History Wrestling / HulkHogan

** He made his WWE debut in 1979 as a heel managed by [[Wrestling/FreddieBlassie "Classy" Freddie Blassie]] rocking blue tights, red kneepads, boots, a gaudy, colorful robe instead of a tear away t-shirt, and a full hea and chest of hair. Hogan occasionally wore various other colors in his early run as WWF world champion after he returned to the company, such as the short-lived ''[[https://www.ringsidecollectibles.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/rex_100_instagram.jpg "American Made"]]'' all-blue/white trunks, boots and kneepads that was famous enough to be used as an alternative outfit in ''Legends of Wrestling'' and several exclusive action figures, but eventually settled on his now classic yellow trunks and boots with red kneepads.

** He didn't start tearing off his shirt when he entered the ring in the AWA at first, rather just mundanely taking it off. It was when he came out for a tag match with the High Flyers where Greg Gagne grabbed one side of his shirt, Jim Brunzell the other, and ripped it off of him, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Hogan, reconizing a good thing when he saw it, started doing it himself, and the rest is history.

His in-ring achievements are also a need-to-know topic amongst Marks and Smarts alike, he is a former [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/al/secw/se-h.html NWA Southeastern (Continental version) Heavyweight Champion]], a former x2 [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/al/secw/se-s-h.html NWA Southeastern (Gulf Coast version) Heavyweight Champion]], the inaugural and former [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/iwgp.html IWGP World Heavyweight Champion]], a former x6 [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWF/E World Heavyweight Champion]] (The 2nd longest combined and 3rd longest individual reigns in the promotion) a former x6 [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-h.html WCW World Heavyweight Champion]] (Both, the longest combined and individual reigns in the promotion) and a former [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag-Team Champion]] (w/Wrestling/{{Edge}}). He is also member of [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/hof/pwhof.html The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum]] since 2003 and [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/hof.html WWE Hall of Fame]] class 2005 and class 2020 as member of [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder nWo]].

* GameBreakingInjury: Hogan had spinal fusion surgery in late 2010, which might very well end his active wrestling career permanently. To put this in perspective, this was the same surgery Wrestling/{{Edge}} had in 2003 that led to his first retirement. Edge was 29 at the time and lasted eight more years, probably against better judgment. Hulk Hogan was nearly twice that age.

* CaptainErsatz: ...oh, so many! [[HoaxHogan There's even a trope]] [[Wiki/TVTropes in here]] about it.

** It wasn't until relatively late in his first WWF World Championship run that the standard finishing formula – bad guy dominates for two or three minutes before connecting on a devastating finishing move, Hogan kicks out at two, hulks up, becomes invincible and connects on his FiveMovesOfDoom.

* BaldOfEvil[=/=]BaldOfAwesome: Depending on what his heel/face alignment is at the time.

** For ''fourteen years''. Hogan became so synonymous with the role that his '96 FaceHeelTurn ''genuinely'' has keep sending shock waves through the industry.

* AlliterativeName: '''H'''ulk '''H'''ogan, and yes, "'''H'''ollywood" '''H'''ulk '''H'''ogan.

** Nick Bockwinkel and Wrestling/JesseVentura in [[Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation the AWA]]

%%* BaldOfEvil: His lack of hair on top didn't hinder his immortality.

* TheBigGuy[=/=]LineOfSightName:
** Back in his early years there was simply no other wrestler even close to his size save Wrestling/AndreTheGiant and Wrestling/BigJohnStudd. In fact, Hogan was comparable to the actual Hulk in terms of mass. To get an idea of what he was like at the time, just watch his appearance in ''Film/RockyIII''.
** In his Terry Boulder days, he was being interviewed alongside Creator/LouFerrigno. The host looked at them and proclaimed Boulder was "bigger than [[Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977 The Hulk]]!" The name stuck for the rest of his career.

