10 Things Fans Forget About Hulk Hogan's 1474-Day WWE Title Reign

Hulk Hogan is one of the superstars who helped shape WWE in the way it is. He was so popular during his time that the period is often called the Hulk Hogan era. Hogan is still considered by many to be one of the greatest wrestlers to set foot in the squared circle and is perhaps one of the most deserving names on wrestling's Mt. Rushmore.

There is always a moment that acts as a turning point in one's career, that helps in cementing one's legacy. For Hogan, it was his WWE Championship victory in 1984. He held the title gold for 1474 days, a feat unlikely to be replicated anytime in the future. The four-year reign had its fair share of trivia, most of which has fans forgotten over the years.

10 Just Returned Before Winning The Title

Hulk Hogan v The Iron Sheik January 23, 1984 Cropped

Hulk Hogan is known for his babyface run in WWE during the 80s and early 90s. However, that wasn't the case always. He was a heel during his first stint with the company in the late 70s and then left the promotion for a while before finally being called up by Vincent K. McMahon.

What many fans forget about The Hulkster is that he returned to WWE just three weeks before the beginning of his monumental title reign and the rise of Hulkamania. Hogan also turned to the good side as he became a babyface upon his return. This was also the first time Hogan captured a world title gold in his career.

9 Last-Minute Replacement For Bob Backlund

The Hulkster saved Bob Backlund from a three-way assault by The Wild Samoans upon returning. Backlund was booked to face The Iron Sheik for the WWE Championship he lost a few weeks earlier.

However, Backlund couldn't compete at the said match. Instead, Hogan was chosen as the “last minute” replacement for him to challenge Sheik. He eventually defeated the champion in Madison Square Garden to kickstart Hulkamania.

8 First Wrestler To Break The Camel Clutch

Not only did Hogan defeat The Iron Sheik for the title, but he did so in the most heroic way possible. Sheik was one of the most feared wrestlers back then, primarily due to his devastating Camel Clutch. No superstar, including Bob Backlund, had ever been able to break his submission hold.

Five minutes into his match with Hogan, The Iron Sheik was able to overpower the challenger and eventually put him in the Camel Clutch. But that wasn't enough to put Hogan down, who then overcame the move and became the first wrestler to break the Sheiks' clutch.

7 Introduced His 'Demandments'

Hulk Hogan became a nationwide hero soon after his victory. He slowly transitioned himself into the way fans know him today. Wearing yellow-and-red gear, ripping his shirt in half, listening to the crowd cheer in a fascinating manner; he first exhibited all these traits during this title reign.

An additional thing which he introduced during the time was his 'demandments'. Hogan knew that he was a role model for his fans, and he demanded his every fan walk on the appropriate path. Training, saying prayers, and eating vitamins were what he wanted his fans to do. The Hulkster introduced only three 'demandments' during the title reign and a fourth one, i.e., believing in oneself, was added later in the 90s.

6 Marvel Entertainment Got The Rights To His Name During The Reign

Hulk Hogan became so popular after winning in 1984 that spectators all around the globe were drawing comparisons between him and the Incredible Hulk. Not only did the two behemoths share names, but they both had almost similar traits of being unstoppable and invincible.

All these comparisons eventually led to a deal between Marvel, WWE, and Hulk Hogan. Marvel got the rights of the name Hulk Hogan, Hulkamania, and The Hulkster for 20 years and also earned a royalty whenever Vince McMahon's company used his name.

5 Parents Approved His Wrestling Dream After He Won The Title

Although Hulk Hogan had already spent roughly five-to-six years in sports entertainment, his parents didn't approve of his career until he won the title in 1984. When he broke the Camel Clutch at the Madison Square Garden and pinned Sheik, his parents were present in the crowd and were extremely impressed by their son.

Perhaps the crowd's thunderous cheers for Hogan changed their mind. They later told Hogan backstage about how proud they were of their son for doing what he was doing. The Hulkster considers it to be the greatest moment of his life.

4 First Wrestler To Be Featured On Sports Illustrated Cover

The Hulkster received widespread acclaim for his heroic character. Wrestling and sports magazines across the globe praised his record title reign and used him as their cover superstars in annual editions.

One of the renowned magazines to feature him as a cover star was Sports Illustrated. He was chosen as their face back in 1985 thanks to his massive success in WWE. He was also the first-ever wrestler to get that honor. The fact that he held the title for three more years after this recognition is remarkable, to say the least.

3 Headlined 3 Consecutive WrestleManias As The Champion

The first edition of WrestleMania was organized when Hulk Hogan was still the WWE Champion in 1985. He headlined WrestleMania I in a tag-team match when he teamed up with Mr. T to take on Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.

Hogan then partook in the main event of WrestleMania II and III against King Kong Bundy and Andre the Giant respectively. Thus, he headlined The Grandest Stage of Them All three consecutive times with a single title reign, a feat that has yet to be duplicated.

2 Is The Third-Longest Title Reign In WWE History

Most fans already know that it is Bruno Sammartino's almost seven-year reign that is the longest in history. But what many fans do not know is that Hogan's monumental title reign is not the second-longest either.

The distinction belongs to Bob Backlund who defeated Superstar Billy Graham for the title and held it for a staggering 2135 days. He eventually lost the gold to The Iron Sheik who lost it to Hulk Hogan.

1 The Reign Didn't End In A Clean Fashion

Whenever there is a year-long title reign, the stakes, and tension in every title match increase drastically. Not only does a long reign help the champion, but it also helps the wrestler who would dethrone the current champion. Think of John Cena, who ended JBL's 280 days title reign and went on to become one of the greatest wrestlers ever.

However, that wasn't the case with Hulk Hogan. The wrestler who ended his 1474 days reign was Andre The Giant, who was globally renowned already and didn't benefit from the victory. Even more baffling is that he lost the title in a dirty fashion where the referee, who was on Ted DiBiase's payroll, counted the fall despite Hogan's shoulder not touching the mat.