Keep in mind that the WWF was recruiting Hogan to return in early '98. Hogan had all the leverage in these negotiations. Smart business man...

This contract is proof that In-Ring performance doesn't make you a draw. I can't think of a single great "in-ring" performer who does 30 minute matches who could ever dream of negotiating a contract like this.

I remember hearing that other wrestlers were mad at Hogan for making that kind of money. Like it was Hogan’s fault? Why not be mad at the company for agreeing to the deal? Good for Hogan for getting that deal out of them. If any other wrestler could get a contract like that, they would have. It’s business.

Everyone would love to be in Hogan's shoes, everybody hates the fact that he got what no-one else could

So for a huge ppv, he was getting a 500k signing bonus (2mil/4years)... he was getting 675k for showing up, most of the "buy rates' for the WCW ppv's were actually lower than the bonus levels they paid him at so he likely never got the buy rate bonus, but he would get 15% of a big show instead of the 675. He likely pulled a million per ppv back then, which is what I always heard, and that's not counting any of the Nitro money.

My dad took me to several WCW house shows when I was little. Never saw Hogan. I did see Hall, Sting, Show, Steiner, and Goldberg. Other than that it was mostly mid card guys like Kat and Bagwell. The booth with the NWO merch would sell out within an hour of the doors opening

Hearing Kevin talk about T and what they just did is sad. You’re a tough dude Kevin Nash!

I just met Kevin Nash last weekend 😎

175 per diem. Reminds me why I only worked at a hospital for only a month. Doctors ate at the cafeteria for free and the minimum wage workers had to pay.

You don’t have to like him, but Hogan is the reason wrestling got to where it is. Other guys came along and helped get it to where it is today, but Hogan put it in prime time!!!

You can't hate Hulk for that contract. I'm sure Nash would want a similar contract.

Hogan is the golden goose of wrestling, now and forever!

I still remember hogan and Jimmy hart on the red and yellow car pulling into the studios for the parade lol

hogan was responsible for the two biggest booms in wrestling history the man deserved everything he got

Hogan Deserves Every Penny He Made...Should Have Been Paid Even More...He Literally Saved Wrestling Companies Twice...Greatest Babyface of All Time and Greatest Heel of All Time...Hollywood Hogan Was an Absolute Swagathon

Hogan was the straw that stirred the drink. Love it or hate it it's the truth.

Saddest part of it all: Most of his money ended up going to Linda in the divorce 😮‍💨

That hogan heel turn promo deserves the contract alone 🤣

When you’re the biggest babyface of the 80s, the biggest heel of the 90s, and then you return to the biggest company post-war and steal two wrestlemanias, you can negotiate as much as you want Brother 💪

Hulk hits the gym, comes out for a segment, goes in the ring, pokes an eye and scratches a back, spray paints someone, drops a leg, makes half a mill. LOL.

He hulked up his bank account over the years, regardless of the controversy.

Hulk hogan, Thee biggest Wrestling name of all, simply put.

I remember watching a vide on WCW merchandise a few years back, woman brought her son some WCW figures from a local toy shop and everyone came up as Hogan even though none of the figures were his. When she saw the receipt she asked a member of staff about it and they said every WCW figure comes up as Hogan

Not many guys could really 'carry' a wrestling federation the way Hogan did...lots of mid-carders to fill out a show,not many (if any) back then could create Hulkamania in the 80's,and to some extent in the late 90's.

That works for me, brother.

Hogan debuted in wcw 1994 so this might have been his 3rd contract if he had 2 year deals.

Absolutely love this love to talk about contracts.

They need to make another Richard Kuklinsky movie with Kevin playing Richard.

This is why it's funny when people say Hogan isn't the GOAT.

Hogans 98 deal is more than any wrestler earns 24 years later. Absolutely crazy. Fair play to the GOAT.

When you hear the numbers, you understand he had to go over. He didn't need creative control.

Love the podcast love the canvas behind Nash BTW

Why does he keep calling Hogan's 96 deal the first one? His first deal with WCW was in 94. I'm fairly certain it was. What's up with that??

