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Hulk Hogan
American professional wrestler (1953–2025) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Terry Gene Bollea[8][9] (/bəˈleɪə/; August 11, 1953 – July 24, 2025), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, was an American professional wrestler and media personality. Hogan was widely regarded as one of the greatest and globally most recognized wrestling stars of all time.[10][11] He won multiple championships worldwide, most notably being a six-time WWF Champion. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He also worked for promotions like Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).[12][13]
Known for his showmanship, large physique, and trademark blond American Fu Manchu moustache and bandanas, Hogan began training in 1977 with Championship Wrestling from Florida and achieved global stardom after joining the WWF in 1983. His heroic, all‑American persona helped usher in the 1980s professional wrestling boom, during which he headlined eight of the first nine editions of WWF’s flagship annual event WrestleMania and regularly headlined Saturday Night's Main Event. His first reign as WWF Champion lasted 1,474 days—the third-longest in the title’s history[a]—and he became the first wrestler to win back-to-back Royal Rumbles in 1990 and 1991.[15]
In 1994, Hogan joined WCW and won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times. His reinvention as the villainous Hollywood Hogan and leadership of the New World Order (nWo) revitalized his career and significantly contributed to the success of the “Monday Night War” wrestling boom of the late 1990s, including three headline appearances at Starrcade.[16] Hogan returned to WWF in 2002—after WWF acquired WCW—winning the Undisputed WWF Championship for a then-record-equalling sixth reign before departing in 2003.[17] He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 and a second time in 2020 as part of the nWo.[18]
Outside wrestling, Hogan appeared in films such as Rocky III, No Holds Barred, and Suburban Commando, and starred in television shows including Thunder in Paradise and Hogan Knows Best. He also fronted the Wrestling Boot Band; their sole record, Hulk Rules, reached number 12 on the Billboard Top Kid Audio chart in 1995.[19]
Several controversies damaged Hogan’s public image. In 1994, he admitted to using anabolic steroids since 1976, and helping stop a wrestling unionization effort. In 2012, the media company Gawker published portions of a sex tape in which Hogan was heard using racial slurs. Hogan sued Gawker, which was found liable and subsequently declared bankruptcy. Despite this legal victory, Hogan’s reputation has been described as "permanently tarnished", a view reflected in the mixed public reaction to his death in July 2025.[20]
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Early life
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Hogan was born in Augusta, Georgia, on August 11, 1953,[2] the son of construction foreman Pietro "Peter" Bollea (December 6, 1913 – December 18, 2001) and homemaker and dance teacher Vernice "Ruth" (née Moody; January 16, 1920 – January 1, 2011). Hogan was of Italian, Panamanian, Scottish, and French descent;[21] his paternal grandfather, also named Pietro, was born in 1886 in Cigliano, Province of Vercelli in Piedmont.[22] Hogan had an older brother named Allan (1947–1986) who died at the age of 38 from a drug overdose.[23] When he was one and a half years old, his family moved to Port Tampa, Florida.[24] As a boy, he was a pitcher in Little League Baseball. Hogan attended Robinson High School.[25] He began watching professional wrestling at 16 years old. While in high school, he revered Dusty Rhodes,[26] and he regularly attended cards at the Tampa Sportatorium. It was at one of those wrestling cards where he first noticed "Superstar" Billy Graham and began looking to him for inspiration;[26] since he first saw Graham on TV,[26] Hogan wanted to match his "inhuman" look.[26]
Hogan was also a musician, spending a decade playing fretless bass guitar in several Florida-based rock bands.[1] He went on to study at Hillsborough Community College and the University of South Florida. After music gigs began to get in the way of his time in college, he dropped out of the University of South Florida.[27] Eventually, Hogan and two local musicians formed a band called Ruckus in 1976.[28] The band soon became popular in the Tampa Bay region.[28] During his spare time, Hogan worked out at Hector's Gym in the Tampa Bay area, where he began lifting.[29] Many of the wrestlers who were competing in the Florida region visited the bars where Ruckus was performing.[26] Among those attending his performances were Jack and Gerald Brisco.[26]
