10 Best Moments From Hulk Hogan's 2002 WWE Return

9. Mr. America

Hulk Hogan was fired.

Well, not really. However, in the spring of 2003, that was the narrative that WWE was pushing. Having beaten the evil Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 19, The Chairman exacted revenge by terminating Hogan from his contract. Meanwhile, a new mystery superstar was being advertised as debuting on WWE programming soon - a patriotic wrestler fighting under the moniker of “Mr. America.”

When Vince McMahon appeared on Smackdown to personally welcome Mr. America to the WWE, the look on his face turned from delight to dismay as the familiar tune of “Real American” came through the PA System and a very obvious Hulk Hogan wearing a mask came parading down the entrance ramp.

It simultaneously remains one of the best kept secrets, funniest reveals, and silliest ideas that the WWE has come up with, but somehow it worked. The fans loved being in on this blatant ruse against McMahon, and the assurances of “I am NOT Hulk Hogan BROTHER!” from Mr. America was icing on the meta-cake.

If Hogan hadn’t fully committed to this bit it would have fallen flat on his face. But thankfully he did, and serves as further evidence of the solid performer he was during this period of his career.