Hulk Hogan

Terry Gene Bollea, known to the world as Hulk Hogan, was born on August 11, 1953, in Augusta, Georgia. Growing up in Tampa, Florida, he was an avid baseball player who briefly attended the University of South Florida before a chance meeting with wrestler Superstar Billy Graham turned his life toward professional wrestling. He debuted in 1977 and quickly developed into a charismatic giant who could work a crowd like no one before him. After a stint in Japan and a memorable appearance in Rocky III (1982), he joined the WWF under Vince McMahon and became the centerpiece of the wrestling explosion of the 1980s. Hulkamania — his brand of red-and-yellow heroism backed by Real American by Rick Derringer — became a global phenomenon. He headlined WrestleMania I in 1985 and became the biggest star in the history of professional wrestling.

Hulk Hogan's impact on professional wrestling and popular culture cannot be overstated. He was the crossover star who made wrestling a mainstream entertainment product in the 1980s, paving the way for everything WWE became. His image — the yellow bandana, the orange tan, the tearing shirt, the ear cupped to the crowd — is one of the most recognizable in sports entertainment history. Despite controversies later in his career and personal life, his place as the most iconic professional wrestler of all time remains unchallenged.