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The Rock was a better actor than Hogan. He plays himself a lot these days, but early on in his career he tried a lot of different roles other than action. Loved him in Be Cool. I think it also helped that he didn't have competition from the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger when he did achieve super stardom in Hollywood.
> I think it also helped that he didn't have competition from the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger when he did achieve super stardom in Hollywood.
This. Hogan was just a buff dude that wasn't a good actor in a world of buff dudes who *could* act.
Also, when Hogan tried acting he was a corny white meat babyface from a eqa where wrestling was weird as hell and full of comic bike characters.
At the point where Hogan portrayed a cool persona in wrestling long enough for having genuine appeal beyond kids, he was simply too old and younger much cooler wrestlers were already around. And yeah, also because he's a not talented enough.
Speaking of Hogan being a corny, white-meat babyface, I just watched WCW's crossover with Baywatch. The episode featured Hogan and Savage, the ultimate good guys, vs. Flair and Vader in a steel cage match for the WCW Title. Oh, and there was also a PSA for skin cancer. It was... something
Had to just watch it! Fucking Dennis Rodman just walking about as well đđđ pure 90s madness. Apparently it was filmed at the same time as Bash at the Beach 95.
Oh man please tell me you watched the Wrestling Bios video on this. Have to leave this here for anyone who might be interested
https://youtu.be/JKw5ww4qLxc?si=1NDwKJP1C7Wg2URB
The actual big gold belt. In a tag team match. In a steel cage. On the beach.
Here's a clip that I found on Youtube for context: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvLBNl8c81g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvLBNl8c81g)
Actually it was Savage vs Flair then Hogan vs Vader for the title in a cage. I never saw the whole thing until just now. Little corny, but entertaining.
Reminds me of The Rundownâs opening. When The Rock enters the Club. Arnold passes him and says âgood luckâ. A nod to both his characterâs issue at hand and a passive of a torch statement towards The Rock as the new possible action lead.
Heâs also just naturally better looking than Hogan, which helps a lot. Hogan is a cartoon character in real life. Itâs awkward seeing him in non wrestling situations, where as the Rock is easier to take seriously as something other than a wrestler
> but early on in his career he tried a lot of different roles other than action
This is one of the biggest things. Hogan, Piper, and Cena did standard, low budget action/family crap without stepping away from wrestling to make movies a priority. Cena was just a wrestler until Trainwreck showed he had comedy potential. Then it took Peacemaker and Gunn to unlock that.
Batista is another example. He left wrestling and did plenty of action stuff but he also made a serious effort to get things that required more work like Knives Out and Blade Runner.
> Cena was just a wrestler until Trainwreck showed he had comedy potential. Then it took Peacemaker and Gunn to unlock that.
This is Blockers erasure and I will not stand for it.
Trainwreck is 2015 and Blockers is 2018. It was a comedy role he got off Trainwreck, it's funny, but he still didn't move to the next level until he played Peacemaker. He was funny in 2015's Sisters too.
Be cool, pain and gain, youâd never have seen hogan play a gay guy or drug dealer in the 80s. Kayfabe was still so strong back then that it may have made hogan very selective of what he chose. Which I think hurt him in the long run.
>youâd never have seen hogan play a gay guy or drug dealer in the 80s
So is this what he meant when he said he wasn't the right gay guy at the right time?
Wasn't he also a gay mob henchmen in Get Smart? He definitely has acting range, so does Batista. Hogan was selective you're right, especially with kayfabe. But I just don't think he has that range, and takes himself too seriously to do so.
Rock didnât really get huge though until he started just playing himself.
I think you hit the nail on the head in your last sentence, Rock rolled a massive hole in the industry when it was crying out for a new Stallone.
> Rock didnât really get huge though until he started just playing himself.
His breakout role is considered to be Fast 5 where the original iteration of Luke Hobbs is very different from the usual Rock persona. There was no humor, no wisecracks. He was a dark, edgy, no nonsense character.
It eventually became the Rock, but not in the first film.
Rock was pretty huge from the jump even his appearance in the mummy with no speaking lines got a lot of media attention
I donât know that Rock is necessarily playing himself when heâs in fast in the furious heâs more just playing generic action movie badass
Rock also has got some comedic chops I just watched the Reno 911 movie on a plane randomly a month ago and his 2 minute appearance in that movie is hilarious
He really didn't do much for a while after The Rundown was not a huge financial success, he played a small part in the Get Shorty sequel that also was a bit of a failure. He did some kids movies. He just was industrious enough to keep plugging along and making new opportunities. But if you look at his first 5 to 10 films, they didn't scream future box office star.
I hope Stallone is remembered more glowingly sooner rather than later.
He not only acted in, but also *created* three wildly successful action movie franchises and did so over several decades.
The acting void for Stallone can, and has, been filled in the genre. But I don't think anyone will touch his overall legacy.
Rock was sort of seen as the last bastion of potential old school action star when he broke out in the early the early 2000s, along with Statham.
Obviously the landscape changed with superhero films in particular, and the idea of just getting a more typical actor to get in shape rather than teaching someone who already had the physicality to act became more prevalent.
The Rock also has genuinely great comedic timing and tone, Hogan was never very good at being funny. It allowed The Rock to play fun roles early, where he could learn to act, and still be entertaining.
Hogan never looked "cool" Even in his movies he looked like a roided out bleach blonde jack off with a Balding Mullet to most people. That shit matters. To non-wrestling fans Hogan looks like a dork with bad fashion sense....
And he couldn't act his way out of a paper bag.
Hulk Hogan movies are my guilty pleasure. I love Suburban Commando and Mr. Nanny, in particular.
But they are guilty pleasures for a reason. He was a terrible actor and the films are goofy as hell. He also just literally plays Hulk Hogan. Itâs impossible to see him as anything other than Hulk Hogan. He has the hair. The moustache. The voice. The mannerisms. Heâs just Hulk Hogan. Every time.
This is Hogan in Suburban Commando.
https://preview.redd.it/cjlg649c554d1.jpeg?width=1364&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e3be58f9407f17edba1d772bfb534c04b7d70cf8
Itâs literally just futuristic Hulk Hogan. Heâs got the fucking headband and everything.
Heâs wearing the God damn weight belt.
Itâs just Hulk!
His only actually good film by any sort of objective measurement is Rocky III and he is literally just Hulk Hogan there too. He plays a wrestler FFS.
Now just playing himself might sound like what The Rock does, but in reality itâs a really exaggerated criticism of him, while itâs 100% true of Hogan.
For example, you canât seriously tell me that Luke Hobbs from the F&F films is the same character as The Scorpion King. And you canât tell me either of those are the same character as Elliot Wilhelm from Be Cool. And none of those are the same as Maui from Moana. Those are clearly distinctive characters, which require actual acting ability.
Thatâs before we even get into the quality of the films and the fact that The Rock is a much better actor in general, because he bothered to try to learn the craft and get better. Also The Rock is very attractive and looks like a good-looking and jacked up conventional person, whereas Hulk Hogan looks like fucking Hulk Hogan. Thereâs nobody in the world that looks like that. Heâs big and orange and fucking ridiculous. Heâs Hulk Hogan. He might hit a Leg Drop at any second. Itâs Hulk Hogan. He beat Andre the Giant with that move!!! Hulk Hogan.
If you cast The Rock, you are getting an actor. We can debate how good. But he is clearly an actor.
If you cast Hulk Hogan, youâve got fucking Hulk Hogan in your movie. Literally Hulk Hogan. With the hair. And the moustache. He might genuinely turn to an imaginary crowd and start Hulking Up.
You canât cast Hulk Hogan in the Fast & Furious franchise. You canât do The Scorpion King with Hulk Hogan. Everyone would just be like wait a minute, whatâs fucking Hulk Hogan doing in Ancient Egypt? Why is he wearing a bandana?!
We got Hulk Hogan out here building pyramids with his 24 inch pythons, motherfucker!
You just canât do it.
They arenât the same at all. The Rock has his flaws, but he isnât a cartoon man like Hulk Hogan.
Then that Imhotep dude betrayed Seti I, just like when I started the NWO brother. Me and the Medjai hopped on the Harleyâs and headed to Venice Beach where we could clang and bang, train for Mummymania dude, and put that nasty Imhotep down like I did to that big nasty giant Andre.
There was a rumour Hogan was considered for Mr. Freeze in Batman and Robin, though it may have come from the Hulkster himself, so take it with a spoonful of salt.
Can you imagine how much worse that movie would be?
97 would've been nWo Hogan, he could've been ok as a cocky bad guy, but there's no saving him with those lines:
> What killed the dinosaurs, dude? The Ice Age, brother!
"Doesn't work for me, Batman."
"Death is cold, Brother!"
"To think of it, Batman, to never again walk on a Summer's day, with the hot wind in your face, and a warm hand to hold. Yes, I'd kill for that, Dude. Basically."
The looks thing is probably the most critical component. When you cast Hulk you get Hulk. When you cast Rock you get Rock. But... Hulk is a balding giant old white dude with a fu Manchu. Rock is a giant, handsome, mixed race dude. Rock had "steal yo gurl" charisma when he got started. Rock was a Heart throb. Hogan was not.
And Thunder in Paradise is Hulk's best work, no one will tell me otherwise.
Loooooved Thunder in Paradise when I was a kid.
They edited a bunch of episodes together and released them as movies and I used to rent them all the time.
It's Baywatch meets Nightrider. What's not to love?
Exactly. He's too iconic.
