WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan On When He Realized How Big Hulkamania Became

During the '80s and partly through the following decade, "Hulkamania" ran wild throughout WWE, and Terry Bollea dominated the industry as "Hulk Hogan," leaving behind a legacy that helped propel wrestling to where it is today. On "PBD Podcast," Hogan looked back at the moment he knew he'd become an icon.

"The first time I really became real, real, real aware of it — people kept saying 'Oh my gosh, you don't realize how big Hulk Hogan is, there's Hulkamania!' I was just working, I had my head down," the legend claimed. He then recalled that it finally sunk in when journalist John Stossel wanted to interview him and find out whether he was as big as the New York Times alleged.

Stossel wanted to test the Times' theory that Hogan couldn't walk around New York City without being mobbed by a crowd, and according to Hogan, they didn't even need to set foot in Madison Square Garden, as a crowd gathered on Fifth Avenue. "[That was] the first time I realized — that this wrestling had gone mainstream, that this 'Hulk Hogan' character had crossed these imaginary boundaries and became a media star, not just a wrestling star," the Hulkster said. Hogan further claimed that his fame allowed him to meet several celebrities back at the height of his career, but that one meeting truly stood out to him. "The first time I started shaking and got nervous and the only person that's ever was when I met Jerry Springer. I was a huge Jerry Springer fan," Hogan declared.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "PBD Podcast" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.