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Discovery & Training for Pro Wrestling
The Brisco Brothers first met Hogan at a college bar called The Other Place where Hogan was playing with the band Ruckus. Impressed by Hogan's physical stature and charismatic guitar performance, the Brisco brothers asked Hiro Matsuda—the man who trained wrestlers working for Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF)—to make him a potential trainee.[30] In 1976, the two brothers asked Hogan to try wrestling. Hogan eventually agreed.[31] At first, Mike Graham, the son of CWF promoter Eddie Graham, refused to put Hogan in the ring; according to Hogan, he met Graham while in high school and the two did not get along. After Hogan quit Ruckus and started telling people in town that he was going to be a wrestler,[32] Graham finally agreed to accept the Brisco Brothers' request. During the first session in training, Matsuda broke Hogan's leg. After 10 weeks of rehab, Hogan returned to train with Matsuda and blocked him when he tried to break his leg again.[33]
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Professional wrestling career
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Early years (1977–1979)
In mid-1977, after training for more than a year with Matsuda, the Brisco brothers dropped by Matsuda's gym to see Hogan. During this visit, Jack Brisco handed Hogan a pair of wrestling boots and informed him that he was scheduled to wrestle his first match the following week.[34] In his professional wrestling debut, Eddie Graham booked him against Brian Blair in Fort Myers, Florida, on August 10, 1977, in CWF.[35][36] A short time later, Hogan donned a mask and assumed the persona of "The Super Destroyer", a hooded character first played by Don Jardine and subsequently used by other wrestlers.[37]
Hogan eventually could no longer work with Matsuda, whom he felt was an overbearing trainer, and left CWF. After declining an offer to wrestle for the Kansas City circuit, Hogan took a hiatus from wrestling and managed The Anchor club, a private club in Cocoa Beach, Florida, for a man named Whitey Bridges. Eventually, Whitey and Hogan became close friends, and opened a gym together; the gym became known as Whitey and Terry's Olympic gym.[38]
Soon after, Hogan's friend Ed Leslie (later known as Brutus Beefcake) came to Cocoa Beach to help Hogan and Bridges manage both the Anchor Club and the Whitey and Terry's Olympic Gym. In his spare time, both he and Leslie worked out in the gym together,[38] and eventually Beefcake developed a muscular physique. Hogan was impressed by Beefcake's physical stature and became convinced that the two of them should wrestle together as tag team partners. Depressed and yearning to return to wrestling, Hogan called Superstar Billy Graham in 1978 with hopes that Graham could find him a job wrestling outside of Florida; Graham agreed, and Hogan soon joined Louie Tillet's Alabama territory Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling (GCCW). Hogan also convinced Leslie, who had yet to become a wrestler, to come with him and promised to teach him everything he knew about the sport.[39]
In Alabama, Hogan and Leslie wrestled as Terry and Ed Boulder, known as The Boulder Brothers. These early matches prompted a rumor among wrestling fans (who were not aware of the inner workings of the wrestling business) that the two really were brothers,[40] as few people actually knew their real names outside of immediate friends, family, and the various promoters the two worked for.
As a singles wrestler in Alabama, Hogan had his first encounter with André the Giant in two matches and a televised arm‑wrestling contest. The arm wrestling was taped at WTVY Studios in Dothan and Hogan wrestled Andre at the Houston County Farm Center and sold out Coffee County Farm Center. The contests generated significant local buzz, with fans recalling how "wrestling reigned in Dothan" during Hogan’s early days.[41][42]
On May 24, 1979, Hogan wrestled his first world championship match against NWA champion Harley Race at Rip Hewes Sports Complex in Dothan. After Hogan pinned Race and was announced as the new champion on GCCW television, Race protested the result—with the NWA Board reversing the decision to a disqualification the next week and stripping Hogan of the title. The reversed title change was not officially recognized and remains a notable controversy among fans.[43][44]
After forfeiting back the NWA World title to Harley Race Hogan won the Southeastern Heavyweight Championship twice. First by defeating Ox Baker on June 14, 1979 before loosing it to Austin Idol. Then a second time defeating Professor Tanaka.