** He made his WWE debut in 1979 as a heel managed by [[Wrestling/FreddieBlassie "Classy" Freddie Blassie]] rocking blue tights, red kneepads, boots, a gaudy, colorful robe instead of a tear away t-shirt, and a full head of hair. Hogan occasionally wore various other colors in his early run as WWF world champion after he returned to the company, such as the short-lived ''[[https://www.ringsidecollectibles.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/rex_100_instagram.jpg "American Made"]]'' all-blue/white trunks, boots and kneepads that was famous enough to be used as an alternative outfit in ''Legends of Wrestling'' and several exclusive action figures, but eventually settled on his now classic yellow trunks and boots with red kneepads.

** He didn't start tearing off his shirt when he entered the ring in the AWA at first, rather just mudanely taking it off.

** He's also said he realized way too late that he spent 90% of his promos talking about his arms but used a leg in his finisher, what makes no sense. Thus, he said he should have used a ''Sleeper Hold'' better which is interesting since he used the ''[[BearHug Golden Squeeze]]'' in Georgia and Florida, switching later for a ''[[HoistHeroOverHead Canadian Backbreaker Rack]]'' on his early days in WWF.

*** Comming back from WCW in 2002, "Hollywood" recived the hero's welcome by his WWF die-hard fans, so the promotion had no other choice to reinstate him as a baby face after the match against The Rock.

--->'''Mike Tenay''': "...he's gonna it. He's gonna do it! HE'S GONNA DO IT--! <*shirt rip*> '''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCINhc9cce0#t=950s YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAH!!!]]'''"

** You may not notice it for the way he performs his moveset or plays 4-6 strings (wich he can also do, and quite well!), but Hogan is a lefty. That makes him the 3rd lefty with a famous role in a singe movie (Rocky III), just watch him signing autographs to confirm.
** An almost forgotten fact: During a fancy restaurant scene in ''Film/NoHoldsBarred'' he orders dinner for a bemused, smokin' hot Creator/JoanSeverance in perfect french. How, you may ask? Well, those are the quirks of being born with mixed ancestry[[note]]Italian, French, Scot and Panamanian.[[/note]], ''mon frére!!!''

!!! Hulk Hogan is the TropeMaker for:

!!! Hulk Hogan is the TropeNamer for:

** You may not notice it for the way he performs his moveset or plays 4-6 strings (wich he can also do, and quite well!), but Hogan is a SouthPaw. That makes him the 3rd lefty with a famous role in a singe movie (Rocky III), just watch him signing autographs to confirm.

* OlderIsBetter: Not usually thought of like this, but in comparison to current-generation wrestlers (or for that matter, the generation or so before them), is ''very'' old-fashioned in his thinking about wrestling and its traditions. Case in point: During the WWE DVD/hatchet job ''The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior'', Vince [=McMahon=] recalls a story from Summerslam 1991 where the eponymous wrestler refused to wrestle in the main event unless given [[MoneyDearBoy twice the agreed-upon amount of money beforehand]]. According to Vince, Hogan asked if Warrior needed to be hurt. Hogan's response? To candidly admit that he said exactly that, and claim that it was how things were done when he was in the business at his prime.

** Konami's ''The Main Event'' had '''Conan The Great'''.

** As face in WWF: Wrestling/RoddyPiper was THE arch rival of Hogan during the early days of Hulkamania. Besides this Wrestling/TheIronSheik, Wrestling/AndreTheGiant, Wrestling/TedDiBiase, Wrestling/RicFlair, and Wrestling/SgtSlaughter were his most noted foes.

** "Owwwwww!" [[Wrestling/{{Sting}} The Stinger]] was '''THE''' NWA/WCW Hulkster up to '94: Tanning...check. Bleach blond... check. Bodybuilder physique... check. Gaudy clothing... check. [[UsefulNotes/{{California}} Cali]] SurferDude demeanor... ''[[LikeIsLikeAComma like,]] [[TotallyRadical totally dude!]]'' HulkingOut and NoSell... check and check.

*** ''[[Wrestling/SurvivorSeries Survivor Series '87]]'': with [[Wrestling/PaulOrndorff "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff]], Wrestling/DonMuraco, Wrestling/KenPatera and Wrestling/BamBamBigelow. Managed by Wrestling/SirOliverHumperdink.

