10 Wrestlers Who Broke Typecasting In The Most Epic Way

9. Hulk Hogan

Trish Stratus Then And Now
WWE.com

Hulk Hogan's size and natural charisma made him an obvious choice for Vince McMahon when he surveyed the industry looking for somebody to lead his kind of national expansion, but Hogan himself ran most of the hard yards refining the character in the American Wrestling Association after McMahon's father Vince Sr booked him as a bully heel during his original run.

Arriving in 1979 as something of a giant compared to the bulk of the New York territory's roster, Hogan was given heel manager Freddie Blassie as a mouthpiece and two jobbers at a time in his squash matches. Big enough to pose a believable threat, he even feuded with Andre The Giant in a ticket-shifting reversal of their era-defining 1987 angle.

It was this villainous charisma that got him cast as 'Thunderlips' in Rocky III, but the decision to take the role that cost him a spot with Vince Sr. A made man from Hollywood upon his return to wrestling, Verne Gagne's saw babyface dollars in Hogan for the AWA, but McMahon saw millions.

The flag-waving, demandment-spewing icon that returned in 1983 was a far cry from the monster that had departed two years earlier. It'd be a wrestling lifetime before he switched again...

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett