Hulk Hogan - Biography

Last Editor: sweet_pea_				Hulk Hogan Biography -   Name : Hulk Hogan Profession : Actor/ Wrestler Birth Details : August 11, 1953 in Augusta, Georgia Ring name(s) : The Super Destroyer Sterling Golden Terry Boulder Incredible Hulk Hogan Hulk Machine Hollywood Hulk Hogan Hollywood Hogan M Height : 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Billed height : 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Billed weight : 302 lb (137 kg) Resides : Tampa, Florida Billed from : Venice Beach, California Washington, D.C. (as Mr. America) Hollywood, California (as Hollywood Hogan) Trained by : Hiro Matsuda Debut : August 10, 1977

Hulk Hogan Trivia -

As Hollywood Hogan, made his ring entrances to "Voodoo Child" by Jimi Hendrix. He joined the World Wrestling Entertainment in 1979, cast as an Irish villain. Admitted to steroid use in 1994. Majored in business management at the University of South Florida, Tampa, before becoming a professional wrestler. As a high school baseball player, Hogan was a hot pro prospect and was considered the best pitcher in the state. Won the WWF Championship six times. The last time he won it was in May 2002. Won the WCW Heavyweight Championship six times, the last being 1999. Is an accomplished bass player and played bass in several local rock bands in Tampa, Florida. First pro wrestler on the cover of "Sports Illustrated." Spent 10 years as a professional guitarist before becoming a wrestler. His family has more than 30 pets, including dogs, cats, birds, chinchillas, ferrets, turtles, iguanas, rabbits, fish, and a frog. Considered running for president. Signed as official spokesman for an Acclaim video game entitled Legends of Wrestling (2001) (VG). [October 2001] One of the original three members of the New World Order (nWo). The other two are Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. April 21, 2002: Won the WWF (Undisputed) Championship for the 6th time from HHH at WWF Backlash (2002) (TV). One of the first wrestlers to have ring music play on his way to the ring. Was brought to the federation by Fred Blassie. His first WWF title reign lasted from January 1984 to February 1988, when he lost to André the Giant. Has only lost twice at Wrestlemania. His first loss was to The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI (1990) (V), and the other one was to Dwayne Johnson at WrestleMania X-8 (2002) (TV). All of his WWF title reigns put together are about 6 years (more than 2,000 days)!. One of the first wrestlers to defeat André the Giant. Others before him included Rugged Ronnie Garvin (Roger Barnes), Antonio Inoki, El Canek, and the Iron Sheik (Khosrow Vaziri). Won his first WWF World Heavyweight title more than 18 years ago on January 23, 1984, when he defeated the Iron Sheik (Khosrow Vaziri) in one of the shortest heavyweight title matches in history. It took Hogan 5 minutes and 40 seconds to pin the Sheik with a leg drop. He claims he was once 6'7" but can now only straighten up to 6'4" due to injuries, although compared to other wrestlers and actors he appears to have been about 6'6" at his peak. He has been billed up to 6'9" in wrestling matches (nowadays usually at 6' 7"). He was originally called "Hulk" because it was noted at a match that he was taller than the actor who played the "The Incredible Hulk", Lou Ferrigno. Ranked #1 in the "PWI 500" of the PWI Years (1979-1999) (Pro Wrestling Illustrated 20th Anniversary Special) Uncle of Michael Bollea. Has three movies in the IMDb bottom 100. Held the IWGP World Title, giving him the distinction of being one of three Americans--along with Scott Norton and Leon White (aka Big Van Vader)--to hold that title. He is the single most requested celebrity for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Early in his career wrestled as Terry "The Hulk" Boulder. Wrestled as Mr. America in 2003 in WWE. Filmed the show "Thunder in Paradise" (1994) at Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World, in Orlando, Florida. In probably the most historic wrestling match ever, he body-slammed and defeated André the Giant at WrestleMania III (1987) (V). Despite reports to the contrary, he was not the first man to body-slam André. Eight-time National Wrestling Alliance Champion Harley Race did so several years before, and Hogan himself body-slammed André in a match in 1980 (which appears on the Hulk Hogan anthology DVD). He is the third-ever, six-time WWF World Champion. The other two are Dwayne Johnson and Stone Cold Steve Austin. He appeared in some of the live-action segments of the cartoon series Hulk Hogan's "Rock 'n' Wrestling" (1985) (1985-1986). He was one of the wrestlers featured in the cartoon series Hulk Hogan's "Rock 'n' Wrestling" (1985) (1985-1986), though he did not provide his own voice. Brad Garrett of "Everybody Loves Raymond" (1996) was the voice of the animated Hulkster. Adopted the song "Ravishing," written by Jim Steinman and performed by Bonnie Tyler, as his theme song. Subtitled "The Hulk Hogan Theme," it was sung during his wrestling entrances in his early days with WCW. Lost WCW World Championship to Bill Goldberg on July 6, 1998, in Atlanta's Georgia Dome on "WCW Monday Nitro" (1995).   