You know him as Hulk Hogan, the handlebar mustached maniac, who stomps around the ring, electrifying the crowd with his taunts and pure force. Throughout the ‘80s and early ‘90s, Hulk Hogan was it. He had the rare ability in the art of developing a persona and brand, which not only had worldwide appeal, but also had lasting appeal. After selling out arenas across the world, Hogan made appearances in Rocky III, Bay Watch and countless other television shows and movies. Most recently he starred on his own hit reality TV show, Hogan Knows Best on VH1 and in January 2008, Hogan will co-host the remake of American Gladiators (on NBC) with Laila Ali, Muhammad Ali’s daughter.


American Gladiators first aired in 1989, and ran for seven seasons. The show pitted regular every day people against “gladiators” (aka enormously strong and agile individuals). It was the modern day David and Goliath. Whether you enjoyed watching the competitors overcome the gladiators or watching the gladiators destroy the competitors, the simple events such as Joust, Breakthrough and Conquer, Powerball and Human Cannonball were a ton of fun to mimic at home with friends. The new 2008 version will include classic events from the original with a 21st century twist, which includes more special effects, better technology and water events. According to Hogan, the new version will be a little more crazy and whole lot more fun.


“I had no idea the show had never been on network TV,” says Hogan. “I was a huge fan of the show. When they told me what they were going to do with it, I said, ‘Man! You know, I watched the show forever, even the reruns on ESPN.’ I said, ‘This is right up my alley!’ So when they called me about it, I thought there was going to be a big audition process. Sometimes you gotta jump and do crazy stuff to get people’s attention. But they had already decided that Hulk Hogan was the guy they wanted to host the show, so it was a great compliment.”

According to Hogan, he won’t be a participant or a gladiator, just the host, but if any of those gladiators try messing with him, they have something coming their way. “I got some tricks for these young kids. I’m not planning on swinging from the ropes or climbing the wall or running The Gauntlet, but if one of those gladiators decides to backhand me or something, there will be a reaction,” promises Hogan.

This sounds like a winning combination. Hogan hosting one of the greatest game shows ever is genius! For old time sake, Hogan joined us on a walk down memory lane…

Terrance Gene Bollea, grew up in Tampa, Florida. He was a normal kid who was a pitcher in little league, played guitar in a rock band and liked to go to the gym… a lot. He attended the University of South Florida, but later dropped out to pursue being a wrestler. In 1977, Hogan fought his first match under the persona “The Super Destroyer.” It wasn’t until Hogan went on a talk show, where he coincidentally sat next to Lou Ferrigno, the star of The Incredible Hulk television series, that “Hulk” came to be. The host commented on how Hogan was larger than “The Hulk.” Hogan, who at the time was 6 ft. 5 in. and weighed 295 pounds, took the cue and began wrestling under the name “The Hulk.” Soon after this, he was introduced to Vince McMahon Jr. of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), whose father later gave Hogan his last name. And thus, a legend was born!


In the mid 1980’s, Hogan began fighting more in the US. When he won his first WWF Championship, the commentator proclaimed, “Hulkamania is here!” In interviews, Hogan would list his three commandments: Training, saying your prayers and eating your vitamins. Hogan soon became a role model to children and transformed wrestling from a violent sport into a marketable enterprise that drew national crowds and appealed to a wide audience. Hogan was not a “meat head” wrestler like most originally perceived. Instead, Hogan was a marketing and branding genius and manages to remain a wrestling icon today .

According to Hogan, his success has been built on two things: Being able to push through and his ability to reinvent himself. That is why he always jumped back and forth between acting and wrestling between movies and televisions, and between wrestling characters and different wrestling leagues. “I wrestled for a while, then I went and did a TV series Thunder in Paradise. Then I went to another wrestling company, Ted Turner, and then I made some movies. Then I turned into a bad guy, and then I went back to the WWE and wrestled some more. Now I’m doing another television series, so I’ve always tried to reinvent myself. You gotta not be afraid when things are up, because if you get too comfortable, you can definitely start going down hill instead of climbing, so you don’t want to be too comfortable with yourself; things can slip through your fingers. So you always gotta keep pushing,” says Hogan.


Over the next ten years, Hogan would feud with other legendary wrestling characters such as Andre the Giant, Sgt. Slaughter, Ric Flair, The Undertaker, Randy “Macho Man” Savage and the Million Dollar Man, win six WWE and WCW Championships, two Royal Rumble Matches, one World Tag Team Championship and be inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Hogan is obviously a very decorated entertainer who has won countless awards, accolades and is recognizable worldwide. But there is really only one question I wanted answered: How many tank tops does he go through? I mean seriously. Every time I see him on TV he’s tearing off his shirt. “Back in the day, when I was wrestling full-time, I was flying three-hundred days, and I was wrestling sometimes four-hundred times a year – twice on Saturday, twice on Sunday, twice on Wednesday,” says Hogan. “Probably the most I remember pulling off in one year was four hundred [tank tops].” Wow, who would have thought!