After wrestling a show for Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) in Memphis, Jerry Jarrett, the promoter for the CWA, approached Hogan and Leslie and offered them a job in his promotion for $800 a week; this was far more than the $175 a week they would make working for Tillet.[45] Hogan and Leslie accepted this offer and left Tillet's territory.[45]
During his time in Memphis, Hogan appeared on a local talk show, where he sat beside Lou Ferrigno, star of the television series The Incredible Hulk.[46] The host commented on how Hogan, who stood 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) and weighed 295 pounds (134 kg) with 24-inch (61 cm) biceps, actually dwarfed "The Hulk". Watching the show backstage, Mary Jarrett noticed that Hogan was actually bigger than Ferrigno, who was well known at the time for having large muscles. As a result, Hogan began performing as Terry "The Hulk" Boulder[47] and sometimes wrestled as Sterling Golden.[1]
He briefly wrestled in the Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) territory from September through December 1979 as Sterling Golden, where he defeated Dirty Dick Slater in Knoxville, Tennessee. He dropped it in January 1980 to Bob Armstrong.[48]
World Wrestling Federation (1979–1981)
In Hulk Hogan’s autobiography My Life Outside the Ring, Bollea claims that briefly in 1979 he quit wrestling and Gerald Brisco saw him working on the Tampa docks. Brisco and his brother encouraged him to return to professional wrestling, and arranged a meeting with World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) promoter Vince McMahon Sr.[49] According to some wrestling historians, Terry Funk recommended Bollea to McMahon Sr. after seeing his potential during early matches, helping secure Hogan’s first opportunity in the WWWF in 1979.[50][51]
These differing accounts reflect the complexity of oral history within professional wrestling, where perspectives often vary between wrestlers, promoters, and chroniclers of the sport.
Vincent J. McMahon, who was impressed with Bollea’s charisma and physical stature and offered him a spot on the WWWF roster as an opponent for Andre the Giant. McMahon, who wanted to use an Irish name, gave him the last name Hogan, and also wanted him to dye his hair red. Bollea claims his hair was already beginning to fall out by that time, and he refused to dye it, simply replying, "I'll be a blond Irishman".[52] Bollea wrestled his first match in the WWF under the ring name "Hulk Hogan" by defeating Harry Valdez[53] on the November 17 episode of Championship Wrestling.
During his initial run as a villain in the WWF, Hogan was paired with "Classy" Freddie Blassie, himself a villainous wrestler-turned-manager and wore a giant gold or rainbow cape to the ring. He also wore long wrestling tights or singlets; before eventually the signature trunks he became known for in his second and famous WWF Hulkamania run. He often wore white or black trunks during this era, as opposed to red and yellow. [54]
He made his first appearance at Madison Square Garden on December 17, 1979, defeating Ted DiBiase after a bearhug.[55] After the match, Hogan thanked DiBiase for putting him over and told him that he "owed him one", a favor he repaid during DiBiase's second run with the company in the late 1980s and early 1990s as "The Million Dollar Man".[56] McMahon gave Hogan former tag team champion Tony Altomare as chaperone and guide.[57] At this time, Hogan began a long feud with Andre the Giant.
On August 9, 1980, during the WWF supercard Showdown at Shea held at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York, André the Giant pinned Hulk Hogan in front of approximately 36,295 fans.[58][59] This event also served as the blow‑off to the Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zbyszko feud, which culminated in a steel‑cage match on the same card.
