Hulk Hogan
|
|
Hogan.jpg
Terrence Gene Bollea, best known as Hulk Hogan and Hollywood Hogan (born August 11, 1953 in Augusta, Georgia), is an American professional wrestler and actor.
During his 1980s heyday performing and wrestling for the then-WWF as the wholesome Hulk Hogan, Terry Bollea became the highest-drawing, most popular "athlete" in the history of the business. After flagging popularity, 'retirements' and lawsuits damaged his momentum in the 1990s, he jumped ship to the WWF's then-rival, WCW.
He later turned 'heel' and became the sneering bad guy in July 1996, re-energizing and redefining his career as the greedy and manipulative villain Hollywood Hogan. During his long career, he appeared and starred in several movies and TV shows, and now busies himself with occasional WWE promotional appearances and the management of the music career of his daughter, Brooke Hogan.
Hogan is now officially recognised a fourteen-time World Heavyweight Champion, since his two AWA title reigns were recently validated. His loyal fans are referred to as "Hulkamaniacs".
| Contents |
Career
After stints in various jobs, including rock musician and dock worker, muscle-bound Terry Bollea fell into bouncing work and amateur wrestling, turing professional in 1978 and using such ringnames as Sterling Golden, the Super Destroyer, and Terry Boulder.
World Wrestling Federation
In 1980 he joined the World-Wide Wrestling Federation and was given the name Hulk Hogan by Vince McMahon Sr., then the majority owner of the then-WWWF.
The later, official explanation for the chosen name was that many considered Bollea to be physically bigger than Lou Ferrigno, who at the time was starring in the critically acclaimed 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.
Hogan started out as a light-hearted heel. In 1981, he was personally offered by Sylvester Stallone the role of Thunderlips in the movie Rocky III. Hogan wanted to use this opportunity for a potential movie career. McMahon Sr. refused and ended up firing Hogan as a result.
After the huge success of Rocky III in 1982, Hogan became a national celebrity, and keen to cash in, he joined the AWA based in Minnesota, shortly after the movie's release.
Hogan, now a 'face', was a great box-office success in the AWA, and was lured back to the WWF in late 1983 by Vince McMahon, Jr. after he bought the company outright from his father. Hogan was publicly unhappy with how the AWA, and Nick Bockwinkel in particular, would not let him be their champion despite being by far the organization's most popular and most mainstream wrestler. McMahon Jr. wanted to expand the WWF from a small-time, regional promotion into a national entity, charged on Hulk Hogan's charisma and name power. Hogan became one of the most popular wrestlers of the 1980s, with loyal fans known as "Hulkamaniacs."
Hogan played the earnest role of an honest and courageous good guy, reminding children to say their prayers and take their vitamins. Hogan won the WWF title for the first time just weeks after his WWF return in January 1984, cleanly defeating The Iron Shiek in Madison Square Garden and signalling the WWF's big shift from gritty mat wrestling to OTT theatrics in the process.
Incredibly by modern standards, Hogan would hold the belt for four full years, famously toppling such challengers as André the Giant, Paul Orndorff, Roddy Piper and King Kong Bundy and drawing huge houses, pay-per-view buyrates and TV ratings in the process. A huge star, he co-hosted Saturday Night Live in 1985 and even had his own CBS Saturday-morning cartoon show during this lucrative run. Hogan didn't provide his own voice for the hit show though: Brad Garrett did.
Hogan lost the belt to André the Giant on NBC in February 1988 thanks to a convoluted scam involving Ted DiBiase and 'evil' twin referees. The belt was vacated, and all this in turn led to Hogan's on/off friend Randy Savage taking the vacant title in a tournament at WrestleMania IV a month later. This triggered a fondly-remembered, year-long spat between Hogan and Savage that culminated with Hogan beating Savage for his second WWF title at WrestleMania V in March 1989. Hogan's second run lasted a year, during which time he starred in his first movie, the poorly-received No Holds Barred. He dropped the title to his assumed successor as WWF top-dog, Ultimate Warrior, in April 1990 at WrestleMania VI.
