By Tim Hornbaker

 Hulk Hogan is an icon of historical proportions,
taking the game to another level of television, pay-per-
view and media recognition.  Terry Bollea did not
attempt to wrestle as Danny Hodge had with a scientific
approach, but also did not portray himself to be that
type of wrestler.  Bollea presented a street fighter or
brawler in the ring, able to match wits in certain
matches, but in others willing to punch, kick and even
eye-gouge his way to victory.  Jesse Ventura would say
it often when calling Hogan’s matches.  He would point
out Hogan’s tactics and wonder why fans overlooked
his sometime “heel” moves.  Hulk Hogan was bigger
than any fan favorite could be.  If he clawed his way to
the top with punches and chokes, the fans cheered.  
There was no way he could ever do wrong.  It wasn’t
until 1996 that Hogan attempted to change his face
and go against the fans.  Even while doing that, he
remained true to the form.  Fans loved to hate him.  
And when it was time to ask for forgiveness, he did.  
The fans rushed back to his side.

 A big man, Hogan stood 6’7’’ and weighed over 300 pounds at the height of his career.  A 24’’
python.  The Hulk Hogan many saw was as honest as could be.  Parents loved him.  He was a
role model for all who watched.  Anyone who could bash Hogan would not totally understand
what he had accomplished, basically driving the WWF from it’s hidden northeast regional
quadrant into a world spotlight.  Of course, he had Vince McMahon behind him.  Together,
they pulled money from the pockets of fans who wouldn’t have been there if Hogan hadn’t
arrived when he did.  A new brand of American Entertainment was born.

 Hogan is a 13-time World Heavyweight Champion in the United States and Japan.  Studying
under Hiro Matsuda and Jack Brisco, he made his professional wrestling debut in 1978 and
after a short stint, Bollea quit and returned home to Tampa.  Months later, another famous
wrestler met Hogan there and told him to visit Vince McMahon Sr. in New York about signing a
contract that would make real money in the ring.  In 1979, Hogan did.  Under the guidance of
Freddie Blassie, Hogan became a heel and was known as an Irish Brute.  He toured the
northeast before traveling overseas to Japan.  Upon his return, Hogan received a shot at Bob
Backlund’s WWF Heavyweight Title.

 He also toured through Memphis and the Southeastern Territory, where he captured the
heavyweight title of the region in 1979.  Hogan competed with Andre the Giant on several
occasions in ’79 but was overpowered by the lethal big man.  In late 1980, Hogan feuded with
Pat Patterson, as the heel, back in the World Wrestling Federation.  He also faced Tony Atlas,
another large talented grappler, at New York in 1981.  Hogan wrestled Andre again several
times that year including a bloody match in Philadelphia.  He was forced from the WWF in
November 1981.

 Reports were that Hogan was fired by the WWF for appearing in Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky
III.  Whether he was missing shows or not, Hogan made the spot in the movie as Thunderlips,
the “Ultimate Male.” In the film, he fought Rocky in a boxer vs. wrestler contest and was a
highlight of the movie.  Hogan’s face was on the silver screen and in front of a huge worldwide
audience.  Film critics applauded his role.  When it was time to return to the game, the WWF
was not there.  Verne Gagne’s AWA was.

 Hogan traveled to Minneapolis in early 1982 and further trained by the former World
Champion and his son, Greg.  Hogan’s abilities grew.  To back up his mammoth size, Hogan
adopted a style.  The brawler.  Fans were still not on his side.  The public in the Midwest began
to cheer Hogan after he ran to the rescue of a rookie wrestler, Brad Rheingans, during an
attack by Jerry Blackwell.  He began to feud with Blackwell and even Jesse Ventura on
occasion.

 He rose up the ranks and by January 1983, Hogan was the AWA’s biggest attraction.  He
ventured back to Japan in late-May 1983.  Hogan astonished Japanese fans with his agility and
strength in the ring and shocked pundits around the world on June 2nd, when he beat Antonio
Inoki in Tokyo by countout and captured the first IWGP World Heavyweight Title.  Inoki had
been knocked out on the arena floor and unable to return.  Considering the circumstances of
the victory for Hogan and that being New Japan’s night to declare their first IWGP Champion,
many were forced to believe that the victory was somewhat luck of the draw.  Was Inoki
scheduled to win the match?  Nevertheless, Hogan had made history.

 When news hit America, his stock rose another hundred points.  He continued to appear in
AWA territory.  In the fall of 1983, Hogan teamed with Andre the Giant and Dino Bravo to
defeat Masked Superstar, Blackjack Mulligan, and Ken Patera in Montreal.  He was made an
offer to return to the WWF by Vince McMahon Jr., the son of the man who fired him years
earlier.  Hogan did not immediately accept and fulfilled his obligations for Gagne and the AWA.  
In December 1983, he married his girlfriend Linda with Andre the Giant and Antonio Inoki
looking on.  Both his career and personal life were going well.  In the short weeks that followed,
Hogan departed the AWA after it was said that he was scheduled to win the AWA World Title
and traveled to the Northeast.

 He immediately took the WWF spotlight.  Hogan appeared with Bob Backlund in the former
champion’s match against Samu.  With the latter were two of the other Samoans and their
manager, Captain Lou Albano.  Hogan’s appearance sparked the audience and the brawl that
ensued delighted them even more.  A month didn’t go by before history changed forever.  On
January 23, 1984 in Madison Square Garden in New York, Hogan appeared to the song “Eye
of the Tiger” and defeated The Iron Sheik to win the WWF World Heavyweight Title.  A
stunning win for a newcomer to the organization.  “Hulkamania” was about to run nationally and
universally.  He celebrated with Andre the Giant and several others with a bottle of
champagne.  

 After winning the championship, Hogan stopped challenges from Nikolai Volkoff in Toronto,
Brutus Beefcake in Miami, and The Iron Sheik.  David Schultz, Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff, and
Randy Savage were also waiting in the wings.  He lost a bloody match to Big John Studd  by
countout.  But in the midst of their feud, Hogan was able to bodyslam his opponent to the awe
of audiences.  On June 14, 1984, Inoki beat Hogan by countout in Tokyo to win the IWGP
World Title.

 Hogan also began appearing to the song “I am a Real American” by Rick Derringer, which
had been originally used for the U.S. Express, Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo.  The song
became synonymous with Hogan and his popularity.  When fans heard it, they erupted into a
madding explosion.  Hogan wrestled Roddy Piper at Madison Square Garden in February
1985.  The wild match ended with Hogan, Piper, Mr. T and Paul Orndorff all battling it out.  The
New York City Police had to restore order.  A feud was spawning, but that wasn’t the only thing
Hogan had to look forward to.

 Vince McMahon began the preparations for the World Wrestling Federation’s biggest event.  
A wrestling event which combined entertainment with pro-wrestling into an all-out
extravaganza.  The title, “WrestleMania.” The optimal site was the WWF’s largest venue in the
world’s media capital, Madison Square Garden in New York City, slated for March 31, 1985.  
Hogan was the key to everything, but it all wasn’t positive.  He was on the television show, “Hot
Properties,” hosted by comedian Richard Belzer.  Hogan demonstrated a front facelock on
Belzer and during the instructional episode, the comedic host fell to the floor and hit his head.  
He needed eight stitches to close the wound suffered.  Belzer later sued Hogan and Titan
Sports and settled out of court.  

 On the positive side, Hogan and Mr. T, his WrestleMania partner, co-hosted the Saturday
Night Live edition the night before the special event.  A national promotional scheme.  Many
celebrities lined up for WrestleMania.  Liberace, Billy Martin and Muhammad Ali all had parts in
the main event.  Cyndi Lauper, a musical superstar at the time, was Wendi Richter’s manager
in her match.  The A-Team Entertainer, Mr. T, was actually Hogan’s partner against Roddy
Piper and Paul Orndorff.  Hogan pinned Orndorff to win the main event.

 WrestleMania was a major success, not only for the fans of the sport, but for those who had
been subjected to it’s national coverage on magazines and television.  New fans were born and
Hogan’s following grew.  He met Don Muraco in April 1985 at Madison Square Garden for the
title and lost by countout.  A rematch was immediately scheduled and some thought Hogan’s
reign at the top was about over.  He didn’t lose the belt.  

