Hulk Hogan’s Greatest Wrestling Matches of All Time
A star every bit as controversial as iconic, very few wrestlers have achieved the same level of fame as Hulk Hogan. Perhaps the most popular wrestler to ever lace up his boots, the Hulkster became one of the hottest attractions in professional wrestling by the end of the 1980s, elevating the sport to a whole new level of popularity.
The principal face of WWE’s Golden Age, Hogan remains a polarizing figure to this day, his success in the ring coming at the expense of dozens of other stars he stepped over on his way to the top. As problematic as many aspects of Hogan’s life and career are, it’s impossible to take anything away from the Hulkster’s success, his popularity transcending the limits of pro wrestling and earning him an unforgettable place in pop culture today.
From his earliest WrestleMania appearances to his comeback matches in the early 2000s, check out some of the greatest matches to feature Hulk Hogan, ranked from best to worst.
Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock (WrestleMania X8)
After WCW’s dissolution in 2001, Hulk Hogan returned to WWF alongside his former n.W.o. stablemates Kevin Nash and Scott Hall at the start of 2002. Appearing in the company for the first time in almost a decade, Hogan’s first genuine rival in WWE came in the form of The Rock – Hogan’s spiritual successor in the promotion, as well as the mainstay attraction of WWE at the time.
Facing each other in an “icon versus icon” match at WrestleMania X8, The Rock and Hogan gave fans one of the most exciting matches in WWE history. Playing to the reactions of the crowd, Hogan masterfully played the face to The Rock’s heel, drawing massive cheers from the crowd with every move he hit. While unable to put away the Brahma Bull with his signature leg drop, the heel Hogan proudly shook hands with The Rock, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Great One in the ultimate sign of respect.
Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior (WrestleMania VI)
Almost one year after defeating Randy Savage at WrestleMania V for the WWF World Heavyweight, Hulk Hogan faced his next challenger for the title in the main event of WrestleMania VI. Perhaps the most formidable threat to his reign since Macho Man, Hogan stood against the larger-than-life presence of Intercontinental Champion, The Ultimate Warrior.
To put it mildly, referring to this bout as the best match of Hogan’s physical prime wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Evenly matched in terms of their abundant superhuman strength and charisma, Hogan and Warrior’s mutual booking as fan favorites also ensured an element of unpredictability in regards to who might emerge victorious. And in grand Hogan fashion, a vanquished Hulkster handed over his title to the future face of WWE, symbolically passing the torch to his successor (even if that didn’t turn out to be quite the case).
Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage (WrestleMania V)
Next to The Rock, The Ultimate Warrior, and Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan’s best recurring opponent remained his close frenemy, Randy Savage. On-again, off-again rivals from their earliest days in the WWF up to their eventual encounters in WCW, Hogan and Savage’s standout match came courtesy of WrestleMania V, pitting the forces of Hulkamania against the might of Macho Madness.
Known as the day that “The Mega Power Exploded,” the event saw the heel Savage – jealous over Hogan’s popularity and fearful about the Hulkster’s relationship with Savage’s valet, Miss Elizabeth – pulling out various hard-hitting offensive tactics to try and put his former tag team partner away. Try as he might, Savage could not keep the Hulkster down, leading to Hogan’s second WWF Championship reign.
Hulk Hogan vs. Andrè the Giant (WrestleMania III)
The match that made Hogan a star and established WrestleMania as a household name, Hogan competed in possibly the most iconic match of his career against his former friend-turned-bitter adversary, Andrè the Giant, in the main event of WrestleMania III.
Though a bit tame by today’s standards, the resulting match benefited from some standout moments, no more than Hogan picking Andrè up and delivering a thunderous body slam on the 7-foot tall, 500-pound giant. Triggering an explosive reaction from the crowd, Hogan went on to drop a massive leg drop on the Eighth Wonder of the World, retaining his title and affirming his place as the top star in WWE at the time.
Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair (Halloween Havoc 1994)
Aask any wrestling fan to name the greatest match between Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, and they’ll likely answer the main event cage match at Halloween Havoc 1994. Putting his career on the line in a final attempt to obtain the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Flair pulled out all the stops to defeat Hogan and reclaim the title.
