WWE Mount Rushmore of the 1980s

#1 Hulk Hogan

'The Hulkster' was the flagship of the WWF throughout the '80s and early 1990s.

Hulk Hogan was the first megastar in the professional wrestling business. Sure, Bruno Sammartino was a huge star in the late 1960s and 1970s, but the sport hadn't captured the hearts of mainstream society at that time.

During the advent of MTV and music television, wrestling also adopted that platform with the likes of Captain Lou Albano appearing in music videos and wrestlers appearing in films. Hogan appeared in Rocky III and even had his own Saturday morning cartoon in the '80s. Since Hogan was the biggest star of the decade, and arguably all time, he is often credited as the greatest superstar of all time.

Hogan's impact on the business was enormous in the 1980s as he took part in four of the main events of the first five WrestleManias. He routinely held the title as the company's biggest star and more than likely was the wrestler most non-fans would have been able to recognize.

'The Hulkster' was also presented as a 'Real American Hero' during the closing days of the Cold War between the US and the USSR. He not only became a sports icon but also a cultural one as the most recognizable wrestler in the world. Had he not been a pro wrestler, who knows how different things would have turned out for him and the sport's many fans.