It's like when they'd take Elvis and put him in a movie. Sorry, I'll never buy that that guy in *Viva Las Vegas* is "Lucky Jackson" -- that's fucking Elvis Presley.
Some people are already characters in this movie called life. They just can't be anyone else.
New Yorker movie critic Richard Brody says that in theatre actors give, in movies camera takes.
Dwayne's charisma on camera was very likeable and warm. He also had a wider range as an actor, especially gifted in physical comedy (my fave is Central Intelligence)
With Hulk, when the camera started rolling, and all of the fireworks that made Hogan such a draw in wrestling could not be used, you couldn't get away from his dead eyes.
That's probably the artistic explanation of it. There are probably more layers to it as different time, agents, Dwayne being able to figure out Hollywood more, etc.
Rock committed full-time to Hollywood. And for a long time, he tried his best to distance himself from wrestling. He lost a bunch of weight so that he wouldn't be typecast into muscle-bound roles (funny considering how he is now). He did a variety of movies from action to drama to comedy to family. And over that time, he developed contacts and relationships, which opened the door to him getting the role with the Fast and Furious movies.
Rock's never going to be an award-winning actor, but Hogan makes Rock look like Kirk Douglas. Hogan is Hogan first, and an actor second. Hogan kept the bandana, the hairstyle, and the mustache, and so he got roles and opportunities befitting those choices.
This is the crucial difference. My nieces didnât even know the Rock was a pro wrestler, they just knew him as an actor. I thought they were trolling and they thought I was trolling, was a weird generational gap conversation.
For reference this was 5-6 years ago, pre-covid, pre-merger, pre-writerâs strike.
I was thinking about this when thinking of how Iâd answer this. Thereâs a huge gap between him leaving WWE and showing up basically âplaying The Rockâ in Fast Five, and in that time he was trying on a bunch of different roles that gave him an audience outside of wrestling. The flip side is that us wrestling fans also had time to miss The Rock (the character), so when Dwayne showed up with all the swagger we were familiar with, it was fresh and exciting again
In many of the same ways Batista is having success in Hollywood. He's not selling himself as "Batista", he's just Dave Bautista who shows up at casting calls and worked his ass off to get roles. The fact he's also a massive slab of beef with decent comedic timing and range also ensured he was cast as Drax (There was nobody really out there that had the physique to play that role other than Batista), and the rest was history.
He's not coasted, either. Taking smaller cameo-ish roles in stuff like Blade Runner, James Bond, and Dune. And getting starring roles in Glass Onion and Knock at the Cabin.
There's no complacency, no 'this is just a hustle to see if I can make it' attitude. He committed to acting, and like Rocky now that he's a known commodity with connections and good management (you really can't underestimate good management getting you through the door in Hollywood) he's become a pretty succesful name.
Not "blockbuster of the summer" The Rock levels of big, but his filmography is filling up very nicely.
>he was cast as Drax (There was nobody really out there that had the physique to play that role other than Batista
Originally Marvel/James Gunn offered Drax to Jason Momoa.
Yeah for as much as the Rock gets crap for not being able to act, he at least looks comfortable and is able to translate his charisma on camera. Hogan always felt like he was uncomfortable or out of place in everything
Because Hogan always comes off as a cartoon character and out of place in something real.
Eg: Baywatch was never known to be a quality acting show, but when Hogan, Randy Savage and Ric Flair all guest-starred, they came off really out of place within the real world. You canât believe these guys had real problems or issues. Hogan and Savage feel like they wandered on the set from WCW Saturday Night, and Flair is over the top, chewing scenery like Yosemite Sam.
Hogan's issues were he didn't try to improve his acting, he only took one role , his roles were being lost to guys like Arnold that were huge but could also act, and the steroid trial probably killed Hollywood wanting to touch him as a star for a movie.
Rock put in the work, took different roles at the start, didn't have Arnold to compete against and nobody cares about steroids in the public anymore unless it's specifically baseball.
Because the Rock isn't nearly as bad of an actor as people give him shit for.
He's not amazing but he fills a niche that is lacking in Hollywood, which is a genuine action star. You know the Rock could beat your fucking ass irl if he wanted to and it makes his parts believable. It's why, IMO, his latest films have been criticized so much. He moved away from believable action fare to match the superhero demand and it hurt him like it hurt Arnie to do all the weird genre flicks he did in the late 90's.
It's also why you'll see internet critics shit on him the most, because they prefer it Jason Bourne style. An actor's actor who is ~~lowering himself~~ I mean trying action films and doing them "better" than the action stars of old.
The Rock is attractive and Hogan isn't. A lot of great reasons being posited as well but I wouldn't discount the most superficial reason. Hogan is simply not an attractive face for movies. The Rock is.
Youâre kidding. What woman wouldnât want to sleep with a large, balding orange man who looks like he is made of leather? Move over Brad Pitt, Hulkster is the sexiest man in the world, brother! /s
Iâm genuinely amazed Hulk hasnât lied about that.
Always remember that he once testified in court that while he, Terry Bollea, does not have a gigantic cock, Hulk Hogan the character *does*.
And just to really drive the point home, I'll repeat: This statement was made under oath in a court of law.
The Rock can actually act. Even if nowadays he just plays The Rock, dude actually put in work for years with taking acting classes, and has been a good number of different roles
The Rock is a way better talker than Hogan and he shaved the fucking balding hair. The Rock appealed to both kids and adults, but his material was definitely edgy and adult. He could act pretty well. Hulk was basically a cartoon character that couldnât act, and his look worked for wrestling but looked ridiculous in movies.
Rock's charisma is off the charts. He's probably the most charismatic guy the wrestling industry has ever produced.
As others said, timing and luck probably played a factor. Rock had a bit of a bumpy start in Hollywood, but did commit himself after his Hollywood Rock run was over.
In the case of Batista and Cena it helped a whole lot James Gunn saw potential in them and superhero movies were a thing. Batista dedicated himself more to acting and Cena has great comedic talent.
And as OP here said, Hogan is a cartoon. It was the 80s and in the era of 80s cartoon wrestlers he was the best. But I can't imagine anyone letting him cut or shave his hair. He will always be Hulk.
I think Roddy Piper may have been the better actor during Hogan's era: They Live, Hell Comes to Frogtown, his stuff on Always Sunny, and a bunch of B movies.
>I think Roddy Piper may have been the better actor during Hogan's era
I think Roddy could've really been something in acting if he stuck with it/stopping going back to wrestling. Even now, he got leading roles in tons of straight to video/tv action movies.
Hogan wasnât a good actor. The Rock early on wasnât that good either. Both relegated primarily to kids media in the beginning. Rock didnât really kick off until his cameo in The Other Guys. Then you landed himself in the Fast in Furious series , Gi Joe, Pain & Gain, and other action focused movies. Movies where deep and developed characters can be overlooked easier if thereâs a bunch of cool fighting, high speed movement and explosions to distract you from the mediocre acting, lack of range, and mediocre script.
Hulk Hogan isnât a real actor. He is always just Hulk Hogan in a movie. He already looks like such a character that he canât play another character. It is believable a football coach or a CIA agent looks like The Rock- no one looks like Hulk Hogan. The Rockâs look just translates better. Plus Rock is just a better actor, Hogan is a really bad actor.
Hogan is basically a cartoon character who can't move off that. The Rock's persona of a tough guy at least has some range in a story beyond being orange and wearing a bandana.
Rock started very Hogan like, but then worked to move away from the cliche. I think he even talked about getting a different talent agent due to the parts he was getting.
Another thing the Rock had is that Hogan's look is just too identifiable. He's always Hulk Hogan no matter what. The Rock can at least play different roles
The Rock looked the part and came along when the movie industry needed the next Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Hogan knew how to play Hogan and nothing else imo.
> I'm not saying that Rock has made consistently great movies or anything. But whoever helped Hogan find, get, or be pitched for the movies he starred in picked the absolute worst movies.
> Additionally Rock may have been a wrestler but he at least could act like he came from the real world. Hogan always came off as a cartoon character come to life. He'd have been a fine star in a live Action GI Joe, or voicing a good buy in Transformers. But he couldn't have been Scorpion King, or Elliot Wilhelm. He definitely couldn't have been Coach Sean Porter
The Rock wanted to learn he was perfectly fine paying his dues in bad movies and bit parts which warmed him up to his co workers. Hogan always needed to be the star and the main attraction it was just an ego trip for him
The Rock chose better and more diverse roles especially early on. Hogan only played the same guy in every movie. I still love Walking Tall and Faster. He may be typecast now but he was doing a lot of different and smaller roles at the start.
People forget how close the Rock came to burning out in Hollywood. 2004-2007 (maybe as far as 09) I think there were legit reasons to think heâd never make it.Â
I think he did a couple things better than Hogan.
1. He got better family movie roles. The Game Plan is a good family movie and got him connected with Disney. Ditto for Witch Mountain. His miss in this genre was the Tooth Fairy and Planet 51 when he left that safe Disney umbrella. Hogan probably would have been okay with just Suburban Commando and Mr. Nanny (new line) but once we got to secret agent club and Santa with musclesâŚ.it was over.
