The wrestling ropes couldn’t constrain Hulk Hogan

Hogan was still early in his wrestling career when he accepted his first acting role, stepping into “Rocky III” to spar with Sylvester Stallone.

By Emmanuel Morgan and Matt Stevens

With his flowing blond mane, bulking muscles and patriotic persona, Hulk Hogan was one of the first mainstream professional wrestling stars, helping propel a regional and fractured sport into an international juggernaut watched by millions.

Hogan, who died Thursday at 71, was instrumental to the industry’s rise in the 1980s, becoming a crossover figure who appeared in movies, late-night talk shows and commercials. His journey laid the blueprint for Dwayne Johnson, John Cena and others to travel the now-familiar pathway between wrestling and Hollywood.

Here are some key moments showcasing how Hogan parlayed athletic success into acting gigs and endorsement deals.

1982: ‘Rocky III’

Hogan Goes to Hollywood

Hogan was still early in his wrestling career when he accepted his first acting role, stepping into “Rocky III” to spar with Sylvester Stallone. The role in a major movie franchise introduced Hogan to a wider audience and presaged his wrestling ascent.

In the movie, Hogan played a wrestler known as Thunderlips who took on Rocky (Stallone) in a match for charity. Thunderlips was not unlike Hogan’s wrestling persona: Even in limited screen time, he is bloviating and egocentric, calling himself “the ultimate male” and praising the size of his muscular arms.

In the years that followed, Hogan would continue acting, starring in slapstick movies, reality television series and even deodorant commercials. In 1985, he became one of the earliest athletes to host “Saturday Night Live.”

1987: WrestleMania III

Hogan Takes Down a ‘Giant’

Hulk Hogan addresses the final night of the Republican National Convention, at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, on Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Todd Heisler/The New York Times)

Hogan emerged victorious as a headliner in the first WrestleMania in 1985, an annual grandiose spectacle created to be wrestling’s version of the Super Bowl. By then, he was already a recognizable force, selling out arenas like Madison Square Garden and deploying the leg drop, his signature move.

As Hogan rose to become the face of the sport, the World Wrestling Federation (the precursor to World Wrestling Entertainment) gave him a patriotic persona. He began walking out to a song titled “Real American” and would vanquish opponents such as the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff, proxies for global rivals like Iran and the Soviet Union.

In 1987, at WrestleMania III, Hogan was part of an indelible match against Andre the Giant. At the climax of that main event, Hogan lifted and slammed his opponent, who weighed more than 500 pounds. Hogan then pinned Andre the Giant and pointed to the sky while more than 90,000 fans roared in one of the most memorable scenes in wrestling history.

1994, 1996: World Championship Wrestling

Hogan Switches Teams and Does a Heel Turn

It is hard to stay on top, and by the mid-1990s, Hogan’s reign as champion in the WWF ended alongside his era of white-hot popularity. So in 1994, Hogan moved to World Championship Wrestling, developing a new set of rivalries that would resurrect his career.

After years as the all-American good guy in the WWF, Hogan shocked the wrestling world at a pay-per-view event in 1996 when he turned heel, joining a group of wrestlers called the New World Order.

“I wanted that natural reaction from the fans,” he said in an A&E documentary. “‘How could our hero stab us in the heart?’”

He began calling himself “Hollywood Hogan” — leaning into his role as the villain — and became a major player in the Monday Night Wars, in which the WWF and the WCW competed for ratings with opposing broadcasts in the same Monday night time slot.

2024: Republican National Convention

Hogan Rips Off His Shirt

Later in life, Hogan remained in the spotlight as an outspoken supporter of the Republican Party.

In 2024, he spoke at the Republican National Convention, stepping to the podium wearing a T-shirt under a sports blazer with a red bandanna and sunglasses on his head. Halfway through his nearly nine-minute speech, as he spoke of the assassination attempt against Donald Trump, Hogan’s voice lifted. He sheathed his jacket and then ripped off his shirt, revealing a red tank top with Trump and JD Vance’s names.

“Let Trump-a-mania run wild, brother,” Hogan said as he ripped the shirt into two pieces. “Let Trump-a-mania rise again.”

Hogan had previously teased running for political office as a publicity stunt. He announced in 1998 that he was retiring from pro wrestling to run for president. Months later, he was back in the ring, his candidacy and plans for retirement quickly forgotten.

After Trump announced his run for president in 2015, Hogan voiced interest in being his vice presidential running mate. He did not enter politics himself but remained a Trump supporter, speaking at a Madison Square Garden rally in October after flexing his pectoral muscles onstage.