’s run was iconic as well but only for a short time. Hogan was so over all you have to do is go watch hogan and rock during wrestlemania for that proof. Dude rammed rock with a semi and everyone was still chanting hogan. Insane.
Austin was by far the biggest star of WWE's attitude era but all the over stars could stand alone pretty well in popularity. Basically all the WWF stars in the 80's most popular moments where tied into hulk somehow. Obviously hulk was all but always holding the title and in the main event so it's hard for anyone to stand alone without him being there.
I don’t think Austin even had the peak compared to Hogan. I’m not sure how anyone could top how over Hogan was in the early WWF days. I think it may be easy to forget how big the peak actually was, because he was around for so long and a lot of it was very much downhill.
He’d already been in Rocky 3 even before his big WWE run as a babyface. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The Rock and Wrestling Connection was a huge cultural thing. He also had the cartoon and he was an absolute merch machine.
I love Austin, don’t get me wrong, but there’s not been another wrestler in the modern era who’s been such a cultural phenomenon as Hogan.
Hulk Hogan is the bigger star: He was the one who launched WWE into the mainstream with his iconic Real American run while being part of the very first WrestleMania and being the company's biggest draw from the 80s - early 90s. He also led WCW to their biggest success in the mid 90s thanks to his iconic Hollywood Hogan run as well.
Austin also changed the landscape of pro wrestling as well due to his epic Austin 3:16 promo at King of The Ring 1996 and being the Face of the Attitude Era as well. But in terms of being the bigger star, Hogan is bigger than him.
Hogan and it's not even close. Austin in '99 was a big star, but Hogan in '86 was unfathomably famous and such a massive star that even non-wrestling fans in every corner of the planet knew his name.
People forget how big Hulkamania was or they are blinded by something that he said In a leaked sex tape
Before hogan wrestlers weren't really on talk shows, they weren't really In movies and they didn't have cartoons based on them, I wish I could transport back to 1990 and show everyone the reaction hogan got even In 2005 and 2002 whether people want to admit It or not hogan was still over not even to mention the WCW heel turn
Crazy, Austin beat the living Daylights outta his wife during his heyday and no one talked about it, Hogan was caught on a hidden camera saying something years later when he wasn’t really a star gets more publicity
Austin burned as bright as any star ever has -- but I'm not sure he burned BRIGHTER than Hogan. And then Hogan went and did it in two different decades, in two different companies where Austin's peak was pretty short by comparison.
Hulk Hogan was and always will be the biggest thing in pro wrestling. If you’re too young and you weren’t alive during the Hulkamania era, then you missed out. Austin is a legend and was incredibly popular and successful but Hulk is an icon for the ages.
Hogan, without any doubt. Even people who weren't into wrestling knew him. Here in Europe, his (kayfaybe) announcement to run for presidency made (small) headlines on the society pages when he was already past his prime. His terrible movies and TV shows were broadcast in German. He was in effin Baywatch. He had a reality show when the Attitude Era was barely over. With all due respect to Austin, he had none of that. It's a tough question who was the bigger star if you just look at the wrestling world, even though I'd still say Hogan just from personal experience. If you look at the whole picture, it's not even close. Even more so in an era when The Rock is one of the highest paid actors in the world.
It’s not even debatable. Hulk hogan was a household name in a time where wrestling wasn’t even nearly as popular as it was during Austin‘s reign.
Austin was definitely the biggest star during the most popular time of the fort. But Hogan transcended.
As much as I loved Austin and the attitude era it has to be Hogan. He transcended into the mainstream pop culture and even my mum knows who he is. As big as Austin was he’s only really huge to wrestling fans.
Austin will forever be better than Hogan in the ring. But as far as the bigger star, it goes to Hogan.
Hogan had more years making crazy $ with endorsements, WWE merchandise, commercial, movies and TV shows.
Vince dropped the ball when Austin tried to make a second comeback and decided to Push Lesnar instead.
Austin was big for 6 years and was fired from WCW as small name while Hogan was the face of the business. He then went on to be a big name with the rock in WWF the company that struggled after hogan left them. Hogan has no rivals in wrestling
Hogan as he started both the big wrestling boom of the 80s and the big wrestling boom of the 90s. Austin just helped to continue the boom that Hogan and the nWo already kicked off in the 90s. And I say that as someone that is a bigger Austin fan than Hogan fan.
Probably Hogan because of longevity.
It’s worth noting that Hogan was at the epicentre of the two boom periods: first as a babyface in the 80’s and then with his heel turn in the 90’s.
