3 Electric Hulk Hogan Segments That Made Him A Legend

Since his death on July 24, Hulk Hogan has proven to be just as complicated a figure as he was in life. There's just no other way around it. And while many have tried as hard as possible to "separate the art from the artist" or however one wants to describe it, it would be a disservice to suggest that Hogan wasn't everything everyone has said he was, good or bad. Hogan is the man that helped turn WWE into a promotional superpower, while also (if you believe Jesse Ventura) conspiring with then WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to prevent talent from unionizing and earning benefits such as health care. He was an icon who became a hero to children in his heyday, and a man who made racist statements that he never quite atoned for. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

No matter how one wants to slice it, it all combines to create the controversial legacy the WWE Hall of Famer has left behind. It looms over everything, like a shadow on a summer day, or the monster Danforth saw behind the mountain peaks at the end of H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness." It also looms large over today's subject matter. Given his status as wrestling's first crossover superstar (aside from Gorgeous George), Hogan had his share of unforgettable, electrifying segments throughout his career. But there are three that stand out in helping make Hogan into the legend he became, and make it all the more painful that the moments are tarnished by his other actions.

Anyone familiar with Hogan's history will know he was on top of the world by 1987. He was also more than familiar with Andre the Giant by that time as well; the two had not only teamed together as babyfaces in WWE and in Japan, but had also been rivals during Hogan's often forgotten first WWE run, which saw the two battle it out in Shea Stadium, and a then heel Hogan slam Andre several times before he famously did so during their WrestleMania III clash. When you take all of that into account, Hogan vs. Andre doesn't seem like it be as strong as it turned out. But it was, and it was in large part thanks to Andre's turn on Hogan on the February 7, 1987 edition of Piper's pit, the first of several notable turns Hogan would be involved in throughout his career.

The whole situation had been built to quite effectively, from Andre taking a long look at the title before handing it back to Hogan at a 1986 Madison Square Garden show, to Hogan hogging the spotlight during a moment meant to honor Andre. But even with all the signs, it was still shocking when Andre walked out for Piper's Pit with Bobby Heenan by his side. And even though it's nearly been forty years, the next few minutes continue to resonate, from Hogan's despair to Roddy Piper's shock to Heenan's seething anger as he berates Hogan for "mistreating" Andre to Andre's stoic, silent demeanor, at least till he finally challenges Hogan to the WrestleMania match and rips off Hogan's shirt and crucifix, causing Hogan to bleed from the chest. It was not the happiest moment involving Hogan, but it remains one of the most famous, and kickstarted the road to, arguably, the biggest WWE moment of his career.

While his racist statements and controversial politics became the biggest reason for fans to turn against Hogan later in life, many already disliked him for wrestling related reasons, such as the perception that Hogan often refused to lose ("that doesn't work for me brother"), held talents down, used creative control to get his way, the list goes on. In fact, even the times he did lose to people seem to support this; for example, when he dropped the WCW World Heavyweight Championship to Lex Luger, Hogan won it back just days later. When he dropped the WCW title to Goldberg, it would lead to Hogan getting the belt back (albeit from Kevin Nash) in one of the more infamous wrestling moments ever. And there's no need to discuss Starrcade 1997. So it makes sense that the one time Hogan did appear to pass the torch, to Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI in 1990, would stand out quite a bit.

It certainly does. While Warrior vs. Hogan was a massive match for its time, it's not wrong to say that expectations for it weren't the highest. But the match, in front of a rabid, sold out Skydome in Toronto, Canada, exceeded all expectations, and then stunned fans when Warrior became the first man to defeat Hogan cleanly to win the WWE Championship. And then the post match provided a timeless moment, when Hogan, tears in his eyes, shook Warrior's hand, raised it up high, and strapped the title around Warrior's waist. For many, it remains one of the more heartwarming moments in WrestleMania history, and the rare time Hogan actually put a talent over. Of course, given it's Hogan, it's also seen by some as the Hulkster showing up Warrior and putting the spotlight back on himself, setting the stage for Hogan to climb back atop the mountain after Warrior lost the title in early 1991.

If there's one moment from Hogan's career that is guaranteed to be among the first things one thinks about when Hogan springs to mind, it's this one. In fact, Hogan's heel turn at WCW Bash at the Beach 1996 may be the one moment of his that can escape the cloud of his real life flaws and controversies. Perhaps its because there's still never been anything quite like what happened on July 6, 1996. There have been heel turns like Andre's, there have been feel good moments like Warrior and Hogan embracing after their match, there's been crowds turning on wrestlers mid-match, like when fans rejected Rock and supported Hogan at WrestleMania X-8. But as John Cena's polarizing heel turn this year proves, it may not be possible to achieve what WCW did that night, when Hogan dropped the leg on Randy Savage and revealed himself to be the third man, alongside Kevin Nash and Scott Hall of The Outsiders.

As it turns out, the turn was merely an appetizer for Hogan's post-match interview with a heartbroken "Mean" Gene Okerlund. While always a capable promo, nothing Hogan had said before or after resonated quite like this speech, one where he was pelted with garbage by the irate Daytona Beach fans. In just four minutes, Hogan laid it out everything, from his reasons for turning to the nWo's goals, while taking his character's new found arrogance out for a test drive. Sure, in the end, that same arrogance would lead to real life Hogan neutering the nWo angle and steering WCW towards its demise. But then again, it also led to a near two year period of WCW dominance over WWE, all kicked off by this turn and speech that launched the New World Order.