Terry Bollea a.k.a. Hulk Hogan was, in my generation, probably the most famous wrestler. He was the stereotypical over-the-top, in-your-face, macho-man wrestler with the handlebar moustache. He appeared not only in TV ads but in TV shows, including "The A Team" and movies like Rocky III, but had his own video game (as well as being a choice in many others), toys, and food, and his own band, which produced one album that became very famous amongst kids. The truth is, though, that he's still active in wrestling at the age of 67 and his franchise is vastly wider than the above, perhaps making him one of the most business-oriented of all wrestlers (even if many of his ventures didn't work out). He would often appear on-screen, ripping his shirt apart to show his muscles, talking in a gravelly voice and threatening his "enemies." One of those was French performer André René Roussimoff a.k.a. "Andre the Giant," a man who suffered from gigantism and was, thus, over 7' tall. He died of congestive heart failure while in Paris to attend his father's funeral in 1993, but not before he played in several movies, including a giant combatant named Fezzik in the famous romantic comedy, "Princess Bride."
Terry's role in the ring alternated between bad and good, sometimes with very flamboyant costumes, but I feel that when he played as the good guy it helped his image a lot. He is a long-time Christian, although his moustache was inspired by Billy Graham, supposedly because Billy looked so inhuman, but that didn't stop fans from flocking to him. His success as a performer allowed him to move from one wrestling company to the next, which helped him to keep his legend alive, even when he had several back surgeries, including knee surgery in 2001 and a spinal fusion surgery in 2010 that saved his career as a performing wrestler.
Hulk isn't just news-making on-stage, as you will see, because private events throughout his career have periodically caused him trouble.
A sex-scandal occurred when private films of him with Bubba the Love Sponge's wife, Heather Clem, were revealed by Gawker. Apparently, it was a love triangle that all parties were fully aware of and consenting about. Lawsuits ensued (get the pun?) and Hogan ended up winning a hefty chunk of cash for the mental anguish it caused him. Years later, his troubles continued, however, when he was accused of infidelity by his alleged-lover Christiane Plante, which led to his wife divorcing him. He denied the allegations and almost killed himself.
His use of anabolic steroids scarred his rep (and his testimony got Vince McMahon off the hook in court). Although, in private, he is a racist and homophobe, he publicly denies it and statements from various Black wrestlers have tended to support the fact that his racism didn't bleed over into his career. He's still in the WWE Hall of Fame, but his name was removed and his contract cancelled in 2015 because of the release of tapes in which he could be heard making negative comments about Blacks and gays.
Bollea has been in wrestling for most of his life and was a fan in his youth. He is philanthropic and tends to be oriented towards providing a positive image for kids, perhaps in part due to how many kids loved him, resulting in him getting the 1998 Kids' Choice Award. His fame has kept him in the limelight and he is currently back with the WWE. I guess the racism scandal only mattered to the WWE until the dust settled.
Given that "pro" wrestling is largely a staged, choreographed performance rather than true wrestling, with actors and actresses who often play larger-than-life roles onscreen (and staged off-screen "situations"), as well as a large number who never achieve any real fame, it is hard to say who is the world's greatest pro wrestler. Members of this "sport" are acting, even if they are built like "Hulks" (oops, I did it again!). Sometimes, however, performers make mistakes or get angry, resulting in real injuries and deaths (deaths most often heart and brain problems). Usually, in pro wrestling, the most famous are those who are chosen to be promoted by the leaders and/or marketing team based on how they think the public will react. They must be very good at it because pro wrestling has turned into an international money-maker, with various companies that have sprung up in many countries.
Despite the fact that "Hulk Hogan" is often ranked in the top 50, top 10 or even as #1, he wasn't the strongest, the most skilled, or the fastest, but he was, and still is, one of the most marketable.
Author's Note
Long before Terry was an adult, I watched pro wrestling. At the time, I thought it was legitimate (i.e. not staged), and saw figures like Baron von Raschke taking on other stacked men in the ring. It was a thrill to watch them maneuver each other, and I even used a chokehold I'd seen in a fight with a friend. However, after nearly killing him, and learning that it was all staged, my interest in this fake sport abruptly evaporated years before Hulk came into the ring.
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