In their match at Shea Stadium, Hogan body‑slammed André the Giant, prefiguring the iconic moment that would later occur at WrestleMania III in 1987, several years before the famed Slam heard ’round the world.[60]
On August 30, 1980, Hogan and André met again at the Madison Square Garden. In this televised match, Gorilla Monsoon served as special guest referee, and Hogan once more body‑slammed André during the confrontation.[61]
Hulk Hogan later had a headline championship match against WWWF Champion Bob Backlund, held at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. In this match Hogan showcases his abilities as a technical wrestler. [62]
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1980–1985)
In 1980, Hogan began appearing in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) where Japanese wrestling fans nicknamed him "Ichiban" (一番; "Number One"). Hogan first appeared on May 13, 1980, while he was still with the WWF. He occasionally toured the country over the next few years, facing a wide variety of opponents ranging from Tatsumi Fujinami to Abdullah the Butcher. When competing in Japan, Hogan used a vastly different repertoire of wrestling moves, relying on more technical, traditional wrestling holds and maneuvers as opposed to the power-based, brawling style American fans became accustomed to seeing from him. In addition, Hogan used the Axe Bomber, a crooked arm lariat, as his finisher in Japan instead of the running leg drop that was his standard finisher in America. Hogan still made appearances for the WWF, even unsuccessfully challenging Pedro Morales for the Intercontinental Championship on March 26, 1981.[63] On June 2, 1983, Hogan became the first International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP) tournament winner and the first holder of an early version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, defeating Antonio Inoki by knockout in the finals of a ten-man tournament.[64][65] This championship was defended annually against the winner of the IWGP League of the year until it was replaced by the second IWGP Heavyweight Championship which was defended regularly.[65]
Hogan and Inoki also worked as partners in Japan, winning the MSG (Madison Square Garden) Tag League tournament two years in a row: in 1982 and 1983. In 1984, Hogan returned to NJPW to wrestle Inoki to defend the early version of the IWGP title after that Inoki won in the finals of the IWGP League, becoming the new No. 1 contender to the championship.[65] Hogan lost the match and title belt by countout, thanks to interference from Riki Choshu. Hogan also defended his WWF World Heavyweight Championship against Seiji Sakaguchi and Fujinami, among others, until ending his tour in Nagoya on June 13 losing to Inoki via countout in a championship match for the early version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Hogan was the only challenger in the history of that title that didn't win the tournament to become the No. 1 contender to the championship.[66][65]
American Wrestling Association (1981–1983) and the birth of Hulkamania
After accepting an offer to work on the film Rocky III (a decision Vincent J. McMahon disapproved of and subsequently chose to release Hogan from the promotion for), Hogan made his debut in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), owned by Verne Gagne, in August 1981. Hogan started his AWA run as a villain, with "Luscious" Johnny Valiant as his manager. This did not last long, however, as the AWA fans fell in love with Hogan's presence and Hogan became the top fan favorite of the AWA, battling the Heenan Family and Nick Bockwinkel.[67]
Hogan's turn as a fan favorite came at the end of July 1981, when during a television taping that aired in August, Jerry Blackwell, after suffering a pinfall loss to Brad Rheingans, began beating down Rheingans and easily fighting off anyone who tried to run in for the save. Hogan ran in, got the upper hand and ran Blackwell from the ring. Hogan was eventually victorious in his feud with Blackwell and by the end of 1981, gained his first title matches against Bockwinkel.[67]
In March 1982, Hogan defeated Bockwinkel and his manager Bobby Heenan in a non-title handicap match in the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois. Hogan went on to repeatedly challenge Bockwinkel for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, with the matches generally ending in disqualifications (a decision wherein the Championship does not change hands).
In April 1982, Hogan defeated Bockwinkel in St Paul, MN and was declared the new AWA World Heavyweight Champion, only for a few days later the decision to be overturned by AWA President Stanley Blackburn due to the use of a foreign object during the match.[68][69][70]
During an appearance on the May 15, 1982 episode of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Hogan would bring up "Hulkamania."[71] Following his appearance in Rocky III, "Hulkamania" would take off.[72] It was also during his time in the AWA that Hogan would claim "Hulkamania is running wild."[73]