With Mr. T acting as the special guest referee, Hogan and Flair’s grudge match proved to be every bit as entertaining as their earlier contests – if not more so. Utilizing the cage structure to their advantage, the two men orchestrated a fantastic bout filled with back-and-forth offensive maneuvers. But at the end of the day, not even the combined forces of Flair, Sensational Sherri, and a masked Brutus Beefcake were able to keep the Hulkster down long enough for a pinfall victory, with Hogan covering Flair after an electrifying leg drop.
Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair (Clash of the Champions XXVIII)
By the mid-1990s, Hogan – like so many other Golden Age WWF wrestlers before him – jumped ship from WWE to Vince McMahon’s foremost rival, WCW, debuting for the company in early 1994. Upon his arrival to Ted Turner’s promotion, Hogan promptly won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship off of Ric Flair, reigniting their short-lived WWE rivalry in a feud fans had long awaited seeing.
Besting Flair at Bash of the Beach, Flair challenged the Hulkster to a rematch at Clash of the Champions XXVIII. A memorable if underwhelming match that ended with a countout finish, the match nevertheless made extensive use of Flair and Hogan’s impeccable chemistry – with Hogan saving face as the larger-than-life hero and Flair hamming it up as the roguish heel getting his just desserts.
Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon (WrestleMania XIX)
After his momentous match-up against The Rock at WrestleMania X8, Hogan embodied the same heroic character he’d portrayed in the early ‘90s, much to the fans’ avid support and appreciation. Before long, Hogan encountered all sorts of heels interested in derailing Hulkamania, his most notorious foe coming in the form of Mr. McMahon.
Costing Hogan a guaranteed win against The Rock at No Way Out 2003, McMahon faced a vindictive Hogan in a Street Fight at WrestleMania XIX. Despite their limited move-sets and advanced age, the Street Fight fit the physical limitations of each man suitably well, the two bashing each other with steel chairs and smashing each other through the announcer’s table. Gaining the ultimate comeuppance against his corrupt employer, Hogan even managed to hit a grand total of three leg drops on the Genetic Jackhammer, putting Vinnie Mac away with a triumphant victory.
Hulk Hogan vs. Shawn Michaels (SummerSlam 2005)
A divisive match even by Hulk Hogan’s standards, Shawn Michaels versus Hulk Hogan at SummerSlam made for…an interesting affair, to say the least. Politicking his way into a clean pinfall victory over HBK, Hogan’s backstage antics caused an upset Michaels to deliberately flub his performance, overselling each of Hogan’s moves like a background extra in a Bruce Lee kung fu film.
Flipping and flopping around the ring, not even Michaels’ intentionally poor performance could take anything away from the crowd's excitement at SummerSlam 2005. Like most of Hogan’s later WWE matches, the bout suffered from predictable booking, but for better or for worse, it remains one of the most standout matches in Hogan’s lengthy career.
Hulk Hogan and The Outsiders vs. Sting, Randy Savage, and Lex Luger (Bash at the Beach 1996)
Yes, Hulk Hogan figured into the match for all of five minutes, but the long-term effects the main event of Bash at the Beach 1996 had on WCW, WWE, and Hulk Hogan’s career is impossible to underestimate. Returning to WCW television after a lengthy absence, Hogan turned heel for the first time in 15 years, betraying long-time allies like Randy Savage, Lex Luger, and Sting and joining the villainous n.W.o. stable in the faction’s infancy.
Cutting a blistering promo that had the fans littering the ring with garbage, Hogan laid the groundwork for a successful career resurgence, establishing himself as WCW’s top heel in the process. After several years of pushing the same old character and values on wrestling fans, the abrupt change in character helped Hogan reinvent himself for a new era, ushering in WCW’s golden period in the Monday Night Wars against WWE.
Hulk Hogan Vs. Tatsumi Fujinami (NJPW New Year Golden Series 1985)
Anyone who says Hulk Hogan never had an ounce of talent when it came to wrestling never saw his earlier years in Japan. While Hogan’s move-sets became watered-down to a mere five maneuvers in later years, his offensive style in NJPW demonstrated Hogan’s immense physical abilities in the mid-1980s.
Relying on an arsenal of moves that never made it across seas to WWE or WCW, Hogan used his impressive talents to compete in various tours within New Japan, becoming the inaugural IWGP Heavyweight Champion after defeating Antonio Inoki in a ten-man tournament. Among Hogan’s greatest matches for the company came against Tatsumi Fujinami. This bout continues to illustrate Hogan’s successful utilization of technical wrestling and high-flying offensive finishers in his prime.
