What was it about the ‘80s? The decade that did everything big spawned a pair of muscled showmen who landed huge career breaks within a year of each other on this date. Mr. T and Hulk Hogan weren’t completely unknown before their career-defining stints. But their big breaks came exactly one year apart in 1983 and 1984, putting the rest of the decade in a chokehold that would make you pity the fools if it hadn't been so entertaining. (Maybe we could lobby Congress to call January 23 T-Hulk Day?)

Laurence Tureaud, aka Mr. T, had been a bouncer and bodyguard before winning a pair of strongman competitions aired on NBC. Sylvester Stallone saw one of the shows and hired T to play Clubber Lang in 1982's "Rocky III." This was the first time T spoke his immortal catchphrase “I pity the fool!” Stallone might have been inspired by an unscripted line T had delivered before a boxing match on the NBC competition, when he said "I just feel sorry for the guy who I have to box. I just feel real sorry for him.” The sympathy was justified, as T ended the match in 54 seconds.

But when “The A-Team” debuted 32 years ago on January 23, 1983, with Mr. T driving the car for a team of wrongly imprisoned military commandos, T fever really took off. With his trademark African warrior hairstyle and tons of jewelry (supposedly left behind by customers when he was a bouncer), T was a natural for the image-obsessed ‘80s. He was everywhere during the decade, and even had a Saturday morning cartoon where he owned a gym, had a dog with a mohawk, and helped kids solve mysteries, because obviously.

Terry Gene Bollea had been part of the pro wrestling circuit since the late ‘70s. He acquired the stage name “Hulk Hogan” along the way and began his career as a “heel,” (a.k.a. a bad guy if you’re not up on your rasslin’ lingo). Hulk had moved around and even wrestled in Japan, but when he returned for his second career stint with the WWF, it was by design. Owner Vince McMahon was determined to raise the profile of pro wrestling, and he had anointed Hulk as the face of the sport. Without time for a long character arc, his previous heel status had to be quickly papered over. Fellow wrestler Bob Backlund simply told fans “He’s changed his ways. He’s a great man,” and that was good enough. When Hogan won his first WWF title by pinning the Iron Shiek 31 years ago on January 23, 1984, announcer Gorilla Monsoon (ain't wrestling great?) said “Hulkamania is here!”

It was. The product in the ring might have been fake, but the money and popularity Hulk Hogan brought to it were real as could be. He held the WWF title for four years, and his long hair and tendency to slap “brother” onto every sentence became just as ubiquitous as Mr. T’s mohawk and “fool” shtick. The two heroes of our tale might have reached critical mass in 1985, when they teamed up to win the first WrestleMania event on pay-per-view.

This is all undeniably silly, but there are worse things to be famous for. T and Hulk had more than biceps going for them. They had over-the-top personalities perfectly suited for the decade. They also had squeaky-clean public images (at least at the time), and could credibly serve as role models for kids to take care of their bodies (and have weird hair). They’ve both toned things down since then. T claimed to have stopped wearing his gold out of guilt after seeing victims of Hurricane Katrina, and the less said about Hulk’s unfortunate foray into reality TV, the better. But for one shining moment in the ‘80s, our musclemen were as over the top as our dreams. And brother, I pity the fool who missed out.

http://s3.vidimg02.popscreen.com/original/48/VloxZW5EZVBUNkUx_o_hulk-hogan-mr-t-funny-promo-videovob.jpg