Over the years, pro wrestling has changed a lot. From the early carnival days, to the transition to television and the Attitude era, there have been a number of great athletes that amazed audiences with their skills, or enthralled them with rich, interesting characters. Wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, or the Rock have chiseled their names in the very core of the sport and remained forever in the memories of wrestling fans. But, where are they now? What happened to the best WWE legends ever? Let’s take a look here.
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque, better known by his stage name Triple H, started his wrestling career in 1992, and just 2 years later got the chance to perform for the best promotion out there – WWE (formerly known as WWF) and took the fans by storm. Triple H was, along with Steve Austin, one of the instigators of the Attitude Era, when he founded the D-Generation X stable with Rick Rude, Chyna and Shawn Michaels. He also started playing a more important role when he began dating his onstage partner Stephanie McMahon and became Vince McMahon’s Son-in-Law. From a producing viewpoint, he made a name for himself when he created the exciting NXT promotion and is now working as a creative director of WWE.
Hulk Hogan
Next up is Hulk Hogan. His name is probably the first one that people think about when they imagine pro wrestling. He is the man who brought wrestling to the mainstream and started the so-called Hulkamania with fans all around the world worshipping his every move. With his trademark blonde hair, bandana and a long moustache, Hulk became a symbol of pro wrestling and when his fame began to drop, he simply reimagined himself as Hollywood Hogan. After many departures and returns, Hogan’s wrestling career ended when a recording of his racist rant leaked online and WWE terminated all of his contracts. Following that event, the public lost all of its trust in this once-great star, though he apologized a number of times since. That being said, Triple H stated that he is still open for Hogan’s return, so we’ll see.
The Rock
Dwayne Johnson, better known as the Rock, made his debut for WWE in 1996 and quickly realized himself as face that the audience adored. Early on, it was pretty much certain that he would be one of the biggest stars and Dwayne wouldn’t settle for anything less. Upon achieving fame, he followed in Hogan’s footsteps and went into the filming industry starting off with blockbusters like the Mummy Returns and the Scorpion King, shifting his focus away from wrestling. Nowadays, he’s a full-time actor and one of the biggest earning stars in the world, appearing in wrestling events only from time to time.
Bret Hart
The entire Hart family basically consists of legends, but a wrestler that really managed to separate and make a name for himself is Bret Hart. Known for his outrageous look – pink costumes and big sunglasses, Bret was a sensation both because of his athletic skills and in-ring persona. He made his WWE debut in 1985 and stayed for 6 years, up until the so-called Montreal Screwjob, when he was betrayed by WWE owner McMahon and forced to lose. This is considered one of the biggest upsets in wrestling history and WWE probably lost a lot of their fans to WCW following the incident. He returned in 2005 and performed for a couple more years, until his contract expired in 2010. From then on, he only appeared sporadically, and withdrew from the public life.
The Undertaker
Finally, there’s one man that is certainly synonymous with pro wrestling and that’s the Undertaker. Although people rarely call him by his real name, Mark Calaway made his WWE debut in 1990 and soon rose to fame as one of the scariest and most iconic characters in the entire pro wrestling history. He became famous for his incredible Streak in Wrestlemania events when he got 21 consecutive wins before being taken down by the mighty Brock Lesnar. In recent years, there’s been a word that he retired and moved out from the public life, but it all crumbled when he appeared on the 9th of January on Raw and confirmed that he is basically larger than life.