Dolls…them’s fighting words! 😂

Hogan (for being the main attraction during the WWE rise to dominance and the main event when Nitro was winning Monday night war) and Stone Cold (headliner during wrestlings peak in popularity) are undisputed Mt Rushmore, anyone else is up for debate. (I'd put Ric Flair and Rock but there's a case for others.)

Man going back and listening to when he and T were still getting to hang iss sweet and heart breaking all at once. R.I.P T

And his ex wife ended up with 98% of it all. Be careful fellas. If she don't sign them papers, you don't buy that ring.. Don't be a simp.

50% for merch from WWE is huge. i didn’t know they hooked the boys up like that

When it comes to contracts, hogan was the man. It was dog eat dog and like it or not he was a big dog. Hall and Nash got everyone else a guaranteed contract. Nwo for life.

Hall & Nash played the contract game better than anyone…

1996 he main evented SuperBrawl, Uncensored, Bash at the Beach, Hog Wild, Fall Brawl, Halloween Havoc and Starrcade. That’s 7 PPV appearances. 1997 he main evented Souled Out, SuperBrawl, Uncensored, Bash at the Beach, Road Wild, Halloween Havoc and Starrcade. Also, 7 PPV appearances. I think Hogan’s contract was different than what Bischoff said 4 PPVs a year.

I can’t begrudge Hogan or anyone else for swinging a sweet deal. All sides agreed on the duties & money. You have to know your value and be willing to negotiate…or have a Barry Bloom on your side.

Kevin Nash rocking the Florida Marlins colors, I see... I thought he was from Michigan.

Sean Oliver. These phones today. Their speakers suck. Kevs fans are getting older. Turn both your microphones up. Been tough to hear you guys. In louder environments. It’s nice to let people know I’m busy listening and not to talk to me on lunch breaks.

Phenomenal negotiations on behalf of Hogan. Whoever did that should write a 📖 book on it.

Thanks for all the great content gentlemen, just wanted to pass on my favorite angle on describing flip-flops, I have a friend who works for a construction company ,better known as "JIM TOWN BUILDERS " anytime someone would try and walk on the jobsite or near it ,the boss would ,call out " No Jerusalem Cruisers shall pass ,through this site ,like the confidence ,but The Jim Town Builiders ,have to obey the osha,and state commandments,.take it easy fellas ,but take it!

Hulk Hogan was a money machine, say what u will about Hulk Hogan, but the man knew how to make money

As a native Floridian, when he says "just the locals," I really appreciate that. Lol

Hulk was killin' it.

This is hulk hogan. He earned that money. He was the biggest name in wrestling history and still is. Ask any non wrestling fan to name a wrestler and I bet they name Hogan, Austin or Rock

More power to Hogan for getting a sweet deal, but man it's easy to see why WCW went out of business lol

What a Great cast

Isn't that almost $15 million over 4 years BEFORE ppv taste and it was almost 25 years ago WTF !

Hogan was pretty much part owner of WCW.

I can't believe how off they are. Hogan signed w/turner in 94'. Followed by Savage. In 95' Luger jumped, showing up on nitro getting in hogan's face, who was already champion. They both put their fists up & Hogan yells "what are you doing here?" Luger: "This is where the big boys play, I'm here for that." (Hogan's title)

Nash rocks. My old condo was close to his house. Drove by it many times. Enjoy life Nash.

Hearing what Hulks Buy Rate Bonuses were, it’s no wonder why they put Goldberg over on Nitro.

They keep calling him Terry Bollea brother, that their is Terry Boulder. Brothers!! He carried his little brother Eddie right into the WWF and beyond. These two blonde bimbo brothers ran wild in the WWF!!!

Sounds to me like WCW might have spent more than they could afford on contracts.

Hogan deserved that money. Hate all you want but his star power especially in the NWO was undeniable

Kevin I grew up in port orange, we take the kids to ponce inlet all summer man. Love this time of year there

I have never wrestled but have been an independent contractor as a consultant in another field. I know I would love to have received even 15% of the money likely paid out of this contract while Hulk worked for WCW annually as a salary or consulting fee. I did well but not (from my reading of the contract) make anywhere near what Hulk did at any time in my working life. I estimate that Hulk made $9 million or more gross annually while he was working for WCW under this contract.

Kevin is still one of the best part of the John Wick films. Class act and also one of my fondest memories from my childhood. Thanks for everything that you have done dude!

