11 WWE Wrestlers Who Lived The Gimmick In Real Life
4. Hulk Hogan
The gimmick:
Similar to Bret Hart in certain respects, Hogan’s gimmick was based on the fact that he was deemed to be the best. However, unlike Hart, Hogan’s position wasn’t based on his technical proficiency inside the ring. Rather, it was based on his marketability.
Hogan seemingly had it all—the name, the size, and the intensity of his promos that made him an absolute megastar. So much so that he was even able to pull off the skullet and handlebar moustache combo...
Add in his apparent superhero-like powers, and Hogan was cast as an American hero who was seemingly, at the time, unbeatable.
In real life:
Again, much like Hart, rather than being a real-life caricature of his gimmick, Hogan simply took his act too seriously.
It was as though he bought into his own hype, believing he really was the best and that no one else deserved to take that crown from him. As such, there’ve been countless stories of him politicking his way out of losses and into title runs, infamously exercising his creative control to have his own input factored into storylines.