Lost his fifth WWF Title to Rodney Anoai (aka Yokozuna) in his first defense since winning the title over a month earlier. It was his last WWF title match for nine years. Only once did he ever win a tag-team championship, that was with Adam Copeland (aka Edge) in July 2002. He was the direct inspiration for Copeland to enter the business 12 years prior. At a point when his wrestling career was 25 years old, he wrestled Brock Lesnar, who was himself just 25 years old. His daughter, Brooke Hogan, released her debut solo album in August 2004. In what was one of the biggest slaps to the face of his career, Hogan was scheduled to face Jeff Jarrett for the WCW Heavyweight title. Hogan was supposed to win the title; however, Vince Russo (who was the head booker at the time) decided to have Jarrett lie down and allow Hogan to win and then send Hogan home. Russo created another title and proceeded to carry on without Hogan. Hogan was never seen in WCW again. He still has the belt. Notable title wins include: IWGP Heavyweight Title, WWF Title (6), WWW Royal Rumble Winner (2), WCW World Title (6), WWF Undisputed Title, and WWF tag-team titles with Edge (Adam Copeland). Hogan also won the WCW World Title for a seventh time by defeating Jeff Jarrett; however, the title reign was never recognized. When he first wrestled under the "Hulk" name, he was known as the Incredible Hulk Hogan. Until recently, neither he nor the WWF/WCW (titan Sports) owned the full rights to his "Hulk" name. "Hulkamania," "Hulk Hogan," and "Hulkster" were all owned by Marvel Comics. The WWF/WWE made a deal with Marvel to use the name "Hulk." This was also done with WCW when Hogan went to WCW. Also, WCW used "Hollywood Hogan" to cancel the Marvel deal, but the deal was still alive. However, before the 2006 release of his multidisk anthology, Hogan acquired the rights to the name Hulk Hogan from Marvel. The trademark citation "Hulk Hogan is a trademark of Terry Bollea" can be found on the DVD-set credits. Daughter Brooke Hogan sang the national anthems at the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals in Tampa. Inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Hall of Fame in 2005. The character "Hawk" from Vendetta (1991) (VG) was modeled after him. Teamed up with Shawn Michaels to face Mark Magnus (aka Muhammad Hassan) and Shawn Daivari (aka Daivari) at Backlash 2005.   His theme song, "Real American," was initially written for the then-WWF tag- team champions Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda. First-ever IWGP Heavyweight Champion. His original theme song was "Eye of the Tiger," which was the theme song of Rocky III (1982), in which he made an appearance. During his 1980s heyday in the WWE, he lived next door to WWF owner Vince McMahon for almost 10 years. Is an avid fan of the Tampa Bay Lighting of the National Hockey League. Elected to the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003. Twisted his ankle during the filming of Little Hercules in 3-D (2009). Former World Tag-Team Champion. His father is Italian-American and his mother is of Italian, French, and Panamian descent. Previous managers: Billy Spears, "Classy" Freddie Blassie (Fred Blassie), Jimmy Hart, Miss Elizabeth, Ted DiBiase, and Eric Bischoff. Was Joel Schumacher's third choice to play Mr. Freeze/Dr. Victor Fries in Batman & Robin (1997). Father of Nick Hogan and Brooke Hogan. In 1981, Verne Gagne brought Hogan to the AWA. As of 2007, he has the fourth-most Wrestlemania wrestling appearances, having appeared in 11. He wrestled in Wrestlemanias 1-9, and 18-19. (He appeared at Wrestlemania 21, but did not officially wrestle). Third-most is Bret "The Hitman" Hart (Bret Hart), with 12; second-most, Shawn Michaels with 14, and the Undertaker (Mark Calaway) holds the record for most, with 15 appearances. Lost his WWF championship once in his career in the Survivor Series in 1991 to The Undertaker (Mark Calaway). In 1978, he made his wrestling debut in Florida using the Super Destroyer gimmick. He later wrestled as Terry Boulder and Sterling Golden before becoming Hulk Hogan. In late 1982, Hogan and Antonio Inoki won the 3rd Annual MSG Tag League. Lost to The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI (1990) (V) and Dwayne Johnson at WrestleMania X-8 (2002) (TV) in the same venue - Skydome, Toronto, Canada. Was best man at the wedding of Bubba the Love Sponge. Is godfather to Ed Leslie's only daughter. Defeated Yokozuna in Wrestlemania IX for the WWF championship after Yokozuna defeated Bret Hitman Hart. It was the shortest wrestling match in history for the WWF title. This record was later broken by Kevin Nash in 1995 when he beat Bob Backlund in 8 seconds for the world title. On an episode on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno, it was revealed that he was initially offered the chance to endorse the 'Lean, Mean, Grilling Machine' that went on to make former boxer George Foreman millions of dollars. Particapated in WCW Nitro's infamous Fingerpoke of Doom match. In which he was going to wrestle WCW Champion Kevin Nash. When the match began he poked Nash in the chest and he fell down and Hogan pinned him. The match is considered to be the start of the downfall of WCW and its ratings. Turned down the chance to travel to Iraq as part of the WWE Tribute to the Troops show in 2008.