Despite his popularity in the AWA, Verne Gagne, who was firm about having the company being built around good technical wrestling,[74] did not want to make him the AWA Heavyweight Champion. However, Gagne eventually planned to have Hogan win the belt from AWA's April 24, 1983 Super Sunday event, but only on the condition that Hogan would give him the bulk of the revenues that he earned from merchandise and his periodic main-event performances in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.[75] Hogan refused, only going as far as to offer a 50/50, so Gagne kept the title from him.[75] Hogan pinned Bockwinkel at Super Sunday and won the AWA World Championship a second time, but the decision was reversed after the match on the same night. After Hogan again failed to take the title from Bockwinkel, a storyline developed where he contemplated leaving the AWA.[76] However, he would eventually return on July 31, 1983, wearing an "American Made" t-shirt, praising America as place where "you can always change your mind" and turning his attention away from Bockwinkel and towards Masa Saito.[77]
Vince McMahon Jr flew to Minneapolis for a secret meeting at Hogan’s home and offered him a job as the headliner of WWF. This meeting happened with short notice and was unexpected. Hogan agreed and suddenly left the AWA in November 1983 before finishing his AWA schedule. Hogan reportedly did this by sending his notice that he was quitting via a telegram to Gagne. Gagne thought it was a prank from another promoter Eddie Graham because the telegram was from Tampa until he realized Hogan was not showing up for AWA shows.[67] In his memoir My Life Outside the Wrestling Ring, Hogan denied some previous claims he made and stated that his decision to leave the AWA was actually based on Vincent K. McMahon agreeing to offer him the WWF Heavyweight Championship and McMahon’s plan to take the WWF nationwide with Hogan promoted as the top star.[78]
Return to WWF (1983–1993)
Rise of Hulkamania (1983–1984)
After purchasing the company from his father in 1982, Vincent K. McMahon had plans to expand the territory into a nationwide promotion, and he handpicked Hogan to be the company's showpiece attraction due to his charisma and name recognition. Hogan made his return at a television taping in St. Louis, Missouri, on December 27, 1983, defeating Bill Dixon.[79]
On the January 7, 1984, episode of Championship Wrestling, Hogan confirmed his fan favorite status (for any WWF fans unaware of his late 1981 babyface turn) by saving Bob Backlund from a three-way assault by the Wild Samoans.[80] Hogan's turn was explained simply by Backlund: "He's changed his ways. He's a great man. He's told me he's not gonna have Blassie around". The storyline shortcut was necessary because less than three weeks later on January 23, Hogan won his first WWF World Heavyweight Championship, pinning The Iron Sheik (who had Blassie in his corner) in Madison Square Garden.[1][81] The storyline accompanying the victory was that Hogan was a "last minute" replacement for the Sheik's original opponent Bob Backlund,[4] and became the champion by way of being the first man to escape the camel clutch (the Iron Sheik's finishing move).[82]
Immediately after the title win, commentator Gorilla Monsoon proclaimed: "Hulkamania is here!". Hogan frequently referred to his fans as "Hulkamaniacs" in his interviews and introduced his three "demandments": training, saying prayers, and eating vitamins. Eventually, a fourth demandment (believing in oneself) was added during his feud with Earthquake in 1990. Hogan's ring gear developed a characteristic yellow-and-red color scheme; his ring entrances involved him ritualistically ripping his shirt off his body, flexing, and listening for audience cheers in an exaggerated manner. The majority of Hogan's matches during this time involved him wrestling heels who had been booked as unstoppable monsters, using a format which became near-routine: He delivered steady offense, but would eventually lose momentum, seemingly nearing defeat. After being hit with his opponent's finishing move, he got a sudden second wind, fighting back while "feeding" off the energy of the audience, becoming impervious to attack – a process described as "Hulking up". His signature maneuvers – pointing at the opponent (later accompanied by a loud "you!" from the audience), shaking his finger to scold him, three punches, an Irish whip, the big boot and running leg drop – followed, ensuring victory.[83]
In 1984, similarities between Hogan's character and that of The Incredible Hulk led to a quitclaim deal between Titan Sports, Marvel Comics and himself wherein Marvel obtained the trademarks "Hulk Hogan", "Hulkster" and "Hulkamania" for 20 years, and Titan agreed to no longer refer to him as "incredible" nor simply "Hulk" or ever dress him in purple or green. Marvel also subsequently received 0.9% of reportable gross merchandise revenue associated with Hogan, $100 for each of his matches and 10% of Titan's portion of his other earnings under this name (or 10% of the earnings, if Titan held no interest).[84][85] This extended to WCW, whose parent company Turner Broadcasting System merged with Time Warner in 1996 and became sister companies with Marvel rival DC Comics. (As Hogan was well underway with the nWo storyline under the "Hollywood Hogan" ring name at the time, this avoided Time Warner the awkward situation of paying Marvel the rights to the name while owning its chief rival.) In a story in 1988's Marvel Comics Presents #45, a wrestler resembling Hogan was tossed through an arena roof by The Incredible Hulk, because he "picked the wrong name."[86]
Rock’n’Wrestling Connection & Wrestlemania (1985–1988)
Hulk Hogan, c. 1984, during his first reign as WWF World Champion
Mr. T hoists Roddy Piper up onto his shoulders as Hulk Hogan cheers in the background during the main event of the first ever Wrestlemania.
