hulk hogan

Terry Gene Bollea (born August 11, 1953),[2] better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American actor, semi-retired professional wrestler, and former rock bassist. He currently stars on the VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best and is the new host of American Gladiators on NBC.

Bollea gained mainstream popularity in the 1980s as the all-American, working-class hero character Hulk Hogan in the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment), and was notable in the 1990s as "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, an arrogant, strutting, "sell-out" character, in World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

Bollea entered the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, and is officially a twelve-time world champion: a six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and a six-time WWE Champion. He was also the winner of the 1990 and 1991 Royal Rumble matches.

Ring name(s)

The Super Destroyer
Sterling Golden[1]
Terry Boulder[1]
Hulk Hogan
Hulk Machine
Hollywood Hulk Hogan
Hollywood Hogan[1]
Mr. America
Billed height 6 ft. 7 in. (201 cm)
Billed weight 285 lb. (130 kg)
Born August 11, 1953 (1953-08-11) (age 54)
Atlanta, Georgia
Resides Tampa, Florida
Billed from Venice Beach, California
Trained by Hiro Matsuda
Debut August 10, 1977
Website HulkHogan.com
Childhood

Hogan was born in Augusta, Georgia, the son of Ruth, a homemaker and dance teacher, and Peter Bollea, a construction foreman.[3] He was raised in Tampa, Florida. As a boy, he was a pitcher in Little League baseball. He began watching professional events at 16 years old. While in high school, he revered Dusty Rhodes, and he regularly attended cards at the Tampa Sportatorium. Hogan was also a skilled musician, spending ten years playing bass guitar in several Florida-based rock bands.[1] Many of the wrestlers who competed in the Florida territory at that time visited the bars where Hogan was performing. He then attended the University of South Florida, of which he later dropped out, though he spent most of his time at a local gym, where he met pro wrestler Mike Graham, who is the son of legendary wrestler and National Wrestling Alliance president Eddie Graham. Hogan's physical stature also caught the attention of Jack Brisco and his brother Gerald. Together, they convinced Hogan to try wrestling. Having been a wrestling fan since childhood, Hogan agreed, and in 1976, Mike Graham introduced Hogan to Hiro Matsuda, who was among the sport’s top trainers. According to Hogan, during their first training session, Matsuda sarcastically asked him, "So you want to be a wrestler?" and purposely broke Hogan's leg.[4]

Personal life

On December 18, 1983, Hogan married Linda Claridge. They have a daughter Brooke (born May 5, 1988) and a son Nick (born July 27, 1990). In recent years Hogan has made his personal life the centerpiece of the television show Hogan Knows Best, which includes his two children and his wife.

Hogan's 17 year old son Nick was indicted as an adult on four criminal charges on November 7, 2007. These charges stemmed from a August car accident, which injured John Graziano to the point where he will be in a nursing home the rest of his life. Police have a receipt that shows Hogan purchased beer at an Albertsons, including two cases of Miller Lite beer, two cases of Corona beer, one case of Miller Chill beer and five bags of ice.[5]

On November 20, 2007, Hogan's wife Linda filed for divorce in Pinellas County, Florida.[6] Hulk told St. Petersburg Times he wasn't even aware of the filing when the paper called for a comment. [7] The Graziano family's lawyer believes the divorce might be an attempt to divide the family's assets from a planned civil suit against Linda and Hulk, the guardians of Nick.[8]

In December 2007, it was announced that Hogan would be honored as the 2008 king of the Krewe of Bacchus, a New Orleans carnival organization.[9] As Bacchus XL, he joins the ranks of Charlton Heston, Jackie Gleason, and Bob Hope. Hogan will visit the Children's Hospital of New Orleans and ride in the February 3, 2008 parade where he will throw doubloons with his likeness. Hogan received the honor in part because meeting Hogan is one most requested "wishes" of the terminally ill children benefited by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.[10]

Wrestling career

Within a year, Matsuda had prepared him for his professional debut, in which Eddie Graham booked him against Brian Blair in Fort Myers, Florida on August 10, 1977.[11] A short time later, Bollea donned a mask and assumed the persona of "The Super Destroyer," a hooded character first played by Don Jardine and subsequently used by several other wrestlers.

A few months later, he joined Louie Tillet’s Alabama territory, where he tag teamed with Ed Leslie (later known as Brutus Beefcake) as Terry and Ed Boulder. During this time, he appeared on a talk show, where he sat beside Lou Ferrigno, star of the television series The Incredible Hulk. The host commented how Terry, who stood 6 ft 5 in and weighed 295 pounds with 24" biceps, actually dwarfed "the Hulk." As a result, Bollea began performing as Terry "the Hulk" Boulder and sometimes wrestled as "Sterling Golden."[1]

In May 1979, Bollea had an early shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, whose holder was at the time generally recognized as the industry's best. In June 1979, Bollea won his first wrestling championships, the NWA Southeast Heavyweight Championship recognized in Alabama and Tennessee, respectively, when he defeated Ox Baker. Later that year, legendary wrestler and former NWA World Champion Terry Funk introduced Bollea to World Wrestling Federation chief Vince McMahon Sr., who was impressed with his charisma and physical stature; on the Fifteen Greatest Superstars of the 80's DVD, Vince McMahon revealed that his father gave Bollea the last name Hogan, as he was obsessed with using Irish names.

