Is there a name more associated with sports entertainment than Hulk Hogan? The Hulkster’s incredible size and unmistakable charm helped WWE develop from regional attraction to global entertainment king in the 1980s, and he set the standard for what a Superstar should be. A larger-than-life figure, he drew 93,173 WWE fans to the Pontiac Silverdome, won six WWE Championships, appeared in movies, television shows, and his own cartoon series, and became an idol to a devoted fan base known as Hulkamaniacs.

“The Real American” first demonstrated his unfettered patriotism when he legdropped his way past The Iron Sheik to capture the WWE Championship in 1984, dressed from head to toe in his characteristic yellow and red outfit. From there, he became a household figure, headlining the inaugural WrestleMania while competing against celebrities such as Cyndi Lauper and Billy Crystal on MTV and “Saturday Night Live.” The Hulkster’s fan following had no bounds, as Andy Warhol attended his fights and millions of children listened intently as their hero exhorted them to “say their prayers and eat their vitamins.”

Hogan’s huge presence gave things a sense of significance. When “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, King Kong Bundy, and Ultimate Warrior faced The Immortal One, they became more memorable figures in WWE history. His top matches read like a rundown of WWE’s most pivotal occasions. Who can forget Hulk’s match with Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III, his collision with Randy Savage at WrestleMania V, or his famous clash with The Rock at WrestleMania X8?

And The Hulkster was nothing if not intelligent. After leaving WWE for WCW in the mid-1990s, he became a villain when he realized people were weary of his heroism. As the ringleader of the New World Order, he reinvented himself as a cowardly bad guy and propelled WCW to the top of the sports entertainment industry.

The nWo experiment may have sold some T-shirts, but fans eventually developed a nostalgia for the Hulk Hogan they grew up with. That Superstar returned to WWE in all of his red and yellow glory in 2002, asking a new generation of opponents the age-old question, “Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you?” This spectacular ride down memory lane earned Hogan his final WWE title, induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, and proof that WWE would not exist without Hulk Hogan.

To great excitement, The Hulkster returned to WWE in 2014, hosting WrestleMania 30 and celebrating his 61st birthday live on Raw. What more does Hulkamania have planned for the WWE Universe now that he has returned home?