When you think back to the 80s, Hulk Hogan was the face of the WWF—literally. The red and yellow ran wild, and Hogan carried that championship banner for years. But imagine, just for a second, if Vince McMahon had gone in a different direction. Imagine if one of the era’s top villains—guys like ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper, the ‘Million Dollar Man’ Ted DiBiase, ‘Ravishing’ Rick Rude, Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts, or even a heel version of the Macho Man Randy Savage—had gotten the chance to carry the gold.

Would the WWF have looked the same? Would business have been stronger with Hogan chasing the belt instead of defending it? And who truly had what it takes to be the ultimate heel champion of the Golden Era?