At this time, Hogan wrestled Bob Backlund for the WWF Heavyweight Championship and started his first big feud with Andre the Giant which culminated in a match with Andre at Shea Stadium underneath the famous Bruno Sammartino-Larry Zbyszko Steel Cage match. Hulk Hogan claims in his autobiography that he and André the Giant were the reason for the Shea gate. However, Sammartino/Zbyszko sold out everywhere they wrestled leading up the show. Hogan and Andre wrestled in White Plains, New York, drawing 1,200 in a building that held 3,500 as the main event before they wrestled at Shea.

American Wrestling Association

After filming his scene for Rocky III, against McMahon's wishes, Hogan made his debut in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), owned by Verne Gagne. Hogan started his AWA run as a heel, taking on "Luscious" Johnny Valiant as his manager, but AWA audiences loved the muscular and more charismatic Hogan, and soon the AWA's bookers were compelled to turn Hogan face.

Using "Eye of the Tiger" as his theme music, Hogan soon became the promotion’s top babyface, and throughout 1983, he engaged in a big feud against AWA World Champion Nick Bockwinkel and his manager Bobby Heenan. However, Gagne continued to tease the AWA audience by booking numerous screwjobs meant to keep the championship with Bockwinkel, who was a veteran of the territory and had assumed the mantle of the organization's centerpiece following Gagne's retirement from active competition. Because Hogan was not an "old school" technical wrestler, Gagne would not let him be champion. On several occasions, Hogan defeated Bockwinkel to win the title, only to have the decision later reversed, which increasingly drew the ire of the fans, so much so that on one occasion, according to Hogan's autobiography and other books, one crowd nearly rioted until Hogan himself calmed the audience down. Hogan himself also began to grow frustrated with Verne Gagne's unwillingness to give Hogan a larger share of his merchandise sales. Eventually, Gagne was finally ready to book Hogan to win the AWA title, however according to Hogan, Gagne wanted a piece of the large money Hogan was making from his frequent trips to Japan and Gagne wanted more control over the bookings that Hogan took out there and Hogan refused flatly, saying he didn't need the AWA title at that point. Just then, he was lured back to the Northeast by Vince McMahon Jr., who had just recently purchased the WWF from his ailing father.

Over twenty years later, just prior to Hulk Hogan's WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2005, the revived AWA, under the authority of owner Dale Gagne (real last name, Gagner), relented and acknowledged the legitimacy of Hogan's two title wins over Nick Bockwinkel, making him a two-time AWA champion.[12] However, this resolution has been regarded as apocryphal to most as the resurrected AWA is generally regarded as an entirely different body than the Verne Gagne-owned AWA of old. As recently as the release of the DVD The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA, interviews between Hogan and the Gagnes show that there is still animosity between both parties, indicating the unlikelihood Hogan's AWA title reign would have been retroactively instated under the original ownership.

New Japan Pro Wrestling (1980-1983)

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 13, 1980, while he was still with the WWF. He toured 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 technical, traditional wrestling holds and maneuvers as opposed to the power-based, brawling style U.S. fans became accustomed to seeing from him. He also periodically left his feet while performing moves, like armbar takedowns and the enzuigiri.[citation needed] Another difference is that Hogan used a running forearm lariat (called the "Axe Bomber") as his finisher in Japan, as opposed to the running leg drop that has been his traditional finisher in America.

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. 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 1980s.

World Wrestling Federation (1983-1993)

Birth of Hulkamania (1983-1985)

After purchasing the World Wrestling Federation from his father in 1982, the junior McMahon had designs of expanding the territory into a nationwide promotion, and he handpicked Hulk Hogan to be the company’s showpiece attraction due to his charisma and name recognition. Hogan made his return to the WWF at a television taping in St. Louis, Missouri on December 27, 1983 defeating Bill Dixon.

On January 3, 1984, Hogan appeared at a television taping, saving Bob Backlund from a three way assault. Hogan's turn was explained simply by Backlund: "He's changed his ways. He's a great man. He's told me he's not gonna have Blassie around". The storyline shortcut was necessary because less than three weeks later on January 23, Hogan won the WWF Championship, pinning The Iron Sheik in Madison Square Garden.[1] The storyline accompanying the victory was that Hogan was a "last minute" replacement for the Sheik's original opponent, and became the champion by way of being the first man to escape the camel clutch (the Iron Sheik's signature move). He became the first ever Southern-born WWF Champion in history. Immediately after winning the title, commentator Gorilla Monsoon officially proclaimed "Hulkamania is here!" Hogan frequently referred to his fans as "Hulkamaniacs" in his interviews and introduced his three "demandments": training, saying your prayers, and eating your vitamins. Eventually, a fourth demandment (believing in yourself) was added following his feud with Earthquake in the 1990s.