 Hogan appeared on the April 29, 1985 cover of Sports Illustrated, becoming the only
professional wrestler in history to have graced the cover of that magazine.  Danny Hodge had
appeared on the cover several decades earlier, but as an amateur wrestler.  Hogan suffered a
serious knee injury in a match against John Studd.  Surgery was needed to repair the limb and
Hogan was out for some time.  He faced Studd in a grudge match before an estimated 50,000
fans at the Ohio State Fairgrounds on August 13, 1985 in Columbus.  Hogan pinned Studd to
retain his WWF World Title.  He gave Terry Funk a title shot on January 4, 1986 in Tampa on
Saturday Night’s Main Event.  Hogan beat the former NWA World Champion.  It was a
significant win.  During a February 1986 edition of Piper’s Pit, Hogan explained that he had a
“friend” that wanted to box Bob Orton Jr.  Mr. T was person and the two met on the March 1,
1986 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event in Phoenix, Arizona.  It was made very clear that
King Kong Bundy wanted a piece of Hogan and Bobby Heenan was guiding Bundy towards a
title bout.  That night in Phoenix also saw Hogan defend his title against the number one
contender, Don Muraco.  Muraco was accompanied by Heenan who was substituting for Mr.
Fuji.  Even if Hogan won, Heenan was going to do anything to complicate his status in the main
event of the next pay-per-view.  Hogan defeated Muraco at 6:57 by disqualification when the
manager attacked him.  Bundy was next to enter the ring and attacked the champion,
delivering an avalanche into a corner ring post.  Another to his ribs and one to his back.  
Doctors and wrestlers both ran out to assist after the trio left the ring.  Hogan was carried out
and taken to a nearby hospital.

 He was said to have suffered a cerebral or brain concussion and lower back injuries in the
attack.  Two days later, Hogan appeared in Madison Square Garden to defeat Randy Savage.  
The attack and it’s result was a preview for a WrestleMania II main event between Hogan and
Bundy on April 7th in Los Angeles’ Sports Arena.  The special stipulation, a cage would
surround the ring.  Hogan beat Bundy to retain his WWF Title.  He teamed with Junkyard Dog
in Providence to beat the Funks on NBC’s Saturday Night’s Main Event.  The date was May 3,
1986.  The Hogan-Paul Orndorff feud came to a crescendo in Toronto on August 28, 1986.  
More than 70,000 fans paid $1.2 million in Canadian funds, packing Exhibition Stadium to see
the two battle.  It was a new record, and at the time nearly doubling the previous.  Hogan won
the match by disqualification and retained his World Title.

 Orndorff and Hogan wrestled throughout the rest of the year, sometimes up to 13 times a
month.  In October 1986, Hogan teamed with the famous Crusher Lisowski in Milwaukee at the
Mecca Arena to defeat King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd.  He beat Orndorff in a cage
match on January 3, 1987 in Hartford.  Later in the month, fans of the sport witnessed one of
the most stunning turns in wrestling history.  Hogan was confronted by Andre the Giant on
WWF Television during an edition of Piper’s Pit with Roddy Piper and Jesse Ventura.  While
Hogan spoke, Andre disappeared only to return with Bobby Heenan.  A challenge was made,
but Hogan stated that the two were friends.  Andre intensified the request by ripping the shirt
off Hogan’s back.  With the shirt went Hogan’s golden chain and cross.  Plain and simple,
Andre wanted a shot at the WWF World Title.  The challenge was not expected.

 Promoters did understand that a Hogan-Andre main event could break records.  It was
perfect timing.  WrestleMania III was ahead and the venue was going to be the Silverdome in
Pontiac, Michigan.  A facility with a wrestling capacity of over 90,000.  The match was signed
and words were exchanged.  On March 29, 1987, the two stepped into the ring together.  
Hogan stunned fans by body-slamming his opponent and getting the pinfall victory.  A special
legacy was passed between the two athletes.  Hogan was not only carrying the World
Championship of the WWF, but a defeat of the unbeatable Giant.  There was not a doubt in
the world, Hogan was the number one man.  He was single-handedly putting the organization
over.  In the history books, Hogan was establishing himself as a legend and at the same time,
changing the sport.

 There was a point in August 1987 that the two most famous WWF competitors of all-time
teamed together for a match against King Kong Bundy and One Man Gang.  Hogan and the
“Living Legend” Bruno Sammartino teamed and won.  His Survivor Series team on November
26, 1987 lost, which was a surprise.  The match occurred in Richfield, Ohio.  Hogan had
partnered with Paul Orndorff, Don Muraco, Bam Bam Bigelow and Ken Patera against Andre
the Giant, One Man Gang, Bundy, Rick Rude and Butch Reed.  Hogan pinned Reed with the
first elimination.  Later in the bout, he was counted out of the ring.  Andre eventually won the
match for his team before the estimated 21,000 in attendance.

 In late 1987, Hogan formed a bond with Randy Savage after Elizabeth brought the champion
out to the ring to save him from an attack by the Hart Foundation and the Honky Tonk Man
during Saturday Night’s Main Event.  Hogan beat Sika in defense of his title.  Going into the
new year, word was that Ted DiBiase wanted to purchase the World Heavyweight Title.  Hogan
told the world on an edition of Superstars of Wrestling that he would never sell the belt.  
DiBiase went a step further.  He enlisted Andre the Giant to deliver the title to him.  A prime-
time special was held on February 5, 1988 in Indianapolis’ Market Square Arena.  Hogan met
Andre for the World Title.

 The bout was controversial from beginning to end, with several twists and turns.  In the final
moments, Andre pinned Hogan to win the belt.  It was the first time Hogan had been pinned in
more than four years.  Hogan obviously kicked out of the pinfall, but referee, Earl Hebner
overlooked it.  After the bout, Dave Hebner ran out and Hogan addressed both referees and
the mistake.  Andre, in the meantime, left with the title.  Minutes later, the belt was handed to
DiBiase.  Money had captured the WWF Title.  President, Jack Tunney decided that he was
going to strip Andre of the title and declare the championship vacant.  DiBiase’s claim was null.

 The timing was right.  WrestleMania IV was on the horizon.  The bracket pairings for the WWF
World Title Tournament was announced by officials on February 12th.  The set up had Andre
wrestling the “Hulkster,” the two favorites, in a match during the second round.  Both men
received a bye because of the previous status as champion.  Later on, officials decided to
change the pairings and set up Ted DiBiase versus Jim Duggan for the upper bracket instead
of the lower.  So, if Hogan won and DiBiase did the same, the two would meet in the semis.  To
advance, Hogan would have to beat Andre with DiBiase and Virgil in his corner and then
DiBiase with Andre and Virgil in his corner.  It was two three-on-one matches…by himself.

 At a television taping for an upcoming edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event on March 7,
1988 in Nashville, Hogan wrestled former 8-time NWA World Champion, Harley Race.  With the
tournament less than a month away, Hogan’s thoughts were not with Race and if the match
had been held while Harley was in his prime, Hogan would have been solely concentrated on
him.  Hogan ended up beating Race that night.  Also on that show, Savage wrestled DiBiase.  
During the contest, the referee was knocked out and both Andre and DiBiase beat on Savage.  
The odd man out was counted out.  Elizabeth ran to the dressing room area and retrieved
Hogan, who chased everyone away.  The Savage-Hogan vs. DiBiase-Andre feud was about to
peak.

 At WrestleMania on March 27th at the Convention Center in Atlantic City, Hogan left the back
area to a loud ovation.  He  walked to the ring for his match with Andre, but the pre-match
festivities ended quick.  Andre attacked him and the brawl was on.  Chairs were used by each
of the competitors.  Ted DiBiase was involved as was Virgil.  A decision was rendered and a
double-disqualification was announced.  Both men were eliminated from the tournament and
the crowd was shocked.  Hogan got a certain amount of revenge on Virgil by suplexing him in
the aisleway.  Andre was also body-slammed.  The tournament continued and Savage made it
to the finals against DiBiase.  Elizabeth accompanied her man and DiBiase had the Giant in his
corner.  Not a fair fight, especially when the former World Champion kept interfering in the
match.  Andre prevented Savage from landing an axe-handle on DiBiase from the top rope.  
Savage spoke to Elizabeth, who ran back to the dressing room.

Moments later, Hogan appeared from the darkness.  The crowd roared.  Hogan and Andre
brawled on the outside after Andre pulled Savage through the ropes.  A missed elbow led to a
“Million Dollar Dream.” The ref was distracted long enough for Hogan to enter the ring and hit
DiBiase with a steel chair.  Savage got up and landed his big elbow.  The pin.  Hogan
celebrated with Savage and Elizabeth.  The bond was sealed and the Mega Powers were
formed.  WWF wrestling into the summer had more of the same.  Hogan and Savage battled
DiBiase and Andre on house shows throughout the country.  The Mega Powers battling the
Mega Bucks.