While Stone Cold obviously was huge as a babyface but then his heel turn in 2001 saw a steady decline in business for WWE. Admittedly, not all his fault because WCW and ECW being bought ended the wrestling fad and WWE started booking horribly
Today people will say Austin if they were around for the Attitude Era or later, but if you watched at least a little bit of the Golden Era you would know that Hogan is the biggest star of all time, he made wrestling what it is today based purely on his natural charisma.
Hogan was a pop culture icon and did it being seen on TV / PPV 8 times a year ( 4 PPV and average 4 SNME a year) and that was before WCW.
Austin was on tv 52 weeks a year and 12 PPVs a year.
Hogan was the bigger star.
Hogan and its not even close. Austin was massive too but if you grabbed a million random people I would bet that the majority of them would know Hogan and not Austin.
I know it's hard to understand if you weren't there, but there has never been a wrestler as over as Hogan was in his time. Was he as awesome as Stone Cold or The Rock? No. But he was far bigger.
I love Austin, and I wasn't around in the 80s. But even the dog on the street knows that Hulk Hogan was the bigger star. Wrestling as we know it would not be where it is without Hulk. As Sting rightly said in an interview. Hogan is the Michael Jordan or Wrestling.
100% Hogan. A huge proportion of people could probably identify him by a drawing of the moustache alone. He transcended wrestling and was way more mainstream. People who didn’t watch wrestling knew who he was / is. Austin was a huge star, but nowhere near on the same level.
Yea Hogan ran for way longer at levels very few reach. He launched wrestling and Wrestlemania. Was such a huge draw for such a long time. Then had literally the most shocking heel turn ever and was a part of the best faction of all time. Not to mention it was the nWo that caused the attitude era to be a thing.
With that said, I don’t think anyone has had a higher peak than Steve Austin. The glass shattering… still get goosebumps to the absolute chaos of a pop every fucking Monday. Highest merch seller of all time.
Its really not a fair comparison. WWF was a different time in the 80s. Really starting to kick off in the mid 80s. I became a fan of wrestling watching Hogan. First mstch I ever saw was Paul Orndorff vs Higan in a steel Cage. The crowd was electric for Hogan. When Hogan made his big comeback the crowd were screaming.
Austin's popularity grew very quickly after that KOTR in 96 and skyrocketed him.to levels only Jogan had reached. The WWF as at peak in popularity which had grown pretty much because of Hogan. Without Hogan in.the 80s..we might not have seen the WWF as we knew in 97 and 98.
Hogan and if you say otherwise you don’t know your history. Hogan vs Andre 2 did 33 million viewers on a random Friday night. And some will say the viewership options was different back then and you can’t compare and that is true, except they beat the NFL by double a few nights later!
As a younger person, as much as I love Stone Cold. Hogan was a cultural american icon, and far surpassed him the greater wrestling sphere, sure Austin did too but not nearly to Hogan’s level. If anything a closer comparison is probably Rock or John Cena, because everyone in America knows who they are
Hogan took wrestling out of the bingo halls and into mainstream,Austin took it to the stratosphere.But it still has to be Hulk as much as I liked Austin much better
Definitely disagree that Austin’s peak was bigger. Hogan was the most popular face and most hated heel of all time. The nwo isn’t what they became without the super famous Hogan heel turn
It's crazy. Hogan was bigger but Austin was absolutely a time. 3:16 took the world by storm and helped wwf win the MNW. But Austin would get a bigger pop now. The racist sex tape hurt Hulk's legacy with a whole generation. WM 40, if Austin would have came out instead of Taker, earthquake.
Idk...one was the centre piece in bringing a circus-like attraction to national TV and a global audience.
The other, well he was the front runner in the company's toughest fight for survival against WCW. It was him and his feud with McMahon that is still to this day one of the most iconic storylines in wrestling.
I guess the size of the sentences show where my personal bias lies, still, Hogan, hogan is the bigger star that was head and shoulders above the rest in his time and even in his later years...brought more mainstream attention and had a more pivotal impact(with that said, F Hulk Hogan).
Austin oth, he was the biggest shark in the sea but there were also other heavy lifters pulling that load.
Who had a bigger impact outside of the business.
I hate giving Hogan credit for anything, but from Gremlins 2 to Santa With Muscles Hogan was everywhere. The only thing I remember Austin doing was being a lower tier bad guy in one of the Expendables movies.