Over the next year, Hulk Hogan became the face of pro wrestling as McMahon pushed the WWF into a pop-culture enterprise with the The Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection on MTV, drawing record houses, pay-per-view buyrates and television ratings in the process. The centerpiece attraction for the first WrestleMania on March 31, 1985, Hogan teamed with real-life friend Mr. T to defeat his arch-rival "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.[1]

In the process, Hogan was portrayed as a real-life superhero while reaching out to young fans. The consummate role model, he was named the most requested celebrity of the 1980s for the Make-a-Wish Foundation children's charity. As a result, Hogan single-handedly transformed the business from a fringe pastime for blue-collar violence-seekers into a sports entertainment spectacle that appealed to prime-time audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Never before had the industry seen anything like Hulkamania, as Hulk Hogan action figures and T-shirts began turning up in malls across the nation. Moreover, Hogan was featured on the covers of Sports Illustrated, TV Guide, and People magazines, while also appearing on The Tonight Show and having his own CBS Saturday morning cartoon titled Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling. Hogan went on to headline eight of the first nine WrestleMania events, and he also co-hosted Saturday Night Live on March 30, 1985 during this lucrative run. Hogan also owned another money making machine in the early 1990s when AT&T cited that his 900 number information line was the single biggest 900 number in the industry from 1991 to 1993. Hogan operated the 900 number through his stint in WWF and then recreated it when he joined WCW.[13]

Four-year reign as champion (1986-1989)

See also: WrestleMania III and The Mega Powers

In the fall of 1986, Hogan occasionally wrestled in tag matches with The Machines as Hulk Machine under a mask copied from New Japan Pro Wrestling character "Super Strong Machine."[14]

At WrestleMania III in 1987, Hogan was booked to defend the title against André the Giant, who had been the sport’s premier star and was pushed as undefeated for the previous two decades. A new storyline was introduced in early 1987: Hogan was presented a trophy for being the WWF Champion for three consecutive years.[15] André the Giant, a good friend came out to congratulate him.[16] Shortly afterwards, André was presented a slightly smaller trophy for being "undefeated in the WWF for 15 years."[15] Hogan came out to congratulate André, who walked out in the midst of Hogan's speech. Then, on an edition of Piper's Pit, Hogan was confronted by Bobby Heenan, who announced that André was his new protégé, and Andre challenged Hogan to a title match at WrestleMania III.[16][17][18][19] At WrestleMania III, Hogan successfully defended the WWF World Heavyweight Championship against André the Giant. During the match, Hogan bodyslammed the 520-pound Frenchman and won the match after executing a scoop slam and a leg drop.[17][20][21]

Hogan remained WWF Champion for four years and 13 days. In front of 33 million viewers, however, Hogan finally lost the belt 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 André delivered a belly-to-belly suplex on Hogan, Hebner three-counted Hogan while his left shoulder was clearly off the mat. 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 first time in its 25-year history, which led to Hogan's on/off friend "The Macho Man" Randy Savage taking the vacant title in a tournament at WrestleMania IV a month later.

Together, Hogan, Savage, and manager Miss Elizabeth formed a partnership known as The Mega Powers. Savage played an instrumental role in Hogan's character development. However, the Mega Powers soon imploded from within in 1989, 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 in Hogan beating Savage for his second WWF 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," Tom Lister, Jr., who appeared at wrestling events as his movie character, Zeus. Zeus was a monster heel who was "jealous" over Hogan's higher billing and wanted revenge. Hogan, however, 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.

Four more reigns (1990-1993)

Also during his second run, Hogan won the 1990 Royal Rumble match. 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 suffered an uncontroversial pinfall defeat.[22] This title match was unique because the two wrestlers were both faces, and Hogan graciously handed Warrior the belt and hugged him at the conclusion of the match.

Hogan soon became embroiled in a heated feud with the 468-pound Earthquake, who gained infamy by crushing Hogan's ribs in a sneak attack on "The Brother Love Show" in May 1990. On television, announcers explained that Hogan's injuries and his WrestleMania VI loss to The Ultimate Warrior 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 for several months, dominated Earthquake in a series of matches across the country. His defeat of this overwhelmingly large foe caused Hogan to add a fourth demandment: believing in yourself. His name also changed: The Immortal Hulk Hogan. (In his AWA/WWWF days his name was The Incredible Hulk Hogan).