Over the following year, Hulk Hogan became the face of professional wrestling as Vince McMahon expanded the WWF into mainstream pop culture through the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection on MTV, This period saw large increases in viewing attendance, television ratings, and pay-per-view buys. At the Brawl to End it All event on MTV, Hogan and Mr T brawled with Rowdy Roddy Piper after he attacked Cyndi Lauper. MTV has a follow up event called The War To Settle The Score with the main event of Piper vs Hogan. This match also ended in a chaotic finish featuring Mr. T and set up the main event for the first Wrestlemania. Hogan was the main attraction at the first WrestleMania, held on March 31, 1985, where he teamed with actor, wrestler, and Rocky III co-star Mr. T to defeat "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff. Superfly Jimmy Snuka was in Hogan’s team corner and Cowboy Bob Orton Jr was in Piper’s team corner. The match was also referred by Pat Patterson inside the ring and Muhammad Ali outside the sing. Billy Martin was celebrity guest ring announcer and Liberace was celebrity guest time keeper.
Hogan made multiple successful title defenses throughout 1986 with Cowboy Bob Orton Jr at the first NBC Saturday Nights Main Event and Nikolai Volkoff. The Roddy Piper feud continued and Mr Wonderful becoming Mr. T’s and Hogan’s ally.
Heenan Family Feud & Wrestlemania 2 (1986)
Hulk Hogan also began aiding Andre the Giant with his feud with the Bobby Heenan Family as Andre’s tag team partner against Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy.
This led to the Heenan Family with Don Muraco’s help injuring Hogan’s ribs. The interference set up the main event of Wrestlemania 2; where Hogan defeated King Kong Bundy in the first WWF big blue steele cage match in Los Angeles.
Paul Orndorff feud (1986-1987)
On the August 4, 1986 episode of WWF Prime Time Wrestling (taped July 17), during a tag team match against Bundy and Studd, Orndorff unexpectedly turned heel by attacking Hogan mid-match. After a miscommunication, Orndorff delivered a clothesline followed by a piledriver to Hogan, aligning himself with manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.[87]
The betrayal was framed as stemming from Orndorff's jealousy of Hogan's stardom and lack of appreciation for their partnership after their post Wrestlemania alliance with Mr. T.
Their matches regularly drew large crowds and high television ratings for WWF in the second half of 1986 and early 1987. In later interviews, both Orndorff and Hogan acknowledged the significance of their feud in boosting WWF's mainstream visibility and increasing house show business during the mid-1980s.[88]
One of their most famous encounters took place at The Big Event on August 28, 1986, in Toronto, where Hogan defended the WWF Championship against Orndorff in front of over 61,000 fans at Exhibition Stadium.[89]
The feud culminated in a steel cage match for the WWF Championship on Saturday Night's Main Event IX, which aired on January 3, 1987. The match initially ended in controversy when both men escaped the cage simultaneously, prompting a restart. Hogan ultimately won the rematch by climbing out of the cage.[90]
Following his loss to Hogan, Orndorff turned face again after being replaced in the Heenan Family by Rick Rude in later 1987.
Hogan, meanwhile, shifted his focus to a historic feud with André the Giant, setting the stage for their match at WrestleMania III.
Andre the Giant feud (1986-1988)
Andre the Giant got suspended in mid 1986 during the Heenan Family feud and was forced to wrestle under a mask and became the Giant Machine. Hogan got involved in tag team matches with Andre the Giant in the fall of 1986 by occasionally also wrestling with The Machines as Hulk Machine under a mask copied from NJPW's gimmick "Super Strong Machine".[2][91]
In 1987, a storyline was introduced in which Andre returned and challenge Hogan for a world title match. It began on when Hogan and Andre appeared on Piper’s Pit. Hogan was awarded a trophy for being champion for three consecutive years.[92] Shortly afterward, André received a slightly smaller trophy for his undefeated streak. During the segment, André walked out while Hogan was speaking.
On another episode of Piper's Pit, Jesse “The Body Ventura” promised Roddy Piper Andre would appear with him on Piper’s Pit if Piper would arrange for Hogan to meet Andre. The following week on Piper’s Pit André appeared with manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, turning heel and challenging Hogan to a title match at WrestleMania III.