Hulk Hogan Detailed Biography -

Born August 11, 1953 Augusta, Georgia Died Resides Tampa, Florida Billed from Venice Beach, California Hollywood, California Trained by Hiro Matsuda Debut August 19, 1977 Retired Terrence Gene Bollea (born August 11, 1953 in Augusta, Georgia), best known as Hulk Hogan (and occasionally Hollywood Hogan), is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently the star of the VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best and also makes occasional appearances for World Wrestling Entertainment on the RAW brand. During his 1980s heyday wrestling for the World Wrestling Federation as the wholesome babyface character "Hulk Hogan," Terry Bollea became one of the highest-drawing, most popular wrestlers in the history of the business. After flagging popularity, a steroid scandal, "retirements," and lawsuits damaged his momentum in the 1990s, he signed with WWF rival, World Championship Wrestling. He later turned heel in July 1996, re-energizing and redefining his career as the greedy and manipulative villain Hollywood Hogan as part of the nWo before returning to face status and WWE. During his long career, he appeared and starred in several movies and TV shows and now makes occasional World Wrestling Entertainment appearances and manages the music career of his daughter Brooke Hogan. Hogan is now officially recognized as a fifteen-time world heavyweight champion, since his two American Wrestling Association title reigns were validated in April 2005. His loyal fans are referred to as "Hulkamaniacs." Hulk Hogan was also the spokesperson for the Legends of Wrestling video game. Hogan was born "Terry Gene Bollea" (the name on his birth certificate) to Italian-American Pete Bollea and Ruth Bollea, who is of French, Italian and Panamanian descent. Early in life, Terry Bollea was a standout in minor league baseball and also spent ten years playing bass guitar in several Florida-based rock bands, including Ruckus and Infinity's End. Many of the wrestlers who competed in the Florida territory at that time would visit the bars in which Bollea was performing. Bollea's impressive physical stature soon caught the attention of former top-drawing wrestler Jack Brisco and his brother Jerry, both of whom convinced Bollea to give wrestling a try. Bollea had been a wrestling fan since childhood and was eager to give it a chance. He trained for nearly two years under the watchful eye of legendary wrestler Hiro Matsuda, a hard-nosed taskmaster who casually (and to instill respect, purposefully) broke Bollea's leg during their first training session. Terry Bollea wrestled his first professional match in Tallahassee, Florida on August 19, 1977 as The Super Destroyer, wrestling B. Brian Blair to a draw. Terry also used other ring names early in his career, including Terry "The Hulk" Boulder and Sterling Golden. In those formative years, Bollea would go on to win his first wrestling championships, the National Wrestling Alliance Southeastern Heavyweight Championships recognized in Alabama and Tennessee, respectively. Bollea even had an early shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship - it's holder generally recognized as the industry's #1 wrestler - in January 1979, facing NWA kingpin Harley Race. World Wrestling Federation: the first run On November 13, 1979 Bollea made his debut in the World Wrestling Federation as a heel and was given the name "The Incredible" Hulk Hogan by Vincent James McMahon, then the majority owner of the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (at the time, the parent company of the Federation). In his debut, Hogan wrestled three matches in Allentown, Pennsylvania during one of the Federation's marathon television tapings. Hogan was victorious in all three bouts, squashing Harry Valdez in the first match, Paul Figueroa in the second, and Ben Ortiz in the third. One month later on December 17, Hogan made his Madison Square Garden wrestling debut, defeating Ted DiBiase in 11 minutes, 12 seconds. The later, official explanation for the "Hulk Hogan" moniker was that many considered Bollea to be physically bigger than Lou Ferrigno, who at the time was starring in the popular TV series The Incredible Hulk. McMahon also wanted him to be a tough, working-man brawler with a possible Irish background at the same time, thus the name "Hogan." A deal was later struck with Marvel Comics to use the "Hulk" name. In February 2005, Bollea himself purchased the rights to the name "Hulk Hogan." Hogan started out in the WWF as an arrogant heel, clad in a golden cape and managed by the late "Classy" Freddie Blassie. During his first run with the WWF, Hogan feuded intensely with WWWF (World Wide Wrestling Federation) World Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund, "Mr. U.S.A." Tony Atlas, and a man he had met previously in the deep South and would see much more of down the road in his career: the late 7'4", 520-pound André the Giant. Hogan and André would go on to clash in a historic match on August 9, 1980 in front of 36,295 fans in Shea Stadium in Flushing, NY. This was part of the WWF's Showdown At Shea event. In 1981, Sylvester Stallone personally offered him a part in the movie Rocky III. Hogan wanted to use this opportunity for a potential movie career, but industry etiquette demanded that he first ask for his boss'( Vincent J. McMahon ) permission. Knowing that he could not refuse this opportunity (it could dramatically increase his drawing power / earning potential, since wrestling fans -- and promoters -- in each territory would want to see "the big guy from Rocky III in person"), Bollea took the part anyway. When McMahon found out (as Bollea knew he would), he fired Hogan from the WWF as a result. American Wrestling Association After filming his scene for Rocky III, Hogan made his debut in the Minnesota-based