In 1987, Dolly Parton gave fans a wild pop culture moment: a mock wedding to wrestling icon Hulk Hogan on the debut episode of her variety show Dolly. It began with Dolly performing her playful song “Headlock on My Heart,” poking fun at rumors linking her to wrestlers.
Then came Hogan — dressed as his campy alter ego “Starlight Starbright” — who stormed the ring, bodyslammed a rival, and “married” Dolly in a rhinestone-filled spectacle. The over-the-top skit, complete with sparkly gowns and roaring crowds, was Dolly’s idea.
Hogan later said he was baffled but charmed by her creative chaos. Though the wedding was fake, the fun was real. Nearly 40 years later, the moment lives on as a joyful, ridiculous reminder of when TV embraced its weirdest, most wonderful instincts.