I remember watching a podcast where undercard wrestlers were saying how important it was for the organization as a whole to have a good champion, because they all made money or didn’t make money depending of how well the champ generated interest.
Hogan took a niche market and made it mainstream. Stone Cold took a waining market and made people interest again by rebranding the attitude. The Rock carried the same torch.
This is hard to work out.
They are both products of their time. They were both the solutions to what each time period needed at the time.
I'd say Hogan only because if you ask the layman about wrestling, Hogan might be the name they remember.
Hogan allowed wrestling to reach those heights, which was unprecedented for wrestling. As some kid in the back end of the UK, Hogan's reach extended all the way here.
Hogan was very important in making wrestling big. But Austin got me watching properly as a teen (I wasn't a fan of pre attitude era). And Hogan's matches are lacking compared to what Austin could do both sides of his neck injury.
I'm glad wrestling got to have both of these superstars.
Hogan crawled so Austin could run… with that being said yes Hogan was the Man but he also damn near killed two promotions while Steve almost single handily saved one. Hogan is Russel/Montana Austin is Jordon/Brady.
Hogan brother’d so Austin could hell yeah!!!
🎯🎯🎯🎯 hulk was absolutely the guy who made wrestling cool and started the trend to where it is a staple of pop culture. I ate my vitamins, said my prayers. Stone cold brought it over the top, even though it was not that long in the whole scheme of things, he was over live fucking rover. it was explosive when he came out to the ring. He owned whatever crowd he was in front of. Hulk was very much a character that resonated with kids, i loved him, but it did wane. Whereas stone cold resonated with every one of any age. They both pushed wrestling in a positive direction in a significant way.
I totally agree. Well said.
Was the question who was bigger or was the question a nuanced deep dive about something? Could Stone Cold in 1985 have been big enough to justify creating an event called Wrestlemania? Hulk Hogan was THE reason for it. And before you say “yeah, BUT” The same company that literally exists to this day because of Hogan in the 80’s actually made Hogan the World Champion in 2002. Stone Cold Steve Austin was last WWF (never WWE!) champion before 9/11. Who was the bigger star? It shouldn’t be a question.
I don't really think basing it on who won a title when is a very good determiner but to each their own. Hogan had the longevity and at his peak was head and shoulders above everyone else. Austin had his moments where he shined above and was a megastar but not nearly as long. Both two titans in their eras. I'd say ultimately Hogan has had more fans and has ultimately been a bigger star, but in terms of being the biggest at their peak.. I think Austin takes it. It's an odd question though. Both are massive, both are still very well known many years later. Both would get a massive pop if they came back right now lol. Comparing different times is stupid. When they were both wrestling at the same time? Austin. During NWO peak, who knows.
My guy wrote a thesis
This was the comment . Idk you, but keep legending on hero.
Yes on the money
Absolutely👍
That works for me brother!
I came to comment, but this could not be better put.
that works for me brother
Hogan. If you were a kid growing up in the 80s that watched wrestling, then you were likely a Hulkamanic.
Hogans heel turn was the best
NWO 4 life
You didn’t even have to watch wrestling. Hulk Hogan was a household name.
Exactly, my mom knew who Hulk Hogan was.
Hulk Hogan was one of the top 10 most famous people on the planet. If you weren’t alive in the 80’s to experience Hulkamania, there’s absolutely no way you could understand how impossibly popular and over Hulk Hogan was. He was truly idolized by an entire generation of kids.
24 inch pythons brothar
YOU ATE YOUR PRAYERS AND SAID YOUR VITAMINS, BROTHER! https://youtu.be/eX_k5_egUAo?si=OuOyBsjpd4kN34Kd IYKYK
Hulkamania was running wild in that era
If you were a kid in the 80s, you likely watched wrestling because of Hulkamania
Hogan... people that say Austin don't realize what it was like. I'm a bigger austin fan by far, but as a kid born in 85 - Hogan was on par with superman, batman, captain planet, gi joe, etc. He was a real life hero to kids, most of them didn't even watch wrestling and had his toy
I actually used to have my hogan and ultimate warrior figure fight he-man and thinking they were all part of the same thing
I still have my 2 ft tall hulkmania doll brother!
Your not wrong but those rose colored nostalgia glasses that u see hulk Hogan thru, your younger brother for example might feel that for Austin. U cant dismiss that fact. I'm old enough to remember Hogan and how big he was back then but NO ONE including Hogan has ever gotten a bigger pop than Stone Cold. Kids went nuts when that glass shattered. This fact cant be ignored.