On March 24, 1991, Hogan stood up for the USA against Iraqi-sympathizer Sgt. Slaughter, defeating him for his third WWF Championship at WrestleMania VII. Hogan lost the title to The Undertaker at the Survivor Series 1991 on November 27 due to interference from Ric Flair. Just six days later, Hogan regained the title in a match held on a special pay-per-view named This 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 would "bow out" after his match against Sid at WrestleMania VIII on April 5. Hogan eventually won the match via disqualification due to interference by Sid's manager Harvey Wippleman. Hogan was then attacked by Papa Shango (who was scripted to cause the disqualification, but arrived too late), and was saved by the returning Ultimate Warrior.[23]

Hogan returned to the WWF in January 1993, helping out his 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 only moments after Yokozuna's defeat of Bret Hart. At the first annual King of the Ring pay-per-view on June 13, 1993, Hogan defended the championship against the former champion, Yokozuna, in his first title defense since defeating Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX. During the course of the match, Yokozuna kicked out of Hogan's signature leg drop. The hard-fought bout came to its close when a "Japanese photographer" (actually a disguised Harvey Wippleman) got on the apron and distracted Hogan, before shooting some sort of fireball out of the camera and into Hogan's face. This was followed by Yokozuna hitting a leg drop on Hogan for the pin. After his victory, Yokozuna proceeded to give Hogan a Banzai Drop amidst the crying children and cursing adults. As Yokozuna celebrated, Hogan was helped back to the locker room by ringside officials as he clutched his face. Hulkamania had seemingly taken its final breath. This would be Hogan's last WWF appearance, as both he and Jimmy Hart departed the company.

In 1994, a steroids scandal threatened the WWF, and Hogan testified in court that he had used steroids over a period of 12 years "to get big" and had also introduced WWF Chairman Vince McMahon to steroids during the filming of No Holds Barred. Both men also had Pennsylvania doctor George Zahorian send steroids to WWF's corporate office via FedEx. However, Hogan never accused McMahon of distributing steroids himself, but Hogan also testified that steroid use was rampant in the WWF. His testimony may have kept McMahon out of prison, but it hurt both Hogan and the WWF's public image.

World Championship Wrestling (1994-2000)

Beginning and the nWo (1994-1996)

Main article: New World Order (nWo)

After Hogan left the WWF in June 1993, he decided to take time off for about a year from professional wrestling to concentrate on movies, television, and his family. In June 1994, Hogan signed with Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and began appearing on television the next month.

Hogan won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in his debut match, overcoming Ric Flair in a '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 clamoring 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.[citation needed] This led to one of the most talked about moments in wrestling history in the summer of 1996.

During a handicap tag team match at Bash at the Beach, Hulk Hogan interfered on behalf of The Outsiders, attacking babyface Randy Savage. This action caused Hogan to turn heel for the first time in over ten years. After the match, Hogan delivered a now-infamous promo, accosting the fans and WCW for underappreciating his talent and drawing power. This culminated with Hogan's announcement of the formation of a "New World Order."

This would come to fruition, as the stable, known officially as the New World Order (nWo), would gain prominence in the coming weeks and months.[1] Hogan grew a beard alongside his famous mustache and dyed it black, traded his red and yellow garb in for black clothing, renamed himself Hollywood Hogan, and returned to WCW programming eight days after his heel turn. 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.

Feuds with Sting and Savage (1997-1998)

Hogan held the WCW World Heavyweight Championship for most of 1997. He spray painted a black "nWo" across the title belt, scribbled across the nameplate, and referred to the title as the "nWo title" during this and any other time he held the title while in the nWo. Hogan then lost the belt to Sting in a hugely-hyped, eighteen-months-in-the-making match at Starrcade in December 1997. In the match, WCW's newly-contracted Bret Hart accused referee Nick Patrick of fast-counting a victory for Hogan and had the match restarted - with himself as referee. Sting won submission. After a rematch the following night, where Hogan regained the title, the title became vacant. Sting won the vacant title against Hogan at SuperBrawl in February 1998.

Hogan then developed a rivalry with former friend (and recent nWo recruit) Randy Savage. The heat culminated into a steel cage match at Uncensored 1998, which ended in a no contest. Savage took the World Championship from Sting at Spring Stampede in April, while Hogan teamed with Kevin Nash to take on Roddy Piper and The Giant in the first-ever Bat match. Marking the breakup of the original nWo, Hogan betrayed Nash by hitting him with the bat and then challenged Savage the following night for his championship. In the no disqualification match, Nash entered the ring and powerbombed Hogan as retribution for the attack the previous night, and Bret Hart turned heel by jumping in to attack Savage and preserve the victory for Hogan, who regained the WCW Championship. Hogan defended the title until July of that year, when WCW booked him in a match against newcomer Bill Goldberg, who had yet to lose a match in the company. After a final bit of interference by Curt Hennig was thwarted by Karl Malone at ringside, Goldberg was able to perform a spear and a jackhammer on a distracted Hogan, pinning him to gain his first and only WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

Hogan spent the rest of 1998 wrestling celebrity matches. His second tag team match with Dennis Rodman pitted them against Diamond Dallas Page and Karl Malone at Bash at the Beach and at Road Wild. He and Bischoff lost to Page and Jay Leno thanks to interference from Kevin Eubanks, who leveled Bischoff with a Diamond Cutter. Hogan also had a highly hyped rematch with Warrior at Halloween Havoc, where his nephew Horace aided his victory. On the Thanksgiving episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Hogan officially announced his retirement from professional wrestling, as well as his candidacy for President of the United States.[24] Campaign footage aired on Nitro of Hogan and Bischoff holding a press conference, making it appear legit. In the long run, however, both announcements were false and merely done as a publicity stunt attempting to draw some of the hype of Jesse Ventura's Minnesota gubernatorial win back to him.[24]

After some time off from WCW, a still "retired" Hogan returned to Nitro to challenge Kevin Nash for the WCW title. He controversially regained the WCW title in what was later dubbed the Fingerpoke of Doom. This reformed the divided nWo branches -- nWo Hollywood and nWo Wolfpac -- which began feuding with Bill Goldberg and The Four Horsemen.