American Wrestling Association, owned and promoted by former ten-time AWA World Heavyweight Champion and two-time NCAA Champion Verne Gagne. Hogan's first AWA match took place on August 1, 1981 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he defeated Tony Leone and Chuck Greenlee in a handicap match. Hogan started his AWA run portraying his heel character from the World Wrestling Federation (taking on "Luscious" Johnny Valiant as his manager), but AWA fans reacted much differently to Hogan. The audience couldn't get enough of the muscular Hogan, and soon AWA bookers (the underlings of the promoter, responsible for figuring out profitable match-ups and the matches' details) were compelled to turn Hogan face. On May 28, 1982, Rocky III premiered in theaters nationwide. Hogan's role in Rocky III was "Thunderlips: The Ultimate Male," a buffed, egotistical pro wrestler who took on Stallone's Rocky Balboa in a wrestler vs. boxer charity match. The role would garner international media attention for Hogan, and soon he was riding the crest of a wave of popularity, the likes of which had rarely been seen before for a professional wrestler. The seeds for what would become the cultural movement known as Hulkamania were planted. New Japan Pro Wrestling During this period of Hogan's career, he was not competing strictly under the AWA (or any) banner. A great deal of Hogan's early success was achieved in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Japanese wrestling fans were in awe of the gargantuan blond American, and nicknamed him "Ichiban" (which translates to "Number One"). Hogan first appeared in Japan on May 23, 1980, while he was still with the WWF. He would tour the country from time to time over the next few years, facing a wide variety of opponents ranging from Tatsumi Fujinami to Abdullah the Butcher. When competing in Japan, Hogan used a vastly different repertoire of wrestling moves, relying on more "scientific" (i.e., technical, more amateur style-seeming) looking traditional wrestling holds and maneuvers as opposed to the power-based (feats of strength), brawling style U.S. fans were accustomed to seeing from him. On June 2, 1983, Hogan became the first International Wrestling Grand Prix tournament winner, defeating Japanese wrestling icon Antonio Inoki by knockout in the finals of a 10-man tournament featuring top talent from throughout the world. Hogan and Inoki also worked as partners in Japan, winning the prestigious MSG Tag League tournament two years in a row, in 1982 and 1983. Also Hogan's popularity in Japan was so great, he even recorded an album there-a forerunner to the World Wrestling Federation's "Rock' n' Wrestlin' Connection" of the mid-'80's. Hulkamania Hogan, now a face, was a great box-office success in the AWA and was lured back to the World Wrestling Federation in late 1983 by Vince McMahon after he bought the organization outright from his father. Hogan had been growing increasingly frustrated with the AWA's backstage politics, which kept the AWA World Heavyweight Championship out of his reach, despite blatantly obvious fan demand for him to win it. On two different occasions, Hogan had been scripted to win the AWA Championship from heel champion Nick Bockwinkel and have it revert back to Bockwinkel by contrived technicality. This was a common plot device in the business, especially in territories much smaller and less lucrative than the AWA at that time, done repeatedly to milk audience anticipation that the face would topple the heel "next time." In a spring 1983 show in Minneapolis (the AWA's home market), this same plot played out. But this time, Gagne had greatly underestimated his fans' anticipation; after the usual routine, fan displeasure was so strong, only Bollea's pleas (on the PA system, in character as Hogan) kept them from rioting. This outcome was officially overturned by the AWA board in April 2005, nearly fifteen years after Gagne's company had stopped doing live shows, thus making Hogan an officially recognized two-time former AWA World Champion. Hogan was also upset with promoter Verne Gagne's demands for a percentage of his Japanese earnings in exchange for the AWA Championship. McMahon wanted to turn the WWF into a nationwide (and then worldwide) entity, leveraged on Hulk Hogan's charisma, body, and name power. Hogan would go on to become one of the most popular wrestlers ever, with his loyal fans known as "Hulkamaniacs." Hulk Hogan played the role of an honest and courageous hero, encouraging children to "train, say their prayers and take their vitamins." Hogan made a dramatic return to the WWF on January 3, 1984 during a marathon TV taping in Allentown, Pennsylvania, saving Bob Backlund from a three-on-one assault at the hands of the Wild Samoans. Weeks later on January 23, Hogan won the WWF Championship for the first time, pinning The Iron Sheik in New York's Madison Square Garden. Hogan would remain WWF Champion for four years and 13 days, overcoming such challengers as André the Giant, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and King Kong Bundy, drawing record houses, PPV buyrates and TV ratings in the process. He co-hosted Saturday Night Live on March 30, 1985 and even had his own CBS Saturday morning cartoon during this lucrative run, titled Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n Wrestling. Hogan and Mr. T at the first WrestleMania On March 31, 1985, the inaugural WrestleMania took place at Madison Square Garden, featuring Hogan in a tag team main event, with Mr. T his partner. Hogan would go on to headline seven of the first eight WrestleManias, from 1985-1992. A record that has yet to be broken. A new storyline was introduced in early 1987: Hogan was presented a trophy for being the WWF Champion for three years. André the Giant, a good friend (who was seen pouring champagne over him in the