Look, it's not about the boss being Hulk Hogan. It's about the system. Old men like Carlos Gambino, who any street tough could beat to death in a minute lived in absolute fear of him because, like a Roman Emperor, a smile or a grimace from him would decide your fate.
I've often wondered why Carlo got so much respect. But part of it had to be because he might have inflicted medieval tortures on offenders. I read about the wiseguy or pretend wiseguy who was fed into the meat machine by Carlo's people. That's terror.
I think the respect Carlo got also came from the fact that he might have been more politically connected than the average mafia boss and the Gambinos on the street knew it. So killing him would be like killing their police, government, and legal protection. It made no sense to.