Remember: Hulk Hogan is going to crank your knob.

Imagine how much Prime Hogan would make working for present day Tony Khan

DONT FORGET HOW MUCH THE TELEVISION NETWORKS MAKE OF THE RATINGS ✌️

Wwe could use Nash as a manager. Have him run the Nwo and recruit new people.

Kevin always sounds 💊💊💊 up during these interviews

At that time this contract must’ve been all time in sports and entertainment

One thing for sure is he made more than Nash and continues to

This contract works for me, brother!

If you're gonna marvel about Hogan's income, respect the revenue the man generated too!

Linda's divorce settlement didn't work for me brother

This is the uhhh, the uhhhhhh, the uhhhhhhhhhh. Wanted to slap him in the back GET IT OUT!! 😂😂😂

Hulk hogan's first deal with wcw was in 1994 not 1996

Hall & Nash jumped or made their debuts: Hall in May 96', Nash June 96', respectively. So if the time's off, what else is off? What other details are wrong? I heard it was a half a mil a month + pay per view draws & creative control. Not reasonable creative control, like Brett w/Vince. Creative control period.

Hulk is not a good wrestler but he is a great businessman.

I hate to brake it kev I'm from south NJ and all the shoobies are going back to Florida

Hogan was gangata. He knew how to operate.

september is the best month, kids are back in school family vacations done

Superstar wrestlers should make that much if Hollywood actors make as much or more. For example, the stars of Seinfeld were getting paid 1 million per episode in 1997, and they weren't enduring a hellish travel schedule and sacrificing their bodies. Nitro used to be one of the biggest shows on cable and Hogan was pretty much the star of the show. He should be paid accordingly. Goldberg, Hogan, Hall, Nash, Bischoff, Tony Schiavone, Sting, DDP, Savage, and Luger all deserved to make millions from 1997-2000.

nWo merch sells really well to this day. 16.7% is bank for them. Their merch is always top 5 monthly

Sean keeps saying '96 when he probably means '94

Hogan paved the way. Period.

Calling flip flops thongs really shows age. Lol

He doesn’t lie. The slides are for the athletic brothas. 💯😁

Steve won the belt in March 98 against Shawn then Shawn retired. So post April 98 was when Steve became the top guy and started making the big bucks. But he said he never had a downside. He didn't need one. He was making the 150 dollar a month downside the first few years he was on top. I know from Conrad's podcast that Shawn was on 700k per year in his final WWE deal and was told no one would make more than him but then Bret was paid 1.3 million a few months after that deal which really ticked off Shaun. Then Bret famously was talked out of that deal in 97 because WWE couldn't afford to pay him. So at the start of 98 when Hogan penned this deal Shawn's 700k p/y deal may have been the biggest in the company. For sure Rock wasn't anywhere close to that amount, he was still a mid carder in 98. So comparing this deal to Shawn's is laughable. Hogan was getting more then maybe the top ten highest paid WWE guys in 98.

That was the 94 deal if it was his first deal

Interesting how Hogan barely did any house shows in WCW. So he only had to work Mondays (for Nitro) and once a month on PPV, and maybe occasionally on a Thunder. Meanwhile everyone else is on the road constantly.

Hogan came in in 94 at bash at the beach against flair. Not 1996

First Hogan deal was 94. He would have renegotiated at least once before 98

Hogan came to WCW in '94

Hogan was the man he made a good deal

Its dog eat dog in this world

If it wasn't for Billy Graham there never would've been a Hogan. If it wasn't for Vince there never would've been a Hogan. That being said, if it wasn't for Hogan there never would've been a Nash, Hall, Goldberg, Austin, Rock, Triple H, etc... I think you get my point. Love him or hate him, you have to admit when you heard WWF in the 80's and early 90's, Hogan was probably the first image or name that came to mind.

"I dont know if there was another contract like this" - they were paying Hart 3 million a year for a 3 year contract weren't they? But how much they paid out after Goldberg concussed him.

Not even the Tribal Chief could pull these ##$$ and this was 2 decades ago

*"Not gonna work for me brother"*

And that was a ‘98 2 million Fuuuuuck, that’s some good money

Remember he didn't want to make the heel turn laugh out loud