When did Hulk Hogan turn babyface in WWE?
WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has had an illustrious wrestling career. Once the company's poster boy, Hogan mesmerized the crowd with his electrifying antics and became a pop icon in no time. He found his footing in being a hero early in his career.
Hogan's journey to being a six-time world champion started at the age of 24. Real name Terry Bollea, he was trained by Hiro Matsuda for over a year before setting off to the indies. The budding star performed in multiple promotions, including CWF and NWA, until Terry Funk introduced him to Vince McMahon.
Interestingly, The Hulkster made his WWE debut in 1979 as a villain. He defeated Harry Valdez in his first match in the promotion. All this while, NWA legend Freddie Blassie managed the superstar. It wasn't until July 1981 that Hulk Hogan turned face; a forgotten moment because of its subtleness.
Hulk Hogan was usually known for his monster heel role from 1978-80. Thus, his face turn at AWA was met with confusion. He carried this character to WWE, yet fans were unaware of the change. It was in January 1984 that Hogan confirmed his babyface status in the company.
During an episode of Championship Wrestling, The Hulkster saved Bob Backlund from an assault by The Wild Samoans. Backland was a huge babyface back then. To show his support for the good side, Hogan ditched his manager, 'Classy' Blassie and began to feud for the World Championship as a replacement for Backland.
A few weeks after the incident, Hogan won his first world title by defeating The Iron Sheik at Madison Square Garden. It marked the beginning of Hulkamania's historic reign of 1474 days. Due to his charismatic personality, Hogan became a nationwide sensation and regularly main evented pay-per-views.
Hulk Hogan thought 'Mr. America' was a good idea
Hogan's all-American persona gave Vince McMahon the idea of a 'Mr. America' gimmick. The caped-crusader debuted in May 2003 on an episode of SmackDown and immediately struck a feud with 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper.
The gimmick clearly didn't work out, as it lasted only a month. Speaking on Ringside Collectables, Hulk Hogan thought the character was 'going to rock,' but fans thought otherwise.
"I thought Mr. America was going to rock on and be a huge angle, and they said ‘Hey brother, you’re doing the job tonight.’ And I went ‘Hmm, I guess this isn’t going very far.' I just figured they didn’t like the gimmick,"said Hogan. [H/T EssentiallySports]
The 69-year-old legend last wrestled on the TNA Maximum Impact Tour in 2012. His last match occurred on January 27, where he teamed with Sting and James Storm to put down Bobby Roode, Bully Ray, and Kurt Angle.