This seemed a habit of WWF at the time, matching Hulk up on SNME against his big opponents from the prior year in the lead up to Wrestlemania. He fought Orndorff just before WM3, Bundy before WM4, and Savage before WM6.
Regarding Austin, put aside his WCW push and Hogan, Austin was going nowhere in WWF until he lucked into to he 3:16 promo and Vince (who I rarely like to give credit to) went with it as part of making his product a little more adult to compete with WCW. Remember The Ringmaster? Remember early SCSA with Ted Dibiase. With WCW he was just another midcarder and was a casualty of the politics (like 800 other midcarders). Austin pretends he was booked to win the WCW World belt until Hogan showed up.
@D2Kprime How did Hogan do anything to Austin? Bischoff's the one who told him he wasn't 'marketable'...and in WCW, he wasn't. It's like if the WWF has used The Undertaker as Mean Mark Callous...McMahon, for all the hatred for him, has remade so many careers and made them wildly successful. He gave wrestling personality. Austin just didn't want to job to Hogan and knew he would probably have to
@D2Kprime Hogan was supposed to be booed when he faced Sting and I was at the Backlash match in KC between Hogan and HHH and the crowd was extremely pro-Hogan.
@D2Kprime Hogan had the same results facing Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Taker was smart and wouldn't go near Hulkamania, as his legacy is important to him as well. No other wrestler, not even Ric Flair, has the legacy of Hogan, who was both the greatest face and heel in the history of the business.
@D2Kprime : And if we look at the history of Hogan going against other faces...
Hogan/Warrior - Warrior cheered just as loud.
Hogan/Sting - Hogan got booed
Hogan/Rock - Rock got booed
Hogan/HHH - About equal
A smart businessman would not turn down a 20-million dollar one-match guarantee. Losing to Hogan would not hurt Austin's legacy in any way. He just doesn't want to because of what Hogan did to him in WCW. He figures, "why do HIM any favors?"
@RAV52 : The only person the went against Hogan from the Attitude era and it ended up bad was The Rock, but that was his fault for running back and forth to Hollywood, and the nostalgia factor of seeing Hogan in the WWF ring at Wrestlemania for the first time in 8 years. Austin's legacy is just as big as Hogan's WITHIN the confines of the business. Outside of the business it's Hogan all day long, but within they are on equal ground.
@mattyb567567 This was November of 1987. How do I know this? I attended this very event. I was 8!!
Dunamisdude 1 day ago
Can anyone tell me what year this was?
mattyb567567 1 month ago
This seemed a habit of WWF at the time, matching Hulk up on SNME against his big opponents from the prior year in the lead up to Wrestlemania. He fought Orndorff just before WM3, Bundy before WM4, and Savage before WM6.
peterp21 1 month ago
Regarding Austin, put aside his WCW push and Hogan, Austin was going nowhere in WWF until he lucked into to he 3:16 promo and Vince (who I rarely like to give credit to) went with it as part of making his product a little more adult to compete with WCW. Remember The Ringmaster? Remember early SCSA with Ted Dibiase. With WCW he was just another midcarder and was a casualty of the politics (like 800 other midcarders). Austin pretends he was booked to win the WCW World belt until Hogan showed up.
peterp21 1 month ago
@cbaldwinjr : Do a search here on youtube for 'Steve Austin ECW Shoot Promo'. I'll let Austin tell you himself.
D2Kprime 4 months ago
@D2Kprime How did Hogan do anything to Austin? Bischoff's the one who told him he wasn't 'marketable'...and in WCW, he wasn't. It's like if the WWF has used The Undertaker as Mean Mark Callous...McMahon, for all the hatred for him, has remade so many careers and made them wildly successful. He gave wrestling personality. Austin just didn't want to job to Hogan and knew he would probably have to
cbaldwinjr 4 months ago
@D2Kprime Hogan was supposed to be booed when he faced Sting and I was at the Backlash match in KC between Hogan and HHH and the crowd was extremely pro-Hogan.
RAV52 6 months ago
@D2Kprime Hogan had the same results facing Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Taker was smart and wouldn't go near Hulkamania, as his legacy is important to him as well. No other wrestler, not even Ric Flair, has the legacy of Hogan, who was both the greatest face and heel in the history of the business.
RAV52 6 months ago
@D2Kprime : And if we look at the history of Hogan going against other faces...
Hogan/Warrior - Warrior cheered just as loud.
Hogan/Sting - Hogan got booed
Hogan/Rock - Rock got booed
Hogan/HHH - About equal
A smart businessman would not turn down a 20-million dollar one-match guarantee. Losing to Hogan would not hurt Austin's legacy in any way. He just doesn't want to because of what Hogan did to him in WCW. He figures, "why do HIM any favors?"
D2Kprime 6 months ago
@RAV52 : The only person the went against Hogan from the Attitude era and it ended up bad was The Rock, but that was his fault for running back and forth to Hollywood, and the nostalgia factor of seeing Hogan in the WWF ring at Wrestlemania for the first time in 8 years. Austin's legacy is just as big as Hogan's WITHIN the confines of the business. Outside of the business it's Hogan all day long, but within they are on equal ground.
D2Kprime 6 months ago