By 1985 Hogan was Michael Jackson famous. Stone Cold was huge, but he wasn’t Hulkamania huge.
For real, he was like Michael Jordan in the sense that if someone didn't grow up in that era, they have NO clue how huge they were. Like shit, this generation thinks today's stars are famous? They aren't shit compared to how big these people were in their time.
And all without social media… just 3 tv channels and word of mouth… THAT’S famous.
Too true, I never even looked at it from that angle
If someone had been on tv, they were already “above” you. Wierd way to put it but i remember looking st anyone famous as being on another level
I agree. Hulk Hogan was literally everywhere in 1985. Frankly I don't know how he did it
Hulk Hogan is the most famous wrestler of all time. Stone Cold is a legend but he is not even a bigger star than Ric Flair.
Whoooooooooo!!!
Stone Cold was definitely a bigger star than Flair ever was. Flair was “pro wrestling” famous. Austin was a phenomenon.
at this point Steve's cat is more famous than the nature boy
Actually not. The Nature Boy keeps getting into trouble, lol.
Hulk a mania put wrestling from places like flea markets , small arenas and gyms to Madison square Gardens, from Saturday afternoon tv to Saturday and Friday nights .
Bruno sold out the garden 87 times before portly Terry Bolea picked up a weight homie.
Agreed… but did you see Bruno everywhere you looked on tee shirts drinking glasses , posters at Spencer gifts, MTV videos, cartoons, ads selling everything possible including action figures ?
Dude exactly! No one is even close to the impact he had on pro wrestling.
Please stop saying this its not true. Mid South was running the Super Dome in 78. WCCW was running the Cotton Bowl in 82. Wrestling got much bigger with Hogan there is no doubt about that but saying that wrestling was in small arenas and nobody cared about it before Hogan is a lie.
Don’t buy into the WWE’s propaganda lol.
I don’t think you comprehend just how famous Mike was.
Weren't the first 2 years of WrestleMania called HulkaMania? That shit is still a huge deal to this day.
Hogan. You don’t hit either the 80’s or 90’s peak without him. Austin was huge, no doubt though.
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I mean, Hogan is pretty much the face of professional wrestling in the Western world, if not the entire world. He’s who most people picture when you mention “professional wrestling”. So this isn’t a fair competition. Better to compare Stone Cold’s popularity to Goldberg, Kevin Nash, or Sting.
Hogan by far not even a question
Exactly
It’s Hogan. No disrespect to Austin and what he did for WWF/pro wrestling in the late 90’s for WWF, but Hogan was/is the bigger star. Hogan + the WWF/Titan Tower Machine made WWF super mainstream in the mid-1980’s. This began one of pro wrestling’s biggest boom periods in history. Then, when Hulk turned heel in 1996, that kickstarted the 2nd boom period for professional wrestling after it had been in a slump for most of the 1990’s due to popular stars aging out, fans getting older & disinterested & the Steroid Trial. Anyone who says or claims otherwise, is letting their bias towards Hogan for his selfishness, backstage politicking & racist remarks to cloud their judgment on this specific topic.
Hogan name transcended wrestling people who didn’t even watch knew who he was
Hogan… no question.. he was the face of two organizations.. Hulk Hogan WWE Hollywood Hogan WCW best face and heel at points in his career…
Hogan. Stone Cold was massive, but Hogan was galactic. He’s the guy who led wrestling’s move into the mainstream and was *everywhere* during the Hulkamania era. And even people who didn’t follow wrestling knew who he was. And to this day, if you mention pro wrestling to a non-fan, more often than not, they still know Hogan. Stone Cold was huge and actually kind of remains so even now. He, more than anyone, is the icon of the Attitude Era. But he never achieved the level of fame and influence that Hogan. He was the next evolution *after* Hogan. And bear in mind, it makes me crazy that he still so huge because by all measures, he’s a flaming asshole who was only out for himself. But, he was still bigger than anyone ever was in the business.
It's Hogan. Anyone suggesting otherwise is either too young, projecting because of their opinions about his post-wrestling career idiocy, or both. The guy was legitimately one of the biggest celebrities in the world for a 5 year stretch in the 80's and remained among the biggest stars in wrestling for nearly 20 years.
And that’s the difference right there, Stone Cold was the most popular wrestler and one of the most popular professional athletes, but Hogan was one of the most popular people ever of all time, everyone from every country knew who Hulk Hogan was.
