A Look Back On Hulk Hogan's Forgotten Cartoon: Rock N' Wrestling
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The 1980s wrestling boom period paved the way for the professional wrestling industry to become relevant in the pop culture of that decade, especially in the United States. No doubt, the biggest star in wrestling during the 1980s who did the most in bringing WWE to mainstream heights was Hulk Hogan, as he's still widely considered the most influential wrestler of all time. Because of his name value in wrestling, Hulk Hogan got promoted in various aspects within WWE, including a children's cartoon called "Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling."
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Hulk Hogan Was A Pop Culture Icon In The 1980s
Believe it or not, there were times when professional wrestling was on top of the food chain regarding pop culture relevancy. The 1980s and 1990s were among the most exciting times to be a wrestling fan, especially considering WWE relied much more on the sports-entertainment aspect of professional wrestling by utilizing larger-than-life personas.
The 1980s wrestling boom period was when WWE started showcasing larger-than-life cartoon characters that helped launch the company into mainstream success. Hulk Hogan is the best example of someone who's a larger-than-life character that contributed to WWE's dominance during the 1980s. He helped WWE succeed into stardom to where, to this day, he's remembered as among the top pop-culture figures of that decade, along with other celebrities like Mr. T and Mike Tyson.
Because of this, it made sense for WWE to produce a children's cartoon named after Hulk Hogan during the mid-1980s. It's well-known that Hulk Hogan had a lot of kids looking up to him during his prime, especially the contributions he made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Having a cartoon based on his character could potentially widen WWE's audience of the younger demographic.
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'Hulk Hogan's Rock 'N' Wrestling' Included A Plethora Of Top WWE Superstars
The animated kid's cartoon was titled Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling, which some might say is the perfect name for a wrestling-themed children's show. Teaming with Jean Chalopin and Andy Heyward of DIC Enterprises, who were the producers of the animated cartoon, the premise of Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling is a pretty basic kids' show about charismatic wrestlers. Obviously, judging by the title, the main protagonist is a cartoon version of Hulk Hogan. However, it's not just Hulk Hogan who serves as the good guy of the series, as he's got a gang of wrestling heroes to help him fight evil being committed by a cartoon version of "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and his group of miscreant heel wrestlers.
It's like a typical cartoon one would expect would air on Saturday mornings, especially back when wrestlers came off as real-life cartoon characters. For those wondering who aided Hulk Hogan in his quest to fight bad guys and bring justice to the world, he had a trustworthy crew of fellow babyface wrestlers. His gang included the cartoon versions of Wendi Richter, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, Hillbilly Jim, Tito Santana, Junkyard Dog, Captain Lou Albano, and André the Giant. On the other hand, Roddy Pipper had a legion of villains to help him in his dirty deeds, which included the cartoon versions of The Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, The Fabulous Moolah, Big John Studd, and Mr. Fuji.
In the end, Hulk Hogan and his gang always prevailed in their quest, bringing good and warding off the face of evil from their fellow heel wrestlers. Children who grew up watching Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling would enjoy the wacky antics, while also being taught very important valuable lessons. Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling featureed real-life cameos of WWE superstars, usually doing their shtick of being in character.
Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling debuted in the fall of 1985, airing on the CBS network as part of its Saturday morning block. With each episode running thirty minutes, some episodes got split into two 15-minute adventures, and some only had one 30-minute version as an episode.
However, considering that many may not know much about this cartoon, Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling only lasted two seasons with 26 episodes. The last episode, titled "Rowdy Roddy Reforms/Three Little Hulks," aired on Oct. 18, 1986, marking the end of the show's run.
WWE's Attempt At Kid Friendly Entertainment Didn't End There
Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling is one of the best examples of WWE's history of appealing to children. One should remember that this isn't the only time WWE has done shows catering exclusively to children. Many years later, in 2012, the company produced Saturday Morning Slam which aired from late 2012 to early 2013 on the Vortexx channel.
Despite the controversy WWE got for toning down the adult content on its programming, especially during the early years of the PG era, WWE's been committed to producing family-friendly entertainment throughout its existence. Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling was just a part of that very family-friendly package WWE promoted.
