Hulk Hogan is one of the most recognizable names in the history of wrestling. His popularity in the 1980s and '90s propelled pro wrestling into the mainstream and helped build two companies.

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Even though his days in the ring are behind him, Hogan still gets a huge pop from the fans when he walks down the ramp. Whether he's a face or heel, he's certainly a fan favorite. That said, the question of which Hogan is the best Hogan is not the easiest one to answer.

Whether you like Hogan as a face or as a heel, Hulkamania is still going to run wild on you.

10 HEEL: NWO 4 Life

When Scott Hall and Kevin Nash showed up in WCW after leaving then WWF, fans knew the game was about to change. They had no idea how much, though.

When Hulk Hogan was revealed as the third member of their upstart group, now named the nWo, the foundations of wrestling shook to their core. Hogan hadn't been a heel before. This was the first time that fans saw him in a role like this and they didn't know what to do.

Hogan's heel turn is the biggest one in the history of wrestling because it was so unexpected.

9 FACE: Slamming André

One of the most iconic moments in WrestleMania history happened during Hogan's legendary run as a babyface in WWF. At WrestleMania III, Hulk Hogan faced off against André the Giant over the WWF Heavyweight Championship.

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Their feud had been growing for months, building to Hogan scooping André up and slamming him down in front of thousands of fans in the Silverdome. This was two of the biggest names in the business at that point squaring off for a huge match. That moment endures in the hearts and minds of fans today.

8 HEEL: Facing The Rock

Not to be outdone, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan wanted his WrestleMania moment, too.

This time, Hogan would face off against The Rock, easily one of the top stars to have been produced by the industry in any era. It was a dream match for many fans that went down at WrestleMania X8. Hogan was supposed to be the heel, Rocky the face, but fans weren't having that. The Toronto crowd was cheering Hogan on like it was 15 years earlier and he was the top face of the company.

It proved Hogan was a popular draw no matter how he was booked.

7 FACE: Eat Your Vitamins

Outside of maybe John Cena, no wrestler has ever had the immense popularity with kids the way Hulk Hogan did in the 1980s. He inspired generations of kids with his positive messages about living healthy and right.

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Being a good role model helped change the image of wrestling with wider audiences, giving it exposure and respect outside its normal circles. People were paying attention to this all American hero telling their kids to do their best. Hogan's influence stuck with kids as they grew up and had families of their own.

6 HEEL: Building WCW

To credit "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan solely with the success of WCW in the 1990s would do a disservice to all the hard-working, talented men and women involved in that promotion. However, you also can't deny the impact he had.

Hogan working with WCW at all legitimized the company. Turning him heel as part of the nWo put WCW fully in control of their Monday Night War with WWF. If "Hollywood" Hogan never happened, neither would WCW's dominance during that era.

5 FACE: Building WWF

What Hogan did as a heel for WCW in the '90s, he did for WWF as a face in the '80s. Again, it would be an error to suggest that he single-handedly built the WWF into the juggernaut it became.

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That being said, it's also true that his extreme level of popularity in that era is a large part of the groundwork that allowed the company to be built into what it is today. If Hulk Hogan didn't wrestle as a face for WWF in the 1980s, then the landscape of that company and professional wrestling as a whole would have looked a lot different.

4 HEEL: The Attitude Era

At first glance, this is going to seem weird. "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan wasn't around WWF/WWE for the Attitude Era, maybe catching the very tail end of it when he returned in 2002. The reality is that it wouldn't have happened without him.

Vince McMahon pushing for the changes in his company that led to this era was directly caused by Hogan turning heel and the formation of the nWo. Survival is the mother of invention, and Vince needed to survive against a surging WCW. As such, the Attitude Era was born.

3 FACE: Crossover Appeal

It cannot be stated enough the strength of Hulk Hogan's crossover appeal and how important that's been to the wrestling business over the years. His success outside of the wrestling ring has arguably done more to promote the industry than his work inside the ring.

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Because he was successful in those areas, it made Hollywood take other stars like Dwayne Johnson and Dave Bautista more seriously. It's also the reason why other entertainment industry stars take wrestling more seriously and appear on its programming.

2 HEEL: Putting Other Talent Over

It's rare that anyone celebrates Hogan for putting anyone over since he's notorious for burying whoever he has to so he can stay on top.

But when he returned to WWE as "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan with Nash and Hall by his side, the man did just that. Maybe his experiences at WCW changed his view on the wrestling world. Maybe he knew that a lot of people blamed him for WCW's fall. Whatever the reason, Hogan's return to Vince's fold was different this time. He put over younger stars, like The Rock, Brock Lesnar, and Kurt Angle, to help build their careers rather than sacrificing their careers to maintain his.

1 FACE: WrestleMania I

The biggest swing Vince has taken and landed is still the very first WrestleMania. If that hadn't worked, it's entirely possible that WWF an entity would no longer have existed. It was a huge event, in no small part due to Hulk Hogan.

He appeared on SNL with Mr. T to hype the show, then the two teamed up at the pay-per-view to defeat Paul Orndorff and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. It was an epic match, to say the least. Without Hogan's popularity in and out of the ring, WrestleMania I would not have been the success it was.

NEXT: 5 Wrestlers That Should Retire Hulk Hogan (& 5 That Shouldn't)