 In Milwaukee at WrestleFest on July 31st, Hogan beat Andre in a special cage match.  In the
main event of the initial SummerSlam on August 29, 1988, the Powers wrestled the Bucks in a
tag team match.  Jesse Ventura acted as  guest referee.  Hogan pinned DiBiase to win the
match.  Yet again, the good guys were victorious.  He teamed with Savage again at the
November pay-per-view in Richfield along with Hillbilly Jim, Hercules and Koko B. Ware.  On the
other side was DiBiase, the Twin Towers, Haku and the Red Rooster.  Hogan pinned Haku
after seven men were eliminated and the bout ended.  Savage and Hogan were, once again,
left in the ring to celebrate at the close of the show.

 On January 7, 1989 in Tampa, Hogan was accompanied to the ring by Elizabeth against
Akeem during Saturday Night’s Main Event.  He retained his WWF Title.  A month later on
February 3rd at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, the Mega Powers Exploded.  The show was
nearly a year to the day of the broadcast of Hogan’s loss of the World Title, also billed as the
“Main Event” and shown live on prime-time television.  Hogan and Savage teamed that night
against their arch-enemies, the Twin Towers, Akeem and the Big Bossman, who were
managed by Slick.  During the match, Elizabeth was injured after falling from the ring apron.  
She had taken a bump off the ropes.  Hogan, instead of remaining in the ring to help Savage,
ran to Elizabeth’s aid and rushed her back to the dressing room for help.

 While Hulk was gone, the Towers pummeled Savage and clearly dominated the bout.  Hogan
returned to the delight of the crowd and immediately asked for a tag from Savage, but the
latter refused and ended up leaving the ring.  In his two-on-one fight, Hogan won for his team
and celebrated alone.  Clearly, there was established tension between the two most popular
stars in the WWF.  Shortly afterwards, in the dressing room, Savage attacked Hogan.  The
break-up was more defined.

 A match at WrestleMania for the World Title was being talked about.  The main question was
which corner was Elizabeth going to be in.  In the weeks preceding their April 2nd match in
Atlantic City, many speculated about her decision.  Finally, Elizabeth stated that she would be
in a neutral corner that night.  The Mega Powers fought and fought hard.  Hogan pinned
Savage and regained the World Title.  After more than a year of not having the belt, he had
once again achieved the top WWF mark.

 In Des Moines on May 27th, Hogan faced the Big Bossman for the belt in a special steel cage
match.  The Bossman was a formidable foe and at the time, was a top contender and a
possibility to take the championship.  The match marked the initial appearance of a man
named Zeus, otherwise known in acting circles as Tiny Lister Jr.  Lister had co-starred with
Hogan in a movie entitled “No Holds Barred.” Hogan retained his title that night in Iowa by
climbing over the top of the cage to the floor.  The Bossman match also saw Hogan’s superplex
of the challenger from the top of the cage to the ring floor.  But it was his entanglement with
Zeus which sparked a new challenge.  Hogan was going to have to overcome his movie-foe in
the wrestling ring.  Several days later on June 2nd, their movie was released in the United
States.  The sub-title of the film was “No Ring, No Ref, No Rules.”

 SummerSlam ’89 was held on August 28th in East Rutherford at the Meadowlands.  Hogan
was going to team with Brutus Beefcake, another popular superstar, against Savage and
Zeus.  They were victorious in their endeavors.  In October, Hogan faced Ted DiBiase for his
title during Saturday Night’s Main Event.  Zeus was again present, but obviously DiBiase’s
money had opened the door.  After the successful title defense, Zeus attempted to break
Hogan’s neck.  Jake Roberts ran out to end the attack.  Despite his heightened popular, things
were looking bleak and were going to get worse.

 On November 25, 1989, Hogan wrestled The Genius during Saturday Night’s Main Event on
NBC.  The Genius had been an adviser for Mr. Perfect and had also been an established
wrestler, holding a version of the World Title himself many years before.  He was also known
for often reciting poetry prior to matches.  Perfect, on the other hand, was one of Hogan’s top
challengers.  Hogan lost two things that fateful night.  The first was the WWF World Title Belt,
although he remained the WWF Champion.  The Genius, who handed him a countout defeat,
which was the other loss that night, conspired with Perfect to destroy Hogan’s WWF Belt.  They
shattered the golden plate while they partied the night away.  It was that same belt that the
WWF rekindled in 1998, establishing the new Hardcore Division.

 In December, he continued another saga when he teamed with Beefcake to beat Savage and
Zeus in a pay-per-view cage match.  On January 21, 1990, the annual Royal Rumble was held
in Orlando, Florida.  Hogan entered the ring at number 25, and was a prime suspect to win the
event.  At the point in which he ran to the ring, six men were battling for position.  Hogan was
immediately attacked by Jimmy Snuka, who, in turn, was tossed out by a clothesline.  Haku was
next with a big boot to the face.  In the matter of seconds, he had eliminated two.  Honky Tonk
Man, Rick Martel and the Ultimate Warrior were the others in the ring.  Two-minutes later,
Shawn Michaels ran out.  Hogan tossed out the Honky Tonk Man and Michaels was next by the
Warrior.  Martel was thrown out and there were only two participants left.

 Hogan and Warrior circled each other as the Orlando crowd watched in amazement.   The
World Champion vs. The I-C Champion, the two most popular wrestlers were in the ring
together.  A previously unthinkable match-up.  A few bumps and crossovers later, the two
double clotheslined each other and left unmoving on the mat.  They were soon joined by a
third man, The Barbarian, who took advantage of the situation.  Rick Rude ran out and entered
the fracas.  It seemed like the Hogan-Warrior battle was over as they turned their attention
elsewhere.  The fans wanted only one thing.  At one point, the Warrior even prevented Rude
and Barbarian from eliminating Hogan.  With a running drive, Hulk ran at the three others and
the Warrior flipped over the top rope.  He was eliminated, but the I-C Champ returned to the
ring and pummeled both heels before running back to the dressing room.

 Hogan was double-teamed until Hercules Hernandez entered the game.  Mr. Perfect was last.  
When it was all said and done, Hogan tossed Rude and Perfect to the floor and was the 3rd
annual Royal Rumble Winner.  A final promotion for WrestleMania VI came at the end of the
show, April 1st in Toronto’s new Skydome. Saturday Night’s Main Event on January 27th
brought the next chapter.  Hogan and The Warrior were teaming up against two common
enemies, The Genius and Mr. Perfect.  The two champions together seemed to be an
unbeatable team on paper, but it wouldn’t work.

 During the match, the Intercontinental Champion accidentally clotheslined Hogan in an act of
madness towards Perfect and the Genius after they had captured the victory.  Again, the two
met face-to-face in the ring acting out their aggression towards one another.  Hatred was there
and was enough to nearly draw out an all-out war.  People began to speculate.  Could an
eventual match between Hogan and Warrior be signed for WrestleMania?  In time, it was.

 On February 23rd, NBC hosted the Main Event on a Friday in Detroit.  Hogan was scheduled
to defend his title against Randy Savage for the umpteenth time with a special guest referee,
Buster Douglas, who had recently won the Unified World Boxing Title from Mike Tyson.  
Douglas was the outside ref for the bout, but would play a part in the finish.  After the ring
official was knocked out, Douglas entered the ring and counted the final three-count on
Savage.  The bell was rung and when Savage realized what had happened, he began to
berate the Boxing Champion.  Hogan leaned against an opposing ringpost, watching and
waiting.  Finally, after a few pushes, Douglas landed a single knockout right to the King’s face.  
He had enough.  Hogan and Buster celebrated to a cheering crowd afterwards.

 On the undercard was The Ultimate Warrior defending his Intercontinental Title against Dino
Bravo.  Warrior won, but before he could play to the crowd he was attacked by the
Earthquake.  Hogan ran out and made the save, claiming that he wanted the Warrior to be a
hundred percent for their match at WrestleMania.  The two met again in the ring, face-to-face.  
No blows were exchanged, but the words were.  On April 1st, the biggest match the World
Wrestling Federation had staged since Hogan met Andre in 1987 was about to happen in front
of nearly 70,000 fans live and hundreds of thousands watching on pay-per-view.  The Warrior
was announced first, then Hogan.  Both men sported title belts.  Title vs. Title.  Whoever won
the match would get both.