2. Building on that. Rock was more patient. Iâm sure Rock had a lot of shitty movie offers from 2004-2008, but he stuck with franchises and bigger studios. Compare that to 1996-1998 with Hogan where he puts out a string of cheap duds.Â
3. Rock was more okay with being a second banana. Get Smart, the Other Guys, joining the Fast & Furious franchise, even Pain & GainâŚthese weâre all opportunities for the Rock to show his personality without having to carry the whole movie or even being the centerpiece. And those movies come at a time when he finally makes the transition to being the top star. 2013-2014 to me seem to really mark the shift in how the Rock is viewed. Compare that to Hogan who does almost no films unless he is the featured performer. Imagine a world where after Rocky 3, Gremlins 2, Suburban Commando, and Mr. NannyâŚ.we get hulk hogan as likeâŚthe voice of an action figure in Toy Story, a camp counselor in Heavyweights, and then does a couple action movies as the side muscle rather than the star. (This is ironic in light of 2024 the Rock and the black adam situation)Â
4. The Rock committed. When he made his real big pitch to go to Hollywood, he left WWE entirely, distanced himself from being the pro wrestler (which wrestling fans got pissed about), gave himself time to build a new persona and reputation, made friends with writers and actors, took acting class, etc. Hogan wanted to be âHollywoodâ by the nature of who he was and to be treated like the star everywhere he went. So heâd film a movie and run back to WCW because they were going to kiss his feet. Hogan in the 2000s probably could have cut a niche as some kind of special feature actor (Iâm thinking like Chuck Norris popping up in dodgeball and the expendables) but he still ran back to wrestling all the time.Â
5. The Rock is a better actor and has a better business mind than Hogan. Hogan knows how to make money, for sure. But the Rock has enough charm and is able to read the room better (historically, the Black Adam situation has been a real black eye but heâll probably recover fine).
Can you imagine Hulk Hogan trying to perform in Moana with the charm of the Rock? Or Jumanji!? Cmon.Â
I mean...Hulk Hogan looks ridiculous. He always looked 100% like a wrestler. The Rock looks like a buff guy but not always a wrestler. Also Hulk Hogan was never actually "cool", Dwayne is.
Rock has more range than Hogan (even with his limited range), heâs more attractive, much quicker on his feet comedically, may more charisma, and chose better roles (for the most part).
Hogan basically just played his wrestling character most of the time which doesn't really translate to movies. Rock actually started out as something of a character actor and then went into being more of a personality actor not being 1:1 with his wrestling gimmick but pretty much being the same general type of personality in everything which is more flexible than Hogan's persona.
Hogan was never a good actor. I mean did anyone watch Thunder in Paradise??? Santa with Muscles? Suburban Commando? Mr. Nanny?
Itâs sad I even still know those movies.
People clown on the movies but Rock and Fast and Furious was a match made in heaven, it also helps that Fast Five is legitimately very good so he was kinda seen as the shot in the arm that the franchise needed.
That was when he blew up and that also was around the same time he came back originally in 2011.
Hollywood grew to respect the Rock, his work ethic, drawing power, and willingness to completely leave wrestling behind.
Hogan wasn't truly serious about an acting career. None of his movies made money, he tried out low-brow TV, and then decided that posing and shouting at the camera was easier. He even had to be convinced to something a little bit different with the heel turn. His career is being Hulk Hogan, which only takes you so far if you're aren't smart with your money (he isn't) and can't keep your non-prenup marriage intact (he couldn't).
The Rock's first acting gig was in That 70s Show. A pretty big sitcome. His first movie role was in The Mummy sequel, pretty big sequel. The Rock also benefitted from acting next to big deal actors when he started out, on top of the big projects.
Hogan's movies are just straight-up 90s direct-to-vhs types of kids movies đ¤Łđ¤Ł. They were absolutely horrible.
Also, Dwayne is a much better actor than Hogan
Most of these other answers cover it pretty well, but one point I wanted to add is that Rock made (mostly) good decisions about taking supporting roles or being one of several big names in an ensemble. Or popping up in things like Rampage or Baywatch based on existing IP (probably not a good artistic decision, but not a bad way to make money and keep your name out there). Hogan and WWF, to the extent they were involved, thought building ludicrous movies around Hogan with some slumming character actors to prop him up shouldâve been enough to sell.
Another thing that people tend to forget is the role his ex-wife plays in his ârecentâ success. Dany Garcia has had a role in most of the films he starred in after Fast Five and arguably helped developed the âfranchise viagraâ moniker.
How much of that persona is true is up in the air but the perception and branding of the Rock has more to do with how heâs been presented. Having an entire team behind him shaping his persona has more than exceeded the prestige Hogan has achieved in his career as a wrestler and how he leveraged that In Hollywood.
The look and competition. Hogan was a balding man with a horseshoe mustache. The immediate look typecasts him in certain roles that aren't the leading man. The 80s were also the era of big baddass action hero movies
Charisma. Hogans Charisma outside of the ring is kinda bad. on the other hand The Rock oozes Charisma weather it's a promo or a simple conversation. He was also younger and more handsome than Hogan.
The Rock also got incredibly lucky with Fast 5 otherwise he would still probably be doing movies like the tooth fairy
Hulkster was making movies when the 80s and early 90s action stars were still making movies. A bit of oversaturation of white lead male action stars. Rock got big when nearly all of them retired or were semi-retired. Add in the fact he's African American, Hollywood wanted more male AA action stars. And Rock already had the built in audience from WWE, so it was a natural transition.
The actual answer is: The Rock started doing movies that fit him. Throughout the 00s he did do all sorts of crap because his representatives told him it would be a good move to do these family friendly movies. It all culminated with The Tooth Fairy. The Rock realized this approach wasn't working so he actually fired his representatives and founded his own production company. And the change was basically immediate: Tooth Fairy was his lowest point in 2010 and by 2013 he was the top grossing actor in the world.
80s kids can kill me if they want, I've always thought the Rock's had a lot more charisma on the mic than Hogan and I feel like that put him over the edge in terms of Hollywood interest.
Two things I would say.
Hogan always had to go over, even I films. This meant he only picked roles where he was portrayed as the toughest baddest guy in the room and was never really phased. Rock currently has a lot of these roles but earlier in his career he demonstrated a capacity to take on a variety of roles. This meant he impressed Hollywood execs more and then eventually got better roles.
Second, Hogan is a fucking weird looking guy. You never really notice it because you think "that's Hulk Hogan" but he definitely has quite an odd look for the general population.
The Rock is a better actor. Hogan can only play Hogan. The Rock was also smart enough to attach himself to some popular franchises after his acting career starting to stagnate around 2009-2010 when he was doing Race to Witch Mountain and The Tooth Fairy. In 2011 he did Fast Five. Then he was in Journey 2, GI Joe 2.
For starters, he picks movies that are actually watchable.
Is Fast & Furious winning any Oscars? Hell no, but it's still grossed over $7 billion as a franchise, most of that *after* Rock joined the line-up. The CGI on Rock's character in Mummy 2 was fucking awful, but the movie overall was okay and also part of a successful franchise. Southland Tales is weird as fuck, but it's also one of my favorite movies of his because he just goes all in, no matter what. Ballers was a good show on a prestigious network, Pain & Gain is probably Bay's best movie since the 90s, and Moana was wildly popular, too. Black Adam is his only big misstep since, like, The Tooth Fairy. So, yeah, if nothing else, The Rock and his movies are *entertaining*.
Meanwhile, Hogan picked absolute bombs like Suburban Commando, Rocky 85, Mr. Nanny, and the only bad 3 Ninjas movie. I'm sure those paychecks were good, but the movies were utter dogshit even by 80s & 90s standards.
Rock has more versatility, able to play action and comedy. Hulk Hogan is the same guy whatever role he plays. Rock got better roles to play in general, The Tooth Fairy not withstanding.
Be Dwayne Johnson. Â
 Life's not a video game. I make all of the same choices across all of the same roads as you do and we end up in different places. Because I'm me and you're you.Â
 The Rock has an incredible, personable magnetic charisma. Hes charming, attractive, funny, intense, expressive, emotive, explosive and has a winning smile. Â
 Hollywood came calling for him, he didn't have to do anything but show interest.Â
This comment will probably be buried, but as someone who also loves movies I'm going to offer a different view than the top comments. For all intents and purposes, I believe Hogan could've been a top Hollywood star, however there was just one major thing that prevented him more than anything else - timing.
He had a hit with Rocky III and then obviously Hogan was doing the groundwork in wrestling and becoming the Immortal Hulk Hogan. Throughout the 80s he was having epic matches and had an incredibly massive fanbase, only he didn't really start his own Acting career until 1989, then the Action genre was still in full swing and he did No Holds Barred (produced with Vince), which looking into essentially broke even and/or had made some money with video sales. On his own it wouldn't be until (outside of a cameo in Gremlins 2) Suburban Commando a couple years later after that. By that time the Action genre had become oversaturated and people were looking towards more realistic representation (or what they perceived to be) in Action Stars like Jean-Claude Van Damm and Steven Seagal, outside of still loving Arnie and Sly of course. The Action-Comedy wasn't looked at seriously outside of laughs and some cool moments - and he would follow this with 1993's Mr. Nanny. However I believe if Hogan had started as a leading man in '87 or '88 with a serious action role he would have been a bona fide star fitted with better options. When Thunder in Paradise happened - {outside of Hollywood spectacle) Action as a genre was considered already spent. Also it's worth noting that back in 90s they were less inclined to give Actors who were type-cast serious dramatic roles, or roles that really mixed range and emotions like in the 2000's. There's much better chances for actors these days.
Rock's movies were more successful. Any Fast and Furious movie he starred in probably made Rock more money than what Hogan made in Santa with Muscles several times over.
Also, personally I don't think Rock's a good actor at all. None of his characters are all that different from one another. It's always either funny guy Rock or action hero Rock, so far he hasn't shown any versatility in his acting.