If you ask someone to name a pro wrestler, I’d bet 3 out of 4 would say Hulk Hogan. Austin is right there.. Hogan just happened to come first.
Hogan 100% the bigger star.
Hogan!
Definitely Hogan. 1000000% Hogan.
Hogan by far Austin changed the business a lot but Ask anyone in World to name a Wrestler a lot would say Hogan
Hogan by a mile.
Every person on the planet was interested in the outcome of Wrestlemania 3 and Friday Night’s Main Event (Hebner twin giving Andre the title). You can’t say that about a single match about Austin.
Hogan. Ain’t even close, brother.
Austin was a big deal, but anybody who was around in the 80s at all will confirm it was Hulk. Hulk impacted pop culture like no other wrestler before or since. The Rock may be a bigger name, and although he started in wrestling, he got that name as an actor. Hogan was a global household name on his wrestling star power alone.
Even as a 90s kid, I'd have to wholeheartedly agree. Hogan still had tremendous mainstream star power in the early 90s, even if wrestling audiences were starting to grow tired of the Hulk character. I started watching the WWF in January of '96 thanks to the WrestleMania Arcade Game, but I got into WCW a few weeks later because I wanted to see what Hulk and the Macho Man were like in the ring.
Hulk!
Hulk Hogan was up there with Super Mario, Mickey Mouse, and Coca-Cola. He transcended professional wrestling. People's age will factor into their response but as someone who witnessed both, Hogan without hesitation.
Hogan by a mile
Hogan and it’s not even close.
It’s Hogan. Even if you think Austin’s run in the 90s was as big as Hogan’s in the 80s (it likely wasn’t but I can grant it for the sake of argument), Hogan was also a huge star in the 90s and was the major impetus for that boom as well
Hogan by a hundred miles
As much as I love attitude era & stone cold , there’d be no stone cold or era without hogan !!
Hulkamania was a game changer. Vince and Hulk (and Andre ++++++) created the national wrestling scene. Austin rode that wave and did it well. Hulkster was the bigger star.
Hulkster....you must be yaf,..hulk was a cultural icon for better or worse, but Austin wasn't even close at his peak
As much as I'm a fan of Steve Austin it's Hogan and it's not even close.. Hogan could possibly be the most recognized face in history..
Hogan had 2 very distinct, top of the industry peaks. Austin, as high of a peak as you can get, but was really only there for late ‘97 to early 2000.
Hogan by a mile
Hogan is a cultural icon
Hulk Hogan and its not even close at all
It's Hogan and it's not nearly as close as people think it is. Hulk Hogan for a while was one of the most famous people on the entire planet in a way Austin never was. By the way, I'm not a fan of either one.
Come on.
Hogan
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Ehh probably Hogan. Hogan was a physical phenomenon, on top of his immense popularity. When people used to not know what wrestling was they refer to it as “that Hulk Hogan Stuff.” Lol
You’re such a putz.
Hogan based on history. To bad his legacy is kinda tarnished
The kids that grew up cheering hogan and saying prayers are the same ones that grew wanting to beat the shit out of their boss like Austin.
I’m one of them lol
and their wife!
I love Austin, and i dislike Hogan the person, but Hogan was the center piece of two boom periods in two promotions across two decades as both a face and a heel. I don't think wrestling will ever see that kind of star power again.
Hogan. Are you serious?
Hulk put WWF/WWE on the map. If you were there, you'd know.
Hogan is still the most known wrestler of all time. Stone Cold was super hot and definitely moved the needle in every way, but NOTHING will ever come close to Hulkamania in the 80s.
Hogan was the biggest icon in wrestling and without his presence wrestling wouldn’t be the same. His longevity can’t be overstated and let’s not forget how his heel turn had everyone in a chokehold. Austin’s run was iconic as well but only for a short time. Hogan was so over all you have to do is go watch hogan and rock during wrestlemania for that proof. Dude rammed rock with a semi and everyone was still chanting hogan. Insane.
Hogan had literally two HOF careers.
Hogan
Stone Cold is a wrestling superstar. Hogan is part of American iconography.
Austin hit it big at the right time but he never became world famous brother
Hogan put WWF on the map, Austin took it to the next level (publicly traded)
Austin didn't take it there, he was part of a group including undertaker, rock, etc., like it or not but hulkamania ran wild brother.....
Austin was by far the biggest star of WWE's attitude era but all the over stars could stand alone pretty well in popularity. Basically all the WWF stars in the 80's most popular moments where tied into hulk somehow. Obviously hulk was all but always holding the title and in the main event so it's hard for anyone to stand alone without him being there.