 Hogan injured his knee during the match and paid for it as the tides went both ways.  Warrior
pressed Hulk’s 302 pound frame once over his head and tossed him to the mat, an act never
seen before.  After 22-minutes, Hogan landed his big boot, the set-up for the leg-drop.  He
went for it and the younger man moved.  The Warrior hit a big splash off the ropes and pinned
Hogan.  The immortal was pinned.  The crowd cheered as the two embraced and the title was
handed over.  A torch was passed as it had been in 1987.  Andre to Hogan, Hogan to Warrior.

 The National Press was not likely to cover a wrestling event, knowing the scripts were drawn
before a match, but that Sunday Night, the George Michaels Sports Machine covered the
match.  The show announced that the WWF had a new champion.  Hogan traveled to Japan in
the days that followed WrestleMania to appear on a April 13th show in Tokyo.  Wrestlers from
All-Japan, New-Japan and the WWF participated in the show.  Hogan wrestled the legendary
Stan Hansen and the two competed in a bloody match.  In the end, Hogan pinned the “Badman
from Borger.” It was a great rebound victory and one of the best of his career.

 On May 15th during an edition of Superstars of Wrestling, Hogan was attacked by Jimmy Hart’
s Earthquake and was carried from the ring.  He sustained serious injuries in the attack and
doctors predicted that he would be out for several months.  Hogan used the time off to his
advantage and began moving a little closer to Hollywood.  He began working on a film entitled
“Suburban Commando.” On July 4, 1990, one of Hogan’s lifelong friends suffered near fatal
injuries in a boating accident off Lutz, Florida, near Tampa.  Known as Brutus Beefcake, Ed
Leslie was injured to the point in which doctors said he would never wrestle again.  The
wrestling world was stunned, but thankful that he had survived.  The WWF began talking about
Hogan’s comeback and had issued an address for fans to send letters in and to tell the
“Hulkster” to get well soon.  Tugboat stepped forward and began to back him publicly,
campaigning for Hogan’s goodwill.

 As the promotions for SummerSlam began, Hogan was locked into a co-main event match
against the Earthquake.  The Warrior was on the other side of the show defending his World
Title against Rick Rude.  On August 27th in Philadelphia, Hogan defeated the mammoth
wrestler by countout.  Tugboat was not at his side due to the fact that he had suffered broken
ribs in a match against the Earthquake on July 16th in Omaha.  But as the weeks went by,
Hogan and Tugboat reformed their team and planned for the Survivor Series on November
22nd.

 A quartet known as the “Hulkamaniacs” was formed comprised of Hogan, Tugboat, Jim
Duggan and the Big Bossman.  Their opponents were the “Natural Disasters,” made up of
Earthquake, Bravo, Barbarian and Haku.  Hogan was the final survivor of the bout and joined
Tito Santana and the Warrior in the final elimination match at the end of the night.  The three
fan favorites locked up against five opposing survivors.  Hogan pinned Paul Roma and Ted
DiBiase.  The Warrior pinned Hercules.  Santana had been eliminated earlier and the top two
wrestlers in the WWF celebrated before a joyous crowd in Hartford.  Was the fact that Hogan
and Warrior were in the ring together secretly meaning that they would be facing each other in
a rematch?  WrestleMania?  

 Hogan went to the Miami Arena for the Royal Rumble on January 19, 1991.  He entered the
ring at number 24, attempting to win the event for the second straight year.  In the finals,
Hogan eliminated the Earthquake and accomplished the feat.  The Miami crowd also watched
the Ultimate Warrior dethroned by Sgt. Slaughter and thus, a Hogan-Warrior rematch for
WrestleMania VII in Los Angeles was thrown out.  In early 1991, the United States was nearing
a war with Iraq in the Persian Gulf.  Slaughter’s gimmick was pro-Iraq and was verbally against
America.  The ploy drew much heat.  To combat such hatred, Vince McMahon put up his most
popular star, Hulk Hogan.  A Hogan-Slaughter match for the WWF World Title was signed for
March 24th at the Olympic Coliseum.  Reports estimated an audience of 100,000 for the
match, breaking the Hogan-Andre draw.

 As the weeks drew closer and closer to the event, officials withdrew it’s original idea and
scheduled the pay-per-view for the Sports Arena.  The change was due to safety precautions.  
The situation was controversial.  United States Soldiers were fighting the war in the desert.  
Hogan was going to fight a former G.I. Joe hero wearing a turban and waving an Iraqi Flag.  On
the 24th of March, Hogan battled Slaughter and after a twenty-minute plus match, he got the
pin.  Hogan regained the WWF Title for the third time, breaking his tie with Bruno Sammartino
at two title reigns.  He was once again at the top of the heap.

 After WrestleMania, Hogan again went to Japan for a brief tour.  He pinned Yoshiaki Yatsu on
April 1st on a combined SWS/WWF Card in Kobe.  An estimated 43,000 fans packed into the
Tokyo Dome on April 6th to see Hogan team with Genichiro Tenryu against The Legion of
Doom.  Hawk and Animal defeated their opponents by countout in 14:03.  Hogan was the man
counted outside the ring.  He teamed with the Ultimate Warrior on August 26th at SummerSlam
to beat Slaughter and his cronies, Colonel Mustafa and General Adnan.  Hogan got the
winning pin on Slaughter.

 During the fall of 1991, the WWF signed the NWA World Champion, Ric Flair to a contract
after negotiations with WCW failed.  Flair appeared on television with the Gold Belt from WCW,
claiming that he was the Real World’s Champion.  For six years, fans petitioned for a Hogan-
Flair World Title Unification Match to determine the top man in all of American wrestling.  It
never happened.  The two had never met in the ring, but with Flair’s arrival, the chances of
such a match happening increased.  The National Wrestling Alliance stripped Flair of
recognition in September, around the time of the signing.  Flair retained a grip on the belt.  It
seemed only fitting that the match would go off at the next pay-per-view.

 Instead, Hogan dropped the WWF Title to the Undertaker at the Survivor Series on November
27th.  The Undertaker did receive help from Flair in the win, though.  WWF President Jack
Tunney scheduled another pay-per-view entitled “Tuesday in Texas” to settle the controversy
on December 3rd.  Hogan pinned the Undertaker and captured his fourth WWF Title.  More
problems forced officials to strip Hogan of the title and declared the championship vacant.  In
late 1991, talk of steroids was very prevalent with Hogan’s name being casually tossed into the
wind.  He appeared on several national television shows in protest, speaking out against the
rumors.  Other former wrestlers, doctors and promoters were caught up in the middle of the
controversy.

 Leaving the United States behind, getting away from it all, Hogan returned to Tokyo and
pinned Genichiro Tenryu on December 12th at the Tokyo Dome.  It was a huge victory sending
him into 1992 with many believing he’d regain the WWF Belt at the Royal Rumble.  In several
cities, Hogan wrestled Flair on house shows.  On January 6, 1992, Hogan beat Flair by
countout in Miami.  The WWF World Title was scheduled to go to the winner of the highly
anticipated Rumble on January 19th in Albany, New York.  Hogan was edged out of the match
by Sid Vicious during the final seconds of the contest.  From the floor, he reached up and
grabbed the arm of his conqueror.  Ric Flair, the only other man still alive in the match, went
behind Justice and tossed him out.

 The “Nature Boy” was the WWF World Champion.  Hogan participated in a tag team match in
Chicago on March 7th and the two singles champions in the federation were present, but
surprisingly, Hogan was not one of them.  Hogan teamed with Intercontinental Champion,
Roddy Piper to beat Justice and World Champion, Flair at the Rosemont Horizon.  Hogan
pinned Flair for the win.  The four met again on March 23rd in New York City and the exact
same result occurred.  A grudge match between Hogan and Justice at WrestleMania VIII in
Indianapolis on April 5th ended with Hogan getting a disqualification victory.  Harvey
Wippleman and Papa Shango, both acting on Justice’s behalf, interfered in the bout, but it was
Wippleman’s initial step that caused the referee’s decision.  Hogan was double-teamed until
The Ultimate Warrior ran out and made the save.

