In the 1980s and 1990s, Hogan was popular as the all-American persona Hulk Hogan in the World Wrestling Federation (WWE) and as Hollywood Hogan, the evil head of the New World Order in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 2005, Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He is also a two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and one-time WWF International Tag Team Champion.
Hulk Hogan was born on July 26, 1945 in Tampa, Florida. His father was a professional wrestler named George "The Hulk" Hogan. When Hulk was just a young boy, his family moved to Venice, Florida where his father continued to work in the wrestling business while his mother worked as a waitress. It was here that Hulk first learned how to wrestle. At the age of 14, Hulk's family moved again, this time to Portsmouth, Virginia where his father worked as a booker for local television station WAVY-TV. It was here that he began to train with the local wrestlers.
At the age of 18, Hulk joined his father in North Carolina where they worked for the same company as managers. A few years later, the family moved back to Florida where Hulk's father opened his own school to teach others his wrestling style. During this time, Hulk started working as a pro wrestler himself. He soon became one of the top stars in the world of wrestling and was known for his aggressive style of play.
Hogan is "the best recognizable wrestling figure globally and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s," according to IGN. Hogan debuted in professional wrestling in 1977, but he rose to prominence after joining with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1983. He left the company in 1996, but returned in 2001.
Hogan's career has spanned over 30 years and includes two world championships. The first came in 1984 when he won the WWF Championship from Chief Jay Strongbow at WrestleMania VIII. His title reign lasted 434 days before being defeated by Mr. T at SummerSlam. In 2006, Hogan regained the championship at No Way Out, but he lost it back to Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series.
He also has one world tag team championship to his name. With Paul Hogan, they were declared the inaugural champions on January 11, 1986. They went on to defeat The Von Erichs for the titles at Memorial Stadium in Portland, Oregon.
Other than wrestling, Hulk Hogan has appeared in several films and television shows throughout his career. These include Black Hollywood Studios (1981), The Main Event (1988), South Street Bullies (1992), and Two and a Half Men (2009-2011).
In addition to his work in wrestling, Hulk Hogan has become a successful businessman after leaving the WWF in 1996.
He would go on to become a 12-time world champion, six times with the WWE and six more with the WCW (World Championship Wrestling). By 1985, Hogan's popularity among Americans had skyrocketed. That year, he was named the most popular athlete in America by readers of Gallup polls.
Hogan made his debut on January 4, 1977. At the time, he was working as a roadie for Bert Sugar and Johnny Valentine's wrestling team at the University of Florida. When they heard that Vince McMahon was looking for some new talent, they contacted him with an offer he could not refuse. Hogan started out as their jobber - or lowest ranked wrestler - but soon became one of their main stars thanks to his aggressive style of wrestling.
In 1981, he left the company to pursue a career in Hollywood. But only a few months later, he returned to the ring to defeat Ron Simmons at the 1983 War Bond Show in Hartford, Connecticut. This match is considered by many to be one of the best matches of all time.
Four years later, at the very same event, Hogan defeated Andre the Giant for his first championship. He went on to win further titles from 1984 to 1986. In 1987, he departed from the company to focus on his movie career.
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