Conflicts with Russo (1999-2000)

He was soon cheated out of the WCW Championship to Ric Flair at Uncensored 1999 in a Steel Cage First Blood match. A heavily bleeding Flair won via pinfall thanks to biased referee Charles Robinson. During that match, however, Hogan began to show some signs that a face turn was imminent, showing off some old tactics like his "Hulking up" no-sell. On July 12, Hogan made his grand return as a full-fledged face and accepted a challenge from Savage, who had gained the world title at Bash at the Beach the night before. Thanks to interference from Nash, who had lost the title to Savage, Hogan became champion again.

On August 9, 1999, he started the night dressed in the typical black and white, but after a backstage scene with his son, Hogan came out dressed in the traditional red and yellow for his main-event 6-man tag team match. Injuries and frustrations were mounting up however, and he was absent from television from October 1999 to February 2000. In his book Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Bollea said that he was asked to take time off by newly hired head of creative booker Vince Russo and was not told when he would be brought back at the time. Despite some reservations, he agreed to do so. On October 24 at Halloween Havoc, Hogan was to face Sting for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship (which he had lost to Sting at Fall Brawl the previous month, when Sting beat Hogan by cheating and had turned heel in the process). However, Hogan came to the ring in street clothes, laid down for the pin, and left the ring.

Soon after his return in February 2000, at Bash at the Beach, Hogan was involved in a controversial, real-life incident with Russo. Hogan was scheduled to wrestle Jeff Jarrett for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.[25] Before the match, there was a dispute between Hogan and Russo. 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 with a foot on Jarrett's chest after getting on the microphone and telling Russo, "Is this your idea, Russo...? That's why this company is in the damn shape it's in, because of bullshit like this!" Russo responded by coming out and saying that "From day one, that I've been in WCW, I've done nothing... nothing... but deal with the bullshit of the politics behind that curtain." Since Hogan refused to job to Jarrett, a new WCW World Heavyweight Championship was created, setting the stage for a title match between Booker T and Jeff Jarrett later that night.

Whether or not the whole incident was a shoot or a work is still a hot debate. As a result, Hogan filed a defamation of character lawsuit against Russo soon after,[26] which was eventually dismissed in 2002. Russo claims the whole thing was a work, and Hogan claims that Russo made it a shoot.[27] Hogan's assumption was that since WCW could no longer afford to pay Hogan for any more pay-per-view appearances, Hogan was never called back and kept off WCW television.[citation needed] Eric Bischoff contends that Hogan winning and leaving with the title was a work, claiming that he and Hogan celebrated after the event over the success of the angle, but that Russo coming out to fire Hogan was an unplanned shoot which led to the lawsuit filed by Hogan.[26]

X Wrestling Federation (2000-2001)

From July 2000 to November 2001, Hogan was 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.

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 X Wrestling Federation promotion run by his longtime handler Jimmy Hart. Hogan defeated Curt Hennig in this match and felt healthy enough to accept an offer to return to the WWF in February 2002.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (2002-2003)

Undisputed Champion (2002)
"Hollwood" Hulk Hogan making his entrance at WrestleMania X-8 in 2002.
"Hollwood" Hulk Hogan making his entrance at WrestleMania X-8 in 2002.

At No Way Out 2002 on February 17, Hogan returned to the company that had made him a pop culture icon. Returning as leader of the original nWo with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, the three got into a confrontation with The Rock and cost Stone Cold Steve Austin a chance at becoming the WWF Champion against Chris Jericho in the main event. The nWo feuded with both Austin and The Rock, and Hogan accepted The Rock's challenge to a match at WrestleMania X8. At the event, Hogan asked Hall and Nash not to interfere, wanting to defeat The Rock by himself. The crowd favored Hogan throughout the match, effectively turning him face. 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, siding with The Rock, though he continued wearing black and white tights for a few weeks after WrestleMania X8 until he resumed wearing his signature red and yellow tights. He was still known as "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, notably keeping the Hollywood Hogan style blond mustache with black beard while wearing Hulkamania-like red and yellow tights. He had a month-long reign as WWE Undisputed Championship in the spring of 2002 after defeating Triple H at Backlash. He lost the belt to The Undertaker at Judgment Day 2002.

On the July 4, 2002 edition of SmackDown!, Hogan teamed with Edge to defeat Billy and Chuck and capture the WWE Tag Team Championship for the first time. This marked the only time Hogan ever won a title that was not the major heavyweight singles championship of the promotion he was in. They celebrated by waving the American flag as the overjoyed audience sang along to Hogan's theme song "Real American." They later dropped the titles to The Un-Americans, at Vengeance 2002.