Madison Square Garden locker room in the interview scene following his title win) came out to congratulate him. Shortly afterwards, André was presented a slightly smaller trophy for being "undefeated in the WWF for 15 years." In actuality, André had suffered a handful of countout and disqualification losses in the WWF, but had never been pinned or forced to submit in a WWF ring. Hogan came out to congratulate André, but André walked out in the midst of Hogan's speech. Then, on an edition of Piper's Pit, Hogan was confronted by Bobby Heenan. Heenan announced that his new protege was André. André then challenged Hogan to a title match at WrestleMania III, ripping the t-shirt and crucifix off of Hogan. WrestleMania III, held on March 29, 1987 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, set a North American indoor attendance record for any sporting event. An announced audience of 93,173 (in reality, 78,000) witnessed Hogan successfully defend the WWF World Heavyweight Championship against André the Giant. The match would become the most famous of Hogan's career, one which saw Hogan bodyslam the 520-pound Frenchman before pinning his shoulders to the mat. The match was considered as being a "passing of the torch" between one of the biggest stars in wrestling of the 1970's, André, and the biggest star in wrestling of the 1980's, Hogan. Years later, Hogan stated that André was so heavy, he felt more like 700 pounds. Hogan lost the belt in extremely controversial fashion to André on NBC's "The Main Event" on February 5, 1988, thanks to a convoluted scam involving "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and "evil" twin referee Earl Hebner (in place of the match's appointed arbiter, his twin brother Dave Hebner). After the match, André handed the title over to DiBiase to complete their storyline business deal. As a result, the WWF Championship was vacated for the third time in its 25-year history, and all this in turn led to Hogan's on/off friend "Macho Man" Randy Savage taking the vacant title in a tournament at WrestleMania IV a month later. Note: The live primetime NBC broadcast of The Main Event on February 5, 1988 is the highest rated television show in professional wrestling history, with a 15.2 rating. Together, Hogan, Savage, and manager Miss Elizabeth formed a partnership known as The Mega Powers. The Macho Man Randy Savage played an instrumental role in Hogan's character development. However, the Mega-Powers would soon implode from within, due to Savage's burgeoning jealousy of Hogan and his paranoid suspicions that Hogan and Elizabeth were "more than friends." A feud between Hogan and Savage began, which culminated with Hogan beating Savage for his second WWF Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania V on April 2, 1989. Hogan's second run lasted a year, during which time he starred in his first movie, No Holds Barred; the movie was the inspiration of a feud with Hogan's co-star in "No Holds Barred" Tiny Lister, Jr., who appeared at wrestling events as his movie character, Zeus. Zeus was an unfazable monster heel who was "jealous" over Hogan's higher billing and now wanted revenge. However, Hogan was easily able to defeat Zeus in a series of matches across the country during late 1989, beginning with a tag team match at SummerSlam. Also during his second run, Hogan won the 1990 Royal Rumble Match, last eliminating Mr. Perfect. He dropped the title to Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior on April 1, 1990 at WrestleMania VI. It was the first time in over seven years that Hogan was pinned. That title match was notable in that the two wrestlers were both faces, and Hogan graciously handed Warrior the belt and shook his hand at the conclusion of the match, remembered as one of the most sportsmanlike displays in WWE history. Hogan soon became embroiled in a heated feud with the 468-pound Earthquake, a mountain of a man who gained infamy by crushing Hogan's ribs in a sneak attack on "The Brother Love Show" in May 1990. On TV, announcers explained that Hogan was depressed over his injuries and his WrestleMania VI loss to The Ultimate Warror and both took such a huge toll on his fighting spirit that he wanted to retire. Viewers were asked to write letters to Hogan and send postcards asking for his return (they got a postcard-sized picture in return, autographed by Hogan, as a "thank you"). Hogan returned by SummerSlam 1990 and dominated Earthquake in a months-long series of matches across the country. On March 24, 1991, Hogan stood up for the USA against Iraqi-sympathizer Sgt. Slaughter, outwitting him for his third WWF Championship at WrestleMania VII. Hogan lost the title to The Undertaker at the Survivor Series on November 27, 1991, in an infamous bout marred by interference from the legendary "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. Just six days later, Hogan regained the title in a match held on a special pay-per-view named Tuesday In Texas, but due to the controversy surrounding both matches, the title was again declared vacant. In the 1992 Royal Rumble, Hogan was eliminated by storyline friend Sid Justice and failed to regain the championship. In the ensuing five months, Hulk Hogan announced he was contemplating retirement from wrestling and 'bowed out' against Justice at WrestleMania VIII on April 5, 1992. The match against Justice was not without controversy as Justice seemingly broke character and "kicked out" of Hogan's legdrop finish. In reality, he was covering for an error in timing, as Papa Shango was late to break up the pin. Hogan eventually won the match via DQ when Shango finally made it to the ring. The returning Ultimate Warrior saved Hogan from the post match beat down. Hogan later reconsidered his career and was back in the ring within a year. A lot of fictitious rumors surround the Hulk Hogan