Heres a man whose appearance on this list will come as no surprise. The wrestling boom of the 1980s helped elevate the sport to unprecedented levels of popularity, and it was Hulk Hogan who became the face of the company during those years of prosperity. Inside of the ring, Hogan clocked the third longest WWE title reign of all time (1,474 days) and won back-to-back Royal Rumbles in 1990 and 91. The fact that he never won any of the mid-card titles shows just how huge a star this guy was. Perhaps his biggest achievement though was his record of headlining eight of the first nine WrestleManias, and essentially pioneering the greatest show in the sports entertainment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-PcTsZZw5I But it wasnt just within the business that he was making a splashthe Hulkster was everywhere. TV, movies, magazines, talk showsyou name it and Hogan featured in it. Hulkamania genuinely was running wild. Hes come in for criticism for his fairly limited in-ring ability, as well as the fact that he dragged out his wrestling career well into his late fifties. But thats not enough to tarnish the legacy that Hogan made for himself during his overwhelmingly successful first run in the company, when he truly defined one of the most memorable periods in wrestling history.
