10 "Add-On" Wrestling Signings That Became Major Players

8. Brutus Beefcake

Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake was hired because his good pal Hulk Hogan had political stroke with Vince McMahon. That's really the long and short of the story. Without that long-standing friendship with Hulk, there's a chance Brutus might have slipped McMahon's radar completely.

Just think, we could've missed out on all that struttin' n' cuttin'.

In all seriousness, Hogan has gone to bat for many of his mates over the years. Beefcake is one of the most remarkable, because he went from mediocre tag wrestler (in The Dream Team with Greg Valentine) to a genuinely over babyface sensation who, at one point, seemed destined for a headline slot on the card.

Years later, Hulk got Brutus hired again. On his 83 Weeks podcast, ex-WCW boss Eric Bischoff admitted he wasn't really interested in Beefcake, but appreciated that Hogan was only trying to look out for his friends. Oh yes, it pays to have friends, especially when they're the biggest star in the biz.