End of an Era: Hulk Hogan in 1993's World Wrestling Federation [Videos]

During the late-1980s and into the 1990s, Hulk Hogan held a large amount of creative control over his matches, as did many long-term pro wrestling champions before him. Hogan was part of an era where top wrestlers losing a match to someone meant something. Hogan could have easily agreed to lose the belt to Bret Hart, as the WWF Magazine was promoting a potential match up at the time, however for whatever reason, the match up never took place. The "creative differences" between Hogan and WWF owner Vince McMahon were too great to move forward with this potential match up. Hogan kept his commitment to wrestle on WWF's European Tour, and wrested several matches against Yokozuna before departing the company in the summer of '93.

Through his own admission, Hulk Hogan's heart and soul were no longer in the pro wrestling business in 1993. In fact, Hogan has stated that he had decided that he was going to leave the WWF prior to his WWF title win at WrestleMania IX in April 1993. And even after his title win at WrestleMania IX, Hogan said he had planned to only wrestle one more pay-per-view event.

In regards to his WWF departure in 1993, Hogan stated in a UK magazine interview, “Basically it was a case of where the [WWF] promotion and I did not get along and couldn’t reach an agreement on the direction we wanted to go. We had contrasting ideas, creative differences. You know, Vince McMahon had other wrestlers he wanted to place in the spotlight [i.e. Bret Hart, Lex Luger]. At the time, I thought that Hulkamania could generate more interest, he thought otherwise.”

Hogan would not return to the World Wrestling Federation until February 2002.

Hulk Hogan returns to the WWF

Monday Night Raw

February 22, 1993

Hulk Hogan interview

Pebble Mill 

March 1993

Hulk Hogan on the set of Thunder in Paradise

April 1993

Hulk Hogan in Japan

May 3, 1993

Hulk Hogan "Shoot Interview" on British TV
Early 1993

Hulk Hogan Promotional Video

Summer 1993 European Tour

Hulk Hogan, Jimmy Hart talk about Hogan's "buzzing" future
Summer 1993

Hulk Hogan and Yokozuna
FACE TO FACE
June 1993

Hulk Hogan and Yokozuna

FACE TO FACE

Aired June 26, 1993

Hulk Hogan interview

What's Up Doc?

December 11, 1993

Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon

2002