Hulk Hogan

Undoubtedly the most recognized personality to emerge from World Wrestling Entertainment (formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation), Hulk Hogan maintained enormous popularity as a professional wrestler throughout a long career that saw its share of dizzying highs and humiliating lows. Though wrestling had always been defined by absolutes - the morality tale of good versus evil - the story behind the scenes was far more complex, as personal tragedies entangled in an intricate web of a billion-dollar business. But initially Hogan managed to transcend brushes with scandal early in his career, unlike numerous contemporaries, to become not only the most famous professional wrestler in the world, but also the very face of the sport itself. With his trademark red and yellow headband, Hogan rode the wave of Hulkamania - which saw his face and flexed biceps on everything from posters to lunch pails - into pop culture iconography that translated to a career outside the ring with movies like "Thunder in Paradise" (1995) and later his own reality series, "Hogan Knows Best" (VH1, 2005-07). But eventually even Hulkamania began to show cracks in its façade when Hogan was embroiled in a series of scandals that included infidelity, his son nearly killing a friend in a drunk driving accident and a leaked sex tape. Regardless of serious personal setbacks, Hogan managed to maintain a successful career while his place as wrestling's most recognizable and beloved personality was cemented into the cultural pantheon.