Staggering Terms of Hulk Hogan’s Original WCW Deal Revealed

To get things started, Hogan received a $2 million signing bonus. From there, the agreement ensured that Hogan would appear on six pay-per-view events annually, each of which guaranteed him 15% of the domestic PPV cable sales or a minimum guarantee of $675K per event. In advance of these PPV bonuses, Hogan received three annual payments of $1.35 million.

His pay-per-view incentives were structured based on buy rates, ranging anywhere from $50,000 to a staggering $1.75 million, depending on performance metrics. If a PPV did a buy rate of over 3.0, Hogan would receive more than $1 million for each event that surpassed the number.

Beyond pay-per-view, Hogan was also scheduled to appear on both WCW Nitro and Thunder, receiving 25% of the gross after-tax arena ticket sales for each event. At the very least, he would get a payment of$25,000 per show. He was contracted for 16 television tapings per year and a “reasonable” number of house shows, the latter of which he would again receive 25% of the post-tax gate revenue.

In addition to match appearances, Hogan earned a $100,000 consulting fee in the fourth year of the deal, and throughout the contract, he received a 50/50 split on net merchandise revenue along with a 50% royalty for any use of his likeness. Hogan was paid $20,000 per month just to wear nWo merchandise.

Travel was covered and always first-class. Hogan’s contract guaranteed first-class flights, limousine transportation, and a $175 daily per diem.

Hogan Did Have Creative Control In WCW

Perhaps most significantly, Hogan had approval over all match outcomes involving his character—a clause that gave him unprecedented creative power in WCW, though the contract stated such approval “shall not be unreasonably withheld.” Eric Bischoff had gone on record saying Hogan only used that clause once during his entire WCW run.

This contract was a clear indicator of just how valuable WCW considered Hogan, effectively making him not only the top star in the company but also one of the highest-paid performers in wrestling history at the time. The terms of this agreement help explain the outsized influence Hogan held during WCW’s peak years in the Monday Night Wars.