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Hulk Hogan, the wrestling icon who made professional wrestling what it is today, died Thursday at the age of 71.
Hogan became Vince McMahon’s prized possession, as Hulkamania ran wild for decades in and out of the ring. Wrestling until the early 2000s, Hogan provided generations of fans with unforgettable moments.
WrestleMania III – The Giant Goes Down
The story of Hogan, and wrestling in general, cannot be told without mentioning what is perhaps the greatest match in history.
Hogan fought Andre the Giant for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan in 1987, and the match ended with a legendary scoop-slam by Hogan to Andre, who weighed 525 pounds at the time.
Hogan then gave his signature leg-drop finisher, and pinned Andre.
The entire event is still widely regarded as the pinnacle event of WWE, mainly because of this match.
WrestleMania VI – Warrior Walks with Titles
In 1990, Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior were both beloved by fans, but only one could be considered the top dog.
So, in Toronto, the two babyfaces came together in the ring and put their respective belts on the line – Hogan with the WWF title, and The Ultimate Warrior with the Intercontinental Championship.
The Ultimate Warrior prevailed, giving Hogan his first clean pinfall loss since 1981.
TRUMP REMEMBERS ‘GREAT FRIEND’ HULK HOGAN AS ‘MAGA ALL THE WAY’ AFTER WRESTLING ICON’S TRAGIC DEATH
WrestleMania VII – Real American
The patriotic Hogan faced a bout with Sgt. Slaughter, whose character was dubbed an Iraqi sympathizer during the Gulf War.
During the match, Slaughter attempted to pin Hogan while holding the Iraqi flag, but Hogan kicked out and ripped it. Hogan then used the everlasting leg-drop to win his third championship, and waved the American flag in the ring as a celebration.
Bash At The Beach 1996 – The Heel Turn
Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, with a mystery partner, were in a tag-team match against Randy Savage, Sting and Lex Luger at the Daytona Beach WCW event. To everyone’s surprise, Hulk Hogan came into the ring during the match, with many thinking he was there to support Savage, Sting and Luger.
However, out of nowhere, Hogan hit Savage with not one, but two leg-drops, revealing himself as the third partner, turning heel for the first time, and officially forming the New World Order (nWo). He then hit one more leg-drop before Hall gave the three-count.
Fans were so angry that they threw debris into the ring.
WrestleMania X8 – Icon vs. Icon
Hogan made sporadic appearances in the WWF, and then WWE, in the early 2000s, but as the company pushed Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to be its next top star, The Rock came face-to-face with a legend.
The decibels in Toronto’s Rogers Centre reached that of Joe Carter’s walk-off home run in 1993, as the two came face-to-face, and infamously turned both ways to address the crowd.
Ultimately, The Rock came out on top, which is often a sign of respect to the older wrestlers in the business – but the two shared multiple embraces in the ring together and got the crowd going amid their sign of unity.
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