This week, the most famous professional wrestler of all time, Hulk Hogan, passed away at the age of 71. His influence on the industry is second to none, and to many, professional wrestling does not exist in the way we know it without the immortal “Hulkster.”
The Babe Ruth of WWE had many iconic moments during a career that spanned three decades. Following his sad passing, we remember 10 of the greatest moments in the illustrious career of Hulk Hogan.
Hulk Hogan slams Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III
The biggest moment in Hogan’s career was when he went face-to-face with the unbeaten monster, Andre the Giant. Hogan went into the match not even knowing if the fellow Hall of Famer would put him over and let him win the match. However, when it was time to go home and the Frenchman let the rising star slam him in front of 93,000 in Detroit, pro wrestling was forever changed. And a pop culture icon was born.
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Hulk Hogan forms nWo at Bash at the Beach ’96
Hogan slamming the giant was a paradigm shift moment in pro wrestling and the dawn of a huge boom period. The same can be said when the biggest hero the industry had ever seen turned to the dark side to help form the iconic faction, the nWo.
His turn to this day is one of the most shocking moments in wrestling history. And despite being a bad guy, Hogan became as popular as ever, and with a whole new generation of fans in 1996. It was the beginning of another massive boom for the industry, again, all started by Hogan.
Hulkamania starts with ’84 WWF title win over Iron Sheik
While slamming Andre is the earliest Hulk Hogan moment most fans remember, we don’t get “Hulkamania” without his WWF title win over the Iron Sheik in 1984. The Sheik had ended the historic reign of Bob Backlund and was the top heel in the promotion. However, in the end, he was just a transitional champion and a key footnote in wrestling history when he gave up the belt to Hogan in front of a raucous New York crowd at an untelevised event.
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The Mega Powers collide at WrestleMania V
One of the first truly great stories ever told by WWE was the friendship of Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and then when that bond exploded. That storyline would culminate with a massive matchup in the main event of WrestleMania 6. As the top two stars of their era went to war. It was the kind of tale and payoff that showed what professional wrestling can be at its best.
Hulk Hogan passes the torch to Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania 6
The following year, Hogan took part in another huge WrestleMania main event against the Ultimate Warrior. However, in a first for its time, the top two heroes in the company would face off for all the gold. The Warriors’ win was supposed to be a passing of the torch to the new face of the company. However, Jim Hellwig’s failure under WWE’s brightest spotlight showed there was only one Hulk Hogan, and it wasn’t long before he returned to the company’s No. 1 spot.
Hulk Hogan turns back the clock at WrestleMania 18
When he faced off with top babyface The Rock at WrestleMania 8, Hogan was back in WWE as a bad guy. However, the 68,000 inside what used to be known as the Sky Dome had new interest in booing the returning legend. In one of the most iconic moments in ‘Mania history, the fans rooted against The Rock and instead cheered on Hogan like it was the 1980s all over again.
The match delivered on a physical level, but it also turned into one of the greatest stories ever told at WrestleMania. And it set up “The Immortal One,” turning back to the light for another big run in the company.
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Hulk Hogan tags with Mr. T at WrestleMania 1
What was so special about Hogan’s illustrious career was the unique crossover moments he had. One of the biggest was when he teamed up with uber-popular actor Mr. T to take on “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff at WrestleMania 1. It was a huge moment for the company and the industry as the event generated surprising mainstream interest and was a huge success. WrestleMania set the stage for WWE to become the billion-dollar company it is today.
Hulkamania is reborn at Backlash ’02
Weeks after a wild reaction at WrestleMania returned him to being one of the company’s top babyfaces, Hogan would step into the ring with new WWE champ Triple H. And in one of the most surprising moments of 2002, “The Hulkster” was able to overcome the future Hall of Famer and dethrone him. Becoming WWE champion for the first time in close to a decade.
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Hulk Hogan signs with WCW
Some of Hulk Hogan’s greatest and most influential moments came outside the ring. After parting with his longtime employer following an ugly trial about steroid use in WWE, the wrestling legend chose to continue his career with Atlanta-based company WCW. It helped put the brand on the map and would set the stage for the biggest rivalry in wrestling history. This would include WCW being the No. 1 wrestling company in the ratings for 84 straight weeks.
Hulk Hogan tags with Dennis Rodman at Bash at the Beach ’98
His tag match with Mr. T was not his only crossover moment with a celebrity. In 1997, at the peak of his time as leader of the nWo, Hogan made then-Chicago Bulls star Dennis Rodman a member of the faction. He was a lightning rod for headlines at the time and one of the most recognizable faces on the NBA’s best team. The fact that he also played the role of a bad guy made it all the more entertaining. The duo would go on to tag up in a highly successful match against Dallas Page and fellow NBA star Karl Malone in 1998.
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