Back in the 80's, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair were easily the two biggest names in wrestling. Both were huge draws. Hogan was the man in the WWF while Flair was the cornerstone of the NWA/JCP. They each drew the best money for their respective promoters. They were the biggest draws when it came to Pay-Per-Views buy rates (CCTV previously).
While they were both huge, both guys were also popular with different types of fans. Hogan was more popular with the younger fans, namely the kids. Older fans who were looking to see a "fight" were more prone to like Flair. This tends to make sense, at least from my perspective.
After all, we had Hogan mentioning stuff like "saying your prayers" and "taking your vitamins, as well as talking about his little Hulksters.
Flair, on the other hand, would talk about things that adults could better relate to. This usually involved his $600 shoes, the Rolexes, flying on private jets, riding in limos, wining and dining the ladies and so on.
I could go on and on, but I'd likely be mentioning the obvious. Hogan & Flair are probably two of the most memorable people in wrestling. Which one is more memorable? Personally, I have to say Flair. For me, Flair always stood out more. I was able to take him more seriously while I found Hogan was a bit too cartoonish for me. Even when I was a kid, it always felt like a forgone conclusion that he'd win.
Sure, I was a huge mark for Hogan. I suppose I'm still a huge mark for him. With Flair, however, I was on the edge of my seat far more frequently. Every time Flair was in a match against a credible opponent, I felt that he might finally be taken down. Didn't matter if it was against Sting, Lex Luger, Dusty Rhodes, or Harley Race. Anyone that even looked like a credible singles wrestler often looked like a credible threat to Flair.
Thoughts on this? Feel free to leave them in the comments section below.
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