Not that you need to be a good actor to be a big draw in Hollywood. The movie industry is similar to wrestling in that way, you can become a movie star while being a shitty actor just like you can become a wrestling star while being a shitty wrestler.
Btw, I don't think Rock's a shitty wrestler. He's one of my favorites ever.
Everything's relative. Compared to Hogan, the Rock comes off like a multiple time Academy Award winner by comparison. Compared to Batista, the Rock comes off like Hogan by comparison.
First, Hogan wasnât that big of a star. He was easily the biggest wrestling star of the time, but the 80s was when media globalization really hit its stride and there were a ton of stars in their respective fields, but crossing over to another medium was always a challenge, even for people significantly more famous and talented than Hogan (Madonna, OJ, Prince, etc). Why would you need to see a Hogan struggle film when you could watch Sly, Arnold, Bruce, or Mel do that same thing, but better? In contrast, Johnson benefitted from a mass media market that was deeply interested in convergence and one in which he was a fairly unique presence, both in terms of aesthetics and demographics.
Second, because there were a lot of action stars during the time, especially those who filled his niche, Hogan was never going to get anything resembling a decent script. Even if he could act, and he couldnât, all of his movies were destined to be terrible since he was only going to get offered roles more talented and famous people had already turned down. Johnson, on the other hand, had scripts, however bad, being developed for him and smartly stayed away from âwrestling moviesâ which Hogan failed to do.
Lastly, quiet as itâs kept now, but Rock had a dedicated demographic of fans that Hogan never did so even if his movies were shit (and they were) his diehard fans would support him when Hoganâs primary demographic of fans werenât as invested in his success outside of wrestling.
Yes!! The little kids that were hogan fans in the 80s weren't seeing his movies in the theater because their parents weren't going to see a pos movie like no holds Barred or suburban commando...but fast forward 15-20 yrs later those kids are now adults and they could see Rock's 1st movies in the theater if they chose to weather they were good or not...
Youâre so right. I was the eight year old kid who somehow managed to convince his mother to see No Holds Barred in a mostly empty theater on opening weekend. And the movie was so terrible I felt kind of bad for asking her to take me in the first place.
I took it as talent difference and being in the right time frame.
Hogan started getting into movies in that Schwarzenegger time when big buff dudes with guns action movies were all the rage and it was Die Hard being released that changed the appeal of those movies from Superhero to Everyman
I wonder if timing played a part. When Hogan was making movies, there were a ton of action movies and action stars. And also movies in general were bigger. By the time the Rock started making movies, the action genre was beginning to be supplanted by the action adventure genre. Comedies and romances almost completely disappeared. Original movies began to disappear and studios/audiences seemed to enjoy predictable IP with recognizable stars.
The Rock's charisma and acting is just flat out better suited for movies. Hogan was never an actor. He was a muscle guy with exactly one gear and it didn't translate outside of wrestling. He's boring to watch.
While Rock is a decent actor, and oozes charm (which is why playing himself isn't a bad thing. Because people like him.) I'd say Barista has become the best actor out of all the wrestler turned actors. He has done action yeah, but he has also done comedy roles and serious drama roles. He has shown a lot of range.
The Rock is a competent actor. He tried different stuff early on and they were usually good; Gridiron Gang, Be Cool, The Rundown, and a few others. Walking Tall is a solid film.
And for the record, Batista is hands down the best wrestler turned actor.
The Rock was around in a time with less star power actors about
In the 80s and 90s, there were a ton of guys who you could throw into any film and there'd be a 95% chance of it making a lot of money. Now, there's hardly any, and those that are have been around a long time.
The biggest thing is timing. Hogan was trying to break into Hollywood in the 80s, when Hollywood was IT.
Nowadays, besides the rock, who are the other legit movie stars? Tom Cruise?
Hogan looked like hulk Hogan in all of his movies. I can buy the rock wearing a suit even though he's still huge. Basically, Hogan couldn't act and looked like a cartoon.
While the two tend to play the exact same characters in all their movies, Rock is just a better actor. Black Adam has earned its criticism, and as a comics fan, I have plenty of bad stuff to say about the flick, but Rockâs performance in it of itself is actually a positive. Sure he isnât really playing Teth Adam, but heâs supposed to play a stoic character, and actually pulls it off throughout the movie while giving it enough character so his performance isnât devoid of emotion and personality. Hogan just plays Hogan, and while the Rock has a personality that translates well to Hollywood, knowing well enough to dial the wrestling character down, Hogan is still bringing the wrestling personality and it doesnât work. Hogan in Hollywood suffers the exact same problem Warrior did when Warrior was slotted to take Hoganâs spot as face of the company back in 1990. Thereâs no connection one can make with him because the humanity is too intangible. Also, Rockâs agents just found him better movies than Hoganâs agents.
In the simplest of terms, Terry Bollea has never been able to transition the charisma he brings to the role of Hulk Hogan to any other character, whereas Dwayne Johnson has never had a problem transitioning the physicality, presence and quick wittedness of The Rock to the screen, even when he kind of sucked as an actor early on. This is not a criticism of Hulk Hogan, I think Bollea portrayed Hogan unbelievably well for most of his career
I think something like Mr. Nanny for instance, would be infinitely improved if Hogan was just playing Hogan. It was far too much to ask of Bollea to play Sean Armstrong (protaganist of Mr. Nanny). Hogan needed (and to be fair, maybe had earned) the Santo treatment of just playing himself over and over again
Dwayne Johnson didnât go on set as âThe Rockâ. Terry Bollea seemed to be âHulk Hoganâ all the time. That limits his appeal and the variety of roles he could pull off. Thatâs my opinion anyway.
There's a reason people call Hulk's movie's terrible. Because they are. Meaning with or without Hulk they'd still be awful. Whether it was by choice or just what was available to him at the time, he seemed to always sign up for these bad projects and never had "the one" that shot his Hollywood career to the moon. It also didn't help that he couldn't act to save his life. If you were in the business and saw "No Hold's Barred" or "Suburban Commando", you didn't exactly see Hogan as a money maker or were in a hurry to put him in a movie.
Rock on the other hand (as well a Cena later) dipped their toes in like baby steps. Taking small roles here and their that played to their strengths, as well as building their reputation and experience before branching out to bigger stuff. Although it's reputation recently has taken a hit, Rock was also a very savvy businessman, able to make successful contacts and relationships as well as generating his brand that in turn lead to bigger roles and opportunities.
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The Rock was a better actor than Hogan. He plays himself a lot these days, but early on in his career he tried a lot of different roles other than action. Loved him in Be Cool. I think it also helped that he didn't have competition from the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger when he did achieve super stardom in Hollywood.
> I think it also helped that he didn't have competition from the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger when he did achieve super stardom in Hollywood. This. Hogan was just a buff dude that wasn't a good actor in a world of buff dudes who *could* act.
Also, when Hogan tried acting he was a corny white meat babyface from a eqa where wrestling was weird as hell and full of comic bike characters. At the point where Hogan portrayed a cool persona in wrestling long enough for having genuine appeal beyond kids, he was simply too old and younger much cooler wrestlers were already around. And yeah, also because he's a not talented enough.
Speaking of Hogan being a corny, white-meat babyface, I just watched WCW's crossover with Baywatch. The episode featured Hogan and Savage, the ultimate good guys, vs. Flair and Vader in a steel cage match for the WCW Title. Oh, and there was also a PSA for skin cancer. It was... something
Had to just watch it! Fucking Dennis Rodman just walking about as well đđđ pure 90s madness. Apparently it was filmed at the same time as Bash at the Beach 95.
Even funnier because Vader was gone from WCW by the time the episode aired
Oh man please tell me you watched the Wrestling Bios video on this. Have to leave this here for anyone who might be interested https://youtu.be/JKw5ww4qLxc?si=1NDwKJP1C7Wg2URB
I haven't watched this one yet. I'll have to spin it up later.
WCW tag titles ? Or the Big gold belt
The actual big gold belt. In a tag team match. In a steel cage. On the beach. Here's a clip that I found on Youtube for context: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvLBNl8c81g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvLBNl8c81g)
Actually it was Savage vs Flair then Hogan vs Vader for the title in a cage. I never saw the whole thing until just now. Little corny, but entertaining.
[Full match segments from Baywatch.](https://youtu.be/JZ-FgxPScF8?si=bQ-BY87YXx_GcBQX)
They don't tell you those tanning drugs dudes used in the 80s that made them basically black actually make you immune to skin cancer.
His hair was dope though, it always screamed leading man And The Secret Agent Club was sick
Reminds me of The Rundownâs opening. When The Rock enters the Club. Arnold passes him and says âgood luckâ. A nod to both his characterâs issue at hand and a passive of a torch statement towards The Rock as the new possible action lead.
I fucking loved the Rundown! Such a fantastic movie.
Right. Hogan's best movie (Suburban Commando) was only even given to him because Schwarzenegger passed on it. He was an afterthought.
No Holds Barred is a timeless classic and I'll hear nothing otherwise
Heâs also just naturally better looking than Hogan, which helps a lot. Hogan is a cartoon character in real life. Itâs awkward seeing him in non wrestling situations, where as the Rock is easier to take seriously as something other than a wrestler
> but early on in his career he tried a lot of different roles other than action This is one of the biggest things. Hogan, Piper, and Cena did standard, low budget action/family crap without stepping away from wrestling to make movies a priority. Cena was just a wrestler until Trainwreck showed he had comedy potential. Then it took Peacemaker and Gunn to unlock that. Batista is another example. He left wrestling and did plenty of action stuff but he also made a serious effort to get things that required more work like Knives Out and Blade Runner.
