Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan are two of the biggest stars of all time, with each man climbing the ranks in the same era, though doing so in different promotions, with Flair as the face of the NWA and Hogan as the face of WWE. When Flair finally found his way to WWE, many assumed a WrestleMania dream match with Hogan would take place.
However, this never ended up happening, and the dream match between Flair and Hogan didn’t take place on a WWE PPV. In the aftermath of Hogan’s passing, Flair was asked why this match never surfaced at WrestleMania.
Ric Flair Reveals His Opinion On Why Hulk Hogan Dream Match Never Happened
- Ric Flair joined WWE in the early 1990s.
- He and Hulk Hogan were the two biggest stars in pro wrestling.
- WWE never capitalized with a major WrestleMania dream match.
After ruling for years as the face of the NWA, Ric Flair jumped ship to WWE in a controversial move in 1991, which was a major coup for WWE. The first thing on anyone’s mind was a dream match between Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair at WrestleMania 8. However, WWE opted for a different approach, and prior to Flair’s WWE exit and jump back over to WCW in 1993, Hogan and Flair only met on TV and house shows, never wrestling one-on-one at a WWE PPV.
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Speaking in an interview with Ariel Helwani following the passing of Hulk Hogan, Flair was asked why his dream match with Hogan at WrestleMania never ended up happening, with Flair offering his own opinion.
“I don’t know the answer to that. I’ll tell you what I think: I don’t think Hulk wanted to leave on a losing note, which I totally understand because who am I, after what he’s done for the company. And number two, I don’t know, maybe they thought it wouldn’t draw like it should, I have no idea. The one thing that I know for sure is that I never ever got over in New York.”
WrestleMania 8 Turned Out Different From The Expected Hulk Hogan Vs. Ric Flair Match
- Ric Flair won the 1991 Royal Rumble.
- Many expected Flair to defend the WWE Championship against Hogan.
- Flair faced Savage and Hogan main evented against Sid.
Ric Flair picked up a victory in the 1991 Royal Rumble, making a mark immediately after arriving in WWE, winning the iconic WWE Championship in the process. Flair’s name value carried over, pushing him to the very top of the company. Many assumed that this would lead to Flair putting the gold up on the line in the main event of WrestleMania against Hulk Hogan, who had been a staple of the WWE Title scene and WrestleMania main event for years. However, Hogan entered a feud with Sid Justice, and Flair ventured over to a title program with ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage. Speaking with Helwani, Flair delved into being told by Vince McMahon that he was winning the Rumble.
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“You know what Vince did? He said, ‘I’m not going to give you a guarantee, I’ll shake your hand to make you more money.’ I never asked him for anything. I was just so anxious to get away. I didn’t know I was going to win the Royal Rumble. I walked in that day and Vince said you’re winning the Royal Rumble, I said, ‘What?’ I didn’t expect that. I just wanted freedom from being belittled by Jim Herd. I built WCW and I’m not ashamed to say that.”
Ric Flair & Hulk Hogan Wrestled In WCW
- WCW wasted little time in making this dream match a reality.
- They wrestled multiple times over the years in WCW.
- It felt like too little too late for this dream match to achieve its potential.
When Hulk Hogan left WWE and made the sensational move to WCW, it was his turn to enter Flair’s house and receive a monster push up the card. Unlike WWE, those in power in WCW booked this match for a PPV – Bash At The Beach 1994. Hogan defeated Flair to become the new WCW World Heavyweight Champion. The match was actually pretty good and had a big fight feel, but it wasn’t a classic by any means.
|
Televised Ric Flair Vs. Hulk Hogan Match Results |
Event |
|---|---|
|
Hulk Hogan defeated Ric Flair via DQ |
WWE on MSG Network 11/30/1991 |
|
Hulk Hogan defeated Ric Flair via Count Out |
WWE on MSG Network 12/29/1991 |
|
Hulk Hogan defeated Ric Flair (c) (WCW World Heavyweight Championship) |
WCW Bash At The Beach 1994 |
|
Ric Flair defeated Hulk Hogan (c) via Count Out (WCW World Heavyweight Championship) |
WCW Clash Of The Champions 08/24/1994 |
|
Hulk Hogan (c) defeated Ric Flair (WCW World Heavyweight Championship, Steel Cage Retirement Match) |
WCW Halloween Havoc 1994 |
|
Hulk Hogan defeated Ric Flair (c) via DQ (WCW World Heavyweight Championship) |
WCW Nitro 01/01/1996 |
|
Ric Flair defeated Hulk Hogan |
WCW Nitro 01/29/1996 |
|
Ric Flair defeated ‘Hollywood’ Hulk Hogan (c) via DQ (WCW World Heavyweight Championship) |
WCW Clash Of The Champions 08/15/1996 |
|
‘Hollywood’ Hulk Hogan (c) defeated Ric Flair (WCW World Heavyweight Championship) |
WCW SuperBrawl 1999 |
|
Ric Flair defeated ‘Hollywood’ Hulk Hogan (c) (WCW World Heavyweight Championship, First Blood Steel Cage Match) |
WCW Uncensored 1999 |
|
Hulk Hogan defeated Ric Flair via DQ |
WCW Nitro 02/14/2000 |
|
Hulk Hogan defeated Ric Flair (Strap Match) |
WCW Uncensored 2000 |
|
Hulk Hogan (c) defeated Ric Flair (WWE Championship, No DQ Match) |
WWE RAW 05/13/2002 |
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Flair and Hogan would subsequently meet at other WCW PPVs over the years, such as Halloween Havoc 1994, SuperBrawl 1996, Uncensored 1999, and Uncensored 2000, and it must be said that things got worse and worse every match, both in terms of in-ring ability due to their rising ages, and WCW’s constantly growing absurdity in their booking. WrestleMania 8 was likely the best time and place for this match to happen in WWE, and not the eventual episode of Monday Night RAW in 2002 when WWE had these aged stars clash once more.
