5 - Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan, the character, is a human reimagination as close to Captain America and Superman. It is just as much Son Goku is just Akira Toriyama reimagining Bruce Lee’s legacy. The Hulk Hogan swagger and the ability to transcend to impossible heights This is what Hulkster’s message is. It is human to have these trials and that is what makes his design relatable.
If you were a kid in the 80s and early 90s, you would think Hulk Hogan is the coolest thing ever. Treat everyone as a brother, love your mother, and drink your vitamins. He had that magic. The reason behind this is that. His Colors were Red and Yellow and Psychologically, kids cannot resist that and that is how fast food does its tricks as well. Unfortunately, I can’t say much about Gene Bollea, the character behind him, and his politics.
4 - Roddy Piper
3 - Ric Flair
Say what you want about Ric Flair, the person, but his gimmick, his character, and what that meant transcended pop culture. Every rapper in the late 00s to the 010s referenced Ric Flair, the Jetplane riding, kiss stealing, son of a gun at some point. He was a status symbol that everyone wanted to reach.
The reality is that behind the diamond-laden, peacock feather-filled, fur-coated robe is just a man just doing his dues, and he is prone to making mistakes left and right. The glitz and glam are there, and so are dust and dirt accompanying it.
2 - John Cena
WWE jumped on the Hip hop train with him, with Nu metal, Eminem, Ja Rule, and Fat Joe charting internationally during the ruthless aggression era; his gimmick went over the moon.
WWE even stuck with it, even when the rap hype died. The funny thing is that every iteration and color of John Cena is just as iconic as the next one. Even through the awkward blue and orange or purple and green phases, everyone bought his merch. He even remained as an internet artifact.
1 - The Undertaker
You can name all the dark persona gimmicks you can think of right now. Darby Allin, Raven, Sting, Kane, The Brood, but no one is as recognizable as The Undertaker and his immortal dark wizard character who shoots lightning persona.
The Undertaker has transcended music and art because no wrestler references rap artists, punk bands, and even video games outside of WWE. It went full circle because of the legacy of his undefeated streak in Wrestlemania.
You can think of every iconic wrestler out there, but no one walked that ring as the Undertaker did. The difference between Undertaker and Flair or Hogan is that a huge part of Mark Calaway’s personal life remains a mystery, and there were many factors why most of his life was a secret to many.