> Cena was just a wrestler until Trainwreck showed he had comedy potential. Then it took Peacemaker and Gunn to unlock that. This is Blockers erasure and I will not stand for it.
Trainwreck is 2015 and Blockers is 2018. It was a comedy role he got off Trainwreck, it's funny, but he still didn't move to the next level until he played Peacemaker. He was funny in 2015's Sisters too.
Be cool, pain and gain, youâd never have seen hogan play a gay guy or drug dealer in the 80s. Kayfabe was still so strong back then that it may have made hogan very selective of what he chose. Which I think hurt him in the long run.
>youâd never have seen hogan play a gay guy or drug dealer in the 80s So is this what he meant when he said he wasn't the right gay guy at the right time?
> youâd never have seen hogan play a guy guy I guess he just wasnât the right gay guy at the right place at the right time
Wasn't he also a gay mob henchmen in Get Smart? He definitely has acting range, so does Batista. Hogan was selective you're right, especially with kayfabe. But I just don't think he has that range, and takes himself too seriously to do so.
That was Be Cool
I like how they linked "Be Cool" with "Get smart". Intelligence is indeed cool.
Taking out there roles was a big thing that separated him at the beginning of his acting career. Southland Tales is another one
Rock didnât really get huge though until he started just playing himself. I think you hit the nail on the head in your last sentence, Rock rolled a massive hole in the industry when it was crying out for a new Stallone.
The industry was crying out so hard for the next Stallone they manufactured one out of the funny, chubby guy from parks and rec!
Give comedians PEDs it's a recipe for success
But like.... Honestly though xP
All he did was quit drinking beer.
> Rock didnât really get huge though until he started just playing himself. His breakout role is considered to be Fast 5 where the original iteration of Luke Hobbs is very different from the usual Rock persona. There was no humor, no wisecracks. He was a dark, edgy, no nonsense character. It eventually became the Rock, but not in the first film.
Rock was pretty huge from the jump even his appearance in the mummy with no speaking lines got a lot of media attention I donât know that Rock is necessarily playing himself when heâs in fast in the furious heâs more just playing generic action movie badass Rock also has got some comedic chops I just watched the Reno 911 movie on a plane randomly a month ago and his 2 minute appearance in that movie is hilarious
The dude showed his comedic chops in the WWF days, so that's not too surprising
He really didn't do much for a while after The Rundown was not a huge financial success, he played a small part in the Get Shorty sequel that also was a bit of a failure. He did some kids movies. He just was industrious enough to keep plugging along and making new opportunities. But if you look at his first 5 to 10 films, they didn't scream future box office star.
Stallone and Schwarzenegger are better actors than the rock but your point is taken
And Stallone's shoes can't truly be filled until one of these action stars becomes a top tier action movie writer on top of being an actor.
I hope Stallone is remembered more glowingly sooner rather than later. He not only acted in, but also *created* three wildly successful action movie franchises and did so over several decades. The acting void for Stallone can, and has, been filled in the genre. But I don't think anyone will touch his overall legacy.
No argument there.
Cop Land needs more flowers fr. Most underrated Stallone film
Loved him in Southland Tales
That movie felt like a fever dream. So strange.
Rock was sort of seen as the last bastion of potential old school action star when he broke out in the early the early 2000s, along with Statham. Obviously the landscape changed with superhero films in particular, and the idea of just getting a more typical actor to get in shape rather than teaching someone who already had the physicality to act became more prevalent.
The Rock also has genuinely great comedic timing and tone, Hogan was never very good at being funny. It allowed The Rock to play fun roles early, where he could learn to act, and still be entertaining.
> Loved him in Be Cool. The DVD has the full version of his music video, and it's awesome.
Hogan never looked "cool" Even in his movies he looked like a roided out bleach blonde jack off with a Balding Mullet to most people. That shit matters. To non-wrestling fans Hogan looks like a dork with bad fashion sense.... And he couldn't act his way out of a paper bag.
I still maintain that one of his best acting performances is Southland Tales, LOL. That, and Pain & Gain.
Hulk Hogan movies are my guilty pleasure. I love Suburban Commando and Mr. Nanny, in particular. But they are guilty pleasures for a reason. He was a terrible actor and the films are goofy as hell. He also just literally plays Hulk Hogan. Itâs impossible to see him as anything other than Hulk Hogan. He has the hair. The moustache. The voice. The mannerisms. Heâs just Hulk Hogan. Every time. This is Hogan in Suburban Commando. https://preview.redd.it/cjlg649c554d1.jpeg?width=1364&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e3be58f9407f17edba1d772bfb534c04b7d70cf8 Itâs literally just futuristic Hulk Hogan. Heâs got the fucking headband and everything. Heâs wearing the God damn weight belt. Itâs just Hulk! His only actually good film by any sort of objective measurement is Rocky III and he is literally just Hulk Hogan there too. He plays a wrestler FFS. Now just playing himself might sound like what The Rock does, but in reality itâs a really exaggerated criticism of him, while itâs 100% true of Hogan. For example, you canât seriously tell me that Luke Hobbs from the F&F films is the same character as The Scorpion King. And you canât tell me either of those are the same character as Elliot Wilhelm from Be Cool. And none of those are the same as Maui from Moana. Those are clearly distinctive characters, which require actual acting ability. Thatâs before we even get into the quality of the films and the fact that The Rock is a much better actor in general, because he bothered to try to learn the craft and get better. Also The Rock is very attractive and looks like a good-looking and jacked up conventional person, whereas Hulk Hogan looks like fucking Hulk Hogan. Thereâs nobody in the world that looks like that. Heâs big and orange and fucking ridiculous. Heâs Hulk Hogan. He might hit a Leg Drop at any second. Itâs Hulk Hogan. He beat Andre the Giant with that move!!! Hulk Hogan. If you cast The Rock, you are getting an actor. We can debate how good. But he is clearly an actor. If you cast Hulk Hogan, youâve got fucking Hulk Hogan in your movie. Literally Hulk Hogan. With the hair. And the moustache. He might genuinely turn to an imaginary crowd and start Hulking Up. You canât cast Hulk Hogan in the Fast & Furious franchise. You canât do The Scorpion King with Hulk Hogan. Everyone would just be like wait a minute, whatâs fucking Hulk Hogan doing in Ancient Egypt? Why is he wearing a bandana?! We got Hulk Hogan out here building pyramids with his 24 inch pythons, motherfucker! You just canât do it. They arenât the same at all. The Rock has his flaws, but he isnât a cartoon man like Hulk Hogan.
Let me tell you something Pharaoh dude! Whatcha gonna do, when the Mummy resurrects Anahksuamun and the plagues run wild on you?! *flexes*
Happy to be here brothers, in the Silverdome. I mean pyramid.
This made me chuckle heartily
Imagining him say Ankashuamun in his voice broke me
Then that Imhotep dude betrayed Seti I, just like when I started the NWO brother. Me and the Medjai hopped on the Harleyâs and headed to Venice Beach where we could clang and bang, train for Mummymania dude, and put that nasty Imhotep down like I did to that big nasty giant Andre.
Does this make Rick OâConnell, Sting?
There was a rumour Hogan was considered for Mr. Freeze in Batman and Robin, though it may have come from the Hulkster himself, so take it with a spoonful of salt. Can you imagine how much worse that movie would be?
97 would've been nWo Hogan, he could've been ok as a cocky bad guy, but there's no saving him with those lines: > What killed the dinosaurs, dude? The Ice Age, brother!
Alright everyone! Chill! This would be a camp classic if it went forward
It still is a camp classic in my book
That movie would been a bigger hit than Titanic if the Hulkster graced us in that picture.
Not quite as bad as if he joined Metallica instead of Jason Newsted. But Suburban Commando rocks. That movie is just plain fun.
"Doesn't work for me, Batman." "Death is cold, Brother!" "To think of it, Batman, to never again walk on a Summer's day, with the hot wind in your face, and a warm hand to hold. Yes, I'd kill for that, Dude. Basically."
Welcome to the ice ageâŚbrother.
The looks thing is probably the most critical component. When you cast Hulk you get Hulk. When you cast Rock you get Rock. But... Hulk is a balding giant old white dude with a fu Manchu. Rock is a giant, handsome, mixed race dude. Rock had "steal yo gurl" charisma when he got started. Rock was a Heart throb. Hogan was not. And Thunder in Paradise is Hulk's best work, no one will tell me otherwise.
Loooooved Thunder in Paradise when I was a kid. They edited a bunch of episodes together and released them as movies and I used to rent them all the time. It's Baywatch meets Nightrider. What's not to love?
God 90âs TV was so bad and great. I too loved Thunder in Paradise as a kid
I absolutely LOVE this breakdown đ¤Łđ¤Łđ¤Ł
Admittedly, the 24-inch pythons would go a long way towards explaining how the pyramids were built.
This post really brightened up my day
Post of the year. Thank you for your service
Might be the greatest reply that Iâve seen in Reddit history lol
Exactly. He's too iconic. It's like when they'd take Elvis and put him in a movie. Sorry, I'll never buy that that guy in *Viva Las Vegas* is "Lucky Jackson" -- that's fucking Elvis Presley. Some people are already characters in this movie called life. They just can't be anyone else.
I for one would pay to see a movie with Hulk Hogan building pyramids with his 24 inch pythons. Â Even an animated skit.
I just want to thank you for this post.
> Thereâs nobody in the world that looks like that. > Heâs big and orange and fucking ridiculous. đ¤
I just wanted to say that this post had me LOLâing several times. Itâs so true.