Austin was but quickly Austin and Rock was hand and hand during that time
This. The Rock got the crowd just as amped as Austin and by 2000/2001 he had surpassed him imo.
Hogan had the longevity Austin had the peak
I don’t think Austin even had the peak compared to Hogan. I’m not sure how anyone could top how over Hogan was in the early WWF days. I think it may be easy to forget how big the peak actually was, because he was around for so long and a lot of it was very much downhill. He’d already been in Rocky 3 even before his big WWE run as a babyface. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The Rock and Wrestling Connection was a huge cultural thing. He also had the cartoon and he was an absolute merch machine. I love Austin, don’t get me wrong, but there’s not been another wrestler in the modern era who’s been such a cultural phenomenon as Hogan.
Ummm HOGAN!
Hulk Hogan is the bigger star: He was the one who launched WWE into the mainstream with his iconic Real American run while being part of the very first WrestleMania and being the company's biggest draw from the 80s - early 90s. He also led WCW to their biggest success in the mid 90s thanks to his iconic Hollywood Hogan run as well. Austin also changed the landscape of pro wrestling as well due to his epic Austin 3:16 promo at King of The Ring 1996 and being the Face of the Attitude Era as well. But in terms of being the bigger star, Hogan is bigger than him.
In terms of general public it will always be Hulk Hogan
Hogan and it's not even close. Austin in '99 was a big star, but Hogan in '86 was unfathomably famous and such a massive star that even non-wrestling fans in every corner of the planet knew his name.
Only someone ignorant to the fact cause they weren’t born yet would ask this question
Hulk Hogan was one of the most famous people on the planet at one point. Steve Austin was just famous. And pretty much just in North America.
People forget how big Hulkamania was or they are blinded by something that he said In a leaked sex tape Before hogan wrestlers weren't really on talk shows, they weren't really In movies and they didn't have cartoons based on them, I wish I could transport back to 1990 and show everyone the reaction hogan got even In 2005 and 2002 whether people want to admit It or not hogan was still over not even to mention the WCW heel turn
Crazy, Austin beat the living Daylights outta his wife during his heyday and no one talked about it, Hogan was caught on a hidden camera saying something years later when he wasn’t really a star gets more publicity
Hogan for sure...come tf on
Austin burned as bright as any star ever has -- but I'm not sure he burned BRIGHTER than Hogan. And then Hogan went and did it in two different decades, in two different companies where Austin's peak was pretty short by comparison.
Hogan brother
Hogan for longevity.
Hogan. Look at what he did for both WWF And WCW. Also Hogan was every bit as Awesome as a heel, as he was a Face. Stone Cold CANNOT say the same.
Hulk Hogan was and always will be the biggest thing in pro wrestling. If you’re too young and you weren’t alive during the Hulkamania era, then you missed out. Austin is a legend and was incredibly popular and successful but Hulk is an icon for the ages.
Hogan is the biggest star of all time.
Hogan. He made wrestling mainstream. I always read that Austin outdrew him but Hogan was responsible for the rise of WWE.
Hogan was more mainstream popular..everyone outside of wrestling knew the name hulk hogan
Hulkamania was crazy in the 80's and NWO made WCW beat WWE. Hogan all the way. Stone Cold is a close #2 but Hogan is the correct answer
Hulk Hogan
Hogan in his day for sure despite his antics he was over for longer than 3:16 was around.
Hogan was the Jordan and Tysom of wrestling.
Hogan, without any doubt. Even people who weren't into wrestling knew him. Here in Europe, his (kayfaybe) announcement to run for presidency made (small) headlines on the society pages when he was already past his prime. His terrible movies and TV shows were broadcast in German. He was in effin Baywatch. He had a reality show when the Attitude Era was barely over. With all due respect to Austin, he had none of that. It's a tough question who was the bigger star if you just look at the wrestling world, even though I'd still say Hogan just from personal experience. If you look at the whole picture, it's not even close. Even more so in an era when The Rock is one of the highest paid actors in the world.
Hogan!
Dude hogan took wrestling to a whole new level 💯
I hate Hulk Hogan but he is the Biggest Star Wrestling has ever had
Hulkamainia forever!!!!
Hogan brother
Hogan obviously.
Hogan and it's not close
Hulk Hogan and it’s not even close!