Hogan's box-office appeal was slightly dimming as the 1990s dawned, so he cannily plugged into patriotism once again and stood up for the USA against alleged Iraqi-sympathiser Sgt. Slaughter, outwitting him for his fourth WWF title at WrestleMania VII in March 1991. Hogan lost the belt to The Undertaker eight months later, in a famous bout more remembered for the loud jeers and boos directed at Hogan than anything else. In the ensuing five months, a jaded Hogan announced his semi-retirement from wrestling and 'bowed out' against Sid Justice at WrestleMania VIII in April 1992.
A lot of fictitious rumors surround the Hogan sensation, employed in part by the WWF and later the WCW to sensationalize and hype up their star name. One of the most common of these incorrect statistics is that Hogan was 6'8" tall. In fact, Hogan was never measured above 191.5cm, which is a bit less than 6'4". 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 (medically defined as longest) arms in professional sports, a title he legitamately held only for a couple of years but still refers to even today. Hogan's "24-inch pythons" were the most commonly used phrase in reference to his arms.
He used his popularity to gain television and movie roles. Along with 1982's Rocky III, he starred, as mentoned 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 television series, Thunder in Paradise, in 1994.
Hogan returned to the WWF in January 1993, helping out his pal Brutus Beefcake in his feud with Money, Inc. Hogan scooped his fifth WWF title that April, overcoming Yokozuna in an impromptu bout at WrestleMania IX. He lost the belt back to Yokozuna in June 1993 and quit the WWF again. Hogan left mainly over the impending steroid scandal, money issues, and issues regarding creative control. When Vince McMahon, Jr. was being indicted over providing his wrestlers with steroids, the WWF wanted to phase out large, muscular wrestlers such as Hogan and give the top spots to smaller, more technically sound, wrestlers such as Bret Hart. The result would be that Hogan would have to take a pay cut and have less say in his storylines. Hogan predictably walked to concentrate on movies and TV.
(Prior to the June 1993 Hogan/Yokozuna re-match, Vince McMahon planned a match between Hogan and the new people's choice, Bret Hart. Hogan was supposed to drop the World Heavyweight Championship to Hart, but allegedly did not want to drop the title cleanly to another face, preferring to lose to the heel Yokozuna.)
NWo.jpg
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 in June 1994 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 mid-90s worth, especially in Southern states that were traditionally anti-WWF. Hogan was also at this time given virtually absolute creative control over his onscreen character.
Hogan scooped the WCW World Title in his very first bout, overcoming Ric Flair in a genuine 'dream' match in July 1994. After tussling with Flair, Vader, and the frankly dire stable Dungeon of Doom for the next, sometimes silly, 18 months, Hogan dropped the belt and began to only appear occasionally on WCW shows. With boos again growing and WCW fans clamouring for younger, more exciting international stars such as Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero, Hogan soon reinvented himself as a heel and returned full-time in July 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 1996, 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 soon dyed his beard black and renamed himself "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan. Hogan arguably remade the heel character: rather than the traditional "bad guy" the character of Hollywood gave birth to a more "realistic" street-smart movie 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 in August 1996, Hogan held the WCW/nWo title 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 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 merchanidse ever during 1997.
Hogan then lost the belt to Sting in a hugely-hyped, 18-months-in-the-making match at Starrcade in December 1997. The event was also the highest-drawing pay-per-view in WCW's history. After a lacklustre 1998 spent wrestling celebrity matches with buddies such as Dennis Rodman and Jay Leno while TV ratings began to decline, Hogan announced his retirement yet again, and also launched a fake run for the US Presidency in November. He was back in the ring alongside a reformed nWo within weeks however, and 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.
Soon after his return, Hollywood Hogan began feuding with 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. For whatever the reasons, Hogan felt that he should win so he used the clause in his contract that gave him creative control over all the finishes of his matches. Russo was furious at Hogan because he didn't think that Hogan should be the champion.
Unbeknowest to Hogan, Russo told Jarrett to lay down in the middle of the ring and asked Hogan to pin him straight away. An obviously confused Hogan then got on the microphone and told Russo that "The company is in the damn shape that it is in now 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 did not want to job to Jarrett a "new" WCW world title would be made. So the stage was set for Booker T and Jeff Jarrett to wrestle for the title later that night. Hogan was never seen or mentioned on WCW television after the event and he filed an unresolved lawsuit against WCW and Vince Russo soon after.