 The steroid controversy continued to build in federal court.  He retired from wrestling later in
1992 and began working on Thunder in Paradise, a syndicated television series, taped in
Orlando’s Universal Studios.  Hogan played the role of R.J. “Hurricane” Spencer.  Carol Alt and
Chris Lemmon also had parts on the show.  Thunder in Paradise was an immediate hit and
Hogan’s acting abilities came out on many different levels.  He returned to the World Wrestling
Federation after several month hiatus on February 22, 1993, to aid his ally, Brutus Beefcake in
his war against Money Inc., Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster.  The duo had attacked
Beefcake in his return match on February 1, 1993, sending him out on a stretcher.  Hogan
quickly hopped into the situation, and eventually signed a match for him and Brutus to meet
the World Tag Team Champions on April 4th, in Las Vegas.

 Prior to the event, Hogan suffered an injury which needed more than 100 stitches to close the
wound over his left eye.  Hogan and Beefcake lost the tag match by disqualification to the
champions, but the “Immortal’s” night was not over.  Hogan went to the ring to help Bret Hart
after his loss of the WWF Title to Yokozuna.  Mr. Fuji got on the microphone and challenged
Hogan to a match.  Hearing the crowd, he accepted.  Twenty-five seconds later, Hogan won his
fifth WWF World Title.  He pinned Yokozuna and won the belt, stunning everyone who
witnessed the event.  In one night, the title had gone from Hart to Yoko to Hogan.  Another
celebration tore down the roof.

 In early May, he ventured to Japan.  On May 3rd, Hogan faced off against the IWGP World
Champion, Keiji Mutoh, in a non-title match at the Fukuoka Dome.  It was a huge match for
both wrestlers.  Hogan pinned Mutoh to win the international match.  Upon returning to the
United States, he signed on to defend his WWF Title at the King of the Ring in June against
Yokozuna.  The pay-per-view was held on Sunday, June 13th in Dayton at the Nutter
Fieldhouse.  A photographer stood up on the apron and flashed a fireball in Hogan’s face.  
The challenger capitalized on it.  Hogan was pinned and lost the WWF Title before 6,000-plus
fans.

 Once again, Hogan left professional wrestling to continue his television and movie career.  
The film “Mr. Nanny” was released in 1993, which Hogan starred with Sherman Helmsley.  
Hogan had another successful tour of the Orient in September 1993.  Fans of New Japan
witnessed Hogan team with Keiji Mutoh to beat the Power Warrior and Hawk in Yokohama on
September 23rd.  Three days later in Osaka, Hogan beat Mutoh in a one-on-one match.  
World Championship Wrestling began making significant offers to Hogan.  In January 1994, he
returned to Japan for NJPW’s annual Tokyo Dome Show.  He appeared on January 4th before
a crowd of 58,000 and beat former IWGP World Champion, Tatsumi Fujinami.  Beefcake was
also on the card and beat the Black Cat.

 Finally, after several months of wrangling, Hogan signed with WCW.  Video footage was
shown on the organization’s programs, including footage of Hogan with Ted Turner and even a
parade through downtown Disney in Orlando.  Hogan’s deal with WCW made it easy for him to
continue taping Thunder in Paradise, as it was taped at MGM Studios, the same place most of
WCW’s programming was being taped from.  It was news to all wrestling fans, from Atlanta to
Stamford to Tokyo.  Hogan had jumped ship for new territory.  A new horizon to clean up.  He
made his wrestling debut on Sunday, July 17, 1994 in Orlando at the Bash at the Beach pay-
per-view.  His first match was against WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Ric Flair.  After a
tough match, Hogan pinned Flair and won the belt, becoming the third man in history to have
held both the WWF and WCW World Titles.  Orlando Magic Superstar, Shaquille O’Neil and his
manager, Jimmy Hart celebrated with him after the match.  Of course the fans were right there
as well.

 Hogan’s popularity was still amazing, even to an audience who had only seen him on
television.  Of course, Sting was still in WCW and remained a top grappler, but Hogan’s
appearances were a happening.  It was new to WCW.  The Hogan-Flair feud did not end there.

 During the Clash of the Champions on August 24th in Cedar Rapids, the World Champ was
attacked by a masked individual from behind while walking out to do an interview with Gene
Okerlund.  Many believed it was Arn Anderson, having some kind of Horsemen Connection,
although “Double A” was apart of Col. Robert Parker’s gang.  Hogan’s left knee was seriously
injured.  He was rushed to a nearby hospital with continuing coverage on TBS.  Eric Bischoff
and Jimmy Hart accompanied Hogan.  The match between Hogan and Flair that was originally
scheduled for the main event, was announced to still be on and if the champion was unable to
defend due to his leg injury, the title would be forfeited to Flair.

 Hulk made his triumphant return to the Five Seasons Center on his bad leg and defended his
belt against his challenger.  Accompanied by Ed Leslie, who at the time could not use the
name Brutus Beefcake, and Jimmy Hart, Hogan fought for more than fourteen minutes before
succumbing to Flair by countout.  Afterwards, the masked man ran out and attacked him
again.  Sherri Martel and Flair helped the unknown attacker until Sting made his way to the
ring.  The ring announcer mistakenly called Flair the new champion and the latter escaped with
the title belt.  Hogan was again assisted from the public’s eye and into another ambulance.

 The promotions for Halloween Havoc began.  Hogan was going to defend his belt against
Flair in a special retirement , cage match.  Mr. T, a longtime Hogan supporter, was brought in
to referee the match and an estimated 14,000 fans were in attendance.  Havoc was held on
Sunday, October 23rd in Detroit.  Hogan pinned Flair and sent the former twelve-time NWA/
WCW World Champion into inactivity.  WCW was changed forever.  With the “Nature Boy” out,
Hogan was the sole man on top of the promotion.  Prior to his arrival, everyone knew that Flair
was their man whether he was good or bad.  After Flair’s departure, Hogan was alone at the
top with Sting seemingly one of his top contenders.  That was until WCW signed Randy
Savage.

 In December, “Macho Man” made his organization debut and he quickly sided with Hogan in
his war with Kevin Sullivan.  He faced The Butcher, who was Ed Leslie, at Starrcade ’94 in
Nashville on December 27, 1994.  Hogan pinned his opponent to retain his belt.  On January
25, 1995 in Vegas, Hogan and Savage teamed to beat Sullivan and Butcher.  Soon thereafter,
Vader, the U.S. Champion, made a challenge for the World Belt.  The mammoth grappler from
Denver seemed like Hogan’s biggest challenge in years.  At least size wise, going back to
Yokozuna.  At SuperBrawl V on February 19th, he beat Vader by disqualification in Baltimore.  
In March 1995, the Hulk Hogan Nascar was prevalent on WCW television.  Number 43.

 At the same time, offers were being made publicly about an “ultimate surprise.” Hogan
plugged the arrival of some kind of a newcomer, but pundits did not believe it was the man
many marks believed it would be.  Before the Uncensored event on March 19th in Tupelo,
Mississippi, Hogan boasted happily about his new partner.  The man appeared, and it wasn’t
the Ultimate Warrior from the depths of his WWF fame.  It was the Renegade, a youthful and
talented wrestler.  The Renegade and Warrior shared the intensity and look, but they were two
different men entirely.  That night in the south, Hogan and Vader wrestled for the WCW World
Title in a special leather strap match.  Hogan eventually won the brutal match-up.  Randy
Savage, Arn Anderson, Ric Flair, the Renegade, Jimmy Hart and the two participants of the
bout were all engaged in some kind of activity during the closing moments.  The war was far
from over.

 Hogan and Savage beat Flair and Vader in a tag match on May 21st in Saint Petersburg
during Slamboree.  He pinned Flair to win the bout.  On July 16, 1995, Hogan defeated Vader
in a steel cage match.  He was accompanied by Jimmy Hart and NBA Basketball Player, Dennis
Rodman.  Hogan entered his first War Games match on September 17th in Asheville.  Hogan
teamed with Savage, Sting and Lex Luger to beat Kamala, Zodiac, Shark and Meng, all led by
Kevin Sullivan.  He forced Zodiac to submit at the 18:45 mark.

 During the summer of 1995, a new wrestler was introduced into World Championship
Wrestling and due to his size and skill, there was no question that he would be making an
impact quickly.  The new man was The Giant, a man billed as the son of Andre the Giant.  
They were alike in size only.  The Giant had also made his debut that year, and relatively
inexperienced, but it didn’t matter, he was about to hand Hogan his first WCW Title loss.  
Hogan wrestled the Giant on October 29th in Detroit and was disqualified when his manager,
Jimmy Hart hit the referee.  The next night, it was announced that because of a technicality in
the contract of the Hogan-Giant contest, Hogan was going to lose the belt.  Hart had conspired
with Kevin Sullivan and cost him the World Title.  The Giant was the new champion.

