Hulk Hogan

BIO
Is there a name more synonymous with sports-entertainment than Hulk Hogan? The key figure in WWE’s rise from regional attraction to worldwide entertainment leader in the 1980s, The Hulkster’s superhuman size and undeniable charisma set the standard for what a Superstar should be. A larger-than-life icon, he packed 93,173 fans into the Pontiac Silverdome, won six WWE Championships, starred in movies, television shows and his own animated series and became an idol to a vast legion of fans he dubbed his Hulkamaniacs.

The Hulkster gave a lot of “what if” answers when pressed, leaving fans wondering if Hogan was actually hanging up his boots for good. Their fears were assuaged on June 11, 1994, when The Hulkster officially signed his WCW contract amid much fanfare. By 1996, WCW had exploded in popularity, thanks to Hogan embracing his dark side and forming The nWo with Hall and Nash. Together, Hogan and The Outsiders made one thing abundantly clear, they were “the New World Order of professional wrestling.” Wearing black and white, the three made their presence known to everyone in WCW by interrupting matches and attacking other competitors, soon expanding their ranks to dominate all of Ted Turner’s organization.

The original three members of The nWo would ride together one last time when Mr. McMahon lost partial control of WWE to Ric Flair. The Chairman believed that injecting his creation with a lethal black and white poison would be the only way to restore order, even if it meant WWE suffering the same fate as WCW. The nWo dominated WWE until WrestleMania X-8 when “Stone Cold” Steve Austin crushed Scott Hall and The Rock conquered Hollywood Hogan. The losses at The Show of Shows caused a rift amongst the three leading The Outsiders to turn on Hogan, giving birth to a resurgence of Hulkamania.

The Hulkster returned to WWE in 2002 in all of his red and yellow glory to ask a new generation of opponents that eternal question: “Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you?” This thrilling rumble down memory lane brought Hogan his final WWE Title, entry into the WWE Hall of Fame and proof that there wouldn’t be WWE without Hulk Hogan.