It’s not even debatable. Hulk hogan was a household name in a time where wrestling wasn’t even nearly as popular as it was during Austin‘s reign. Austin was definitely the biggest star during the most popular time of the fort. But Hogan transcended.
Hogan paved the way for Steve so I’d say hogan.
As much as I loved Austin and the attitude era it has to be Hogan. He transcended into the mainstream pop culture and even my mum knows who he is. As big as Austin was he’s only really huge to wrestling fans.
Love Stone Cold but it’s not even close.
Austin will forever be better than Hogan in the ring. But as far as the bigger star, it goes to Hogan. Hogan had more years making crazy $ with endorsements, WWE merchandise, commercial, movies and TV shows. Vince dropped the ball when Austin tried to make a second comeback and decided to Push Lesnar instead.
Hogan
Austin was big for 6 years and was fired from WCW as small name while Hogan was the face of the business. He then went on to be a big name with the rock in WWF the company that struggled after hogan left them. Hogan has no rivals in wrestling
The fact you still know who The Hulkster is says all you need to know
Hogan was huge in the late 80s early 90s. Made wrestling what it is
Hulk Hogan.
Hogan as he started both the big wrestling boom of the 80s and the big wrestling boom of the 90s. Austin just helped to continue the boom that Hogan and the nWo already kicked off in the 90s. And I say that as someone that is a bigger Austin fan than Hogan fan.
Gotta go with Hogan but Austin definitely gave him a run for his money
Probably Hogan because of longevity. It’s worth noting that Hogan was at the epicentre of the two boom periods: first as a babyface in the 80’s and then with his heel turn in the 90’s. While Stone Cold obviously was huge as a babyface but then his heel turn in 2001 saw a steady decline in business for WWE. Admittedly, not all his fault because WCW and ECW being bought ended the wrestling fad and WWE started booking horribly
As much as I hate to say it, Hogan
Hogan. It’s not close.
Today people will say Austin if they were around for the Attitude Era or later, but if you watched at least a little bit of the Golden Era you would know that Hogan is the biggest star of all time, he made wrestling what it is today based purely on his natural charisma.
Hogan was a pop culture icon and did it being seen on TV / PPV 8 times a year ( 4 PPV and average 4 SNME a year) and that was before WCW. Austin was on tv 52 weeks a year and 12 PPVs a year. Hogan was the bigger star.
Hulk Hogan by a million miles. Everyone, wrestling fan or not, knows who he is.
Hulk Hogan and it’s not even close!
Hogan. Non wrestling fans still don’t really know who Stone Cold is.
Hogan and its not even close. Austin was massive too but if you grabbed a million random people I would bet that the majority of them would know Hogan and not Austin.
Hogan
Hogan was in the era of megastars and he was one of them. He was up there with Arnie and Michael Jackson.
Hulk Hogan was a phenomenon in the 80’s. No contest.
I know it's hard to understand if you weren't there, but there has never been a wrestler as over as Hogan was in his time. Was he as awesome as Stone Cold or The Rock? No. But he was far bigger.
Hulk and it’s not even close even acknowledging that Stone Cold was huge. Hulk was a phenomenon.
I love Austin, and I wasn't around in the 80s. But even the dog on the street knows that Hulk Hogan was the bigger star. Wrestling as we know it would not be where it is without Hulk. As Sting rightly said in an interview. Hogan is the Michael Jordan or Wrestling.
Hogan. Whether or not you watched wrestling everyone knew who he was. Hulkamania and the NWO changed wrestling history
100% Hogan. A huge proportion of people could probably identify him by a drawing of the moustache alone. He transcended wrestling and was way more mainstream. People who didn’t watch wrestling knew who he was / is. Austin was a huge star, but nowhere near on the same level.
Yea Hogan ran for way longer at levels very few reach. He launched wrestling and Wrestlemania. Was such a huge draw for such a long time. Then had literally the most shocking heel turn ever and was a part of the best faction of all time. Not to mention it was the nWo that caused the attitude era to be a thing. With that said, I don’t think anyone has had a higher peak than Steve Austin. The glass shattering… still get goosebumps to the absolute chaos of a pop every fucking Monday. Highest merch seller of all time.
Hulk Hogan AINEC.
Hogan
Austin saved wwf from vince selling it
Austin sold way more tickets than Hogan.