After an angle with Brock Lesnar, which saw Lesnar hand Hogan a defeat in August 2002, Hogan went on hiatus. He returned in early 2003 to battle The Rock once again at No Way Out and defeated Vince McMahon at WrestleMania XIX in a match billed as "20 years in the making." He then had another run as Hulk Hogan, shaving off the black Hollywood beard and dropping "Hollywood" from his name.

Mr. America (2003)

Later, he had a run as the mask-wearing spoof superhero Mr. America. The persona was supposed to be Hulk Hogan in disguise, wearing a mask. He used Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme music and used all of Hogan's signature gestures, moves, and phrases. He was the subject of a storyline that took place after Hollywood Hulk Hogan was forced by Vince McMahon to sit out the rest of his contract. After Hogan won at WrestleMania XIX, McMahon was kayfabe frustrated with him and wanted Hulkamania to die. A WWE pre-debut push took place with mysterious Mr. America promos airing for weeks during SmackDown!. There was also on-screen discussion on SmackDown! between then General Manager Stephanie McMahon and other players concerning her hiring Mr. America "sight unseen." On May 1, Mr. America debuted on SmackDown! on Piper's Pit segment. McMahon appeared and claimed that Mr. America was Hulk Hogan in disguise, and Mr. America shot back by saying, "I am not Hulk Hogan, brother!" (lampooning Hogan's use of "brother" in his promos). The feud continued through the month of May, with a singles match between Mr. America and Hogan's old rival Roddy Piper at Judgment Day. McMahon tried desperately to prove that Mr. America was indeed Hulk Hogan but failed at all attempts. Mr. America even passed a lie detector test.

Mr. America's last WWE appearance was on the June 26 edition of SmackDown!. The Big Show, Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas defeated the team of Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle and Mr. America in a six-man tag team match when Show pinned Mr. America. After event went off the air, Mr. America unmasked to show the fans that he was indeed Hulk Hogan, putting his finger to his lips telling the fans to keep quiet about his secret. The next week, Hogan quit WWE due to frustration with the creative team.[28] On the July 3 edition of SmackDown!, Vince McMahon showed the footage of Mr. America unmasking as Hogan and "fired" him, although Hogan had already quit in real life.[28] The entire event of Hogan/Mr. America being fired was an extremely small segment lasting less than a minute in a show running two hours. It was later revealed by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, that Hogan was initially placed into the mask to deemphasize his popularity, to allow more fan reaction for the Brock Lesnar-Kurt Angle feud, which was receiving lukewarm fan reaction at best.[citation needed]

For several months afterwards, WWE hyped up The Big Show as the man who retired Hogan, in order to give The Big Show more credibility. In a twist of irony, The Big Show had been first discovered by Hogan himself, and in 1995 was pushed as a major threat to Hogan's WCW Championship reign.

The Mr. America gimmick came under fire briefly from Marvel Comics, who anointed it a rip-off of Captain America, citing costume similarity; the single star on the mask was also a trademark on Captain America's chest piece. This was also adding fuel to the fire over the rights to use the Hulk Hogan name because of Marvel's ownership of the Incredible Hulk character. Because of these problems, WWE was forced to edit out all references to the "Hulk Hogan" name, including pictures which featured Hogan wearing memorabilia that said "Hulk" (a majority of them) and started to refer to Hogan under the "Hollywood Hogan" name he used in WCW.

It was later revealed that Hogan was unhappy with the payoffs for his matches after his comeback under the Mr. America gimmick.[28] Vince decided to terminate Hogan's contract, and Hogan left WWE in 2003.[28]

New Japan, TNA, and WWE Hall of Fame (2003-2005)

A few months afterwards, Hulk Hogan worked a match for New Japan Pro Wrestling, beating Masahiro Chono at the Ultimate Crush II event, an event that featured both pro-wrestling and mixed martial arts matches.

According to various reports, Hulk Hogan was approached by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2003 regarding appearing at a planned event titled Bound for Glory, a three hour pay per view event in October meant to be the annual alternative. Hogan willingly took a guitar shot from Jarrett during a press conference in Japan to hype the storyline, but withdrew from negotiations citing knee problems that would require surgery and prevent him from participating. "I was getting ready to go to TNA, was hoping of working with Jarrett and those guys, and giving McMahon a run for his money one more time," said Hulk Hogan on the Main Event radio show in December 2006. The footage of Jarrett breaking a guitar over Hogan's head was thereafter frequently used by TNA.

In 2005, weeks before WrestleMania 21, it was announced on all WWE programming that Hogan would be inducted on that year's Hall of Fame. This signaled Hogan's return to WWE. On April 2, 2005, Hogan was inducted by actor and friend Sylvester Stallone.[29] Hogan was applauded for several minutes before he was able to make a speech. When he paused during his speech the crowd chanted "One More Match! One More Match!", the fans also chanted "Austin, Hogan"(referring to a Steve Austin vs. Hulk Hogan match). Hogan responded "that may be a good match someday".

