Hulk Hogan, who passed away on Thursday, changed wrestling forever 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 uncontroversial.
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 signature horseshoe mustache, Hogan was always a striking presence.
The wrestling icon was born 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 cardiac arrest. Shortly after high school, he was drawn into the world of wrestling. At that time – the seventies – it was a businesslike and unspectacular industry.
It soon became clear that the opposite was true for Hogan, who took the name ‘Hulk’ during his career. Hogan grew into a giant in show wrestling, and his biceps grew just as fast: 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 frequently become world champion 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 immensely popular. Thanks to that shift, wrestling became a billion-dollar industry.
With his striking appearance, muscular body, and striking bandanas, Hogan grew into a classic ‘All American Hero’ – the ideal figurehead for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Partly thanks to Hogan, the federation – now called WWE – grew into one of the best-known wrestling competitions worldwide. Later, Hogan would also wrestle in other competitions.
During his wrestling career, he fought many legendary battles. One of them was during the WrestleMania sports event in 2002, when Hogan took on the almost twenty years younger Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. Hogan, who was almost fifty by then, was not lacking in 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 himself called himself the Babe Ruth of wrestling – a reference to the iconic American baseball player who is seen as the man who made baseball a popular national sport.
With his film career, wrestling entered American living rooms
In the heyday of his wrestling career, Hogan also took his first steps in the world of Hollywood. In 1982, he made his film debut with a small role in the film Rocky III, after which numerous supporting roles followed in films such as Gremlins 2 and Muppets from Space.
Hogan’s film career was significantly less successful than his wrestling career. But even with this, the eccentric wrestler contributed to the growing popularity of wrestling. In films, he often played the role of a wrestler, which is why wrestling entered American living rooms thanks to Hogan.
In addition, he became wildly popular thanks to his reality soap Hogan Knows Best, which was also frequently watched on Dutch televisions between 2005 and 2007. That series gave a behind-the-scenes look into the life of the wrestling icon, in which his then-wife Linda and children Brooke and Nick also played a central role.
During filming in 2007, Hogan was accused of having an affair. Shortly afterwards, Linda filed for divorce. Hogan always denied the accusations. After his failed marriage, he married twice more. 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 remarks. Among other things, he expressed his disgust over his daughter Brooke dating a black man at the time. He also openly admitted in the recording that he was racist.
Due to 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 again inducted into the Hall of Fame. Hogan’s lawyer said that the wrestler himself had made the choice to end his career, even before he was suspended. After 2015, he never returned to the ring.
In 2024, Hogan came to the fore again, this time as a prominent supporter of Donald Trump’s election campaign, alienating some of his most loyal supporters. “Let Trumpmania go loose!’, he shouted to Trump supporters at a Republican party congress. “Let Trumpmania reign 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.
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