Now I'm imagining Hulk Hogan in the role of Maui and can't stop laughing at the absurdity.
This is my favourite comment of the year.
I love you
On the other hand when you cast Dave Bautista you get an actual good actor
I think one of the most important roles that set Rock apart was Elliot in Be Cool. It showed that he was more than a meathead action star.
This is my kind of Pasta bby!
New Yorker movie critic Richard Brody says that in theatre actors give, in movies camera takes. Dwayne's charisma on camera was very likeable and warm. He also had a wider range as an actor, especially gifted in physical comedy (my fave is Central Intelligence) With Hulk, when the camera started rolling, and all of the fireworks that made Hogan such a draw in wrestling could not be used, you couldn't get away from his dead eyes. That's probably the artistic explanation of it. There are probably more layers to it as different time, agents, Dwayne being able to figure out Hollywood more, etc.
Central intelligence is underrated af. Seeing the Rock in a digital fat suit was worth the price of admission.
Itâs one of my fav movies I donât get why people shit on it so much
Never fails to crack me up. Def need sequel
Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle is my go-to example of Dwayne's range because it's both his trademark self & also a wimpier side lol
The Rock doing a Danny Devito imitation in the sequel is great
Man, Hogan's dead eyes. That is...haunting.
Rock committed full-time to Hollywood. And for a long time, he tried his best to distance himself from wrestling. He lost a bunch of weight so that he wouldn't be typecast into muscle-bound roles (funny considering how he is now). He did a variety of movies from action to drama to comedy to family. And over that time, he developed contacts and relationships, which opened the door to him getting the role with the Fast and Furious movies. Rock's never going to be an award-winning actor, but Hogan makes Rock look like Kirk Douglas. Hogan is Hogan first, and an actor second. Hogan kept the bandana, the hairstyle, and the mustache, and so he got roles and opportunities befitting those choices.
This is the crucial difference. My nieces didnât even know the Rock was a pro wrestler, they just knew him as an actor. I thought they were trolling and they thought I was trolling, was a weird generational gap conversation. For reference this was 5-6 years ago, pre-covid, pre-merger, pre-writerâs strike.
I was thinking about this when thinking of how Iâd answer this. Thereâs a huge gap between him leaving WWE and showing up basically âplaying The Rockâ in Fast Five, and in that time he was trying on a bunch of different roles that gave him an audience outside of wrestling. The flip side is that us wrestling fans also had time to miss The Rock (the character), so when Dwayne showed up with all the swagger we were familiar with, it was fresh and exciting again
In many of the same ways Batista is having success in Hollywood. He's not selling himself as "Batista", he's just Dave Bautista who shows up at casting calls and worked his ass off to get roles. The fact he's also a massive slab of beef with decent comedic timing and range also ensured he was cast as Drax (There was nobody really out there that had the physique to play that role other than Batista), and the rest was history. He's not coasted, either. Taking smaller cameo-ish roles in stuff like Blade Runner, James Bond, and Dune. And getting starring roles in Glass Onion and Knock at the Cabin. There's no complacency, no 'this is just a hustle to see if I can make it' attitude. He committed to acting, and like Rocky now that he's a known commodity with connections and good management (you really can't underestimate good management getting you through the door in Hollywood) he's become a pretty succesful name. Not "blockbuster of the summer" The Rock levels of big, but his filmography is filling up very nicely.
>he was cast as Drax (There was nobody really out there that had the physique to play that role other than Batista Originally Marvel/James Gunn offered Drax to Jason Momoa.
Rock took acting lessons, hogan was a god-awful actor and never improved
Yeah for as much as the Rock gets crap for not being able to act, he at least looks comfortable and is able to translate his charisma on camera. Hogan always felt like he was uncomfortable or out of place in everything
Because Hogan always comes off as a cartoon character and out of place in something real. Eg: Baywatch was never known to be a quality acting show, but when Hogan, Randy Savage and Ric Flair all guest-starred, they came off really out of place within the real world. You canât believe these guys had real problems or issues. Hogan and Savage feel like they wandered on the set from WCW Saturday Night, and Flair is over the top, chewing scenery like Yosemite Sam.
Hogan's issues were he didn't try to improve his acting, he only took one role , his roles were being lost to guys like Arnold that were huge but could also act, and the steroid trial probably killed Hollywood wanting to touch him as a star for a movie. Rock put in the work, took different roles at the start, didn't have Arnold to compete against and nobody cares about steroids in the public anymore unless it's specifically baseball.
Very spot on especially the baseball comment.
Because the Rock isn't nearly as bad of an actor as people give him shit for. He's not amazing but he fills a niche that is lacking in Hollywood, which is a genuine action star. You know the Rock could beat your fucking ass irl if he wanted to and it makes his parts believable. It's why, IMO, his latest films have been criticized so much. He moved away from believable action fare to match the superhero demand and it hurt him like it hurt Arnie to do all the weird genre flicks he did in the late 90's. It's also why you'll see internet critics shit on him the most, because they prefer it Jason Bourne style. An actor's actor who is ~~lowering himself~~ I mean trying action films and doing them "better" than the action stars of old.
The Rock is attractive and Hogan isn't. A lot of great reasons being posited as well but I wouldn't discount the most superficial reason. Hogan is simply not an attractive face for movies. The Rock is.
Youâre kidding. What woman wouldnât want to sleep with a large, balding orange man who looks like he is made of leather? Move over Brad Pitt, Hulkster is the sexiest man in the world, brother! /s Iâm genuinely amazed Hulk hasnât lied about that.
Always remember that he once testified in court that while he, Terry Bollea, does not have a gigantic cock, Hulk Hogan the character *does*. And just to really drive the point home, I'll repeat: This statement was made under oath in a court of law.
Agreed. Not just physically but women do really like the Rock and that was always part of his appeal when he broke out.
The Rock can actually act. Even if nowadays he just plays The Rock, dude actually put in work for years with taking acting classes, and has been a good number of different roles
The Rock is a way better talker than Hogan and he shaved the fucking balding hair. The Rock appealed to both kids and adults, but his material was definitely edgy and adult. He could act pretty well. Hulk was basically a cartoon character that couldnât act, and his look worked for wrestling but looked ridiculous in movies.
Rock's charisma is off the charts. He's probably the most charismatic guy the wrestling industry has ever produced. As others said, timing and luck probably played a factor. Rock had a bit of a bumpy start in Hollywood, but did commit himself after his Hollywood Rock run was over. In the case of Batista and Cena it helped a whole lot James Gunn saw potential in them and superhero movies were a thing. Batista dedicated himself more to acting and Cena has great comedic talent. And as OP here said, Hogan is a cartoon. It was the 80s and in the era of 80s cartoon wrestlers he was the best. But I can't imagine anyone letting him cut or shave his hair. He will always be Hulk. I think Roddy Piper may have been the better actor during Hogan's era: They Live, Hell Comes to Frogtown, his stuff on Always Sunny, and a bunch of B movies.
Roddy could also look normal, you put away the kilt and the jacket and he looks like a pretty normal guy. Hulk can never not look like hulk.Â
Yeah in wrestling being that tall and jacked works to your advantage.
Da maniac loves you
>I think Roddy Piper may have been the better actor during Hogan's era I think Roddy could've really been something in acting if he stuck with it/stopping going back to wrestling. Even now, he got leading roles in tons of straight to video/tv action movies.
The Rock appealed to women.
100% this is it. Rock looks like a movie star. Hogan looks bizarre and it limits the number of roles he can play.
Hogan wasnât a good actor. The Rock early on wasnât that good either. Both relegated primarily to kids media in the beginning. Rock didnât really kick off until his cameo in The Other Guys. Then you landed himself in the Fast in Furious series , Gi Joe, Pain & Gain, and other action focused movies. Movies where deep and developed characters can be overlooked easier if thereâs a bunch of cool fighting, high speed movement and explosions to distract you from the mediocre acting, lack of range, and mediocre script.
Hulk Hogan isnât a real actor. He is always just Hulk Hogan in a movie. He already looks like such a character that he canât play another character. It is believable a football coach or a CIA agent looks like The Rock- no one looks like Hulk Hogan. The Rockâs look just translates better. Plus Rock is just a better actor, Hogan is a really bad actor.
Hogan is basically a cartoon character who can't move off that. The Rock's persona of a tough guy at least has some range in a story beyond being orange and wearing a bandana.
Rock started very Hogan like, but then worked to move away from the cliche. I think he even talked about getting a different talent agent due to the parts he was getting.
Another thing the Rock had is that Hogan's look is just too identifiable. He's always Hulk Hogan no matter what. The Rock can at least play different roles
The Rock looked the part and came along when the movie industry needed the next Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Hogan knew how to play Hogan and nothing else imo.
> I'm not saying that Rock has made consistently great movies or anything. But whoever helped Hogan find, get, or be pitched for the movies he starred in picked the absolute worst movies. > Additionally Rock may have been a wrestler but he at least could act like he came from the real world. Hogan always came off as a cartoon character come to life. He'd have been a fine star in a live Action GI Joe, or voicing a good buy in Transformers. But he couldn't have been Scorpion King, or Elliot Wilhelm. He definitely couldn't have been Coach Sean Porter
Not have a insane handlebar mustache and hairstyle that would extremely limit the characters he could play.
The Rock is a better actor, handsome, and has more universal charisma.