At WrestleMania 21 on April 3, the "American Patriot" Hogan came out to rescue Eugene, who was being attacked by Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari. Some of the build-up to Hogan's induction into the Hall of Fame and preparation for this angle were shown on the first season of Hogan Knows Best.

World Wrestling Entertainment part-time wrestling (2005-2007)
Hulk Hogan making his entrance in Summerslam 2005
Hulk Hogan making his entrance in Summerslam 2005

The next night on RAW, Hassan and Daivari came out to confront and assault fan favorite Shawn Michaels. The following week, Michaels approached RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff demanding a handicap match with Hassan and Daivari. Bischoff refused but told Michaels if he found a partner he would be granted a tag-team match. Michaels then made a plea for Hulk Hogan to come back and team with him. On the April 18 episode of RAW, Hassan again led an attack on Michaels until Hogan appeared, and save Michaels and accept his offer. At WWE Backlash, Hassan and Daivari lost to Hogan and Michaels.[30]

Hogan then appeared on the July 4 edition of RAW as the special guest of Carlito on his talk-show segment "Carlito's Cabana." After being asked 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 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, Michaels and Hogan defeated Carlito and Kurt Angle in a tag match. During the post match celebration, Michaels delivered a Sweet Chin Music to Hogan and walked off.[31] The following week on RAW, Michaels appeared on "Piper's Pit" and challenged Hogan to face him one-on-one for the first time.[32] Hogan appeared on RAW one week later and accepted the challenge.[33]

The match took place on Sunday, August 21 at SummerSlam 2005. Initially, this match was discussed as being the first of two between Hogan and Michaels, with each man notching a victory. It was reported, however, that Hogan invoked his creative control, nixing anything less than a clean win for himself.[citation needed] The proposed second bout did not take place, as Hogan would likely repeat his "clean win" credo. The match between Hogan and Michaels at SummerSlam 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.[34]

Prior to WrestleMania 22, Hogan inducted friend and former announcer "Mean" Gene Okerlund into the WWE Hall of Fame. Hogan returned on the July 15, 2006 edition of WWE Saturday Night's Main Event with his daughter Brooke. During the show, Randy Orton flirted with Hogan's daughter and later challenged Hulk to a match at SummerSlam 2006, which Hogan won.[35]

After months of saying he would never work for Vince McMahon again, Hogan came back for a one night appearance at RAW's 15th Anniversary special by defending Hornswoggle against The Great Khali. During his in-ring speech, Hogan said to never say never about another match and went onto mock the catchphrase of longtime rival Randy Savage.

Independent circuit (2007)

After falling out with McMahon and WWE,[36] Hogan was lured to Memphis Wrestling with the proposal of wrestling Jerry "The King" Lawler.[37] The match had been promoted on Memphis Wrestling Prime Time for several months. However, on April 12, 2007, Lawler announced in a news conference that WWE had barred him from wrestling Hogan on the basis that NBC performers (including Lawler, on the basis of co-hosting the NBC-owned USA Network's WWE Raw and his appearances on the biannual WWE Saturday Night's Main Event) are contractually prohibited from appearing on VH1, the channel on which Hogan Knows Best airs.[37] The situation resulted in a lawsuit being filed against WWE by event promoter Corey Maclin.[38] Lawler was replaced with Paul Wight, formerly known as Big Show.[37]

Hulk Hogan defeated Paul "The Great" Wight at PMG Clash of Legends on April 27, 2007 when he picked up and body slammed Wight and pinned him following the leg drop.

During an interview with The Sun newspaper, Hogan claimed to be planning his own federation to compete against Vince McMahon.[39] Hogan says he has raised $40 million of the $80-$100 million goal and his venture is something that will eventually revolutionize the sport of professional wrestling.[39]

Television and movie roles
The handprints of Hulk Hogan in front of The Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.
The handprints of Hulk Hogan in front of The Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.

Hulk Hogan's crossover popularity led to several television and movie roles. Along with Rocky III (1982) and No Holds Barred (1989), he starred in Suburban Commando (1991), Mr. Nanny (1993), Santa with Muscles (1996), and 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998).[40] He made two appearances on The A-Team (in 1985 and 1986), and starred in his own television series, Thunder in Paradise, in 1994. He also appeared in Walker, Texas Ranger. Along with Roddy Piper, Hogan lent his voice for a few episodes of the stop motion animation skit show, Robot Chicken. He is the star of The Ultimate Weapon (1997), in which Brutus Beefcake also appears in a cameo.[41]

Hogan made cameo appearances in Muppets from Space and in Gremlins 2: The New Batch (Theatrical version) as himself. Hogan also appears in Spy Hard, gets tagged in when Leslie Nielsen's character is getting beaten up, and then rips his shirt off, throws a few punches, gets beaten up and has to tag in to Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Hogan guest starred in a two part episode of Suddenly Susan in 1999. In 2001, Hogan guest stared on an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger, playing a reformed criminal now operating a Christian Community Center and helping Walker steer teenagers away from gangs. Hogan was offered the role of Zeus in Little Hercules in 3D on an episode of Hogan Knows Best and was shown during the filming of the movie. He also played a cameo in the end of the movie, Little Monsters.