 Hogan did win something the night of Havoc in Detroit.  He had beaten the Giant in a special
monster truck match which was held on top of the Joe Louis Arena.  Hogan was without the title
for the first time in 469 days, the longest reign in either the NWA or WCW since Ric Flair’s
fourth reign as World Champion between 1984 and 1986.

 In what many considered to be a dream match, Hogan wrestled Sting for the first time in a
wrestling ring during the November 20, 1995 edition of Nitro.  He went to the ring through the
crowd, wearing a black facemask.  During the encounter, Hogan powered out of a Scorpion
Deathlock before hitting the boot to the face.  He missed his famous legdrop and injured his
leg.  Sting locked a second Deathlock on Hogan.  It seemed as if a submission was near when
the Dungeon of Doom ran out and stopped the bout.  Randy Savage, who had been watching
the match from ringside, stopped the Giant from double chokeslamming both Hogan and
Sting.  Savage got chokeslammed in return.  Hogan and Sting teamed in the end to ward off
their opponents.  The match was ruled a no contest.

 He had an opportunity to regain the WCW World Title at World War III on November 26, 1995
in Norfolk, but was pulled out of the ring by The Giant after being one of only two men
remaining in the 60-man battle royal.  The other man, Randy Savage, won the title.  Hogan
hadn’t even gone over the top rope, instead, was pulled under the ropes to the floor.  The final
stood.  The next night, Hogan pinned Hugh Morris during Nitro after a legdrop.  He also
brawled with the Giant after an interview with Randy Savage.  Hogan appeared from the locker
room during the December 4th Nitro after Ric Flair ran from the ring guilty after interfering in a
match between Lex Luger and Randy Savage.  Hogan nailed Sting, after he ran to the ring, by
accident and led to a confrontation between the two most popular men in WCW.  A rematch
between the two stars from their inconclusive November match.  Nothing took place other than
words spoken.

 Hogan teamed with Sting on December 11th to prove that everyone was on the same page.  
He pinned Arn Anderson during a match against the latter and Ric Flair.  Brian Pillman ran to
the ring and joined his Horsemen mates in beating down both heroes before Lex Luger ran out
to even things up.  Randy Savage was the fourth fan favorite to appear and accidentally got
belted by Sting, throwing another wrench into the fold.  In the end, Hogan and the trio
attempted to iron things out.  Hogan helped Savage retain the World Title in his defense
against The Giant on December 18th.  A chair shot made things easier.  He also declared his
motives in wanting a title shot and Savage agreed to a future match, if he was still the champ.

 In late December, Flair beat Savage for the WCW World Title at Starrcade.  Hogan did not
wrestle on the show.  He did receive a shot at Flair’s new championship during the January 1,
1996, live edition of Nitro.  The match ended with the Four Horsemen, Randy Savage and the
Giant in the ring.  He didn’t capture the belt.  Hogan and Savage challenged Flair and
Anderson to a tag match during the following week’s Nitro in Charleston.  The contest was
held.  Hogan pinned Anderson before a brawl broke out between the Horsemen, the Dungeon
of Doom and the winners of the match.

 During the January 22, 1996 live edition of Nitro, Hogan joined Savage in the ring after the
latter captured the WCW World Title from Flair.  He again stated that he wanted a shot.  
Savage agreed.  He pinned an old foe, the One Man Gang, later in the ring.  The Dungeon of
Doom and the Horsemen tried to ruin the celebration, but Hogan was able to run them all off.  
Promotions for the upcoming Clash of the Champions was spoken about throughout the
month.  Hogan was going to team with Savage against the Giant and Flair in the main event.  
The two favorites were upset at the Clash.  Hogan met Flair in a singles match on January
29th.  He was accompanied by Elizabeth, Woman and several other women to the ring.  Flair
nailed Hogan with one of Elizabeth’s shoes after Jimmy Hart got involved and scored the pin.  
Hogan bled profusely.

 On February 11th in St. Petersburg, Hogan beat the Giant in a cage match.  Also, Flair was
able to regain the World Title from Savage, allowing a future heel vs. babyface title bout
between Hogan and Flair.  The next night during Nitro, Hogan suffered an upset pinfall loss to
Arn Anderson.  Many fans were shocked at the loss, and others were excited by the fact that
the only unbeatable Hogan was being taken down on more of a regular basis.  Hogan was, in
fact, not losing on a regular basis and remained one of the most feared competitors in the
world.  The Horsemen also played a big part in the finish.  He was defeated for a second time
by Anderson on February 19th.  Hogan was disqualified after Savage and run out.  A man
known as the Bootyman, Ed Leslie, joined the Hogan-Savage crew later in the night with an
important save.

 Another one of Hogan’s arch-enemies from the past returned to the wrestling circle in March
1996.  The man was Zeus, who was competing under a different name and a full-fledged
member of the Dungeon of Doom.  Zeus was known as “Z-Gangsta,” and was as big as ever.  
“Hulkamania” was in danger.  He had gotten the better of him during their feud in ’89, but it was
1996 and things were different.  Zeus was also known worldwide as “Deebo.”

 Hogan and Savage teamed to wrestle eight-men in a special “Doomsday” cage match in
Tupelo, Mississippi.  The odds were definitely against them, but they prevailed.  Savage
pinned Flair to win the match.  The presence of Zeus was strong, although it wasn’t enough for
the Dungeon or the Horsemen to get the victory.  Hogan had the accompaniment of the Booty
Babe on April 15th for his handicap match against Sullivan and Anderson during Nitro.  It may
have helped.  He won and was supposed to get five-minutes alone with Jimmy Hart.  The Giant
appeared on the scene and chokeslammed the winner.  The move spawned a quick recovery
and Hogan returned to slam the Giant.  He almost did the same to “Mean” Gene.  Hogan
missed some time in the weeks and months that followed, although he was mentioned often.

 During the summer of ’96, WCW had been seeing an invasion take hold of the spotlight.  Two
former World Wrestling Federation wrestling champions, Diesel and Razor Ramon, began
appearing on WCW Television.  The duo berated the organization and it’s top athletes,
including Hogan.

 As the promotions continued towards the Bash at the Beach on July 7th in Daytona Beach,
Hogan was not supposed to be present.  He was not on the card to wrestle.  The main event
was Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and a mysterious partner against Lex Luger, Randy Savage and
Sting.  Flair, the World Champ, The Giant, Dallas Page and others filled holes in the card, but
Hogan was not lined up.  In one of the most startling moves in professional wrestling history,
Hogan appeared as the third member of the Outsiders’ team.  The three took the liberty of
beating up WCW’s top “heroes,” as fans tossed just about everything they could into the ring.  
Hogan had gone against the fans, turning his back for the first time since the early part of the
1980s.  The world of smarts and marks were all stunned.  The New World Order had been
born.  The group would change the face of professional wrestling forever.

 The NWO interrupted Nitro’s main event on July 15th between Luger and Bubba Rogers.  
Hogan joined the Outsiders in an attack on both men.  From that point forth, he would be
known as “Hollywood” Hogan.  The music, swagger and tone would all be known forever,
imbedded in the minds of those who were lucky enough to witness history in the making.  Late
in the month, the Outsiders attacked a number of WCW wrestlers backstage during Nitro.  The
beatings were laughed off by Nash and Hall.  Hogan went back to the top of the throne on
Saturday, August 10th in Sturgis, South Dakota.  He beat the Giant and recaptured the World
Heavyweight Title.  The event also saw him spray paint the belt with the letters “NWO” as if a
new organization sponsored it.  The Booty Man, Leslie, went to the ring with a cake.  His
intentions were to continue the celebration and document his allegiance with the group.  For
his appearance, he was attacked and left for dead.

 On August 15th at the Clash, Hogan wrestled Flair and was defeated by disqualification.  A
huge War Games match was scheduled for Fall Brawl.  The NWO, which had Hogan, Nash, Hall
and a new member claiming to be Sting against Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, Flair and another
person claiming to be Sting.  It was learned that the NWO’s Sting was a fake one.  The real
Sting walked out on his team during the double-cage match in Winston-Salem.  The match was
four-on-three.  The fake Sting locked in a version of the Scorpion Deathlock on Luger while
Hogan applied pressure with a headlock.  The NWO again defeated WCW.  Sting, angry that
anyone would have questioned his motives, left the promotion and declared himself a free-
agent.

