Hulk Hogan
Height: 6-7
Weight: 275
Favorite Quote: What'cha gonna do?
Finishing move: Running Leg Drop
Career Highlights: World Wrestling
Federation Champion (5)
Hulk Hogan originally teamed up with Vince McMahon in the 1980s to catapult sports entertainment to the national spotlight. Hogan and Mr. McMahon are back together, but ironically, it's to destroy the very organization that the two men worked together to build up!
In the 1980s, Hogan, the performer, and Mr. McMahon, the promoter, revolutionized professional wrestling, taking it from dark, smoke-filled arenas to the mainstream. When Mr. McMahon created WrestleMania in 1985, the main attraction was Hogan. Two years later, Mr. McMahon wanted WrestleMania to be "bigger, badder and better" than ever. WrestleMania III, then, was held in front of 93,172 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome. The main attraction? Hogan. By the time Hogan left the Federation in the early 1990s and jumped to WCW, he was such a big star that WCW became legitimate competition for the Federation. In 1996, he joined two other former Federation Superstars -- Scott Hall and Kevin Nash -- to form the nWo, and WCW's ratings even surpassed the Federation's!
But boosting ratings was merely an externality to Hogan and his nWo cohorts. They were only out for themselves. It didn't take long for WCW competitors to realize that, and eventually fans did as well. They were both driven away in droves as the weeks and months went by. In 2001, WCW went out of business.
Mr. McMahon brought Hogan back with the intention to destroy the Federation. But once the Hulkster rekindled his relationship with the fans, he decided he wanted no part of McMahon or the nWo's evil ways.
Now, Hogan has once again become one of the most popular athletes on the planet. And whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you?
Links
| Hulk Hogan tribute |