In 1993, Hulk Hogan sat before Japanese media ahead of a match with The Great Muta for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. In a moment that has lived in infamy, Hogan gestured to the WWF World Heavyweight Title belt — the iconic Winged Eagle — and called it a “toy” and a “trinket.” He then pointed to the IWGP belt and praised it instead.
For decades, fans have debated: Was this a careless slip, a mistranslation, or a calculated shot at Vince McMahon? In truth, it was all of those things — and a perfect example of Hogan’s career-long pattern of manipulating perception to suit his next move.
WWF’s Position in 1993
By 1993, the WWF was struggling. Business had cooled dramatically since the boom of Hulkamania in the 1980s. The steroid scandal loomed over Vince McMahon, ratings were down, and Hogan himself had taken long breaks from the spotlight.
When he returned in 1993, Hogan looked less like the unstoppable hero of WrestleMania III and more like a star past his peak. His victory over Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX was met with confusion, and by King of the Ring that summer, he was booed in U.S. arenas. Within weeks, Hogan was gone from WWF television.
Against this backdrop, Hogan’s downplaying of the WWF belt feels less like betrayal and more like a recognition of reality: in Japan, the WWF title didn’t hold the same prestige it once had.
NJPW and the IWGP Belt
If Hogan was going to sell his Tokyo Dome match, he needed to elevate the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Unlike the WWF’s “sports entertainment” presentation, New Japan’s belt was treated like a legitimate sporting title — defended in high-profile matches with athletes presented as fighters.
For Japanese media, Hogan calling their championship more important was a savvy move. It played into cultural pride, built anticipation, and made his challenge to Muta feel monumental.
The Infamous Quote
Hogan’s exact words were:
“This is a toy… a trinket… something you hang on the Christmas tree.”
He contrasted this with the IWGP belt, which he described as an “ornament.”
On its face, it sounded like he was belittling the belt that had made him famous. But context matters. Hogan was not speaking to U.S. fans; he was speaking through a translator to Japanese media.
Two readings make sense:
- The Ornament as History – Hogan may have meant the WWF belt was already part of his past, a trophy he’d won and placed on the shelf. His eyes were on the IWGP title — his next mountain to climb.
- Clumsy Language – In 1993, the word “oriental” was still commonly (and problematically) used in English. Hogan may have avoided anything that sounded similar, landing instead on “ornament” as an awkward way to contrast the belts.
Was It a Calculated Jab?
Still, Hogan’s career shows a pattern of carefully timed exits and provocative statements. The “trinket” line might have been another example. By mid-1993, Hogan’s relationship with Vince McMahon was deteriorating. Vince wanted Bret Hart and Lex Luger to carry the company, while Hogan still saw himself as the star.
Calling the WWF title a trinket could have been:
- A jab at Vince for sidelining him.
- A way to elevate himself in NJPW while keeping options open.
- A preview of his eventual move to WCW in 1994.
Hogan was always a master of hedging his bets — never fully closing the door on the past, but always teasing something bigger on the horizon.
The Pattern of Hogan’s Career
The “trinket” controversy fits into a larger pattern of Hogan’s career:
- Late 1980s – When the first Hulkamania wave peaked, Hogan stepped aside and returned as part of the Mega Powers with Randy Savage.
- 1990 – After losing to Ultimate Warrior, Hogan receded amid the steroid scandal, only to return when Warrior faltered.
- 1991 – His disastrous Arsenio Hall appearance on steroids led to another quiet exit and carefully timed comeback.
- WCW, 1996 – When fans rejected the red-and-yellow, Hogan pivoted to the nWo. When the nWo grew stale, he pivoted back to nostalgia.
Hogan always knew when to exit, when to reinvent, and when to resurface. The “trinket” line looks less like an accident and more like another chapter in his strategy of self-preservation.
Comparisons in Wrestling
Hogan wasn’t the only wrestler to downplay one belt to elevate another. Ric Flair, for years, talked about the NWA’s “Ten Pounds of Gold” as the only true world title. In WCW, wrestlers routinely mocked WWF’s belts, and vice versa.
Wrestlers protect the title that benefits them most at the time. Hogan was simply playing the same game.
Reaction Then vs. Now
At the time, the comment barely made waves. Wrestling magazines noted it, but without social media, it fizzled quickly. In today’s viral culture, a WWE champion calling his own belt a “toy” would dominate headlines and podcasts for weeks. The lack of outrage in 1993 is part of why the clip now feels so jarring when revisited.
Irony in Retrospect
The biggest irony is that the Winged Eagle belt Hogan dismissed as a trinket is now inseparable from his image. To many fans, that belt is the Hulk Hogan belt, immortalised in posters, action figures, and video packages.
Calling it a toy feels absurd in hindsight — because Hogan helped make it iconic.
Hogan’s “Trinket” in 2025
Today, fans interpret Hogan’s comment through hindsight:
- As hype for the Japanese audience.
- As careless phrasing lost in translation.
- As a subtle middle finger to Vince McMahon before leaving for WCW.
In truth, it was probably a mix of all three. The “trinket” remark remains a perfect Hogan-ism: brash, ambiguous, and endlessly debatable. It reminds us that in wrestling, the truth is always secondary to the sell. Hogan wasn’t insulting the belt so much as hyping the next prize. And in the process, he created one more controversial soundbite to keep his name in the headlines.
Final Word
Was Hogan burying the WWF Championship? Not really. He was doing what wrestlers always do — selling the next big fight. But like much of Hogan’s career, the line has lived on because it was delivered with just enough ambiguity to keep people guessing.
Thirty years later, that single word — “trinket” — tells us everything about Hulk Hogan: a master promoter, a controversial figure, and a man who always knew that hype matters more than history.
