The WWE is getting ready to celebrate 40 years of Hulkamania. In addition, recent reports of the Hulkster training hard has some fans speculating Hulk might be contemplating a return to the ring.

WrestleVotes is reporting:

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Has It Really Been 40 Years?

For some Hulkamaniacs, it seems like only yesterday that Hulk Hogan returned to the WWF and defeated The Iron Sheik for the WWF Championship. From there, wrestling's popularity seemed to explode, with Hulk Hogan helping take the WWF from a northeastern territory to a national promotion. While there were other players involved (Cyndi Lauper, Roddy Piper, and of course, Vince McMahon to name a few), Hulkamania fueled the WWF's growth and successful endeavors such as WrestleMania and Saturday Night's Main Event.

When Did Hulkamania Really Begin?

While the WWE is celebrating 40 years of Hulkamania, it's worth noting that Hulkamania began during Hogan's run in Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association. Hogan entered the promotion as a heel, but fans couldn't help but cheer him. Hogan's popularity grew even more thanks his appearance in 1982's Rocky III as Thunderlips.

Hulkamania was running wild in the AWA but promoter Verne Gagne's reluctance to put the title on a showman (as opposed to a traditional wrestler like Gagne, Bob Backlund, or Harley Race) coupled with Gagne allegedly demanding a cut of Hogan's salary from his trips to Japan made it easy for Hogan to accept Vincent Kennedy McMahon's offer to jump to the WWF.

Is Hogan Training for an In-Ring Comeback?

One question fans are asking is whether Hulk Hogan is contemplating an in-ring return. According to Ringside News' Subhojeet Mukherjee:

As seen in a recent video featuring Hulk Hogan, he put a video of himself training with a past tweet, “Setbacks are just setups for epic comebacks, brother! Get up, dust yourself off, and prepare to rise as a champion!” Naturally, all of this ended up sparking discussions that he might want one more match.

H/T Ringside News

The Hulkster posted the video on his Instagram story and now, fans are curious what it means. While Hogan might just be training to look his best for any media appearances, some fans think there could be another reason, that is, could Hogan be in training for a return match, possibly at WrestleMania? You may recall rumors that the WWE was considering putting the Hulkster into the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, a match he could work without taking any bumps. Hogan has repeatedly said he regrets working his last match in IMPACT Wrestling and has tried to find a way to work one last match in a WWE ring.

There are two things that could keep Hogan out of the ring. The first is the laundry list of surgeries he's had through the years to deal with the wear and tear his body sustained during his career. Hogan has been seen in pictures and videos using a walking stick, which obviously raises questions about whether he could get into the ring, let alone work a match. The second issue is that some fans still view Hogan in a negative light following the racial slurs he used during a leaked sex tape. Although Hogan has apologized several times for his remarks, some fans (and wrestlers) are still upset with him.

Whatever the WWE's other plans, it sounds like it will capitalize on Hogan's historic run in the WWE. What do you think of the WWE celebrating 40 years of Hulkamania? Do you think the Hulkster will find his way into a match? Should the WWE even consider this?