On the latest episode of Something To Wrestle, JBL offered an intriguing take on a pivotal moment in wrestling history: the Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior title match at WrestleMania VI. According to the former WWE Champion, having two major babyfaces clash for the WWE Title may have been a mistake—and one that could have been avoided with a classic booking technique.
Drawing a comparison to Ivan Koloff ending Bruno Sammartino’s legendary title reign in the 1970s, JBL emphasized the effectiveness of using a heel “transition” champion to bridge the gap between two top babyfaces. “I thought it was a mistake to have Hogan lose the title to Warrior,” JBL said. “I think you should have put a heel, like an Ivan Koloff, in between them, and drop it to Warrior. I thought it would have worked better.”
JBL argued that Warrior was placed in an impossible position by directly following Hogan’s historic run. “It’s just impossible to live up to what Hogan did with giant and, you know, 93,000 people the start of WrestleMania and all that,” he explained. “I don’t know anybody in the history of wrestling that could have carried that right after Hogan, as big as Hogan was at the time.”
Conrad Thompson, the podcast’s host, offered a possible alternative in Mr. Perfect, who was undefeated leading into WrestleMania VI. JBL fully supported the idea, saying, “Perfect would have been the ideal person to do it. He can work. He had a ton of heat. He would have made Warrior look great.”
JBL added, “All of a sudden, now you’ve got the hated Curt Hennig because he took the title off the guy you love—Hulk Hogan. Who can come and make vengeance for that? That’s when Warrior comes riding in on the white horse and wins it. You did it for Hogan. Instead of beating Hogan.”
While Hogan vs. Warrior remains one of the most iconic WrestleMania matches ever, JBL’s comments shed light on how alternate booking logic—rooted in old-school territory wrestling—might have extended Warrior’s momentum and protected Hogan’s aura in the long run.
