Michael Cole Talks Legacy Of 'Greatest Professional Wrestler Of All Time' Hulk Hogan

In the WWE history books, Hulk Hogan has the fifth-most world title reigns with a total of 12. Beyond that, though, WWE commentator Michael Cole attests that his career transcended the professional wrestling realm, with people from all across the world now familiar with the Hulk Hogan name.

"Hulk Hogan's lasting legacy will be that he was probably the greatest professional wrestler of all time," Cole told "SportsCenter" when asked about Hogan, who recently died at the age of 71. "I'm not just talking in-ring performance. I'm talking about the way that he brought our industry into the mainstream, into the forefront of society, where people in every country on this earth would know the name Hulk Hogan, would know the name WWF/WWE. 'What are you going to do, brother, when these 24-inch pythons get a hold of you?' I mean, that will go down in history as an iconic line. Hulk Hogan had a lot of detractors. He was very controversial obviously toward the end of his career, but no matter what you think about Hulk Hogan, his legacy as a professional wrestler will probably be the greatest of all time."

As Cole alluded to, controversy followed Hogan (real name Terry Bollea) in the later years of his career, with a leaked audio tape of Hogan using racist remarks causing him to be temporarily removed from the WWE Hall of Fame. Hogan later apologized for his actions at a backstage meeting in 2018, though some still believe it to be insincere.

At the height of his in-ring career, Hogan became one of the most recognizable figures in both wrestling and pop culture. Thanks to that and the "Hulkamania" movement, WWE itself also reached global success in the 1980s.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "SportsCenter" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.