‘Real American’ Debuts, But It’s Not Hulk Hogan Going, Bro

Forty years ago today, Hulk Hogan’s iconic entrance theme, “Real American,” debuted on WWE TV – but not for the Hulkster.

In the fall of 1985, WWE released its first full-length musical album, The wrestling albumwith songs performed by WWE Superstars. Highlights included a rare head-to-head collaboration “Land of a Thousand Dances” and Junkyard Dog’s funky “Grab Them Cakes.”

But the standout track was “Real American,” originally written for former champions Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda – the US Express. However, after Windham left the company, WWE was left with a great theme: simply collecting dust.

By the end of the year, it found a new home with Hulk Hogan, replacing his previous theme, “Eye of the Tiger” from Survivor’s film. Rocky IIIwhich starred Hogan.

For trivia fans, Hogan first used the song before a match against arguably his greatest rival, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, at Madison Square Garden on December 30, 1985.

As WWE phased out licensed tracks in favor of original in-house themes, “Real American” became legendary – the benchmark for all entrance music, even in 2025.