sensation, employed in part by the WWF and later WCW to sensationalize and hype up their star name. Hogan dyed his hair platinum blonde and wore a bandana. His usual colors were yellow and red; as a heel they were black and white. One statistic about Hogan that did stand, at least at the time, was that he had the largest arms in professional sports, a title he legitimately held only for a few years. "24-inch pythons" was a phrase commonly used to describe Hogan's arms. Hulk Hogan's incredible crossover popularity led to several television and movie roles. Along with 1982's Rocky III, he starred, as mentioned above, in No Holds Barred (1989), as well as Suburban Commando (1991), Mr. Nanny (1993), Santa with Muscles (1996), and 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998). He made two appearances on The A-Team (in 1985 and 1986), and starred in his own TV series, Thunder in Paradise, in 1994. End of Hulkamania Hogan returned to the WWF in January 1993, helping out his longtime friend Brutus Beefcake in his feud with Money Inc.. Hogan scooped his fifth WWF Title on April 4 of that year, overcoming Yokozuna in an impromptu bout at WrestleMania IX. At this point everything was looking good for Hogan, he had the World Wrestling Federation Championship once again and it seemed like Hulkamania was back and better then ever. However, this was not the case at all. At the first annual King of the Ring pay per view, Hogan had to defend the title against Yokozuna again. He had the advantage all the way through the match until a camera exploded in his face, temporarily blinding him, allowing Yokozuna to pick up the victory. After his victory, Yokozuna proceeded to crush Hulkamania. He gave Hogan a Bonzai drop amidst the crying children and cursing adults. As Yokozuna celebrated, Hulkamania lay battered, broken, and finished in the ring. Hogan departed the WWF two months later after a series of bouts against Yokozuna on a European tour. An impending steroid scandal led to Vince McMahon deciding to phase out large, muscular wrestlers such as Hogan and give the top spots to smaller, more technically sound wrestlers such as Bret Hart. After Hogan left the WWF, he decided to concentrate on movies and TV and take time off from professional wrestling. World Championship Wrestling In June 1994 Hogan was expensively lured back to the ring by Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling, which was the WWF's main competitor at the time. When Hogan signed with WCW, officials (namely, Eric Bischoff, who convinced Hogan to join WCW in the first place) hoped that they could relive the glory days of Hulkamania, but everyone involved also knew it would be tough to convince many loyal, old-school WCW fans of Hogan's worth, particularly the southern fans that were traditionally anti-WWF. Hogan was also at this time given virtually absolute creative control over his onscreen character. Hulk Hogan's contract signing on June 11 was held at Disney World in Orlando, following a red-and-yellow ticker tape parade. Hogan won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in his debut match, overcoming Ric Flair in a genuine 'dream' match on July 17. After tussling with Flair, Vader, and the Dungeon of Doom for the next eighteen months, Hogan dropped the belt and began to only appear occasionally on WCW shows. WCW fans were clamouring for younger, more exciting international stars such as Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero and were growing tired of seeing Hogan's "red-and-yellow good guy" persona they had seen for ten years in the WWF. Hogan soon reinvented himself as a heel (his first time playing a heel role since 1981) and returned full-time on July 7, 1996. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash both left the WWF in early 1996 and returned to their old employer, WCW. They were portrayed as "Outsiders" and quickly announced their intent to "take over" WCW, with the help of an unnamed third member of their team (initially rumored to be Bret Hart). At the Bash At The Beach PPV, Hall, Nash and their partner were scheduled to face the WCW trio of Sting, Randy Savage, and Lex Luger. The third partner did not begin the match, and, after Luger left the match due to an injury, some assumed that he would be the "third man." When Hogan came out, many expected him to attack Hall and Nash. However, in one of the most shocking moments in wrestling history, Hogan leg dropped Randy Savage and declared himself to be Hall and Nash's partner, with the trio comprising what Hogan dubbed the New World Order. Hogan's turn to heel, after being one of the most popular and iconic figures in sports entertainment and sports in general, caused a great stir through the wrestling community. The next night on Nitro, Eric Bischoff announced that all night Sunday and all day Monday, WCW and Hogan recieved literally hundreds, if not thousands, of complaints from parents whose children had stayed up all night crying and destroying Hulkster merchandise. Though intended as kayfabe, the statement was no doubt truthful. Hogan's move from face to heel signified a change in wrestling's character system, which in coming years would intentionally blur the lines between good and evil. Hollywood Hogan as a member of the New World Order. Hogan soon dyed his beard black and renamed himself Hollywood Hogan. Hogan managed to redefine the heel character: rather than the traditional "bad guy" Hollywood Hogan gave birth to a more realistic, street-smart villain, with none of the usual wrestling gimmicks and devices. Some have placed Hollywood Hogan as one of the best and most effective heels in pro wrestling history. After defeating The Giant at Hog Wild on August 10, 1996 with the help of a foreign object, Hogan held the WCW World Heavyweight Championship for most of 1997. During this period he grappled with