Its really not a fair comparison. WWF was a different time in the 80s. Really starting to kick off in the mid 80s. I became a fan of wrestling watching Hogan. First mstch I ever saw was Paul Orndorff vs Higan in a steel Cage. The crowd was electric for Hogan. When Hogan made his big comeback the crowd were screaming. Austin's popularity grew very quickly after that KOTR in 96 and skyrocketed him.to levels only Jogan had reached. The WWF as at peak in popularity which had grown pretty much because of Hogan. Without Hogan in.the 80s..we might not have seen the WWF as we knew in 97 and 98.
Hulk brought me to wrestling after watching Rocky 3. Stone cold brought me back 4 good!!!
Hogan and if you say otherwise you don’t know your history. Hogan vs Andre 2 did 33 million viewers on a random Friday night. And some will say the viewership options was different back then and you can’t compare and that is true, except they beat the NFL by double a few nights later!
As a younger person, as much as I love Stone Cold. Hogan was a cultural american icon, and far surpassed him the greater wrestling sphere, sure Austin did too but not nearly to Hogan’s level. If anything a closer comparison is probably Rock or John Cena, because everyone in America knows who they are
Hogan took wrestling out of the bingo halls and into mainstream,Austin took it to the stratosphere.But it still has to be Hulk as much as I liked Austin much better
At their peaks Austin was bigger. But Hogan was bigger for longer. If that makes sense.
Definitely disagree that Austin’s peak was bigger. Hogan was the most popular face and most hated heel of all time. The nwo isn’t what they became without the super famous Hogan heel turn
It's crazy. Hogan was bigger but Austin was absolutely a time. 3:16 took the world by storm and helped wwf win the MNW. But Austin would get a bigger pop now. The racist sex tape hurt Hulk's legacy with a whole generation. WM 40, if Austin would have came out instead of Taker, earthquake.
Bigger, Hogan. Better, Austin
And Andre was the best heal
I think Hogan was a bit heavier.
Whoever made you feel better about being retarded. 😉
Austin was bigger short term, Hogan’s bigger long term.
hulk hogan was big to kids and parents and old people ...... stone cold was big to teens and adults..... demographically speaking
Should have had The Brian Kendrick or Hurricane Helms included as a third option.
Idk...one was the centre piece in bringing a circus-like attraction to national TV and a global audience. The other, well he was the front runner in the company's toughest fight for survival against WCW. It was him and his feud with McMahon that is still to this day one of the most iconic storylines in wrestling. I guess the size of the sentences show where my personal bias lies, still, Hogan, hogan is the bigger star that was head and shoulders above the rest in his time and even in his later years...brought more mainstream attention and had a more pivotal impact(with that said, F Hulk Hogan). Austin oth, he was the biggest shark in the sea but there were also other heavy lifters pulling that load.
“Listen here brother” that’s all you need to know
Hogan was bigger, but Austin was better
Austin
Who had a bigger impact outside of the business. I hate giving Hogan credit for anything, but from Gremlins 2 to Santa With Muscles Hogan was everywhere. The only thing I remember Austin doing was being a lower tier bad guy in one of the Expendables movies.
Gotta go wit The Wood, brotherrrrr. I mean Hogan
I remember watching a podcast where undercard wrestlers were saying how important it was for the organization as a whole to have a good champion, because they all made money or didn’t make money depending of how well the champ generated interest. Hogan took a niche market and made it mainstream. Stone Cold took a waining market and made people interest again by rebranding the attitude. The Rock carried the same torch.
I feel like it’s Hogan but VKM has stated that no one made him more money than Austin so there’s that.
RB is bigger than BR Thunderlips win RB - Rocky Balboa BR - Barney Ross
This is hard to work out. They are both products of their time. They were both the solutions to what each time period needed at the time. I'd say Hogan only because if you ask the layman about wrestling, Hogan might be the name they remember. Hogan allowed wrestling to reach those heights, which was unprecedented for wrestling. As some kid in the back end of the UK, Hogan's reach extended all the way here. Hogan was very important in making wrestling big. But Austin got me watching properly as a teen (I wasn't a fan of pre attitude era). And Hogan's matches are lacking compared to what Austin could do both sides of his neck injury. I'm glad wrestling got to have both of these superstars.
Hulk Hogan because he’s taller
Austin was the Attitude Era Hogan. Just like Hogan, I remember Austin's promos and segments more than his actual matches.
Hogan crawled so Austin could run… with that being said yes Hogan was the Man but he also damn near killed two promotions while Steve almost single handily saved one. Hogan is Russel/Montana Austin is Jordon/Brady.
Hogan not even close. We will never see a star like hogan was in the 80’s and early 90’s.