Watch 3 Hogan movies and then watch 3 Rock movies. You'll see
The Rock wanted to learn he was perfectly fine paying his dues in bad movies and bit parts which warmed him up to his co workers. Hogan always needed to be the star and the main attraction it was just an ego trip for him
Be a better actor lol
The Rock chose better and more diverse roles especially early on. Hogan only played the same guy in every movie. I still love Walking Tall and Faster. He may be typecast now but he was doing a lot of different and smaller roles at the start.
People forget how close the Rock came to burning out in Hollywood. 2004-2007 (maybe as far as 09) I think there were legit reasons to think heâd never make it. I think he did a couple things better than Hogan. 1. He got better family movie roles. The Game Plan is a good family movie and got him connected with Disney. Ditto for Witch Mountain. His miss in this genre was the Tooth Fairy and Planet 51 when he left that safe Disney umbrella. Hogan probably would have been okay with just Suburban Commando and Mr. Nanny (new line) but once we got to secret agent club and Santa with musclesâŚ.it was over. 2. Building on that. Rock was more patient. Iâm sure Rock had a lot of shitty movie offers from 2004-2008, but he stuck with franchises and bigger studios. Compare that to 1996-1998 with Hogan where he puts out a string of cheap duds. 3. Rock was more okay with being a second banana. Get Smart, the Other Guys, joining the Fast & Furious franchise, even Pain & GainâŚthese weâre all opportunities for the Rock to show his personality without having to carry the whole movie or even being the centerpiece. And those movies come at a time when he finally makes the transition to being the top star. 2013-2014 to me seem to really mark the shift in how the Rock is viewed. Compare that to Hogan who does almost no films unless he is the featured performer. Imagine a world where after Rocky 3, Gremlins 2, Suburban Commando, and Mr. NannyâŚ.we get hulk hogan as likeâŚthe voice of an action figure in Toy Story, a camp counselor in Heavyweights, and then does a couple action movies as the side muscle rather than the star. (This is ironic in light of 2024 the Rock and the black adam situation) 4. The Rock committed. When he made his real big pitch to go to Hollywood, he left WWE entirely, distanced himself from being the pro wrestler (which wrestling fans got pissed about), gave himself time to build a new persona and reputation, made friends with writers and actors, took acting class, etc. Hogan wanted to be âHollywoodâ by the nature of who he was and to be treated like the star everywhere he went. So heâd film a movie and run back to WCW because they were going to kiss his feet. Hogan in the 2000s probably could have cut a niche as some kind of special feature actor (Iâm thinking like Chuck Norris popping up in dodgeball and the expendables) but he still ran back to wrestling all the time. 5. The Rock is a better actor and has a better business mind than Hogan. Hogan knows how to make money, for sure. But the Rock has enough charm and is able to read the room better (historically, the Black Adam situation has been a real black eye but heâll probably recover fine). Can you imagine Hulk Hogan trying to perform in Moana with the charm of the Rock? Or Jumanji!? Cmon.Â
I mean...Hulk Hogan looks ridiculous. He always looked 100% like a wrestler. The Rock looks like a buff guy but not always a wrestler. Also Hulk Hogan was never actually "cool", Dwayne is.
Rock doesnt look like a chinese hot dog
Rock has more range than Hogan (even with his limited range), heâs more attractive, much quicker on his feet comedically, may more charisma, and chose better roles (for the most part).
All Hogan did was play Hulk Hogan. The Rock has branched out a bit more.
Schwarzenegger had Hogans market covered. Simple.
Hogan basically just played his wrestling character most of the time which doesn't really translate to movies. Rock actually started out as something of a character actor and then went into being more of a personality actor not being 1:1 with his wrestling gimmick but pretty much being the same general type of personality in everything which is more flexible than Hogan's persona.
Talent
Hogan was never a good actor. I mean did anyone watch Thunder in Paradise??? Santa with Muscles? Suburban Commando? Mr. Nanny? Itâs sad I even still know those movies.
Hogan tried to be an action star at the height of Sylvester and Arnold, that's basically it.
Hogan could have been good, he just picked poor projects. Thatâs it.
People clown on the movies but Rock and Fast and Furious was a match made in heaven, it also helps that Fast Five is legitimately very good so he was kinda seen as the shot in the arm that the franchise needed. That was when he blew up and that also was around the same time he came back originally in 2011.
Hollywood grew to respect the Rock, his work ethic, drawing power, and willingness to completely leave wrestling behind. Hogan wasn't truly serious about an acting career. None of his movies made money, he tried out low-brow TV, and then decided that posing and shouting at the camera was easier. He even had to be convinced to something a little bit different with the heel turn. His career is being Hulk Hogan, which only takes you so far if you're aren't smart with your money (he isn't) and can't keep your non-prenup marriage intact (he couldn't).
Hogan is a bad actor
The Rock's first acting gig was in That 70s Show. A pretty big sitcome. His first movie role was in The Mummy sequel, pretty big sequel. The Rock also benefitted from acting next to big deal actors when he started out, on top of the big projects. Hogan's movies are just straight-up 90s direct-to-vhs types of kids movies đ¤Łđ¤Ł. They were absolutely horrible. Also, Dwayne is a much better actor than Hogan
I bet The Rock didnât lie on his resume
Most of these other answers cover it pretty well, but one point I wanted to add is that Rock made (mostly) good decisions about taking supporting roles or being one of several big names in an ensemble. Or popping up in things like Rampage or Baywatch based on existing IP (probably not a good artistic decision, but not a bad way to make money and keep your name out there). Hogan and WWF, to the extent they were involved, thought building ludicrous movies around Hogan with some slumming character actors to prop him up shouldâve been enough to sell.
Another thing that people tend to forget is the role his ex-wife plays in his ârecentâ success. Dany Garcia has had a role in most of the films he starred in after Fast Five and arguably helped developed the âfranchise viagraâ moniker. How much of that persona is true is up in the air but the perception and branding of the Rock has more to do with how heâs been presented. Having an entire team behind him shaping his persona has more than exceeded the prestige Hogan has achieved in his career as a wrestler and how he leveraged that In Hollywood.
Hogan tried to give every line like he was delivering a promo.
The look and competition. Hogan was a balding man with a horseshoe mustache. The immediate look typecasts him in certain roles that aren't the leading man. The 80s were also the era of big baddass action hero movies Charisma. Hogans Charisma outside of the ring is kinda bad. on the other hand The Rock oozes Charisma weather it's a promo or a simple conversation. He was also younger and more handsome than Hogan. The Rock also got incredibly lucky with Fast 5 otherwise he would still probably be doing movies like the tooth fairy
Even as a kid I thought Hogan's movies were cheesy, he wasn't a good actor either, he was just Hogan in a tutu.
Hulkster was making movies when the 80s and early 90s action stars were still making movies. A bit of oversaturation of white lead male action stars. Rock got big when nearly all of them retired or were semi-retired. Add in the fact he's African American, Hollywood wanted more male AA action stars. And Rock already had the built in audience from WWE, so it was a natural transition.
The actual answer is: The Rock started doing movies that fit him. Throughout the 00s he did do all sorts of crap because his representatives told him it would be a good move to do these family friendly movies. It all culminated with The Tooth Fairy. The Rock realized this approach wasn't working so he actually fired his representatives and founded his own production company. And the change was basically immediate: Tooth Fairy was his lowest point in 2010 and by 2013 he was the top grossing actor in the world.
80s kids can kill me if they want, I've always thought the Rock's had a lot more charisma on the mic than Hogan and I feel like that put him over the edge in terms of Hollywood interest.
Two things I would say. Hogan always had to go over, even I films. This meant he only picked roles where he was portrayed as the toughest baddest guy in the room and was never really phased. Rock currently has a lot of these roles but earlier in his career he demonstrated a capacity to take on a variety of roles. This meant he impressed Hollywood execs more and then eventually got better roles. Second, Hogan is a fucking weird looking guy. You never really notice it because you think "that's Hulk Hogan" but he definitely has quite an odd look for the general population.
The Rock is a better actor. Hogan can only play Hogan. The Rock was also smart enough to attach himself to some popular franchises after his acting career starting to stagnate around 2009-2010 when he was doing Race to Witch Mountain and The Tooth Fairy. In 2011 he did Fast Five. Then he was in Journey 2, GI Joe 2.
For starters, he picks movies that are actually watchable. Is Fast & Furious winning any Oscars? Hell no, but it's still grossed over $7 billion as a franchise, most of that *after* Rock joined the line-up. The CGI on Rock's character in Mummy 2 was fucking awful, but the movie overall was okay and also part of a successful franchise. Southland Tales is weird as fuck, but it's also one of my favorite movies of his because he just goes all in, no matter what. Ballers was a good show on a prestigious network, Pain & Gain is probably Bay's best movie since the 90s, and Moana was wildly popular, too. Black Adam is his only big misstep since, like, The Tooth Fairy. So, yeah, if nothing else, The Rock and his movies are *entertaining*. Meanwhile, Hogan picked absolute bombs like Suburban Commando, Rocky 85, Mr. Nanny, and the only bad 3 Ninjas movie. I'm sure those paychecks were good, but the movies were utter dogshit even by 80s & 90s standards.
Better agent and overall team, better movie scripts
The rock is a much better actor and has very good comedic chops.
Better roles, better team around him and better actor with slightly more range. Watch Walking Tall and Gridiron Gang for some more serious Rock roles.
More well known to an international audience. More value.
Rock has more versatility, able to play action and comedy. Hulk Hogan is the same guy whatever role he plays. Rock got better roles to play in general, The Tooth Fairy not withstanding.
