Hulk Hogan Title Reigns in WWE & WCW Ranked

Honorable Mention: Bash at the Beach 2000

To this day, only Hogan, Eric Bischoff, and Vince Russo know what truly happened at Bash at the Beach 2000. This is an honorable mention, as, due to the controversies of the night, this is not a recognized title reign for Hogan.

According to Russo, the original plan for the night was to have the defending WCW champion, Jeff Jarrett, run through a gauntlet of wrestlers before dropping the belt to Booker T in the main event. Hogan, who had creative control, decided it was best if he defeated Jarrett for the title.

Frustrated with Hogan’s decision, Russo told Jarrett to lie down for Hogan during the match. Hogan pinned Jarrett and made some scathing comments about Russo and WCW before leaving the ring.

Later in the night, Russo returned to the ring where he cut a promo burying Hogan and some of the other veteran wrestlers. He then reversed the decision and booked Jarrett and Booker T in the main event for the WCW Championship. Booker T would go on to win.

This was Hogan’s last appearance in WCW. He went on to sue for breach of contract, which he won. According to Bischoff, the specific settlement price is unknown, but it was well into five figures.

12. WWF Championship (April 4, 1993-June 13, 1993)

This title reign was an example of the ugly side of Hogan’s backstage politicking.

At WrestleMania IX, Yokozuna faced WWF champion Bret Hart in the main event. With the help of a salt throw from his manager, Mr. Fuji, Yokozuna would defeat Hart for the title. Hogan came out and, defending Hart’s honor, challenged Yokozuna on the spot for the title. He would defeat Yokozuna and capture his fifth WWF Championship.

Rumor had been that Hogan convinced Vince McMahon to change the ending of WrestleMania IX so that he walked out champion. This detail revealed later has soured fans on this championship run.

Hogan only defended the title once, losing it back to Yokozuna at King of the Ring. That would be Hogan’s final match in the WWF for nearly nine years.

11. WWF Championship (December 3, 1991-December 4, 1991)

There was not a lot to Hogan’s fourth title reign, lasting only one day. Six days earlier at Survivor Series, Hogan lost the title to The Undertaker with the help of Ric Flair. Hogan would defeat The Undertaker this Tuesday in Texas to regain the title. Once again, Flair interfered.

This controversy led to on-air WWF president Jack Tunney stripping Hogan of the title the next day. The championship would be awarded to the winner of the 1994 Royal Rumble.

10. WCW Championship (January 4, 1999-March 14, 1999)

There are numerous moments that people identify as the signified of the beginning of the end of WCW. One of those moments is the “Finger Point of Doom.”

On January 4, 1999, an episode of Nitro featured Kevin Nash defending his WCW Championship against a returning Hogan in the main event. As the bell rang, Hogan poked Nash in the chest, leading him to flop to the mat. Hogan covered Nash, winning the belt. The two got up and, along with other members of the New World Order, began celebrating.

Fans were upset at the mockery displayed in the ring. This was notable as it was the same night a massive number of viewers switched over to Raw to watch Mankind win the WWF title.

Hogan held onto the title for 69 days and defended it three times. He lost the title to Flair in a first-blood steel cage match at Uncensored 1999.

This title reign was a major turning point in the Monday Night Wars.

9. WWE Undisputed Championship (April 21, 2002-May 19, 2002)

Hogan’s 12th and final world title run was a capitalization on nostalgia. That did not make it any more entertaining.

Like many of the big stars of WCW, Hogan waited out his Time Warner contract rather than taking the buyout. Once his contract concluded, he, along with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, returned to the WWF just before WrestleMania X8 to reform the nWo. Hogan’s first major rivalry upon his return, and his WrestleMania opponent, was The Rock.

Their WrestleMania X8 match is regarded as one of the greatest matches in WrestleMania history. Hogan, going into the match as the heel, was embraced by the crowd, turning him face. Post-WrestleMania, he dropped the nWo gimmick and donned the yellow and red once again.

Hogan would challenge Triple H at Backlash for the WWF Undisputed Championship, winning the belt. He would hold the title for only 28 days, defending it against Chris Jericho and Ric Flair, before losing it to The Undertaker at Judgement Day.

During this reign, the World Wrestling Federation changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment, making Hogan the last WWF champion and first WWE champion.

8. WCW Championship (July 12, 1999-September 12, 1999)

Hogan won his sixth WCW Championship on the July 12, 1999, edition of Nitro against Randy Savage. He would hold the title for 62 days and defend it against Sid Vicious, Kevin Nash, and Sting, before losing it to Sting at Fall Brawl.

7. WCW Championship (August 9, 1997-December 28, 1997)

At Road Wild 1997, Hogan defeated Lex Luger for his third WCW Championship. He would only defend it three times before losing it to Sting at Starrcade 1997. The only reason this ranks higher than the previous title reign is due to its length. Hogan held onto the championship for 141 days.

