On August 11th, Hulk Hogan celebrated his 70th birthday and over 40 years as a celebrity. It all began in 1982 when Hulk Hogan popped off the screen in Rocky 3 as Thunderlips and became a household name. Before Rocky 3, Hogan began wrestling in 1977 in Florida, and from 1977 to 1979, he bounced around different territories in the southeast including Alabama, Memphis, and Georgia. By 1979, Hulk Hogan entered the WWE (then known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation) as a villain. From 1979 to 1980 Hogan was a villain and he feuded with Andre The Giant and he had a World title match with Bob Backlund. In 1980, Hogan left the WWE after a dispute with Vince McMahon Sr. over his role in Rocky III.
After filming his role in Rocky III, Hogan entered the AWA (American Wrestling Association) in 1981. He quickly became a fan favorite feuding with Bobby Heenan and The Heenan Family which included Ken Patera, Mr. Saito, and the AWA World Champion, Nick Bockwinkel. At 6'7 and 300 pounds, Hulk Hogan had a superhero appeal to fans. Hogan was the biggest star in the AWA and Vince McMahon took notice making him an offer to come to the WWE.
In December of 1983, The Hulkster entered the WWE and beat the Iron Shiek in January of 1984 to become the WWE Champion changing pro wrestling in the process. His feuds in the 80's with stars like Rowdy Roddy Piper, King Kong Bundy, Andre The Giant and Macho Man Randy Savage made WWE a national brand and Hulk Hogan a superstar. He would go on to have roles in TV shows like The A-Team and movies like No Holds Barred and Suburban Commando which would cement his pop culture status.
In 1994, Hogan left WWE for World Championship Wrestling. His presence in WCW made the company into a national powerhouse. Hulk Hogan is the only wrestler that was apart of two companies that he helped become mainstream entities.
Happy Birthday Hulkster! and Thank you for your contributions to pop culture.
THE PROFESSOR
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