Celebrities and athletes are recovering Tuesday from the hardiest of WWE parties that celebrated Hulk Hogan's 61st birthday in anticicpation of SummerSlam.

The party was televised on WWE presents Monday Night RAW, the final WWE TV program receding this Sunday's SummerSlam pay-per-view event at Staples Center in Los Angeles. It took place at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore.

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Born Terry Gene Bollea, the Hulkmeister is revered worldwide as an actor, celebrity, reality star, entrepreneur and, oh by the way, professional wrestler. His legendary long blonde locks and killer wrester body hulked up on a 6-foot, 7-inch frame has amazed and delighted throngs of fans for decades.

No surprise then, when the likes of Aaron Rodgers, AJ Hawk and Drew Brees turned out Monday night to celebrate Hulkmania along with wrestling icons Ric Flair, Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

Hogan's WWE birthday bash mixed business with pleasure, of course. It represented an opportunity to bring back many long, seemingly lost wrestling stars from the past for another moment in the glare of the publicity sun. A lot went down and it was all good, people said.

Not missing a promotional beat, WWE creator Vince McMahon made sure to have Brock Lesnar and John Cerna get it on with words and raised fists although no blows. The two wrestlers headline this Sunday's WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view event. Lesnar "crashed" Hogan's birthday bash during the WWE Raw party coverage on Monday leading to the usual measure of mayhem.

Football stars at the RAW show on Monday made sure to gush over Hogan and his mystique as well as physique. Brees, New Orleans Saints quarterback, was first up doing a great Hogan impersonation. He yelled a gravel-voiced "Brother!" mimicking one of Hogan's catchphrases as he exited stage right.

Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers quarterback, also went down that road. Saying he and Brees were big fans who had been dedicated Hulkmaniacs for a long time, "Brother!" 

Hawk, star Packers linebacker, called Hogan the wrestling king, adding he had followed the king ever since he was a little kid. "You are the man," Hawk said to Hogan. "We love you."

McMahon pulled out all the stops for the celebration. He even got David Letterman into the act. The venerable talk show host gave Rodgers a WWE "spinner" championship belt to complement the world championship heavyweight belt Rodgers displayed when the Packers won the Super Bowl.

So, to conclude, as the Hulk says, "Brother!" what a party.

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