6. WCW Championship (April 20, 1998-July 6, 1998)

This title reign ranks so high not because of what Hogan did while he held the title, but because of who defeated him for the championship.

Hogan defeated Savage for the WCW Championship on the June 20, 1998, edition of Nitro, and he held it for 77 days.

On the July 6, 1998, edition of Nitro, Hogan faced Bill Goldberg in the main event. At that time, Goldberg was the most popular wrestler on the roster and in the middle of a legendary undefeated streak. Hogan would do the job with a rare clean loss to Goldberg, making WCW history.

5. WCW Championship (July 17, 1994-October 29, 1995)

Hogan’s first WCW Championship was also his longest reign at 469 days. He would win the title at Bash at the Beach 1994 against Flair. Hogan and Flair had spent most of their careers in different companies up to that point. Once Hogan jumped from the WWF to WCW, it allowed the fans to see a proper feud between the two. Their first major match was Bash at the Beach, resulting in a title win for Hogan.

Hogan would defend the title eight times, eventually losing it to The Giant via disqualification at Halloween Havoc 1995.

4. WCW Championship (August 10, 1996-August 4, 1997)

This is Hogan’s highest-ranking WCW Championship reign because it was his first as “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan. The 359-day reign began at Hog Wild 1996 with a win against The Giant. After the victory, Hogan spray-painted “nWo” across the belt. This would be a staple for Hogan and fellow nWo members’ future title reigns.

Hogan defended the title six times against Flair, Savage, The Giant, and Roddy Piper, before losing it to Lex Luger on the August 4, 1997, Nitro.

3. WWF Championship (March 24, 1991-November 27, 1991)

Much like his WCW Championship reign that ended in victory for Goldberg, Hogan’s third WWF Championship run was notable for who he defeated to win it and who defeated him to end the reign.

This run began with a victory against Sgt. Slaughter at Wrestlemania VII. Slaughter came into WrestleMania as champion and as an Iraqi sympathizer. At that time, the United States was engaged in the Gulf War with Iraq, and the match was portrayed using the classic wrestling trope of the American good guy versus the foreign bad guy.

Hogan only wrestled two WWF competitors during his 248-day reign: Slaughter and The Undertaker. The Undertaker would get the best of Hogan at Survivor Series 1991 for his first championship. As The Undertaker set up for the Tombstone Piledriver, Flair appeared and placed a chair under Hogan’s head.

2. WWF Championship (April 2, 1989-April 1, 1990)

Hogan’s second WWF Championship run was also notable for who he defeated for the title and who defeated him to end the reign.

Hogan defeated Savage for the championship at WrestleMania V as a culmination of the Mega-Powers explosion storyline. Hogan defended the belt 11 times, defeating Savage, The Big Boss Man, The Honky Tonk Man, and Ted DiBiase along the way.

After holding the title for nearly a year, he would lose clean at Wrestlemania VI in a passing of the torch to The Ultimate Warrior.

1. WWF Championship (January 23, 1984-February 5, 1988)

Hogan’s first world championship reign was historic in many ways. It signified both the beginning of Hulkamania and the start of professional wrestling’s cross into mainstream pop culture.

On January 23, 1984, Hogan defeated The Iron Sheik at Madison Square Garden for the WWF Championship. This would kickstart a journey not yet seen in professional wrestling. For over four years, Hogan would lead the WWF as their champion. He would defend the title 166 times, and his reign of 1474 days is the third-longest in WWE history.

As champion, Hogan acted as the connector between pop culture and professional wrestling. He teamed with Mr. T to take on Piper and Paul Orndorff in the main event of the first WrestleMania, as well as appeared on shows like Saturday Night Live and The A-Team. He advertised different popular products, including the first wrestling action figures.

The first time the WWF title was defended at WrestleMania was during this reign when Hogan defeated King Kong Bundy at WrestleMania II in a steel cage match. But the biggest match of Hogan’s first world title reign was against Andre the Giant. The “irresistible force” and the “immovable object” clashed in the main event of Wrestlemania III, ending when Hogan bodyslammed Andre and hit a leg drop to retain the belt and end Andre’s longstanding win streak.

Hogan’s first reign ended in controversy when Andre finally took down Hogan on an episode of The Main Event with the help of DiBiase and referee Earl Hebner. Andre would immediately hand it over to DiBiase, who bought the championship from him. This would result in the championship being vacated, with a title tournament being held at WrestleMania IV.

This was not only Hogan’s most important championship run, but it was the most influential reign in the history of professional wrestling. It was during this run that Hogan and professional wrestling would forever be interjected into the mainstream.