 At Halloween Havoc, Hogan beat Randy Savage to retain his World Title.  Following the
match, he was confronted by “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.  The members of the NWO went to the ring
at the end of Nitro on November 4th in Grand Rapids.  Hogan was joined by Ted DiBiase,
Vincent and the Giant.  He followed with a “Hollywood” posedown for the crowd.  There was talk
of a Hogan-Piper match at Starrcade and the fact that Eric Bischoff was attempting to sign it.

 On November 18th in Florence, South Carolina, Bischoff brought Piper to the ring for an
interview.  In a shocking turn of events, Piper was attacked by both Bischoff and the NWO.  
Bischoff, a high-ranking WCW Official, had joined Hogan’s crew.  WCW continued to fall into
the doldrums as the New World Order took over.  Hogan was defeated by Piper after falling
victim to his sleeperhold on December 29, 1996 in Nashville, but he did not lose his claim to
the WCW World Title.  The bout had been a non-title match.  Either way, Piper had gotten the
better of him, but lucky for Hogan and the NWO, he disappeared soon after the event.

 The next day, the Giant was fired from the NWO after refusing to chokeslam Piper after an
order from Hogan.  The group proceeded to attack the seven-foot athlete when he said he
deserved a shot at the World Title for winning the World War III pay-per-view in November.  A
week later, the NWO met with the Giant in the Nitro ring.  After some words, a brawl broke out.  
The Giant was laid out in the end.  On January 13th, Bischoff and Hogan took the Giant’s
World Title shot away from him.  Members of the WCW Executive Committee decided to review
the situation and later announced that the Giant, was, in fact, going to get the shot on January
25th in Cedar Rapids.  He wrestled the Giant and the two went to a no-contest.

 In February, Hogan-Piper II was scheduled for the main event of SuperBrawl in San
Francisco.  Hogan gained some revenge with a pin victory.  At the March pay-per-view, Hogan
teamed with the Outsiders and Randy Savage to win a three-team elimination match in
Charleston.  He pinned Lex Luger to win the contest.  Luger beat Hogan on June 9th and won
a claim to the WCW World Title.  James J. Dillon ruled on behalf of WCW Executive Committee,
stating that because there was no original contract for the match, the title was not on the line.  
Hogan retained his belt.

 On June 15th, he missed his third straight pay-per-view.  Hogan teamed with Dennis Rodman
in a loss to Luger and the Giant on July 13th at the Bash at the Beach in Daytona.  Luger
forced Hogan to submit to his torture rack.  Both Savage and Rodman suffered the same fate
after the bell rang.  In Auburn Hills on August 4th, Hogan lost the WCW World Title to Luger
during Nitro.  Five days later, he regained the belt in Sturgis during Road Wild.  He won his
third WCW World Championship.  Hogan wrestled Piper at Halloween Havoc in a non-title cage
match.  He succumbed to the sleeperhold in front of a Las Vegas crowd.  Hogan wrestled Sting
in the main event of Starrcade on December 28, 1997.  Sting beat him in controversial fashion
when his longtime WWF peer, but never opponent, Bret Hart made the final three count.  The
title changed hands, but was subsequently declared vacant by WCW Officials.

 Bret Hart had joined the organization earlier in the month after a falling out with their former
promotion.  A rematch between Hogan and Sting was signed for SuperBrawl VIII in San
Francisco and waiting in the wings for a title shot was Scott Hall, who had won the World War III
event months before.  SuperBrawl took place on February 22, 1998 at the famous Cow
Palace.  Sting pinned Hogan to capture the vacant World Title with some outside help from
Randy Savage.  Things continued to be as wild as could be.  Hogan attacked Sting during his
title defense against Kevin Nash on April 6th in Miami.  His actions brought more heat between
Hogan and Nash, and the downfall of the New World Order.

 Wrestlers within the NWO began to take sides.  Brian Adams, besides the Disciple, was the
first to ally himself with Hogan.  Konnan and Savage were both early stablemates of Nash’s
Red and Black NWO…aka Wolfpack.  Hollywood regained the World Title from Savage on April
20th in Colorado Springs during Nitro.  It was his fourth.  On May 4th, Curt Hennig announced
that he was apart of the Wolfpack and against the Black and White, which was led by Hogan.  
Just another defection.  He defended his championship against Savage in a rematch on May
11th in Kansas City, but the bout ended with Bret Hart charging the ring and blasting Savage
with the belt.  An all-out brawl ensued with Nash and the Giant, who had rejoined Hogan’s NWO
earlier in the night, nearly coming to blows.  Earlier in the show, Hogan, Giant, Brian Adams
and Vincent had attacked Nash and spray painted “NWO” on his back with black paint.  In yet
another bold move, the legendary Dusty Rhodes declared himself apart of Hogan’s group.  
Everyone was taking sides, even the fans.

 During the Great American Bash on June 14th in Baltimore, Hogan teamed with Bret Hart to
beat Roddy Piper and Savage in an important tag match.  Hart forced “Macho Man” to submit.  
In 1998, a new competitor began rocketing up the charts…his name was Bill Goldberg.  
Goldberg was a former pro-football player and had made his debut in 1997 after working at the
Power Plant.  His popularity reminded some of Hogan’s early WWF days.  On June 29th in
Tampa, Hogan was bodyslammed by Karl Malone and clotheslined twice in the ring while Dallas
Page watched on during Nitro.  Some news came down that Hogan might not have liked during
WCW Thunder.  J.J. Dillon announced that Hogan was contractually binded to defend his
WCW World Title against the number one contender and U.S. Heavyweight Champion, Bill
Goldberg.

 The news rocketed through newsgroups and wrestling internet sites like never before.  Hogan
was going to meet Goldberg on July 6, 1998 at the huge Georgia Dome in Atlanta.  Goldberg,
at the time, remained defeated through an astounding number of matches.  It was announced
early from the Peach State that Goldberg would not face Hogan unless he met and beat
another member of the NWO Black and White first.  He would be forced to compete against
former Outsider, Scott Hall first.  In a rough match, Goldberg beat Hall and prepared for the
main event.  The fabled contest between good and bad was locked in and more than 40,000
fans were in attendance to witness history.

 Either Hogan was going to retain and end Goldberg’s streak, or the latter was going to win the
World Title and become a duel champ.  Goldberg pinned Hogan and won the belt.  No other
wrestler had ever entered the sport and advanced up the ladder as Goldberg had.  Hogan
tried to end the reign, but couldn’t.

 On August 8th in Sturgis, he teamed with Eric Bischoff against Tonight Show Host Jay Leno
and Dallas Page.  Leno pinned Bischoff in the high-profile bout.  The event earned national
recognition.  War Games headlined Fall Brawl on September 13th.  Hogan, Bret Hart and
Stevie Ray teamed against teams from both WCW and the NWO Wolfpack.  Dallas Page
pinned Ray in the finals to earn a future World Title shot.

 Hogan announced that he was retiring from professional wrestling to concentrate on his plans
to become President of the United States on November 26, 1998 during The Tonight Show with
Jay Leno.  His candidacy might have helped the confusion in November 2000.  He was not
going to remain retired for long.

 Goldberg lost the WCW World Title to Kevin Nash at Starrcade, a card Hogan didn’t wrestle
on.  On January 4, 1999, Kevin Nash laid down for Hogan to pin him in Atlanta.  He captured
his fifth WCW World Title.  The New World Order was rebuilding and gaining strength once
again.  For the first time in many months, Hogan, Nash and Hall were on the same side.  The
original NWO was back.  He beat Ric Flair with the help from a masked man, who turned out to
be Flair’s son David on February 21st in Oakland.  Flair returned to beat him for the WCW
World Title at Uncensored on March 14th.

 At the Tacoma Dome on April 11th, Hogan entered a four-corners, Texas Tornado Match for
Flair’s World Title.  During that bout, he suffered a serious knee injury during the match and
was carried from the ring by WCW Trainers.  Eric Bischoff walked out to console him in the
aisleway.  He never returned.

 Hogan left the promotion to recover from his injuries.  He appeared on Suddenly Susan.  
Under the Hollywood Hogan guise, he taped an episode entitled “In This Corner…Susan
Keane,” which was broadcast on May 3, 1999.  He made his return, surprising many, on July
12th in Jacksonville, Florida.  Hogan walked out after WCW World Champion, Randy Savage
made an open challenge to anyone in the organization early in Nitro’s broadcast.  The match
was accepted and scheduled for the main event.  Hollywood was back and ready to return the
gold to around his waist.  The women of Savage’s crew were ringside and later removed by the
referee.  Sid Vicious ran out, but wasn’t a factor.  Kevin Nash’s interference was.  He delivered
a jackknife powerbomb and Hogan scored the pin for his sixth WCW World Title.  Immediately,
Nash challenged Hogan for a title shot.

