Hulk Hogan's 10 Greatest Matches

From the late 1970s until the mid-2000s, Hulk Hogan wrestled anybody who was anybody in the professional wrestling business.

Though never regarded as a master technician, Hogan was nonetheless a consummate performer, mixing a heavy brawling style with top-level showmanship. 'The Immortal One' was capable of delivering an enjoyable match with a variety of opponents, and it's fair to say that quite a few of those enjoyable matches were classics in their own right. 

In the wake of Hulk Hogan's passing, his in-ring body of work is sure to inspire lots of binge-watching. For those wanting to see the Hulkster's finest output, here's a good place to start.

These are Hulk Hogan's 10 Greatest Matches. 

10. Andre the Giant – WWE WrestleMania III

Nobody would call Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III a sterling in-ring struggle. Andre's mobility had all but abandoned him by 1987, and he was reduced to little more than stationary spots. That bit of reality hardly puts a dent in the lore of the match itself, however, as a reported 93,000 fans packed the Pontiac Silverdome to witness a veritable clash of the titans for the WWF Championship Hogan had held for over three years.

It's notable the lengths that Hogan went to make the Giant look like prime Andre, pinballing off of his strikes and slams with as much gusto as possible. The match lasted 12 minutes, and a younger Hogan did everything he could to turn a limited encounter into an epic David vs. Goliath parable.

Amid the clunkiness is a well-pieced-together match carried by The Hulkster, enthralling the audience up to and through the purported "Slam Heard 'Round the World."

This contest could be fondly described as "the worst five-star match in history", but it's a legendary match from multiple perspectives.

9. Shawn Michaels - WWE SummerSlam 2005

If you're familiar with this match, you know why it has gained more than a little comical infamy.

Due to Hogan's alleged refusal to put heel-turned Michaels over in an intended rematch down the line, The Heartbreak Kid chose to oversell a number of Hogan's flurries in a manner not unlike a drunken tumbleweed. Despite all the overt clowning around from Shawn, the match is actually a good SummerSlam main event.

Michaels always made it his mission to steal the show on any given night, and he didn't let his dissatisfaction with Hogan's machinations dull his working resolve. For 21 minutes, 52-year-old Hogan looked latently youthful, thanks largely to his 40-year-old foe playing the role of willing ragdoll.

It's a largely formulaic match that plays to each man's strengths, serving up crowd-pleasing sequences, and resulting in a win for the elder star. 

Though it's mostly known for Michaels' spring-loaded form of protest, it's nonetheless an excellent match between warring icons and a fitting coda to a Big Four event.

8. With Genichiro Tenryu vs. Legion of Doom - SWS WrestleFest in Tokyo Dome

If you were a child deep in the throes of 1991 Hulkamania, this match may have perplexed you. A mere six days after regaining the WWF title from Sgt Slaughter, Hogan ventured to the Tokyo Dome for a WWF joint venture with Tenryu's Super World of Sports promotion. There, the three-time WWF champ teamed with the SWS boss to face the Legion of Doom, who were appropriately billed as The Road Warriors for the occasion.

All four men had carved out their own unique mythos in Japan, so this match was a huge deal for the 36,000 fans inside the Dome. The wrestlers honoured the occasion by having a slugfest that's never short on action. 

Hulk abandoned his lighter American working style to have a full-scale brawl with Animal and Hawk. Blood was spilt and chairs were swung, as the match degenerated into something that ECW crowds would have truly appreciated. Only a count-out finish marred what was otherwise a delectable slice of pro wrestling history.

7. The Great Muta - NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 1993

During his ill-fated fifth reign as WWF Champion in 1993, Hogan ventured back to the Tokyo Dome for the inaugural Wrestling Dontaku. His opponent was reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion The Great Muta in a non-title champion vs. champion dream match, and it was completely different to what WWF fans had grown accustomed to seeing the Hulkster do inside the squared circle. 

The match featured Hogan performing a cross-armbreaker, pinning combinations, and even an enzuigiri as he and Muta went shot for shot in a strongly wrestled 16-minute battle of premier stars. There was even a brilliant spot where Muta ran the length of the ramp just to clothesline Hulk back into the ring. 

Hogan ultimately scored the win with his finisher in Japan, the Axe Bomber, having survived a moonsault and green mist attack from Muta, putting his opponent away after Keiji Muto had already kicked out of the leg drop. 

Though the match itself is unique enough, the post-match scene is just surreal, as Hogan spoke to the media and verbally denigrated the WWF Championship. Altogether, Hulk's 1993 New Japan excursion was a total 180 from his WWF output of the time.

6. Randy Savage - WWE WrestleMania V

Hulk Hogan's most intense rivalry ever came to a head in an appropriately tense WrestleMania main event.

Hulk undoubtedly had some strong bouts in 1980s WWF, but none blended frenetic with fury quite like his battles with his one-time Mega Powers teammate. Randy Savage got the best out of all of his opponents, and Hulk was no exception. Naturally, their greatest encounter took place after their volcanic 1989 split, following many months of subtle tension.

With a distraught Miss Elizabeth standing in a neutral corner, Savage and Hogan took the fight to one another over Macho's WWF Championship at WrestleMania V. Hogan bled a little during the fracas, but turned the tables with a truly unique manoeuvre in a running scoop slam that sent Savage flying over the top rope. 

