The wrestling community has lost arguably its biggest and almost certainly most controversial global superstar after the passing of Hulk Hogan overnight.
Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, didn’t just elevate the World Wrestling Federation (now known as WWE) from a niche, bloke-y pastime to the mainstream but is arguably one of the top cultural icons of the 80s, alongside the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, George Michael and Mr T.
His battles with Andre the Giant in the late 80s were watched by millions worldwide and even fed into Cold War sentiments between America and the Soviet Union.
Hogan’s presence in WWF’s Wrestlemania, alongside the likes of Ric Flair, the Macho Man, the Undertaker, Jake the Snake and Rowdy Roddy Piper, placed professional wrestling into the mainstream, laying the foundations for lucrative careers by more recent stars including Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock.
But it was far from smooth sailing for Hogan. The six-times WWE champion and WWE Hall of Famer was a polarising and contentious figure.
He was dropped by the WWE in 2005 after leaked audio exposed Bollea making racist remarks. This was part of a sex tape revelation at the centre of Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker Media.
In 2016, a Florida jury ruled Gawker Media had violated Hogan’s right to privacy when the online publication posted the tape, and awarded him $140 million, which eventually caused Gawker to collapse.
Prior to Hogan’s fall from grace, and particularly during the 1980s and 1990s, Hogan was a regular star in scores of ads across the world (see compilation below).
He represented brands including Hitachi, Telecom US, Radioshack, Cheerios and Arby’s Chicken, while releasing a few of his own products, including Hulk Hogan’s Ultimate Grill.
Hogan also shilled some obscure products and services, including paper towels, cleaning products, loan sharks, a Dutch insurance company, an appliance rental centre and prostate pills.
Aside from advertising, Hogan was a regular on the big screen. He starred in several movies and TV shows, including Gnomeo & Juliet, American Dad, The Inbetweeners, Walker Texas Ranger, Baywatch, Muppets from Space, Santa with Muscles, Gremlins 2, The Love Boat, The A-Team and Rocky 3, to name a few.
Hogan claims he was offered the lead role in the critically acclaimed movie The Wrestler, but the film’s director Darren Aronofsky has disputed this, stating the role was written for the actor Mickey Rourke, and that the lead character, Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson, is a composite of several wrestlers.
He was also the star of a reality TV series, Hogan Knows Best, that centred on Hogan’s family life.
In more recent times, Hogan has become a prominent supporter of US President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.
His sex tapes and MAGA support may have tarnished Hogan’s legacy in the eyes of many. Nonetheless, he will go down in history as a pop culture icon of the 80s, who entertained a generation and whose image was lapped up by brands during peak Hulkamania.
Telecom US struck a coup when they enlisted Hulk Hogan and ALF to promote their telecommunications service in 80s.
