Hulk Hogan debuted in the WWF in 1979, quickly gravitating towards a match against Andre The Giant. While the two wrestled for the first time before a half-empty arena in White Plains, New York, the rivalry really kicked off in an undercard match at Shea Stadium. Hogan filmed Rocky III against the wishes of Vince McMahon and left the WWF to work in the AWA and Japan before new chairman Vince McMahon Jr. convinced him to come back and become the centerpiece of the company. Up until that time he’d always played a villain, but a storyline was rushed together where Hogan saved Bob Backlund from being assaulted on an episode of Championship Wrestling. Just three weeks later Hogan was a ’last minute replacement for an injured Bob Backlund’ and defeated The Iron Shiek at Madison Square Garden to win the WWF championship. In the commentary for the match play-by-play man Gorilla Monsoon exclaimed “Hulkamania is here!” Hulk Hogan pushed the WWF into the pop culture mainstream through a barrage of media appearances and a partnership with MTV which saw wrestling music videos and video DJ guest slots and, in return, music stars like Cindy Lauper appearing ringside for high profile WWF matches.
Hogan teamed with real-life friend Mister T. in the main event of the first Wrestlemania against “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorf, marking the only time that the world title was not defended at a Wrestlemania. For several years he dominated the wrestling landscape, often defending America’s honor against foreign threats like Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Shiek, before resuming his earlier campaign against Andre The Giant. Andre, who had been the top good guy in the company for years before Hogan’s arrival, became jealous after Hogan won a giant trophy for holding the WWF title for two straight years and Andre was given a smaller trophy for remaining undefeated for 15 years. While Andre was not technically undefeated as the storyline suggested he had always remained undefeated in North America, and in the WWF. The two competed at Wrestlemania III in front of 93,173 fans, still the largest recorded attendance for an indoor sporting event in the United States, and Hogan famously slammed The Giant before hitting a running leg drop and covering him for the win.
While the Wrestlemania III match was widely referred to as the greatest in WWF history that claim would be challenged just three years later when Hogan went toe to toe with The Ultimate Warrior in the main event of Wrestlemania VI. It was incredibly rare at that time to have two wrestling heroes confront one another and The Warrior’s win after Hogan missed his famous leg drop and couldn’t get up marked an intended passing of the torch to a new star for a new era. Hogan had other memorable feuds against “The Macho Man” Randy Savage over the managerial services of Miss Elizabeth, corrupt cop The Big Bossman, the seemingly unstoppable Zeus, the massive Earthquake, Iraqi-sympathizer Sergeant Slaughter and new arrival The Undertaker and the giant Sid Justice. The WWF champion also competed in a kind of battle of the brands with thirteen time WCW champion Ric Flair, who still carried a defaced copy of the championship belt over his shoulder. He moved to WCW where he relived his feuds with Ric Flair, The Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage but he still returned to the WWE as a special attraction, most notably competing against The Rock at Wrestlemania XVIII in an Icon vs. Legend match.
Performer Terry Gene Bollea was born August 11, 1953, to Ruth, a homemaker, and Peter, a construction foreman. Bollea was a Little League Baseball pitcher, played in Tampa area rock bands and avidly followed his wrestling heroes Dusty Rhodes and Superstar Billy Graham in events at the Tampa Sportatorium. He met wrestler Mike Graham, the son of NWA president Eddie Graham, at the gym where they both worked out and soon he was training with Japanese star Hiro Matsuda. Bollea made his wrestling debut against B. Brian Blair in Fort Meyers, Florida, August 10, 1977. He teamed in the Alabama territory with another prospect, Ed Leslie, later known as Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake. Bollea got the nickname The Hulk after appearing on a talk show alongside Lou Ferigno (The Incredible Hulk.) The host pointed out that Bollea dwarfed The Incredible Hulk and the name stuck. Terry Funk introduced Bollea to WWF president Vince McMahon Sr. who changed his last name to Hogan, saying it was a good Irish name.
"It's like a fragile foreign car. People break a window, but I keep the car running with chiropractors and massages. My whole style changed from drinking a couple of beers and going out to going to the hotel room and getting in the Jacuzzi. It's not as easy as it used to be. I have to be more careful. I have to plan things out in more detail. Everything's a real calculated risk now.”