NWo_WWF.jpg
World Wrestling Entertainment
From July 2000 to February 2002, Hogan was extremely quiet and out of the public eye. After the eventual demise of WCW in March 2001, he reassessed his options and re-appeared in the WWE, briefly reforming the original nWo with Hall and Nash in February 2002. Soon after arriving, he fought a memorable match against The Rock at WrestleMania X8 that March. This was Hogan's only WrestleMania match fought as a heel, but the Toronto crowd cheered wildly for Hogan, effectively turning him face and The Rock a hated 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 brief run as the Undisputed Champion in the Spring of 2002, making him one of only six men to have held that honor. After an angle with Brock Lesnar in August 2002, Hogan went on hiatus. He returned in early 2003 to once again rumble with The Rock and also take on, and defeat, Vince McMahon at WrestleMania XIX in March 2003. He then had another run as the Hulkster and later the mask-wearing spoof superhero Mr. America, (see below), before departing the WWE once again.
He was inducted, by Sylvester Stallone, into the WWE Hall of Fame along with "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Jimmy Hart, Nikolai Volkoff, The Iron Sheik, and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper in April 2005. Due to popular demand, he then wrestled 'one last match' for the company in May 2005, teaming with Shawn Michaels to defeat Muhammad Hassan and Shawn Daivari at the Backlash pay-per-view event.
Many pundits have criticized Hogan for using backstage political leverage to hog screen time, retain titles, and generally hold down talented workers who might otherwise have deserved to share the limelight with him. At the same time, his career is filled with legendary performances against a wide variety of opponents, ranging from newcomers to some of the greatest champions ever. At any rate, Hulk Hogan has achieved legendary status in the wrestling industry.
Today, he is semi-retired from wrestling, focusing mainly on managing the singing career of his teenage daughter Brooke Hogan.
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. In reality, McMahon and Hogan are good friends.
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 though 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 America, Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle in a six-man tag team match when Show pinned America. After the show ended, 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 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.
Profile
- Height: 6 ft 8 in
- Weight: 302 lb
- Birthday: August 11, 1953
- Hometown: Tampa, Florida
- Billed from: Venice Beach, California / Hollywood, California
- Trained By: Hiro Matsuda
- Professional Debut: 1977
Previous Identities
- Sterling Golden
- Terry "The Hulk" Boulder
- Hollywood Hogan
- Hollywood Hulk Hogan
- Mr. America (masked)
Previous Managers
Quotes
- "What'cha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you?"
- "Train, say your prayers, and take your vitamins." (The "Demandments")
- There was a fourth demandment: believing in one's self
- "This is where the power lies, brother!"
- "Anything less would be too civilized."
- A parody of an advertisement for Right Guard deodorant where Hogan uttered the slogan "Anything less would be uncivilized."
- "When you're nWo, you're nWo for life!"
- "Brother!"
- "Dude!"
Finishing/Signature Moves
Title history
Pre-World Wrestling Federation era
- December 1979 – NWA South Eastern Heavyweight Title
- Defeated Dick Slater (as Sterling Golden) – Knoxville, TN
- Lost to Bob Armstrong during January 1980
- March 1982 – AWA World Heavyweight Title
- Defeated Nick Bockwinkel (as “Incredible” Hulk Hogan) - ?
- The decision was reversed by AWA President Stanley Blackburn the next day for "hitting the champ with an illegal object"
Changed on April 4, 2005 by the AWA, along with recognition of a previous win over Bockwinkel to make Hogan a two-time champion.
- June 2, 1983 – IWGP Heavyweight Title
- Defeated Antonio Inoki in tournament final – Tokyo, Japan
- Lost to Antonio Inoki on June 14, 1984
- NOTE: Inoki was slated to win, and Hogan nailed Inoki who then tried to hold the rope, but fell out of the ring and was knocked out cold. The referee had no option but to run the count and award the belt to Hogan due to a packed audience watching.