Hulk Hogan vs. The Big Boss Man (WWE On MSG Network)
On paper, Hulk Hogan and The Big Boss Man might not seem like the most ideal opponents for one another. After all, the idea of the superheroic Hogan going head-to-head with a corrections officer doesn’t exactly spell out a dream match. Perhaps sensing the lack of chemistry the two men possessed, Vince McMahon had the bright idea to throw the two into a steel cage together, resulting in one of the most underrated matches in Hogan’s career.
Fighting inside the historic Madison Square Garden, Hogan and The Boss Man had an otherwise stellar cage match in the summer of ‘89, helping Boss Man achieve renewed popularity through his feud with the Hulkster. Using the cage format to their advantage, the two took turns flinging each other into the cage and knocking each other off the top rope, with Hogan even performing a devastating superplex from the top of the cage on the former Georgia lawman. Intense, exciting, and suspenseful, it helped Boss Man get over in front of crowds at a critical junction in his career.
Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Brock Lesnar (SmackDown)
In the summer of 2002, Hulk Hogan experienced a major career resurgence in WWE. Inserting himself in the WWE Championship picture for most of the season, Hogan found himself up against brash new talents forging a name and reputation for themselves in WWE, none more so than the company’s Next Big Thing, Brock Lesnar.
Combating the future WWE legend in a match on SmackDown, Hogan met his match when it came to the superhuman might of Lesnar, the Next Big Thing halting Hogan’s progress and countering with several punishing blows. Following an F-5, Lesnar proceeded to squeeze the life out of Hogan in a bear hug, becoming the second man to beat Hogan via submission. The match helped write Hogan off of TV for several months, as well as establishing Lesnar as a legitimate world title contender ahead of his match against The Rock at SummerSlam 2002.
Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Kurt Angle (King of the Ring 2002)
After losing his WWF Undisputed Championship to The Undertaker at Judgment Day 2002, Hogan feuded against the most unlikely opponent imaginable: fellow Smackdown superstar Kurt Angle. Mocking the Olympic Gold Medalist for his freshly-shaved bald head, an enraged Angle challenged the Hulkster to a match at King of the Ring later that summer.
Though Hogan gave a decent enough performance in the match, Angle’s hilarious antics are the standout reason to watch this bout in the first place. Only months after Edge shaved his head at Judgment Day, the Wrestling Machine took every precaution he could to hide his glistening pate from the crowd, with Hogan even managing to rip off the unconvincing wig Angle wore at one point in the match. However, a furious Angle eventually got the last laugh, becoming the first man to force Hogan to tap out via his patented Ankle Lock submission.
Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair (Bash at the Beach 1994)
Arriving to WCW in 1994, Hogan immediately became embroiled in his abandoned WWF rivalry against Ric Flair, the two wrestling legends feuding over Flair’s World Heavyweight Championship. After weeks of build-up, the two icon’s rivalry came to a head in the main event of the inaugural Bash at the Beach pay-per-view.
Competing in his first match for WCW, Hogan delivered the bout fans long awaited to see between himself and “Nature Boy” Ric Flair. Loaded with all the characteristics one associates with either a Flair or Hogan match, the clash had all the drama and theatrics forever synonymous with either man (Hogan “Hulking up,” Flair flopping, Hogan winning the test of strength, Flair the contest of minds). Though victorious over his longtime rival, Hogan’s feud with Flair proved to be far from over, the two meeting time and time again in WCW, WWE, and TNA almost two decades later.
Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair (WWE On MSG Network)
In 1991, former NWA world champion Ric Flair debuted in WWF after an acrimonious separation from WCW. Appearing in WWF for the first time later that summer, Flair immediately antagonized his foremost wrestling rival, Hulk Hogan. In their first-ever match together, Hogan went toe to toe with the Nature Boy at Madison Square Garden, participating in the first of several matches between the two over the next three decades.
For the MSG crowd at the time, watching Flair face down Hogan proved to be the epic encounter fans had long anticipated seeing, akin to Spider-Man facing The Joker or Superman battling the Green Goblin. Before the event, witnessing these two influential wrestlers sharing a ring together seemed like a pipe dream–something that sounded good on paper but that would never happen in real life. Fortunately, Hogan and Flair proved they had the chemistry to create an exceptional rivalry between one another – something that became all too apparent with their later interactions in WCW.