Hogan hosts the comeback series of American Gladiators, which has been picked up for a midseason run on NBC in 2008.[42]

Music and music video cameos

Hogan released a music CD, Hulk Rules, as Hulk Hogan and The Wrestling Boot Band. Also, Green Jellÿ released a single, a duet with Hogan, performing Gary Glitter's classic song I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am).

He has also made cameos in several music videos. The music video for Dolly Parton's wrestling-themed love song Headlock on my Heart features Hogan as "Starlight Starbright". In the music video "Pressure" by Belly ft. Ginuwine, Hogan and his daughter Brooke both made brief cameo appearances.

Endorsements and business ventures

Hulk Hogan's Pastamania was a restaurant in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. It was created and financed by Hogan. It opened on the Labor Day weekend of 1995 and was later heavily hyped on World Championship Wrestling's live flagship show WCW Monday Nitro, which actually premiered that September from the mall. The restaurant, which remained in operation for less than a year, featured such dishes as "Hulk-U's" and "Hulk-A-Roos."

In an interview on both the Tonight Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Hogan claimed that the George Foreman Grill was originally offered to him, but he failed to respond in time. George Foreman was called and he chose to endorse the grill instead of a blender. This claim was validated on an episode of Hogan Knows Best, in which his wife Linda and the family are worried about Hogan's wrestling career and plead with him to take up a career in marketing.[43] Hulk explains about turning down the Foreman grill, and his choice to invest in a shake-mixer instead, saying that whenever he thinks about investing in something "big", he thinks about what happened with the grill and the shake-mixer. However, he has since endorsed a similar product known as "The Hulk Hogan Ultimate Grill". He also has an energy drink, Hogan Energy, distributed by Socko Energy. It was featured in an episode of Hogan Knows Best.

There is also a Mighty Bean based on him, named "Tuff Bean".[citation needed]

Hogan recently transferred all trademarks referring to himself to his liability company named "Hogan Holdings Limited". The trademarks include Hulk Hogan, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Hulkster, Hogan Knows Grillin, Hulkamania.com, Hulkapedia.com, and Paul "The Giant" Wight which is used in boxing contests.[44]

Wrestling facts
Hogan hitting The Atomic Leg Drop on Mr. McMahon at WrestleMania XIX
Hogan hitting The Atomic Leg Drop on Mr. McMahon at WrestleMania XIX

* Finishing and signature moves
o Atomic Leg Drop (Running leg drop)
o Axe Bomber (Crooked arm lariat)
o Big boot
o Three left and right-handed punches followed by a big right wind-up punch
o Back rake
o Bear hug
o Clothesline
* Signature taunts
o Hulk Up Combination (He starts by taking punches while in a kneeling position and shaking violently as he raises to his feet. He then punches his opponent until his opponent reaches the ropes. He then throws his opponent towards opposite ropes then hits his opponent with The Big Boot and finally landing The Atomic Legdrop)
o Wrist twist to cupping the ear
o Rapidly pointing at his opponent
o Finger wag
o Flexing arms
* Nicknames
o The Hulkster
o The Hulk
o The Immortal
o The Immortal Icon of Professional Wrestling
o The Incredible
o Hollywood
o The Babe Ruth of Pro Wrestling[citation needed]
* Managers
o "Classy" Freddie Blassie[1]
o "Luscious" Johnny Valiant
o "The Mouth Of The South" Jimmy Hart
o Miss Elizabeth
o "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
o Eric Bischoff
* Theme songs and entrance music
o Hogan's earliest entrance music was Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger", the chart-topping song from Rocky III. It was replaced by the theme song to Hogan's animated series Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling (which was an edited version of Bonnie Tyler's song "Ravishing" from her Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire album)
o It was later replaced by his best-known entrance theme, "Real American" performed by Rick Derringer. It was originally written and used as an entrance theme for the tag team of the US Express prior to Hogan's use. The accompanying music video for "Real American" featured clips from Hulk Hogan's various WWF matches, Hogan riding his motorcycle, defeating his Soviet enemy Nikolai Volkoff, destroying an image of then-hated Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi and stock footage of various forms of crashing (i.e. buildings and airplanes) intersecting between footage of Hogan playing guitar in front of various American landscapes and the American flag. It was critiqued on an episode of Beavis and Butt-head.
o However, as the WWF owned "Real American", Hogan could not use it when he made the jump to World Championship Wrestling, instead he used the song "American Made", from the Hulk Rules album until he joined the nWo and began using their theme, and later the Wolfpac theme. Hogan returned to using "American Made" when he left the nWo in 2000, until his WCW departure. During his time in the nWo, he also used "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and then used it again for his "Hollywood Hulk Hogan"; run in WWE.
o Towards the end of his 2003 WWE run, when he wore a mask and was known by the name Mr. America, he once again made his entrance to "Real American". Upon his return in 2005 for the WWE Hall of Fame induction, WrestleMania 21 and subsequent appearances he also uses "Real American".