** The problem didn't become apparent until his Wrestling/{{WCW}} stint; a good portion of it's fanbase had it in for all things Hulk and [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]] from day one, and he didn't exactly endear himself making everyone in the roster look bad so [[TorchTheFranchiseAndRun he could rest easy while on vacation or shooting a ''Three Ninjas'' flick]]. His invincibility hit particularly egregious levels during ''Uncensored 1996''. He and Wrestling/RandySavage took on Wrestling/TheFourHorsemen AND Wrestling/DungeonOfDoom (a total of EIGHT men) and squashed them. When ''Monday Nitro'' started to have Main-Event-quality matches every week and the promotion started airing pay-per-view events every month, Hogan was seen as formulaic and lazy. Thankfully, a truly shocking heel turn [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap saved his career]].

* LivingLegend: You can have had it with him all that you want, but take in count that even people like "[[TakeUpMySword Superstar]]" and "[[EnemyMine The Body]]" have gave him their blessings, touting him as the greatest american pro wrestler since [[Wrestling/GeorgeWagner Goergeous George]].

* MadeOfIron: The Hulkster has the distiction of being the non-plus-ultra of [[NoSell no-selling]] at levels never reached even by 'Taker or Vader. This has a long history in the making but it doesn't have to do with booking or creative control clauses, but with the [[{{Determinator}} determination]] of men like those of his own generation.

** Thankfully no one died but a few careers might have. Hogan announced he would not be returning to WWE because they insulted an aspiring singer, his daughter Brooke, through Wrestling/JillianHall's tone deaf gimmick and went on to say he would prove Hulkamania was bigger than WWE. Jillian had a tendency to "sing" in that manner already, she just decided to do so [[{{heel}} on camera]]. Most of her act imitated the likes of Britney or Beyonce and she kept it up long after leaving ''"[=McMahon=]land"'', including a few appearances for TNA. The Hulkster's whole TNA run? He assumed something was about him when there were any number of possibilities, Jillian's might have been the gimmick he needed to convince WWE to give Brooke more of their airtime; it might have helped to elevate Jillian too, she was in a "feud" with Lillian Garcia (A singer whose voice didn't make children cry.) and has since "feuded" with Wrestling/MickieJames in the NWA for the same reason. It might have averted TNA's misguided attempt to recreate the ''Monday Night Wars''.

--->"As far as I'm concerned, all this crap in the ring represents the fans out here."

* BaldOfAwesome[=/=]BaldOfEvil: His lack of hair on top didn't hinder his immortality.

** FaceHeelTurn: One of, if not then the, most famous example in wrestling history. The Hulkster-- scourge of evil-doers who taught kids to train, say their prayers, take their vitamins, and believe in themselves-- turned his back to his fans at ''Bash at the Beach '96'', once more becoming one of wrestling's top draws, but now as a Heel. His turn was so shocking that a fan legitimately stormed the ring and attempted to confront Hogan, but was [[SuprisinglyRealisticOutcome immediately subdued]] by Hall and Nash.

** FaceHeelTurn: One of, if not then the, most famous example in wrestling history. The Hulkster-- scourge of evil-doers who taught kids to train, say their prayers, take their vitamins, and believe in themselves-- turned his back to his fans at ''Bash at the Beach '96'', once more becoming one of wrestling's top draws, but now as a Heel.

** An almost forgotten fact: During a fancy restaurant scene in ''No Holds Barred'' he orders dinner for a bemused, smokin' hot Joan Severance in perfect french. How, you may ask? Well, those are the quirks of being born with mixed ancestry[[note]]Italian, French, Scot and Panamanian.[[/note]], ''mon frére!!!''

** During his 1979-1981 WWF run, he added the nicknames (used interchangeably) “The Incredible” and “The Fabulous.” When he returned in 1984, he was still often introduced using his heel nicknames (although by now he was the most popular wrestler in the world) until late that year. By 1990, after his return from an absence (during his feud with Earthquake), he was known as “The Immortal.” When he turned heel in 1996, he became “Hollywood” Hogan.

** ''Videogame/FireProWrestling'' naturally had '''[[MeaningfulName Ichiban]]''' and '''[[MeaningfulName "Macho Star" Axe Duggan]]'''. Believe us, ItMakeSenseInContext.

