by 1 Hulk Hogan
There would be no professional wrestling today if Hulk Hogan didn’t exist in the early 1980’s. At the very least, it wouldn’t be on tv like it is now. If it wasn’t for Hogan, Vince McMahon would have never succeeded in ending the territorial system of pro wrestling. It was Hogan, not McMahon that was the biggest reason for the boom 1980’s Rock N Wrestling period.
Hulk Hogan is a household name and easily the most famous wrestler of all time. No one, and I mean no one is even close. Put 500 non wrestling fans in a room and 400 will be able to tell you who Hulk Hogan is. Sadly, you may get 10 of those people to explain to who The Undertaker is.
When it comes to mainstream popularity Hogan remains number one all time, with The Rock a solid number two. Hogan redefined what wrestling was and was the first to put it on the national map.
For all he did out of the ring, he did even more in it. Hogan won six WWF World Championships, five coming in his initial run from 84-93. He also won two Royal Rumbles and headlined the first 9 WrestleManias.
Upon arriving in WCW in the summer of 1994, he did it all over again. Winning five World Championships during his stay there both as the beloved Red and Yellow Hulk Hogan and the greatest heel of all time as Hollywood Hogan.
When people hear the words professional wrestling they think Hulk Hogan, before any other name.
