The Hulk Hogan, who passed away on Thursday, forever changed wrestling with his sense of showmanship and entertainment. Later, he gained worldwide fame thanks to television. A portrait of the all-American hero who rose to great heights, but was not without controversy.
You don’t have to look at photos of Hogan for long to see that he was a striking figure. With his bleached blonde hair, sun-tanned skin, and distinctive horseshoe mustache, Hogan was always a striking appearance.
The wrestling icon was born as Terry Gene Bollea on August 11, 1953, in the American state of Georgia. At a young age, he moved to Florida, the state where he would pass away 71 years later from a heart attack.
Shortly after high school, he was drawn into the world of wrestling. That was in those days – the seventies – a businesslike and unspectacular industry.
It soon became clear that the opposite was true for Hogan, who took on the name ‘Hulk’ during his career. Hogan grew into a great figure in show wrestling, and his biceps grew just as hard: he nicknamed them ’24 inch pythons’.
The man who changed the wrestling world forever
The general public got to know Hogan in the eighties, when the flamboyant American conquered the professional wrestling world. Not only did he become a world champion many times during that period, but he also managed to turn the entire industry upside down with his sense of showmanship and entertainment. Wrestling matches in which he participated were extremely popular. Thanks to that shift, wrestling changed into a billion-dollar industry.
With his striking appearance, muscular body and striking bandanas, Hogan was a classic all-American hero: the ideal figurehead for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Thanks in part to him, the association – now called WWE – became one of the best-known wrestling competitions in the world. Later, Hogan would also wrestle in other competitions.
During his wrestling career, he fought many legendary battles. For example, in 2002, Hogan took on Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who was almost twenty years younger, at the WrestleMania sports event. Hogan, who was almost fifty at the time, had no lack of confidence: “I will gladly stand next to The Rock to pose, if he feels like it.” ‘The Rock’ won the fight.
Hogan was inducted twice into the Hall of Fame of WWE. He called himself the ‘Babe Ruth of wrestling’. Hogan was referring to the iconic American baseball player who had made baseball a popular sport.
With his film career, wrestling came into American living rooms
In the heyday of his wrestling career, Hogan also took his first steps in Hollywood. In 1982 he made his film debut with a small role in the film Rocky III, followed by numerous supporting roles in films such as Gremlins 2 and Muppets from Space followed.
Hogan’s film career was considerably less successful than his wrestling career. But with this too, the eccentric wrestler contributed to the growing popularity of wrestling. In films, he often played the role of a wrestler, as a result of which wrestling entered American living rooms thanks to Hogan.
In addition, he became extremely popular thanks to his reality soap Hogan Knows Best, which was also frequently watched on Dutch television between 2005 and 2007. That series gave a look behind the scenes in the life of the wrestling icon, in which his then wife Linda and children Brooke and Nick also played a central role.
During recordings in 2007, Hogan was accused of having an affair. Shortly afterwards, Linda filed for divorce. Hogan always denied the allegations. After his failed marriage, he married two more times. His last wife was Sky Daily, whom he married in 2023.
Accusations of racism and a leaked sex tape
The end of Hogan’s life was marked by controversy. In 2015, recordings leaked in which he made racist comments. Among other things, he expressed his disgust at his daughter Brooke dating a black man at the time. He also openly admitted in the recording that he was racist.
Because of the controversy, he was suspended by WWE, who also took away his Hall of Fame status. Three years later he was reinstated and in 2020 he was re-inducted into the Hall of Fame. Hogan’s lawyer said that the wrestler himself had made the choice to put an end to his career, even before he was suspended. After 2015, he did not return to the ring.
In 2024, Hogan reappeared in the foreground, this time as a prominent supporter of Donald Trump’s election campaign, alienating some of his most loyal supporters. “Let Trumpmania go!’, he shouted to Trump supporters at a Republican party congress. “Let Trumpmania rule again!”
The American president paused on Thursday to commemorate the death of his “great friend”. “Hulk Hogan was completely MAGA (referring to his supporters, ed.): strong, tough but with a big heart.” Trump attended Hogan’s fights several times in the eighties.
Hogan died on Thursday at the age of 71 at his home in Florida. The Babe Ruth of wrestling turns out not to be immortal. But thanks to Hogan, the wrestling world changed forever.