World Wrestling Federation era
- January 23, 1984 – World Wrestling Federation World Title
- Defeated Iron Sheik – New York, NY
- Lost to André the Giant on February 5, 1988 (@ The Main Event)
- NOTE: This is Hogan's longest reign with the WWF World Title; the third longest title reign ever; Bruno Sammartino has the longest title reign at seven years, and Bob Backlund is second at six years.
- April 2, 1989 - World Wrestling Federation World Title (2)
- Defeated Randy Savage – Atlantic City, NJ (@ WrestleMania V)
- Lost to the Ultimate Warrior on April 1, 1990 (@ WrestleMania VI)
- March 24, 1991 - World Wrestling Federation World Title (3)
- Defeated Sgt. Slaughter – Los Angeles, CA (@ WrestleMania VII)
- Lost to Undertaker on November 27, 1991 (@ Survivor Series 1991)
- December 3, 1991 - World Wrestling Federation World Title (4)
- Defeated Undertaker – San Antonio, TX
- Title is declared vacant due to disputed finish
- April 4, 1993 - World Wrestling Federation World Title (5)
- Defeated Yokozuna – Las Vegas, NV (@ WrestleMania IX)
- Lost to Yokozuna on June 13, 1993 (@ King of the Ring 1993)
- NOTE: After Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart for the title by cheating, Hogan came down and was challenged by Yokozuna. After a failed attempt to cheat, Yokozuna is defeated by Hogan in a record time of twenty-three (23) seconds.
World Championship Wrestling era
- July 17, 1994 – World Championship Wrestling World Title
- Defeated Ric Flair – Orlando, FL
- Lost to The Giant on October 29, 1995 by disqualification
- NOTE: The match with The Giant had a stipulation that allowed the title to change hands despite disqualification.
- August 10, 1996 - World Championship Wrestling World Title (2)
- Defeated The Giant (as “Hollywood Hogan”) – Sturgis, SD
- Lost to Lex Luger on August 4, 1997
- August 9, 1997 - World Championship Wrestling World Title (3)
- Defeated Lex Luger (as “Hollywood Hogan”) - Sturgis, SD
- Lost to Sting on December 28, 1997
- April 20, 1998 - World Championship Wrestling World Title (4)
- Defeated Randy Savage (as “Hollywood Hogan”) - Colorado Springs, CO
- Lost to Goldberg on July 6, 1998
- January 4, 1999 - World Championship Wrestling World Title (5)
- Defeated Kevin Nash (as “Hollywood Hogan”) - Atlanta, GA
- Lost to Ric Flair on March 14, 1999
- NOTE (1) : The “winning” match was a joke match where Kevin Nash laid down and allowed Hogan to pin and win. This match is often called the "Fingerpoke of Doom" match, especially in the Internet wrestling community.
- NOTE (2) : The match with Ric Flair was supposed to be a First Blood Cage Match; however, the match ended with Hogan being counted out in a figure four leglock.
- July 12, 1999 - World Championship Wrestling World Title (6)
- Defeated Randy Savage (as “Hollywood Hogan”) - Jacksonville, FL
- Lost to Sting on September 12, 1999
- NOTE: The following “match” isn’t considered an official title reign.
- July 10, 2000 - World Championship Wrestling World Title
- Defeated Jeff Jarrett (as “Hollywood Hogan”) - Daytona Beach, FL
- NOTE: In this match, Vince Russo, upset that Hogan had opted to use his creative control clause to win the title, ordered Jarrett to lie down for Hogan. Hogan "won" the title and left the arena. A few minutes later, Russo cut a promo deriding Hogan for being a selfish "son of a bitch", and said that the title Hogan won was now known as the "Hulk Hogan Memorial Title". A new WCW World Title was created and put up in a match between Jarrett and Booker T, which was won by Booker.