Roddy Piper, Randy Savage and many more. The ever-expanding nWo gang concurrently became the hottest concept in wrestling too, helping WCW to achieve 83 straight Monday night ratings victories over the WWF. The black-and-white nWo t-shirt also became one of the highest-selling pieces of wrestling merchandise ever during 1997. Hogan then lost the belt to Sting in a hugely-hyped, eighteen-months-in-the-making match at StarrCade in December 1997. The event was also the highest-drawing PPV in WCW's history. After Hogan spent 1998 wrestling celebrity matches with buddies such as Dennis Rodman and Jay Leno, he announced his retirement, and also attempted to launch a run for the U. S. Presidency in November (at the behest of his boss Ted Turner, who felt Hogan was popular enough to capture the nation's highest office). He was back in the ring alongside a reformed nWo within weeks however but eventually turned on what was left of them in July 1999 and swiftly returned to his familiar, red-and-yellow wearing babyface persona. Injuries and frustrations were mounting up however, and Hogan was soon absent from TV from October 1999 to February 2000. In his book Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Bollea said that he was asked to take time off of TV from newly hired head of creative Vince Russo and not told when he would be brought back at the time. Despite some reservations, he agreed to do so. On October 24, 1999 at the Halloween Havoc Pay-Per-View in Las Vegas, Hogan was to face Sting for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. However, Hogan came to the ring in street clothes, lay down for the pin, and left the ring. Soon after his return to WCW TV in February 2000, Hogan began feuding with Lex Luger, Ric Flair, and Billy Kidman. Then, at Bash at the Beach 2000, Hogan was involved in a very controversial, real-life incident with WCW booker Vince Russo. Hogan was scheduled to wrestle Jeff Jarrett for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Hogan felt that he should win because he felt Russo wouldn't use him in anymore future storylines. At that time Hogan still had several months left on his contract and was obligated to appear at more Pay-Per-Views. So, he used the clause in his contract that gave him creative control over all the finishes of his matches. According to Hogan, it was the only time he ever used that clause in his tenure with WCW. Russo was furious at Hogan because he did not think that Hogan should be the champion. Unbeknownst to Hogan, Russo told Jarrett to lie down in the middle of the ring and asked Hogan to pin him straight away. A visibly confused Hogan complied, then got on the microphone and told Russo "That's why the company is in the damn shape it's in, because of bullshit like this!" Russo responsed by coming out and saying that he wanted to get rid of all the "old guys" and that since Hogan refused to job to Jarrett, a new WCW World Heavyweight Championship would be created, setting the stage for a title match between Booker T and Jeff Jarrett later that night. Hogan was never seen or mentioned on WCW television after the event, and he filed a defamation of character lawsuit against Russo soon after, which was eventually thrown out of court. It was later revealed in 2005 on Vince Russo's website that the entire incident had been staged. World Wrestling Entertainment: the comeback From July 2000 to November 2001, Hogan was extremely quiet and out of the public eye. He had been dealing with self-doubt and depression following the Vince Russo incident, wondering if what Russo had said about him was true. Hogan was also dealing with the death of his father Peter Bollea in December 2001, which he took very hard. Fans at the time had largely agreed with Russo's sentiments, feeling Hogan was "washed-up" and had been holding down younger talents for too long. Hogan wanted to prove his detractors wrong and show them that he still had another run or two left in him. Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock In the months following the eventual demise of WCW in March 2001, Hogan underwent surgery on his knees in order for him to wrestle again. As a test, Hogan worked a match in Orlando, Florida for the XWF promotion run by his longtime handler Jimmy Hart. Hogan defeated the late Curt Hennig in this match and felt healthy enough to accept an offer to return to the WWF in February 2002. Inititally, Hogan returned as leader of the original nWo with Hall and Nash. Soon after arriving, he fought a memorable match against The Rock at WrestleMania X8 on March 17, 2002. This was Hogan's only WrestleMania match fought as a heel, but the record SkyDome crowd of 68,237, cheered wildly for Hogan, effectively turning him face during the match. The Rock cleanly won the contest but befriended Hogan at the end of the bout and helped him fight off Hall and Nash, who were upset by Hogan's conciliatory attitude. After the match, Hogan was a definite face again and had a month-long reign as Undisputed World Wrestling Federation Champion in the spring of 2002 after defeating Triple H at Backlash. During Hogan's title reign of 2002, the World Wrestling Federation changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), thus marking Hogan as the first champion under the new company name. After an angle with Brock Lesnar in August 2002, Hogan went on hiatus. He returned in early 2003 to battle The Rock once again and defeated Vince McMahon at WrestleMania XIX. He then had another run as Hulk Hogan (with the old "Hulk Rules" logo being revived and altered as "Hulk Still Rules") and later, the mask-wearing spoof superhero Mr. America. Mr. America Mr. America was another Hulk Hogan alter-ego. Mr. America was actually Hulk Hogan in disguise, wearing a mask. He used Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme music. He was the subject of