In a time before finisher kickouts became all too commonplace, it was stunning to see Hogan summon his time-honoured Hulk-Up recharge after being hit with Savage's Flying Elbow on his way to regaining the WWF Championship. 

Hulk vs. Macho Man any time between 1985 and 1990 was generally great, though their WrestleMania showdown holds a special place in history.

5. The Big Boss Man - May 27, 1989 episode of WWE Saturday Night's Main Event

Saturday Night's Main Event didn't have opening credits, though WWF could just as easily have billed Hogan as the leading man. For most of the show's lifetime, Hogan's match was generally the main attraction, as he fought to turn back the villain du jour in compressed-for-TV battles.

The most impressive TV bout of Hogan's run came against the 350-pound Big Boss Man, inside the confines of a blue-barred steel cage.

Though the match is great on the whole, one spot in the superplex bestows it mythic status. Boss Man was on his way to the WWF title via over-the-top escape, but Hogan managed to snatch him on the descent. Hogan then pulled Boss Man up to the top of the cage and suplexed him back in, sending a combined 650 pounds to the canvas via rapid descent. 

It's the centrepiece of an inspired slugfest that demonstrated how immensely talented the super-heavyweight Boss Man was, while proving that Hogan could have genuine four-star matches on free TV.

4. Ric Flair - WCW Halloween Havoc 1994

WCW capitalised on WWF's unwillingness to properly pay off the long-awaited Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair rivalry on television, and they did so quickly.

Upon Hogan's 1994 arrival, he won the WCW World Heavyweight Title from Flair in his first match at a heavily promoted, star-studded Bash at the Beach in Orlando. The match was pretty good, enhanced by all the build-up. 

After Flair scored a count-out finish over Hogan the following month on TV, the rubber match ensued in October. And what a spectacle it was.

Hogan wagered his title and career against the career of The Nature Boy inside of a steel cage, where famed Hulk loyalist Mr. T served as guest referee. The two legends rattled off many of their greatest hits between the walls of mesh, while a host of run-ins heightened the urgency, with Sensational Sherri ratcheting up the match rating herself with a physical performance for the ages. The whole spectacle was a monument to madcap overbooking, albeit done properly.

Of Hogan and Flair's many shared compositions, this was their best duet.

3. Stan Hansen - WWE/AJPW/NJPW Wrestling Summit

You could make an entire list out of Hogan's best matches in Japan, providing an even deeper dive into what Hulk was capable of when he was not immersed chest-deep in the showier American style. On such a list, it would be awfully hard to top Hogan's 1990 tussle with one of the greatest gaijin to ever make his mark in Japan in Stan Hansen. 

Like the match with Tenryu against The Road Warriors, Hogan gleefully took part in a tooth-and-nail melee, throwing haymakers with a true hard hitter in Hansen. Both men spilt blood throughout a battle that made copious use of the ringside area – just two uncontrollable bulls trying to pierce each other with their horns. 

Wrestling Summit was already plenty unique, being that it was a joint promotional effort between WWF, All Japan, and New Japan, and Hogan vs. Hansen provided a fitting end to something akin to a 20th-century Forbidden Door as the Hulkster picked up the win after 12 minutes. 

2. The Rock - WWE WrestleMania X8

It was hard to know what to expect going into The Rock vs. Hollywood Hogan in their battle of the generations.

It had been some time since Hogan had a singles match that many fans considered really good. Meanwhile, The Rock's best matches generally came when he had a skilled technician there to complement his S-tier showmanship. Whatever your expectations were going in, there's one thing that surely caught you off guard in the crowd. 

Designated heel Hogan was treated as a conquering hero by over 60,000 fans at the Toronto SkyDome. Hulk's first WrestleMania match in nine years was soundtracked by an unbelievable response, astounding even Hogan himself. Fuelled by this energy, Rock vs. Hogan managed to exceed almost all expectations. 

Though clunky in parts (Hogan was 48 and noticeably slower), their Past vs. Present showdown delivered big moments, such as legendary Hogan's Hulk-Up sequence. Hogan's face turn afterward may have killed off any fleeting remnant of nWo momentum, but who cares? 

To this day, it remains one of the best matches to ever take place at WrestleMania.

1. The Ultimate Warrior - WrestleMania VI

There is something about the SkyDome that brings out the best in the Hulkster. 

Twelve years before his fabled face-to-face with Dwayne Johnson, Hogan took part in what was dubbed "The Ultimate Challenge", squaring off with reigning Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior. Hogan was the WWF titleholder, and the two babyfaces had recently met for the first time inside the 1990 Royal Rumble match. The crowd buzzed heavily for that face-off, which served as a warm-up for an epic WrestleMania main event to come.

Following a detailed template designed by Pat Patterson, the Winner Takes All Match served as proof that Hogan was fully capable of carrying a technically deficient worker to an excellent showing. 

Both Hogan and Warrior looked like superheroes in front of the stadium crowd, and their match was functionally Superman vs. Batman in trunks. The Toronto crowd was near a 50/50 split throughout the match, underscoring its specialness. Hogan even lost too, putting over Warrior on the grandest stage of them all. 

Decades later, Hogan vs. Warrior holds up as a shining example of how larger-than-life babyface matches should be done, and it's also Hulk Hogan's greatest in-ring performance.