Why Hulk Hogan is the greatest pro wrestler of All Time

He is a 12-time world heavyweight champion being a six-time WWF/WWE Champion, six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, as well as a former WWE World Tag Team Champion with Edge. He was also the winner of the Royal Rumble in 1990 and 1991 and the first to win two Royal Rumbles in a row. In his first reign as WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Hogan held the title for 469 days from July 17, 1994 to October 29, 1995. It is the longest reign of all time for this championship. He also held the WWF/WWE World Heavyweight championship for 4 consecutive years (1984-1988), a feat that will probably never be repeated again.

Possessing incredible charisma and physical stature he helped transform wrestling from a niche pastime; spread out over several regional promotions to a mainstream brand of entertainment. Hogan’s marketability and appearances in movies and television helped turn the WWE into a billion dollar industry and paved the way for today’s high paid stars and elaborately produced shows.  If it wasn't for the Hulkster, stars such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and so many others would never have been able to achieve the level of success they reached in their careers.

Hulk Hogan became the face of pro wrestling as McMahon pushed the WWF into a pop culture enterprise with 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 legit friend Mr. T to defeat his archrival "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. On the first edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, Hogan successfully defended the WWF title against Cowboy Bob Orton in a match which Hogan won by a disqualification.

 Hogan remained WWF Champion for four years and 13 days (1,474 days). In front of 33 million viewers, however, Hogan finally lost the belt to André on the February 5 edition of The Main Event after a convoluted scam involving "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and Earl Hebner (who assumed the place of his twin brother Dave Hebner, who was the match's appointed referee). After André delivered a belly to belly suplex on Hogan, Hebner counted the pin while Hogan's left shoulder was clearly off the mat. After the match, André handed the title over to DiBiase to complete their business deal.

 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, defeating Ric Flair in a 'dream' match at Bash at the Beach. overcoming the likes of Flair, The Butcher (former partner Brutus Beefcake) Vader and the Dungeon of Doom for the next fifteen months (the longest reign of all time for this championship)

 In 1996 at WCW's Bash at the Beach during a six man tag team match pitting The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) against WCW loyalists, Hogan interfered on behalf of Nash and Hall, attacking Randy Savage, thereby turning heel for the first time in over ten years. After the match, Hogan delivered what was to the become the biggest and most important pro wrestling promo of all time, accosting the fans and WCW for underappreciating his talent and drawing power, and announcing the formation of the New World Order (nWo).

The new stable gained prominence in the following weeks and months. Hogan grew a beard alongside his famous mustache and dyed it black, traded his red and yellow garb in for black and white clothing, often detailed with lightning bolts, and renamed himself Hollywood Hulk Hogan (often shortened to Hollywood Hogan). Hogan with the nWo brought WCW to prominence and made it a real competitor against the WWE corporation.

At No Way Out in 2002, 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 Undisputed 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. Despite the fact that Hogan was supposed to be the heel in the match, the crowd cheered for him heavily over The Rock even after The Rock won the match cleanly.

 
Presently Hogan is signed to TNA Wrestling where he also sits on the board of directors.


It is plainly clear that no other wrestler in the history of pro wrestling has accomplished more and opened more doors than the Hulkster. When Hogan turned heel in 1996 he for the first time proclaimed in the ring that if it wasn't for him, there would be no WWE/WWF, no WCW, no Stone Cold, no Rock, no DX.... nothing. Everything pro wrestling has become is because of Hogan. Truer words have never been spoken.

-J-Rod


--DM: This post was ALLLLLL J-Rod. While J-Rod and Da ManHulkamaniac. Right now J-Rod is walking around the office, in a red bandana and bleached stache watching Suburban Commando. WOW.

-J-Rod: Although I admit this post was all me I have to point out an inaccuracy in DM's comment.  I am wearing a YELLOW bandanna and my stache is not bleached. Furthermore I am NOT watching Suburban Commando (although I do need to put that down in my Netflix queue).  I am watching Thunder in Paradise.