411’s WWE Greatest Moments Report: Hulk Hogan

-Written: 7.26.26
-Source: A&E
-Run Time: 30 minutes (w/ commercials)

-Plug: A year ago I wrote how I felt with the passing of Hulk Hogan

-This is a big one for me and it’s obviously airing this week as two days marked one year since Hulk Hogan passed away. My thoughts are noted above, but it is no secret that Hogan is my favorite wrestler of all time and is the reason I am a fan. I not for Hulk Hogan, I most likely am not writing for 411. My wrestling fandom can be traced back to him, so this should be full of nostalgia, smiles, and maybe some sadness.

-Michael Cole is our host and narrator.

-We start with the roster standing on the stage during the 10 Bell Salute. This show is In Memory of Hulk Hogan: 1953-2025! There’s the sadness!

10. Showcase of The Immortals
–WrestleMania I

-Good place to start as this match (Hogan/T vs. Piper/Wonderful) may have been more historically important than any other. WrestleMania had to be a success and even Hogan says this was the perfect springboard to launch the new era of WWE that changed wrestling.

9. The Real American Promo
-Feb. 16, 1991

-Hogan cuts a promo on Sgt. Slaughter on the way to WrestleMania VII. Eh, if they wanted to throw in a Hogan promo, there were better ones to pick. Here, Ciampa is here as a talking head to show how far back this was filmed. His beard is still growing in at this point.

8. A Dream Match
–Bash At The Beach 1994

-WCW gave is the Dream Match on PPV that WWE failed to deliver for various reasons. This was a really good match as they worked well together. Flair says he loved working with Hulk and it didn’t matter if he won or lost. Hogan credits Flair for putting him over and giving him the shot in the arm he needed coming to WCW.

-Commercials!

7. The Third Man
–Bash at The Beach 1996

-Man, this seems really low! I could see maybe as low as third, but I am hard to think of anywhere else it should be. I have watched Hogan drop that leg on Savage to turn heel hundreds of times. Eric Bischoff says that move changed everything. No kidding! Old footage of Hall mentioning even as the match was happening they weren’t sure if Hogan was going to come out. Hogan wanted the natural reaction of the fans and they show the guy who rushed the ring yelling from the front row. They don’t show him trying to rush the ring, but we can see his face better.

6. Clash With A Giant
–Hog Wild 1996

-Hogan was the biggest heel in the business and they needed to get the World Title back on him. They wasted no time as he beats The Giant a month later with the help of Hall and Nash. Hogan then sprays the nWo letters on The Big Gold Belt in a shocking moment at the time. This was a needed moment, but not bigger than the heel turn itself.

-Commercials!

5. The Mega Powers Explode
–WrestleMania V

-I LOVE THIS MATCH! Hogan vs. Savage! These are my two favorite wrestlers of all time and this story made ALL THE HUMAN MONIES! Some argue Savage should have retained and lost later because he was so white hot as a heel, but WrestleMania closed with our hero standing tall and that’s what happened here.

4. Hogan to The Rescue
–WrestleMania IX

-Bret Hart fans can fast forward or close their eyes. Bret loses the WWF Title to Yokozuna and gives Hogan his blessing to accept Mr. Fuji’s challenge. Hogan beats Yoko in seconds and look at the reaction from that crowd. I will always argue they made the right choice as it gave Bret a redemption story that made his win at Mania X over Yoko mean even more. Bret beating Hogan may have caused the same issues as Warrior beating Hogan.

3. The Immortal vs. The Great
–WrestleMania X-8

-I LOVE THIS MATCH! Rock vs Hogan deliver an all-time classic with one of the greatest crowd responses you will ever see. The crowd HATED The Rock. Rock says the match was special and Hogan notes Rock did so much for the business and it was an honor to pass the torch to him. I gave the match ***** and stand by it.

-Commercials!

2. The Slam Heard ‘Round The World
–WrestleMania III

-Excuse me? In what Universe is this not the greatest moment in Hogan’s career? You can make a real argument this is the greatest moment in WWE history. HULK HOGAN SLAMS ANDRE THE GIANT IN THE SILVERDOME! There may be no moment in wrestling history that was show more than THE SLAM.

1. Hulk-A-Mania Runs Wild
-Jan. 23, 1984

-Hulk Hogan changes wrestling history by ending the short reign of The Iron Sheik and becoming WWF Champion for the first time. Listen to that crowd in MSG erupt. This dropped a nuclear bomb on the business and every promotion not named WWF, was toast.

-This made me happy! They hit all the moments you would expect, but I think the order was a little off in places. I probably would have dropped the interview moment and probably even beating The Giant for the World Title at Hog Wild. If Hogan winning a Title needed to replace that moment, I would have gone with Hogan beating HHH to become WWE Champion again after so many years away from the company. I haven’t done this in a bit, but I will put the 10 moments mentioned here in my order.

10. The Real American Promo
9. A Clash with a Giant
8. Hogan to The Rescue
7. Showcase of The Immortals
6. A Dream Match
5. The Mega Powers Explode
4. The Immortal vs. The Great
3. Hulk-A-Mania Runs Wild
2. The Third Man
1. The Slam Heard ‘Round The World

-I am firm in 1 and 2 being in that order and then I am okay if you want to shuffle 3, 4, and 5. Some may argue the Mania I Main Event should be higher, but I think that is a bigger moment for the WWE than Hogan.

-Thanks for reading!