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Hulk Hogan is one of the biggest stars that the sport of professional wrestling has ever seen. He is one of the very few pro wrestlers that have managed to break through into mainstream pop culture over the years.
The fact that he is still relevant more than three decades after winning his first WWE Championship, should tell you everything you need to know about the kind of impact he's had on the fans.
Hulk Hogan has seems to have had his fair share of problems over the years. He has unfortunately been involved in a few controversies since his retirement from in ring action, and was suspended from the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015, before being reinstated earlier this year.
Certain critics have also questioned the wrestling ability of Hogan bringing up his repetitive and formulaic matches. Yet, it is hard to question the fact that for almost two decades Hulk Hogan was the face of the wrestling industry.
Furthermore, Hogan did indeed have a few great great matches during his time at the top of the mountain.
Here is looking back at the 5 greatest matches of his career. It is important to remember that these matches have been picked not only based on the storytelling, but also the impact that they went on to have on the industry--
#5 Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair (Bash At The Beach 1994)
WWE missed out on on having this match at Wrestlemania 8, believing that it was not enough of an draw at the time. However, WCW capitalized on the same and booked Hulk Hogan to take on Ric Flair.
In hindsight, it's easy to say that there is no way that the two biggest names in the history of wrestling would not have drawn record numbers if they went one on one in the main event of Wrestlemania.
WWE's loss was WCW's gain though as they wasted no time in having the two legends face each other. Hulk Hogan made his in ring debut in WCW against Ric Flair at the Bash at the Beach pay per view with the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on the line in 1994.
While both men were past their athletic primes by this point, Flair could still wrestle a pretty good match with a broomstick and Hogan has always been a master at reading the crowd. Although they would go on to have better in ring contests in the future, this match gets the nod because it was the first time the two legends face off against each other.
#4. Hulk Hogan vs Macho Man Randy Savage (Wrestlemania 5)
"The Macho Man" Randy Savage is undoubtedly one of the greatest in ring storytellers in professional wrestling history. It was almost impossible to have a bad match with The Macho Man when he was at the top of his game.
Speaking of which, at Wrestlemania 5, Macho Man certainly was at the top of his game.
Back when wrestling storylines were not known to have the greatest depth, this match had one of the greatest backstories ever told by the WWE. The two most popular stars of the WWE at that time had been a tag team in the past known as 'The Mega Powers'.
However, over time Macho Man would grow jealous of the friendship that Hogan shared with his wife and manager, Miss Elizabeth. Ultimately reaching his breaking point, The Macho Man would attack Hogan.
This story was booked perfectly for over a year, and such long term booking is rarely seen in professional wrestling in this day and age. The two former friends would face off at Wrestlemania 5 for Savage's WWF World Heavyweight Championship.
On that night, Macho Man brought his signature fast-paced, all-action style and Hogan kept up with Savage throughout the contest. Miss Elizabeth's presence at ringside and her partaking in trying to help both men just added to the intensity and tension surrounding the match.
#3. Hulk Hogan vs The Rock (Wrestlemania 18)
Taking place in 2002, Hogan's detractors claimed that Hulkamania was well and truly dead by this time...Or so they thought!
The 70,000 rabid fans at the Toronto SkyDome decided to reincarnate Hulkamania on this night.
What was supposed to be a passing of the torch ended up being the second coming of Hulkamania. Being one of the greatest readers of the crowd in the history of the business, The Rock decided to let the spotlight shine on Hogan despite him being the heel in the story.
Despite being a singles match, the crowd acted as the third man in the match. This might not be the greatest technical match in history, but the crowd participation has certainly elevated it to the status of a classic.
With two of the biggest icons of their respective generations coming face to face, magic was destined to happen. And the fact that the WWE did not put this match as the main event of Wrestlemania 18 seems an error in hindsight.
#2 Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior (WrestleMania 6)
By the time Wrestlemania 6 rolled around, WWE had already started to prepare for life after Hulk Hogan. The man had been their biggest draw for years but Vince was well aware of the fact that the crowd would soon start craving for a new hero to cheer. The Ultimate Warrior was chosen as the next face of the WWE.
In a match touted as 'The Ultimate Challenge', the then WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan would face WWF Intercontinental Champion, The Ultimate Warrior, in a title unification bout in the main event of Wrestlemania 6.
Now, the Ultimate Warrior was somewhat of a limited in-ring performer. However, The Hulkster being the genius that he is rose to the occasion perfectly.
Hogan had to literally carry the match by himself and the fact that it turned out to be pretty good is a testament to the fact that Hulk Hogan could actually wrestle contrary to popular belief. Hogan deserves huge credit for carrying an extremely limited and tired opponent to a match that has gained legendary status over the years.
#1 Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant (WrestleMania 3)
This match was not a technical masterpiece. But it did not have to be.
It had two larger than life characters in Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant. Two men who at that point of time might well have been the two most famous athletes in the world.
Andre was on his last legs as a wrestler at this point as his body had deteriorated to the point where he had trouble even moving in the ring. Hogan had to take the whole burden of the match itself infront of a 93,173 people who had packed the Pontiac Silverdome in hopes of seeing him overcome Andre.
The match also produced one of the greatest moments in wrestling history when Hogan body slammed Andre The Giant in the ring.
While it is not hard to find a wrestling match that was technically better than this one, no match will ever match this contest from Wrestlemania 3 for its grandness or its importance in wrestling history.