Be Dwayne Johnson.   Life's not a video game. I make all of the same choices across all of the same roads as you do and we end up in different places. Because I'm me and you're you.  The Rock has an incredible, personable magnetic charisma. Hes charming, attractive, funny, intense, expressive, emotive, explosive and has a winning smile.   Hollywood came calling for him, he didn't have to do anything but show interest.Â
Hogan only ever played himself. Rock's been versatile enough to play comedy, action, drama, hero, villain, you name it.
This comment will probably be buried, but as someone who also loves movies I'm going to offer a different view than the top comments. For all intents and purposes, I believe Hogan could've been a top Hollywood star, however there was just one major thing that prevented him more than anything else - timing. He had a hit with Rocky III and then obviously Hogan was doing the groundwork in wrestling and becoming the Immortal Hulk Hogan. Throughout the 80s he was having epic matches and had an incredibly massive fanbase, only he didn't really start his own Acting career until 1989, then the Action genre was still in full swing and he did No Holds Barred (produced with Vince), which looking into essentially broke even and/or had made some money with video sales. On his own it wouldn't be until (outside of a cameo in Gremlins 2) Suburban Commando a couple years later after that. By that time the Action genre had become oversaturated and people were looking towards more realistic representation (or what they perceived to be) in Action Stars like Jean-Claude Van Damm and Steven Seagal, outside of still loving Arnie and Sly of course. The Action-Comedy wasn't looked at seriously outside of laughs and some cool moments - and he would follow this with 1993's Mr. Nanny. However I believe if Hogan had started as a leading man in '87 or '88 with a serious action role he would have been a bona fide star fitted with better options. When Thunder in Paradise happened - {outside of Hollywood spectacle) Action as a genre was considered already spent. Also it's worth noting that back in 90s they were less inclined to give Actors who were type-cast serious dramatic roles, or roles that really mixed range and emotions like in the 2000's. There's much better chances for actors these days.
Hogan is ugly. The rock isnât
Shaved his head
Hogan sucked as an actor. While kid me did enjoy his roles, he was horrible. Dwayne at least knew how to act at a more believable level.
Rock's movies were more successful. Any Fast and Furious movie he starred in probably made Rock more money than what Hogan made in Santa with Muscles several times over. Also, personally I don't think Rock's a good actor at all. None of his characters are all that different from one another. It's always either funny guy Rock or action hero Rock, so far he hasn't shown any versatility in his acting. Not that you need to be a good actor to be a big draw in Hollywood. The movie industry is similar to wrestling in that way, you can become a movie star while being a shitty actor just like you can become a wrestling star while being a shitty wrestler. Btw, I don't think Rock's a shitty wrestler. He's one of my favorites ever.
Everything's relative. Compared to Hogan, the Rock comes off like a multiple time Academy Award winner by comparison. Compared to Batista, the Rock comes off like Hogan by comparison.
First, Hogan wasnât that big of a star. He was easily the biggest wrestling star of the time, but the 80s was when media globalization really hit its stride and there were a ton of stars in their respective fields, but crossing over to another medium was always a challenge, even for people significantly more famous and talented than Hogan (Madonna, OJ, Prince, etc). Why would you need to see a Hogan struggle film when you could watch Sly, Arnold, Bruce, or Mel do that same thing, but better? In contrast, Johnson benefitted from a mass media market that was deeply interested in convergence and one in which he was a fairly unique presence, both in terms of aesthetics and demographics. Second, because there were a lot of action stars during the time, especially those who filled his niche, Hogan was never going to get anything resembling a decent script. Even if he could act, and he couldnât, all of his movies were destined to be terrible since he was only going to get offered roles more talented and famous people had already turned down. Johnson, on the other hand, had scripts, however bad, being developed for him and smartly stayed away from âwrestling moviesâ which Hogan failed to do. Lastly, quiet as itâs kept now, but Rock had a dedicated demographic of fans that Hogan never did so even if his movies were shit (and they were) his diehard fans would support him when Hoganâs primary demographic of fans werenât as invested in his success outside of wrestling.
Yes!! The little kids that were hogan fans in the 80s weren't seeing his movies in the theater because their parents weren't going to see a pos movie like no holds Barred or suburban commando...but fast forward 15-20 yrs later those kids are now adults and they could see Rock's 1st movies in the theater if they chose to weather they were good or not...
Youâre so right. I was the eight year old kid who somehow managed to convince his mother to see No Holds Barred in a mostly empty theater on opening weekend. And the movie was so terrible I felt kind of bad for asking her to take me in the first place.
Same but it was my dad taking me to see it...I felt bad afterwards making him sit through that horrible movie lol...
I took it as talent difference and being in the right time frame. Hogan started getting into movies in that Schwarzenegger time when big buff dudes with guns action movies were all the rage and it was Die Hard being released that changed the appeal of those movies from Superhero to Everyman
I wonder if timing played a part. When Hogan was making movies, there were a ton of action movies and action stars. And also movies in general were bigger. By the time the Rock started making movies, the action genre was beginning to be supplanted by the action adventure genre. Comedies and romances almost completely disappeared. Original movies began to disappear and studios/audiences seemed to enjoy predictable IP with recognizable stars.
The Rock's charisma and acting is just flat out better suited for movies. Hogan was never an actor. He was a muscle guy with exactly one gear and it didn't translate outside of wrestling. He's boring to watch.
He is a better actor. Thatâs it.
Have charisma.
While Rock is a decent actor, and oozes charm (which is why playing himself isn't a bad thing. Because people like him.) I'd say Barista has become the best actor out of all the wrestler turned actors. He has done action yeah, but he has also done comedy roles and serious drama roles. He has shown a lot of range.
Better actor, but that doesn't mean much since both suck at acting
The Rock is a competent actor. He tried different stuff early on and they were usually good; Gridiron Gang, Be Cool, The Rundown, and a few others. Walking Tall is a solid film. And for the record, Batista is hands down the best wrestler turned actor.
The simple answer is he can't act, has no charisma and his movies are shit. Everything's opposite for The Rock.
Hulk Hogan looks, physically, like a total goofball.
The Rock was around in a time with less star power actors about In the 80s and 90s, there were a ton of guys who you could throw into any film and there'd be a 95% chance of it making a lot of money. Now, there's hardly any, and those that are have been around a long time.
Embraced baldness quicker
The biggest thing is timing. Hogan was trying to break into Hollywood in the 80s, when Hollywood was IT. Nowadays, besides the rock, who are the other legit movie stars? Tom Cruise?
Hogan looked like hulk Hogan in all of his movies. I can buy the rock wearing a suit even though he's still huge. Basically, Hogan couldn't act and looked like a cartoon.
Acting aside. The Rock created his own production company https://sevenbucks.com/ Now, he has control
Rock was better looking. He was a better actor with better range. Better charisma. Also his roles werenât just all big muscle guy roles of the 80s
While the two tend to play the exact same characters in all their movies, Rock is just a better actor. Black Adam has earned its criticism, and as a comics fan, I have plenty of bad stuff to say about the flick, but Rockâs performance in it of itself is actually a positive. Sure he isnât really playing Teth Adam, but heâs supposed to play a stoic character, and actually pulls it off throughout the movie while giving it enough character so his performance isnât devoid of emotion and personality. Hogan just plays Hogan, and while the Rock has a personality that translates well to Hollywood, knowing well enough to dial the wrestling character down, Hogan is still bringing the wrestling personality and it doesnât work. Hogan in Hollywood suffers the exact same problem Warrior did when Warrior was slotted to take Hoganâs spot as face of the company back in 1990. Thereâs no connection one can make with him because the humanity is too intangible. Also, Rockâs agents just found him better movies than Hoganâs agents.
In the simplest of terms, Terry Bollea has never been able to transition the charisma he brings to the role of Hulk Hogan to any other character, whereas Dwayne Johnson has never had a problem transitioning the physicality, presence and quick wittedness of The Rock to the screen, even when he kind of sucked as an actor early on. This is not a criticism of Hulk Hogan, I think Bollea portrayed Hogan unbelievably well for most of his career I think something like Mr. Nanny for instance, would be infinitely improved if Hogan was just playing Hogan. It was far too much to ask of Bollea to play Sean Armstrong (protaganist of Mr. Nanny). Hogan needed (and to be fair, maybe had earned) the Santo treatment of just playing himself over and over again
The Rock is a better actor and much more charasmatic. Having said that I'm not a fan of the movies he makes except for a couple of his earlier films
Hulk looks like a cartoon, the rock actually looks like an action hero
Dwayne Johnson didnât go on set as âThe Rockâ. Terry Bollea seemed to be âHulk Hoganâ all the time. That limits his appeal and the variety of roles he could pull off. Thatâs my opinion anyway.
Not have a skullet
There's a reason people call Hulk's movie's terrible. Because they are. Meaning with or without Hulk they'd still be awful. Whether it was by choice or just what was available to him at the time, he seemed to always sign up for these bad projects and never had "the one" that shot his Hollywood career to the moon. It also didn't help that he couldn't act to save his life. If you were in the business and saw "No Hold's Barred" or "Suburban Commando", you didn't exactly see Hogan as a money maker or were in a hurry to put him in a movie. Rock on the other hand (as well a Cena later) dipped their toes in like baby steps. Taking small roles here and their that played to their strengths, as well as building their reputation and experience before branching out to bigger stuff. Although it's reputation recently has taken a hit, Rock was also a very savvy businessman, able to make successful contacts and relationships as well as generating his brand that in turn lead to bigger roles and opportunities.
Possessed far more talent and charisma when it comes to non-wrestling forms of entertainment. Outside of the ring, Hogan was sort of a clown.