New Japan Pro Wrestling (1980–1983)
A great deal of Hogan's early success was achieved in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Japanese wrestling fans were in awe of the gargantuan blond American and nicknamed him "Ichiban" (which translates to "Number One"). Hogan first appeared in Japan on May 13, 1980, while he was still with the WWF. He toured the country from time to time over the next few years, facing a wide variety of opponents ranging from Tatsumi Fujinami to Abdullah the Butcher. When competing in Japan, Hogan used a vastly different repertoire of wrestling moves, relying on more technical, traditional wrestling holds and maneuvers as opposed to the power-based, brawling style U.S. fans became accustomed to seeing from him. Another difference is that Hogan used a running forearm lariat (called the "Axe Bomber") as his finisher in Japan, as opposed to the running leg drop that has been his traditional finisher in America. On June 2, 1983, Hogan became the first International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP) tournament winner,
More about Hulk Hogan (From Wikipedia)
Early Career
Within a year, Matsuda had prepared him for his professional debut, in which Eddie Graham booked him against Brian Blair in Fort Myers, Florida on August 10, 1977. A short time later, read more...
World Wrestling Federation (1979-1980)
Later that year, former NWA World Champion Terry Funk introduced Bollea to World Wrestling Federation (WWF) chief Vince McMahon Sr., who was impressed with his charisma and physical read more...
American Wrestling Association (1981–1983)
After filming his scene for Rocky III, against McMahon's wishes, Hogan made his debut in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), owned by Verne Gagne. Hogan started his AWA run read more...
New Japan Pro Wrestling (1980–1983)
A great deal of Hogan's early success was achieved in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Japanese wrestling fans were in awe of the gargantuan blond American and nicknamed him "Ichiban" (which read more...
World Wrestling Federation (1983–1993)
After purchasing the World Wrestling Federation from his father in 1982, Vincent K. McMahon had plans to expand the territory into a nationwide promotion, and he handpicked Hulk read more...
World Championship Wrestling (1994–2000)
After Hogan left the WWF in the summer of 1993, he decided to take a few months off from wrestling to concentrate on movies, television, and his family. In June 1994, Hogan signed read more...
X Wrestling Federation (2000–2001)
From July 2000 to November 2001, Hogan was out of the public eye. He had been dealing with self-doubt and depression following the Vince Russo incident, wondering if what Russo had read more...
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (2002–2003)
At No Way Out in 2002, Hogan returned to the company that had made him a pop culture icon. Returning as leader of the original nWo with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, the three got into read more...
New Japan, TNA, And WWE Hall Of Fame (2003–2005)
A few months afterwards, Hulk Hogan worked a match for New Japan Pro Wrestling, beating Masahiro Chono at the Ultimate Crush II event, an event that featured both pro-wrestling and read more...
World Wrestling Entertainment (part-time 2005–present), Memphis Wrestling (2007)
The next night on Raw, Hassan and Daivari came out to confront and assault fan favorite Shawn Michaels. The following week, Michaels approached Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff read more...