Bruce Prichard discussed the internal proposals within WWE to turn Hulk Hogan heel and evaluated the creative success of the Hollywood Hulk Hogan character in WCW.
Prichard stated that he and Pat Patterson often proposed ideas for Hogan to turn heel, but the proposals “never got far” due to resistance from Vince McMahon.
“Vince did not want to turn Hulk heel. Held Hulk in the highest of esteem, and felt that the audience would turn on us as a company if we had Hulk Hogan be a bad guy, because the your sponsors, your partners, everybody’s everything was Hulk Hogan,” Prichard said.
Prichard explained that the ability to implement rapid creative changes was restricted by the long production lead times of the era. He noted that a product like a Hulk Hogan action figure was planned nine months in advance, making a sudden character change difficult. “Vince wanted to keep that, that purity of that character of Hulk Hogan,” Prichard stated.
Pitches for Heel Hogan
Prichard confirmed that Hogan himself “wanted to turn heel”.
Prichard recalled one proposal leading into WrestleMania IXÂ that involved a match against Dusty Rhodes. The idea was presented as a “Battle of the legends” storyline intended to assist the career of Dusty’s son, Dustin Rhodes.
Prichard recalled the narrative concept: “It was a story of Dusty we ain’t never touched babies. I just want to touch you one time so you can feel the dream… But when we leave there, Hulkamania won’t be running wild no more, because everybody going to be living the American dream”.
Both Hogan and Rhodes each felt the other person should portray the heel in the scenario. McMahon and Hogan ultimately felt the proposal put Hogan in a difficult situation because he would not be the unambiguous hero to the WWE audience.
Another idea, proposed after WrestleMania VI where Hogan lost to The Ultimate Warrior, saw Hogan wanting to “drop the title and turn on him all the same night”. McMahon discouraged the idea due to Hogan’s upcoming movie, Suburban Commando.
The Success of Hollywood Hogan
Prichard stated that Hogan leaving WWE was a “blow,” but that the success of the Hollywood Hulk Hogan character in WCW justified the heel turn concept.
“None of that, none of that, happens without Hulk Hogan turning heel, and completely blowing up the red and yellow character that he had worn,” Prichard stated.
Prichard noted that the initial heel turn attempt in WCW was unsuccessful due to the presentation being the “same old, same old”. The new life for the character was realized when Hogan turned heel and launched the NWO.
“They took the character that had been built and turned it upside down and built another layer, another richness, to the character of Hulk Hogan, with Hollywood Hulk Hogan. And I thought it was, I thought it was brilliant,” Prichard affirmed. He explained that the character engaged the audience because they simultaneously “hated him and you loved him all at the same time”.
Working as Brother Love
Prichard discussed how his relationship with Hogan contributed to their on-screen work when Prichard debuted the Brother Love character.
Hogan was away filming No Holds Barred when Brother Love started. Upon Hogan’s return, he immediately acknowledged the heat Prichard’s character had. Hogan told Prichard: “Brother, and he says, you have the kind of heat that I just want to take a shotgun to. I said, that’s good. He says, that’s dangerous”. Andre the Giant reportedly held a similar view of the character.
Prichard recalled one instance where he main-evented the Nassau Coliseum with a Brother Love Show, featuring Hogan as his guest. “I sold it out,” Prichard claimed, noting that Hogan had not been in the market for months.
Hogan would sometimes request to work with the Brother Love character when he needed to miss a major schedule. Prichard noted their segments were done with minimal preparation.
“You didn’t have to… you just went out. He followed me, and I followed him, and we went to the Promised Land, if you will,” Prichard concluded.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit AdFreeShows.com with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
