WWWF/WWF Fan Reaction
By Scott Keith on 26 April 2019
Hey Scott, hoping that you or the readers may have some insight on this. How did longtime WWWF/WWF fans react to the birth of Hulkamania and the changes that began in 1984, leading into the rock n wrestling era? Going from wholesome Bob Backlund and popular
workhorses like Bruno Sammartino to Hulk Hogan and all the incoming flamboyant new stars. I'm really curious what percentage of fans were turned off by it, especially in their traditional Northeast area. The WWF was never really a blood and guts NWA style
territory, but still, it was a really drastic change in product and presentation in a short amount of time. As a kid growing up in Hulkamania, anything prior to 85 felt like it was from a hundred years ago.
workhorses like Bruno Sammartino to Hulk Hogan and all the incoming flamboyant new stars. I'm really curious what percentage of fans were turned off by it, especially in their traditional Northeast area. The WWF was never really a blood and guts NWA style
territory, but still, it was a really drastic change in product and presentation in a short amount of time. As a kid growing up in Hulkamania, anything prior to 85 felt like it was from a hundred years ago.
They actually turned off a pretty significant portion of hardcore fans, based on the Observers from that time, but then they added millions more casual fans who replaced them. Dave really, REALLY hated Hogan in 1984 and thought he was a flash in the pan, for example, which is pretty funny in retrospect.