At WrestleMania III in 1987, Hogan defended his title against André the Giant, who had been promoted as undefeated in the WWF for 15 years. The match was promoted as one of the biggest in wrestling history. At the start of the match Hogan failed his first attempt to bodyslam Andre and caused Andre to almost win by pin-fall. Hogan regained control of the match and successfully defended the title by body-slamming the 520-pound André on the second try and winning the match with a leg drop.[93] The attendance was recorded as over 93,0000 fans and millions more on pay-per-view and closed circuit theaters[clarification needed] becoming the most watched wrestling match until the modern era.
After a summer hiatus, Andre the Giant returned to WWF to challenge Hulk Hogan to a match at inaugural Survivor Series. Andre the Giant who captained his team with Rick Rude, One Man Gang, King Kong Bundy, and Butch Reed defeated Hulk Hogan and his team of Paul Orndorff, Bam Bam Bigelow, Ken Patera, and Don Muraco.[citation needed]
Following WrestleMania III, Andre wanted a rematch and claimed he pinned Hogan after Hogan’s failed bodyslam attempt at the start of the match. He showed a camera angle with Bobby Heenan where Hogan’s shoulders were on the matt and claimed the referee’s decision was wrong. They also claimed the referee Joe Marella counted to slow.[citation needed]
On February 5, 1988, Hulk Hogan faced André the Giant in a highly anticipated rematch from their encounter at WrestleMania III, during a live broadcast of WWF The Main Event on NBC. The match featured a controversial ending in which André defeated Hogan for the WWF Championship after referee Earl Hebner—with assistance from his identical twin, Dave Hebner—made a fast count, despite Hogan’s shoulder being off the mat. The storyline involved André "selling" the title to Ted DiBiase, leading to the championship being declared vacant. The broadcast attracted an estimated 33 million viewers, making it the most-watched professional wrestling program in American television history.[94][95] Airing during prime time, the event marked a peak in the WWF’s 1980s popularity and solidified the Hogan–André rivalry as one of the most iconic in professional wrestling history.
WWF President Jack Tunney ruled that a title couldn't be sold, so the championship was vacated. At WrestleMania IV, Hogan entered the tournament to win the vacant title. He and André both got byes into the quarterfinals, but their match ended in a double disqualification. Later, Hogan helped stop André from interfering in the final match, which allowed Randy Savage to beat DiBiase and win the championship.
Hogan and Andre concluded their feud at the main event of WWF WrestleFest 1988 featured Hulk Hogan defeating André the Giant in a steel cage match. The match drew a large audience of 25,866 fans at the Milwaukee Brewers baseball stadium and later sold on VHS. [96][97][98]
Celebrity Star Appearances
The fame from defeating Andre the Giant cemented Hulk Hogan’s celebrity status.
Hogan was named the most requested celebrity of the 1980s for the Make-a-Wish Foundation children's charity. He was featured on the covers of Sports Illustrated (the first and as of 2025[update], only professional wrestler to do so), TV Guide, and People magazines, while also appearing on The Tonight Show and having his own CBS Saturday morning cartoon titled Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling. Hogan, as the premier WWF icon, headlined seven of the first eight WrestleMania events.[99] He also co-hosted Saturday Night Live on March 30, 1985. AT&T reported that the 900 number information line he ran while with the WWF was the single biggest 900 number from 1991 to 1993.[100] Hogan continued to run a 900 number after joining World Championship Wrestling (WCW).[101]
The Mega Powers (1988–1989)
Andre the Giant and Ted DiBiase continued their partnership and after Wrestlemania IV began targeting the new World Heavyweight Champion Macho Man Randy Savage.
Afterwards, Hogan, Savage, and manager Miss Elizabeth formed a partnership known as The Mega Powers, feuding with The Mega Bucks(Andre the Giant & Ted DiBiase) at the inaugural WWF SummerSlam 1988 event. After SummerSlam, the Mega Powers feuded with the Twin Towers for the rest of the year. The main event of the 1988 Survivor Series featured the Mega Powers vs The Twin Towers co-captaining teams.
