Overview:
The legendary wrestler, Hulk Hogan, passed away yesterday at age 71. As most people know, Hogan was known outside of professional wrestling circles. Arguably, people who had never watched wrestling had at least heard his name. It’s essential to look at why that was the case!
It’s been a rough week! Many people are saying this online. Indeed, they are right. It often hits people hard when their heroes die. Even though they may not personally know these individuals, they often feel like they have a connection with them. The world has learned of the deaths of numerous well-known celebrities in the past two weeks. One of them, Hulk Hogan, sadly passed away yesterday in Clearwater, Florida.
Hulk Hogan’s visibility in both professional wrestling and pop culture is well-known. With a wrestling career that spanned nearly five decades, he left his mark in the world of sports entertainment. He also ventured into other entertainment-related fields. Hulk Hogan is a name that many people, even those who have never watched a single wrestling match, would arguably recognize.
However, despite Hogan’s widespread recognition, there are still those who may not know exactly how he became such a major name in the first place. I’m here to tell you how Hulk Hogan became so well-known.
The Making of the ‘Hulkster’
The man who grew up in Tampa, Florida, Terry Gene Bollea (the real name of Hulk Hogan), was already a formidable presence when he started wrestling in the late 1970s. Standing at 6’7” and boasting large muscles, Hogan was truly impressive. He also had a unique way of talking to the fans. Whether he was a babyface (good guy) or heel (bad guy) in the ring, Hogan could make you love him or hate him.
Hollywood Before ‘Hulkamania’
In the early 1980s, Hogan accepted the offer to star in 1982’s “Rocky III.” At the time, Hogan was wrestling for the World Wide Wrestling Federation. The promoter of this territory was Vincent J. McMahon. Unfortunately, McMahon did not approve of Hogan appearing in a movie, as he felt wrestlers should not branch out into other forms of entertainment. As a result, Hogan was released from the WWWF. However, what seemed like the end of Hogan’s career was only just the beginning.
Rise to Stardom
After Hulk Hogan was forced to abandon the WWWF, he went to wrestle for the American Wrestling Association. Attendees at the AWA events began to invest heavily in Hogan’s matches. At around the same time, Vincent K. McMahon, the son of Vincent J. McMahon, took over. The WWWF was then renamed World Wrestling Federation.
The younger McMahon, who you may know as just Vince McMahon, was looking to make the company go national with the help of cable television. McMahon was able to get Hogan to jump ship back to the WWF. The rest, they say, is history.
Wrestling/Pop Culture Icon
In 1984, Hulk Hogan became the WWF champion, and ‘Hulkamania’ was born. The WWF kept growing and growing. Hogan became a recognizable star on cable television and even branched out into mainstream programming. He appeared on Saturday Night Live while the WWF was cross-promoting with MTV.
The WWF promoted the inaugural WrestleMania, the company’s first big pay-per-view event, in 1985. Mr. T, a well-known TV star, joined Hogan in the ring while Cyndi Lauper, a popular singer, stood at ringside for a match. With the help of Hogan’s star power, the first WrestleMania was a hit.
Andre the Giant/WrestleMania 3
You can’t talk about the success of professional wrestling in the 1980s without mentioning Andre the Giant. Andre got a lot of mainstream attention in the 1970s, even before Hulk Hogan was on the scene. Vince McMahon arguably used both Andre’s and Hogan’s popularity and drawing power to help build the WWF to the next level.
In 1987, WrestleMania 3 occurred at the now-defunct Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. A reported 93,173 fans packed the Silverdome to witness Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant square off. Andre allowed Hulk Hogan to body slam him and win the match. With thousands of people both in attendance and watching at home on pay-per-view, one could make the case that the encounter etched Hogan into the sphere of pop culture.
Further Notoriety
Before the match with Andre at WrestleMania 3, Hulk had already appeared in commercials and television shows. From 1989 to 1993, he starred in several theatrically released films. With him being the face of the WWF during a period in which wrestling was extremely popular, Hulk Hogan became a name that was recognized by the masses.
In the mid-1990s, Hogan signed with the WWF’s then-rival World Championship Wrestling. There, he became a heel (bad guy) known as ‘Hollywood’ Hulk Hogan. This arguably only made him even more recognizable. In the 1980s, fans had flocked to cheer for Hogan. A decade later, they were filling the seats to boo him.
A New Generation of Viewers
Even when WCW folded in 2001 and the WWF became World Wrestling Entertainment, Hulk Hogan still had some more matches left in him. He was able to present himself to a new generation of fans by wrestling The Rock (Dwayne Johnson). In the 2000s, with the popularity of reality television shows like “The Osbournes,” Hogan capitalized on the trend by starring in “Hogan Knows Best.” Even as recognizable as his name was, he was still able to bring attention to himself via different audiences with the help of the show.
Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan helped bring professional wrestling back into the mainstream. Whether as a good guy or bad guy, he was one of the main faces of the wrestling industry during two of arguably its most popular eras (1980s-early 1990s and late 1990s through early 2000s). Combined with the fact that he was all over movies and television shows, it’s no wonder Hogan was so universally recognized.
During one of Hulk Hogan’s wrestling phases, he was known as the ‘Immortal Hulk Hogan.’ This may have been because he seemed unstoppable in the ring, no matter how large his opponent was. Unfortunately, the man, Terry Bollea, was not immortal, as we saw yesterday with his sad passing. However, Hulk Hogan’s contributions to the world of professional wrestling, pop culture, and entertainment remain indelible.
Rest in peace, Hulk Hogan.
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