Showman who 'took on Rocky'

WITH his deep orange tan, blond handlebar moustache and rippling muscles, Hulk Hogan was recognisable even to those who didn't follow wrestling.

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Such was his fame and popularity in the "fake" sport, he spawned his own phenomenon - Hulkamania - selling out stadium events, commanding massive TV audiences and appearing in wrestling-related films including in No Holds Barred (1989), Mr Nanny (1993), and as a mercenary in the television series Thunder in Paradise (1994).

Hulk Hogan lent his name to video games, a chain of restaurants and a multibillion-dollar merchandising empire.