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE) era
- April 21, 2002 - World Wrestling Entertainment World Title (6)
- Defeated Triple H (as “Hollywood Hogan”) - Kansas City, MO (@ Backlash 2002)
- Lost to Undertaker on May 20, 2002 (@ Judgment Day 2002)
- July 4, 2002 - World Wrestling Entertainment Tag Team Championship
- Defeated Billy and Chuck with Edge (as “Hollywood Hogan”) - Boston, MA
- Lost to Lance Storm and Christian on July 21, 2002 (@ Vengeance 2002)
Books
Autobiography: Hollywood Hulk Hogan, 2003 ,with Michael Jan Friedman
Trivia
- Hollywood Hulk Hogan made a cameo appearance in Muppets From Space as Man in Black.
- Hulk Hogan appeared in a 1986 video called "Real American" performed by Rick Derringer. The video features him "playing" a guitar across all of America (actually, he was only standing in front of a blue screen while clips of American landmarks shot across the screen, and also features him in certain WWF wrestling scenes.
- Hogan is rumored to have taken down talented amateur wrestler Verne Gagne with a front facelock following a heated dispute that became physical.
Theme songs/entrance music
The entrance music Hogan is known for, from his WWF days, is Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger". This was the chart-topping song from "Rocky III". During the early years of Hulk Hogan's first WWF title reign, he used the song Ravishing performed by Welsh songstress Bonnie Tyler. It was later replaced as the WWF ventured into music with "The Wrestling Album" by a track called Real American performed by Rick Derringer.
However, Hogan cannot use the song Real American outside of WWE. Even though Jimmy Hart wrote the song for Hogan, Vince McMahon had the song copyrighted right before Hulk Hogan left for WCW, preventing him from using it. (The song was originally the theme music for Mike Rotundo and Barry Windham, the USA Express.) He used the song American Made which can be found on the Hulk Rules CD, then the nWo theme for his Hollywood Hogan character while in WCW, and Voodoo Child (Slight Return) by Jimi Hendrix for his Hollywood Hulk Hogan character while in the WWE after the WWE nWo was disbanded. He first used the Hendrix track occasionally during his nWo days in WCW. Towards the end of his last WWE run, he wore a mask and was known by the name Mr. America, once again making his entrance to Real American. Upon his return in 2005 for the WWE Hall of Fame induction and subsequent appearances he also used Real American.
External links
- WWE profile (http://www.wwe.com/superstars/halloffame/hulkhogan/profile/)
- Hulk Hogan.co.uk (http://www.hulkhogan.co.uk/)
- Template:Imdb name
Awards
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him # 1 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003. He was also ranked twice in the best tag teams of the "PWI Years". He was # 44 with Antonio Inoki and # 57 with Randy Savage.
- Hogan also won numerous PWI Awards over the years. He won Most Inspirational Wrestler in 1983 and 1999. He won Comeback of the Year in 1994 and 2002. He won Most Popular Wrestler of the Year in 1985, 1989 and 1990. He won Wrestler of the Year in 1987, 1991 and 1994. He won Most Hated Wrestler of the Year in 1996 and 1998 while he was with the nWo. He was involved in the Match of the Year in 1985 (with Mr. T vs. Paul Orndorff & Roddy Piper at Wrestlemania), 1988 (vs. André the Giant), 1990 (vs. Ultimate Warrior) and 2002 (vs. The Rock). He was involved in the Feud of the Year in 1986 (vs. Paul Orndorff).
Accomplishments
- Winner of 1990 Royal Rumble.
- Winner of 1991 Royal Rumble.
- Member of WWE Hall of Fame (inducted in 2005).
Championship lineage
| WWE Championship | ||
| Preceded by: The Iron Sheik | First reign | Followed by: André the Giant |
| Preceded by: Randy Savage | Second reign | Followed by: The Ultimate Warrior |
| Preceded by: Sgt. Slaughter | Third reign | Followed by: The Undertaker |
| Preceded by: The Undertaker | Fourth reign | Followed by: vacant |
| Preceded by: Yokozuna | Fifth reign | Followed by: Yokozuna |
| Preceded by: Triple H | Sixth reign | Followed by: The Undertaker |
Template:WWEchampions Template:WCWchampionsde:Hulk Hogan fr:Hulk Hogan ja:ハルク・ホーガン fi:Hulk Hogan sv:Hollywood Hogan