Hulk Hogan is one of the most iconic professional wrestlers of all time, being someone who has achieved everything there is to do in the business. He has held countless World Titles and dominated the main event scene throughout his career. There have been some real highs and serious lows along the way for him.
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Hogan hasn't had a perfect career by any stretch, particularly with issues behind the scenes in his personal life. However, when it comes to his work on camera, the Hulkster has always entertained fans and proven himself to be popular with a large chunk of wrestling fans.
10 Breaking Into The Business
Hulk Hogan got his first appearance inside the ring in 1979, and it didn't take long for WWE to bring him in. He was a big star from the get go, but he wasn't quite at the level fans would become accustomed to just yet. His early WWE work saw him go up against the likes of Bob Backlund and Andre The Giant.
He was a heel with Freddie Blassie by his side as manager. It's a period a lot of fans aren't aware of, simply because WWE rarely talks about this era. However, everyone has to start somewhere, and this was that point for Hogan.
9 Rise Of Hulkamania
1983 is where things really took a turn for Hulk Hogan, as he started to become incredibly popular. The rise of Hulkamania took him to a new stratosphere as a wrestler. He was the ultimate hero here, telling people to say their prayers and take their vitamins, getting all the merchandise and opportunities.
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It was also during this era of his career that Hogan had arguably his most famous match. Him and Andre The Giant pieced together a piece of memorable wrestling history that will never be forgotten, and that helped to make him a household name.
8 The Mega Powers
After that successful run came to an end, Hulk Hogan continued to work at the top level with another iconic storyline as one half of the Mega Powers. This brought him and Randy Savage together, which was one of the greatest partnership of all time, and an amazing feud in the end.
Of course, they ended up splitting, which saw them compete against each other, ultimately ending with the Hulkster becoming WWE Champion. It was an amazing story filled with ups and downs, emotions and great wrestling, making this a key period in Hogan's career.
7 Ending His WWE Run
After his storyline with Randy Savage ran its course, Hulk Hogan continued to work in the main event scene. He feuded with a variety of wrestlers during this run, which led to some great work. Hogan worked against the likes of The Ultimate Warrior, Sgt. Slaughter, and Bret Hart in this period.
It was a great section for him as a talent, with Hogan continuing to prove himself as one of the biggest stars in the business. It was a huge moment for Hogan, with many of his best matches and rivalries happening in this time frame.
6 Joining WCW
Despite being a huge name in WWE, Hulk Hogan surprised the wrestling world by opting to join WCW, and he was quickly pushed to the top once again. Hogan won the World Title by beating Ric Flair, and he continued working a similar character to what fans had known up until that point.
He was a popular star within the company, working with a whole new set of big names such as The Giant, and Vader. It was another strong period of his character, with the Hulkster adding a whole new chunk of matches to his legacy.
5 NWO For Life
While the first version of Hulk Hogan's WCW run was a good one, things went to a different level when he shocked the world and formed the nWo. The Outsiders had been teasing a third member for a while, but few were expecting Hulk Hogan to be the man to take up that slot.
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This created one of the most iconic factions of all time, and it led to some brilliant rivalries and feuds along the way. They dominated the company, and while WCW ended up watering it down with too many members, the original trio was a superb group.
4 WWE Return
While Hulk Hogan didn't return to WWE immediately when they bought WCW, he did eventually return to the company. This came with Vince McMahon attempting to run his own version of the nWo with the same members. It didn't work, but Hogan's return did lead to his epic encounter with The Rock.
It is one of WWE's most famous matches, and it proved to be an absolutely iconic one that fans still love to this day. He also went on to have other matches at this period against the likes of Shawn Michaels and Brock Lesnar, adding more to his legacy.
3 Hall Of Famer
After brief runs with New Japan Pro Wrestling and TNA, Hulk Hogan was brought back to WWE once again. This time, it was to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame. He headlined the Class Of 2005, with the honor being something he had more than earned throughout his career.
Hogan was a worthy inductee, and he gave a solid speech at the moment. It was obviously a major accomplishment and was truly the last big goal he had left to achieve in the business at that point.
2 TNA Run
After being inducted into WWE's Hall Of Fame, Hulk Hogan stuck with the company for a while, only then depart once more. This time he returned to TNA, only for his second stint he stuck around a lot longer. Hogan had several years with TNA where the company was at a high point.
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Hulk worked as on-screen authority, he wrestled, and gained some backstage influence along the way. It wasn't all bad in this run either, as there were plenty of positives to come from it. But there were also times when he overshadowed talent.
1 Controversial Legend
After his TNA run ended, Hulk Hogan once again got in the good graces of WWE. From that point he was used sporadically as a legend. This is a role he still has now, which leads to occasional appearances at WrestleMania or on a legend's edition of Monday Night Raw.
However, his popularity has dropped dramatically during this time as well due to racial comments he made in his private life, which were leaked to the public. This did lead to him being blacklisted by WWE for a period, but that has since gone.
