Mark Madden: Hulk Hogan always stole the show, made wrestling a true phenomenon

Hulk Hogan was the biggest star in wrestling history.

His match vs. Andre the Giant in 1987 at WrestleMania III in the Pontiac Silverdome remains the genre’s biggest moment. It made wrestling a true phenomenon.

His heel turn to ignite the nWo invasion of World Championship Wrestling in 1996 was the last time the marks believed. The feeling of WWE vs. WCW — even though it wasn’t — made WWE second-best in the public eye and in the TV ratings. Won’t happen again.

Hogan was a bad guy when he wrestled The Rock at WrestleMania X8 in 2002. The Rock was on the verge of becoming Hollywood’s top action star. The Toronto crowd cheered Hogan anyway. Both wrestlers leaned into the reaction. It was like a sociological experiment.

Hogan stole the show in Rocky III. “Thunderlips is here. In the flesh, baby.”

Hulk Hogan was a real American.

Whose side is he on?

Hogan always put himself first, brother. Just like any real American. He had creative control for much of his career, unheard of in wrestling, and wielded it like a club.

Hogan had main character syndrome. He believed he counted most.

But Hogan did count most.

Ask 93,172 at the Silverdome. (More like 78,500, actually.)

Ask the fans who pelted the ring with garbage at Daytona Beach after Hogan revealed himself as the nWo’s third man, then christened the faction.

Ask the SkyDome crowd that went off-script and said, “Hogan’s still the guy.”

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When “Eye of the Tiger” hit, or “Real American,” or “Voodoo Chile,” it was bedlam. There were brief periods of bland, like in WCW just before Hogan broke bad. But the reaction to Hogan at his peak was more tumultuous than anything scripted since.

Hogan was the biggest star in a business built on a lie.

So, he was a good liar.

Some lies were damaging, like when Hogan denied using steroids on national TV.

Some lies were amusing, like when Hogan said he was considered to join Metallica as their bass player.

Some lies served their purpose.

Like before WrestleMania III.

Andre the Giant had been pinned before. He had been bodyslammed before. But not in WWE. (The internet wasn’t around to ruin things yet.)

Hogan and Andre were the first two wrestlers who were truly larger than life. It was Andre’s last stand. Nothing in wrestling will ever be bigger than that.

Hogan’s persona had been attempted before. Superstar Billy Graham was a pioneer of the big-biceps look and posing routines.

But Hogan perfected that aura. He never flew high on borrowed wings. Nobody did it better than Hogan, not before or since.

Hogan didn’t go mainstream like The Rock. Hogan’s attempts to do so were feeble, sometimes embarrassing.

But Hogan made what The Rock did possible.

Hogan was a superb babyface: train, say your prayers, eat your vitamins, believe in yourself.

But he might have been a better heel.

WCW management feared Hogan’s reluctance when he joined the nWo, when he traded in red and yellow for black and white. But Hogan went all out.

Kevin Nash and Scott Hall told Hogan how to be cool, Hogan listened, and the result was an insanely raucous split crowd that resembled a neutral-site sporting event like a Super Bowl. nWo merchandise flew off the shelves.

Hogan got the biggest cut. That’s whose side he was on.

I worked with Hogan for eight years in WCW. We weren’t close but got along. He appeared on my radio show. Hogan was always in character, but he was a good guy.

I was a Ric Flair fan and friend. I clung to the notion that Flair and Hogan were equals.

I was wrong. Flair was a better all-around performer, probably the best of all time. But Hogan was nonpareil, a shooting star.

In context of the times, wrestling will never have a bigger star than Hulk Hogan.

Those eight years with WCW were the time of my life. Hogan was a huge part of that.

I’m going to miss him.

Terry Bollea, RIP.