Bruce Prichard offered a candid look at Hulk Hogan’s mindset during the period when WWF was transitioning away from Hogan as its centerpiece and attempting to position The Ultimate Warrior as the company’s next top star.
While the Hulkster publicly did everything possible to support Warrior, including losing the WWF Championship to Warrior in the main event of WrestleMania 6 in 1990, Prichard made it clear that Hogan never fully believed Warrior could truly replace him in the long run.
According to Prichard, Hogan was willing to put his own spot on the line to help Warrior succeed and took the responsibility seriously. “Hulk was willing to try and Hulk was willing to do whatever it took to get Warrior over,” Prichard said on his Something To Wrestle With podcast. That effort included programs designed specifically to elevate Warrior and make the audience accept him as the next face of the company.
However, Prichard explained that behind the scenes, Hogan had real doubts about Warrior’s long-term commitment to professional wrestling. While Hogan lived and breathed the business, he didn’t see the same level of dedication from his successor.
“I don’t think that he had total confidence that it was going to work because he didn’t feel that Warrior was fully vested,” Prichard said. He added that Hogan believed Warrior simply did not share the same passion for wrestling that he did.
Prichard went further by explaining what Hogan saw as the fundamental difference between the two men. “He didn’t feel that Warrior was in it for the business,” Prichard said, noting that Hogan viewed himself as a lifer who genuinely loved every aspect of wrestling.
In contrast, Warrior was perceived differently. “That was always the rub with Warrior. Warrior was in it for the money,” Prichard stated, making it clear that Hogan questioned whether Warrior would be willing to carry the company the way he had.
Despite those concerns, Hogan never refused to help or sabotaged the transition. Prichard emphasized that Hogan still gave his full effort, even while harboring doubts. “Hulk was like, ‘No, man. We’ll do everything we can to get this guy over,’” Prichard recalled. Hogan followed through on that approach, even though he personally felt the experiment was unlikely to succeed long-term.
In hindsight, Prichard acknowledged that Hogan’s instincts were not unfounded. “I don’t think that the experiment didn’t work,” he said, reflecting on Warrior’s short-lived run at the top.
Prichard also noted that Hogan himself had already begun thinking about a major character shift around that time, explaining that Hogan “kind of wanted to turn heel then,” which further showed his uncertainty about the company’s direction after passing the torch.
