Hulk Hogan, a symbol of the American way, has passed away. “The young man who was bad at wrestling” became “an unprecedented superstar.”
In his younger days, Hogan was a bassist in a band. After experiencing setbacks, he entered the world of professional wrestling. He received rigorous training at the dojo of Japanese wrestler Hiro Matsuda, persevered even after his leg was broken, and finally made his debut.
In April 1980, he made his first visit to Japan with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Initially, he was just a “big man” with stiff movements, but he learned from Antonio Inoki and acquired an astonishing level of skill. In the first IWGP final in 1983, he defied expectations and won the championship in the “Inoki Tongue-Out Fainting Incident.”
In 1984, the WWF launched its plan to invade the US. He became a star after appearing in the movie Rocky III and, as a wrestler who had returned from Japan after defeating Inoki, he rose to superstar status in America. The 80s that followed became an era where “how much you could be like Hogan” was the benchmark.
In 1996, he formed the nWo in WCW. With Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, he once again took the wrestling world by storm. In his match against The Rock at “WrestleMania 18” in 2002, despite being a heel, he received thunderous cheers, and a dramatic moment unfolded where he turned back into a babyface during the match. There is no other wrestler who has reached the pinnacle in both Japan and the US.
In his later years, he had his share of turmoil, but many of his rivals, such as André the Giant, Randy Savage, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, The Ultimate Warrior, and John Tenta, have already passed away. Heaven is likely holding another dream WrestleMania right about now.
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