a story line after Hollywood Hulk Hogan was forced by his boss Vince McMahon to sit out the rest of his contract after he won at WrestleMania XIX because McMahon wanted Hulkamania to die. On May 1, 2003 Mr. America debuted on SmackDown! on "Piper's Pit," in which Vince appeared and claimed that Mr. America was Hulk Hogan in disguise, Hogan shot back by saying "I am not Hulk Hogan, brother!" The feud continued through the month of May, with a singles match between America and Hogan's old rival Roddy Piper at Judgement Day. Zach Gowen was also involved in the feud on the side of Mr. America. Vince tried desperately to prove that Mr. America was indeed Hulk Hogan but failed on all accounts. Mr. America even passed a lie detector test. Mr. America's last WWE appearance was on the June 26, 2003 edition of SmackDown!, where The Big Show, Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas defeated Mr. America, Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle in a six-man tag team match when Show pinned Mr. America. After the show ended, Mr. America unmasked to show the fans that he was indeed Hulk Hogan. The next week, Hogan quit the WWE due to frustration with the creative team. On the July 3, 2003 edition of SmackDown!, McMahon showed the footage of Mr. America unmasking as Hogan and "fired" him. For several months afterwards, WWE hyped up Big Show as the man who retired Hogan at Madison Square Garden (where the six-man tag team match was held), in order to give Big Show some more credibility. In a twist of irony, Big Show was first discovered by Hogan himself and in 1995 was pushed as a major threat to Hogan's WCW Championship reign. A few months after Mr. America ceased to exist, Hulk Hogan worked a match for New Japan Pro Wrestling, beating Masahiro Chono at the Ultimate Crush II event. Hogan had been looking to make his debut for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, but another knee surgery delayed negotiations, and the deal was never finalized. Hall of Famer Hogan was inducted by Sylvester Stallone into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 2, 2005. The Hulkster was greeted with a loud standing ovation which lasted several minutes prior to his acceptance speech. During his speech, Hogan was interrupted more than once by fans chanting "One more match!" The following night at WrestleMania 21, Hogan gave them a teaser of things to come, saving Eugene from an attack at the hands of Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari. On May 1, 2005, Hogan gave the fans what they had asked for, when he teamed with Shawn Michaels to defeat Hassan and Daivari at Backlash. The "one more match" chants and claims began to become more frequent for Hogan, who by the time he was finished competing in his match at Backlash, claimed to have second thoughts of hanging up the boots. On the June 27 edition of RAW Hogan was announced as the mystery tag team partner of WWE Champion John Cena and Shawn Michaels in a match against Chris Jericho, Christian and Tyson Tomko, and since then he has considered to have taken a part-time wrestling status, only wrestling every now and then. It is believed that, like The Rock, he may also consider wrestling around the season of WrestleMania. "The Icon" versus "The Legend" Hogan then appeared the following week on the July 4 edition of RAW as the special guest of Carlito on his talk-show segment "Carlito's Cabana." After being asked disrespectful questions by Carlito concerning his daughter Brooke Hogan, Hogan proceeded to attack Carlito. This was then followed up by an appearance of Kurt Angle, who made more dirty comments about Brooke, which further upset Hogan. Hogan was eventually double teamed by Carlito and Angle but was saved by Shawn Michaels. Later that night, Shawn Michaels and Hogan defeated Carlito and Kurt Angle in a tag match. During the post match celebration, Michaels delivered Sweet Chin Music to Hogan and walked off. The following week on RAW, Michaels appeared on "Piper's Pit" and challenged the Hall of Famer to face him one-on-one for the first time. Hogan appeared on RAW one week later and accepted the challenge. The match took place on Sunday, August 21, at SummerSlam. Neither Hogan nor Michaels had ever lost a one-on-one match at SummerSlam. That would change on August 21, 2005. The match between Hogan and Michaels was the main event of the night, and the two collided in a battle billed as "Legend vs. Icon." The match went back and forth, with two referees getting knocked out and Michaels using a steel chair to try to gain an advantage. Even after Michaels hit his Sweet Chin Music, Hogan still kicked out and mounted some offense against Michaels, finally hitting him with the legdrop and scoring the victory. Michaels extended his hand to him, telling him that he "had to find out for himself," and Hogan and Michaels shook hands. Michaels left the ring to allow Hogan to celebrate with the crowd. On October 3, 2005, Hulk Hogan publically challenged Stone Cold Steve Austin to a match, possibly to be held on April 2, 2006 at WrestleMania 22. Austin was rumored from the outset to be apathetic about the match, and his departure from WWE in November 2005 following a creative dispute apparently further diminished the likelihood of the match happening. Today, Hulk Hogan is semi-retired from wrestling, appearing for occasional matches with WWE and managing the singing career of his teenage daughter Brooke Hogan. A reality series featuring Hogan, Brooke, wife Linda, and son Nicholas, titled Hogan Knows Best, premiered on July 10, 2005, on VH1. The pilot episode was the highest-rated reality show debut in VH1 history. WWE Hall of Famer Gorilla Monsoon encapsulated Hogan's career with the words: "They broke the mold when they made this man! There will never be another Hulkster in the history of our great sport."