 On August 2nd in Sioux Falls, Hogan appeared for an interview with Gene Okerlund.  Despite
a physical appearance change, Hollywood remained, but some where wondering if another
major alteration was about to occur.  A week later in Nampa, Hogan completed his
transformation.  After being attacked by Nash, Sid Vicious and Rick Steiner and a six-man tag
match set for the main event, Hogan went to the ring dressed in his famous “Yellow and Red.”  
Hulk Hogan was back and Hollywood was dead.

 Hogan teamed with Goldberg and Sting to beat Nash, Vicious and Steiner.  Sting forced Nash
to submit and a new stipulation for Road Wild was set.  If Nash lost, his career in wrestling
would be over.  Of course, the main event for the Sturgis event was Hogan vs. Nash for the
WCW World Title.  The fans were eager for the return to the “good” side and Hogan was
instantly as popular as ever.  On August 14th in South Dakota, Hogan survived a jackknife
powerbomb to land his big boot and legdrop for the victory.  Nash was forced into retirement.  
Hogan lost the WCW World Title to Sting on September 12th at Fall Brawl.  A number of
wrestlers played a part in the contest, but in the end, Sting won by submission.

 At Halloween Havoc on October 24th, he laid down for Sting to pin him in Las Vegas.  Later,
Sting was defeated by Bill Goldberg and was stripped of the World Title for attacking a
referee.  In early 2000, Hogan was spotlighted by Entertainment Television’s “True Hollywood
Story.” Things changed for the worse on February 14, 2000 in New York when Lex Luger
attacked him during his match with Ric Flair.  Luger used a baseball bat and broke Hogan’s left
arm.  He did beat Flair by disqualification.  Several blasts to his arm did the trick.  On the 20th
of that month, he returned to beat Luger in a grudge match in San Francisco.  Hogan wore a
cast to protect his injury.  Fans respected the fact that he was wrestling with the pain.  On
March 19th in Miami, Hogan pinned Ric Flair.  He also made his return to the ring as
“Hollywood” Hogan.

 In April, the WCW landscape changed.  Eric Bischoff teamed with Vince Russo to form the
“New Blood,” a group of younger stars with aspirations to make the big time.  The duo criticized
the older, more experienced athletes and labeled a select group of which Hogan was apart.  
The “Millionaires Club” was not only Hogan, but Flair, Page, Vicious, Nash, Sting and Luger.  
The night that began it all was April 10th at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.  Hogan
watched as Bischoff and Russo reclaimed all of the championship gold in the ring and took a
verbal bashing along with the others.  Hogan, angry at the turn of events, began to search for
Bischoff through the halls of the new arena.  Hogan wanted a piece of his former NWO mate.  
He finally found him as Billy Kidman had gone to the ring and expressed a certain hatred
towards Hogan.

 The former Cruiserweight Champion called Hogan out and the Hulkster was quick to
respond.  Immediately after arriving on the scene, he was attacked by the high-flyer with
punches and kicks.  A match between the two was immediately set and Hogan dominated the
contest with his size and strength.  There was no way a Kidman was going to push the 24”
pythons around.  Bischoff ran out and interjected a measure of cruelty, costing Hogan the
match.  Kidman had pinned Hulk Hogan.  Bischoff counted the pinfall as well.  The win for
Kidman seemed unofficial, but Hogan’s being laid out and busted open seemed real enough
for a rematch to be scheduled for Slamboree.  After the pinfall, Hogan began searching for
Kidman.  He got into a limousine only to have it smashed by a Humvee three times.  Bischoff
hopped out of the driver’s side as Kidman leaped from the passenger side.  The culprits were
not scared of being known.  They cherished the fact.  Hogan was carried away on a stretcher
as “NB” for New Blood was painted on his shirt in red by Kidman.

 Around this same time, Vince Russo was haunting Ric Flair.  Between Bischoff and Russo,
they were haunting the men who dominated professional wrestling for the last twenty-years.  
They were dealing with history and dominating it.  On May 7th at Slamboree in Kansas City,
Hogan wrestled Kidman once again.  Bischoff acted as special referee.  Kidman pinned Hogan
with some controversy, but afterwards, Hulk got some revenge.  He powerbombed Bischoff
through a table.  Fans were shocked at the outcome.  A rematch was asked for by both Hogan
and his legion of supporters.  Kidman was fast becoming one of the most hated men in WCW.  
The two wrestled again on June 11th in Baltimore.  Hogan stated that if he lost, he would
retire.  He beat Kidman and continued his rise to the top.

 The cable station A&E, which was famous for their biographical portrayals, debuted the story
of Hulk Hogan during the early weeks of June 2000.  Since 1983, Hogan was a vital part of
professional wrestling.  On July 9th, it all seemed to come to an end.  The Bash at the Beach
card was held in Daytona Beach, the site of the New World Order’s formation in 1996.

 The 2000 version saw Hogan challenge Jeff Jarrett for the WCW World Heavyweight Title.  
There was no wrestling, but Hogan won the WCW World Title for the seventh time.  Jarrett laid
down for him and Hogan covered him with his boot.  Hogan left the ring with the title and Vince
Russo took a hold of the microphone.  He stated that Hogan had won the “Memorial Belt” and
that Jarrett would remain the WCW Champion.  Other, more painful words were spoken and
fans, more than ever, were confused.  They wanted to know if it was a work or a shoot.  When
Hogan didn’t return, they seemed to know.  There was talk of a possible lawsuit, but no one
was definite.

 A year later, and about three months after WCW was sold, there was talk of Hogan beginning
his own wrestling promotion in Florida.  Many people were excited about the idea.  Hogan
needed to return.  He had helped build what was being seen today and many were not going to
be happy until he received the respect he deserved.

 The XWF was formed in October 2001.  A series of television tapings were scheduled for
November 13-14, 2001 at Soundstage 23 in Universal Studios Florida.  Hogan appeared both
days and wrestled Curt Hennig on the second.  In true “Hulkster” fashion, a legdrop was landed
and a pinfall was counted.

 Hogan resigned with the World Wrestling Federation, a move which many said would never
happen, during the last week of January 2002.  Both Kevin Nash and Scott Hall had also
signed with the WWF, and it seemed that the New World Order was back.

 Hogan is among the legends of professional wrestling and others can criticize his abilities, but
he never claimed to be an Olympic catch-as-catch-can wrestler.  He had the motivation and
power to lift the sport.  His call to the crowd was always met.  Put your hand to your ear and
learn from the man who is Hulk Hogan.  Remember, take your vitamins and say your prayers.

TITLE HISTORY:
 -NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Title (1979) defeated Dick Slater
 -IWGP World Heavyweight Title (1983-’84) defeated Antonio Inoki, tournament final
 -A five-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion
         -Defeated The Iron Sheik (1984)
         -Defeated Randy Savage (1989)
         -Defeated Sgt. Slaughter (1991)
         -Defeated The Undertaker (1991)
         -Defeated Yokozuna (1993)
 -A seven-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion
         -Defeated Ric Flair (1994)
         -Defeated The Giant (1996)
         -Defeated Lex Luger (1997)
         -Defeated Randy Savage (1998)
         -Defeated Kevin Nash (1999)
         -Defeated Randy Savage (1999)
         -Defeated Jeff Jarrett (2000)


Copyright 2010 by Tim Hornbaker


Neal Rubin of the Knight-Ridder News Service wrote a revealing article about Hogan, printed in
the Sunday, April 5, 1987 edition of the San Jose Mercury News.  Rubin wanted to know more
about Hogan's history, and included a quote from WWF publicist Mike Weber, who said, "He's
Hulk Hogan and no one else.  The mystery of Hulk Hogan is what makes him him." However,
Rubin wasn't satisfied with that answer.  He found out that Hogan was from Tampa, a college
dropout, and unloaded banana boats on the Tampa docks.  Hogan played the bass guitar in
bands with names as "Koco," "Ruckus," and "Infinity's End." He also streaked naked across the
Robinson High School football field.  Rubin included his real name, birthdate, and all types of
facts that fans couldn't find elsewhere.
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