** The "Incredible", The "Immortal", "Hulkster" and/or "Hollywood".

** ''Videogame/FireProWrestling'' naturally had '''[[MeaningfulName Ichiban]]''' and '''[[MeaningfulName "Macho Star" Axe Duggan]]'''.

** "Ichiban" ("Number One" or "The Best") in Japan.

** ''Videogame/FireProWrestling'' naturally had '''[[MeaningfulName Ichiban]]'''.

[[caption-width-right:350:His name is synonymous with wrestling, BROTHER. ]]

* BadassMustache: The hair of a REAL American! His is likely the single most iconic in wrestling history.

* SignatureMove: Let's be blunt, several RingOldies went over with movesets even more limited than that Hogan [[{{Misblamed}} was accused for using]]. Beyond those noted on FinishingMove and FiveMovesOfDoom he displayed what you can expect from your regular Powerhouse: ''[[NighInvulnerability Standing shoulder blocks]], [[PutTheirHeadsTogether Meeting-of-the-Minds]], [[GrievousHarmWithABody Gorlla-pressing/Body-slamming one guy onto another]], [[HumanHammerThrow One-handed Beil throws over the top rope, Collar-and-elbow push downs]], NeckLift ChokeHolds'' and the likes, nevertheless some maneuvers no one recognizes him for is the wide range of ''suplexes'', ''back-breakers'', ''throws'', ''holds'' and ''locks'' he employed time and again.

His in-ring achievements are also a need-to-know topic amongst Marks and Smarts alike, he is a former [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/al/secw/se-h.html NWA Southeastern (Continental version) Heavyweight Champion]], a former x2 [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/al/secw/se-s-h.html NWA Southeastern (Gulf Coast version) Heavyweight Champion]], the inaugural and former [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/iwgp.html IWGP World Heavyweight Champion]], a former x6 [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWF/E World Heavyweight Champion]] (The 2nd longest combined and 3rd longest individual reigns in the promotion) a former x6 [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-h.html WCW World Heavyweight Champion]] (Both, the longest combined and individual reigns in the promotion) and a former [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag-Team Champion]] (w/Wrestling/{{Edge}}). He is also member of [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/hof/pwhof.html The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum]] since 2003 and [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/hof.html WWE Hall of Fame]] class 2005 and class 2020 as member of nWo.

His in-ring achievements are also a need-to-know topic amongst Marks and Smarts alike, he is a former [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/al/secw/se-h.html NWA Southeastern (Continental version) Heavyweight Champion]], a former x2 [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/al/secw/se-s-h.html NWA Southeastern (Gulf Coast version) Heavyweight Champion]], the inaugural and former [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/iwgp.html IWGP World Heavyweight Champion]], a former x6 [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWF/E World Heavyweight Champion]] (The 2nd longest combined and 3rd longest individual reigns in the promotion) a former x6 [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-h.html WCW World Heavyweight Champion]] (Both, the longest combined and individual reigns in the promotion) and a former [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag-Team Champion]] (w/Wrestling/{{Edge}}). He is also member of [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/hof/pwhof.html The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum]] since 2003 and [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/hof.html WWE Hall of Fame]] class 2005.

* IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight: His iconic match with Wrestling/TheRock in ''Wrestlemania X8''. Whether or not the latter actually meant to beat an actual HeelFaceTurn out of him, he (and the audience) seemed pretty impressed to have the old Hogan hulking up again.

* OpenMouthInsertFoot: The end result for Hogan of {{Wrestling/Sting}} foiling his latest attempt at a TenMinuteRetirement scam to get away from the Icon.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Absolutely NO ONE!!! Decades have came and went searching for "The Next Hulk Hogan" and every promotion, training camp and stable had failed into this quest. Wrestling/UltimateWarrior, Wrestling/{{Sting}}, Wrestling/LexLuger, Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin, Wrestling/JohnCena, Wrestling/DwayneJohnson, Wrestling/BrockLesnar... the list is unammountable and goes on to this very day. The ClosestThingWeGot EVER considering his push and drawing power back in the day? Only "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Jake "The Snake" Roberts!