By the end of 1988, the Mega Powers had begun to fall apart after Savage grew jealous of Hogan and suspected romantic tension between Hogan and Miss Elizabeth. At the 1989 Royal Rumble, Hogan accidentally eliminated Savage while trying to get rid of another wrestler. Soon after at The Main Event II, during a tag match against The Twin Towers Savage accidentally knocked down Elizabeth. Hogan took her backstage for help, leaving Savage alone in the ring. When Hogan returned and asked for a tag, Savage slapped him and walked out. Hogan finished the match and won on his own.
After the match, Savage attacked Hogan backstage, breaking up the partnership and officially starting their feud. This culminated at WrestleMania V, where Hogan defeated Savage to win his second WWF World Heavyweight Championship. The event was promoted as “The Mega Powers Explode” and is considered Hulk Hogan’s best technical wrestling Wrestlemania match. Later in interviews Hogan has said that he considered Savage his favorite in-ring opponent.
Final WWF Championship reigns and steroid scandal (1989–1993)
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During Hogan's second reign as champion, he starred in the film No Holds Barred, which was the inspiration of a feud with Hogan's co-star Tom Lister, Jr., who appeared at wrestling events as his film character, Zeus. The duo would fight multiple times accross the country during late 1989, including tag team matches at SummerSlam and at the No Holds Barred pay-per-view, with Hogan winning each match. Hogan also defeated Savage to retain the WWF Championship in their official WrestleMania rematch on October 10 at the London Arena.[102][103]
Hogan would to go to win the 1990 Royal Rumble match[104] where World Champion Hogan encountered Intercontinental Champion Ultimate Warrior for the first time after both wrestlers where the only opponents in the ring. This encounter set up the Ultimate Challenge match at Wrestlemania VI in Toronto Canada. Hogan lost the World Championship to Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior in a title versus title match at WrestleMania VI on April 1, 1990.[105] The match was critically acclaimed and still held as one of the greatest main events in Wrestlemania History.
Hogan soon became embroiled in a heated feud with the 468-pound Earthquake, who had crushed Hogan's ribs in a sneak attack on The Brother Love Show in May 1990. On television, announcers explained that both Hogan's injuries and his WrestleMania VI loss to Warrior took such a huge toll on his fighting spirit that he wanted to retire. Viewers were asked to write letters to Hogan and send postcards asking for his return, and would receive a postcard-sized picture autographed by Hogan as a "thank you". Hogan returned by SummerSlam, and he dominated Earthquake for several months in a series of matches across the country.[106] His defeat of this overwhelmingly large foe prompted Hogan to add a fourth demandment, believing in yourself, led to him becoming known as "The Immortal" Hulk Hogan.
In January 1991, Hogan became the first wrestler to win two Royal Rumble matches in a row,[107] at that year's Royal Rumble.[4][104][107] At WrestleMania VII, Hogan defeated Sgt. Slaughter for his third WWF Championship. In the fall of 1991, Hogan was challenged by Ric Flair, the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion who recently arrived in the WWF. The challenge went unmet, as Hogan lost the WWF Championship to The Undertaker at Survivor Series.[108] Jack Tunney immediately granted Hogan a rematch at This Tuesday in Texas six days later, which Hogan won.[109] Flair interfered in both matches, resulting in the championship once again being declared vacant.[110]
It was decided that the winner of the 1992 Royal Rumble match would also be declared the new WWF Champion. Hogan entered in the #26 spot, but failed to regain the championship as he was eliminated by friend Sid Justice. In turn, Hogan helped cause Sid's elimination, leaving Flair as the winner and new WWF Champion.[111] At a press conference Hogan was chosen from Roddy Piper, Randy SavageC The Undertaker, and Sid as the new number one contender to wrestle Flair at Wrestlemania VIII. Hogan and Sid subsequently made up and teamed together on Saturday Night's Main Event XXX against Flair and Undertaker, but during the match Sid abandoned Hogan,[112] starting a feud. The main event for Wrestlemania was changed to a double main event with Randy Savage challenging Ric Flair instead. At WrestleMania VIII, Hogan defeated Sid via disqualification due to interference by Sid's manager Harvey Wippleman.[113]
It remains a mystery why the main event was changed and fans were not given the dream match of WWF Star Hulk Hogan vs NWA Star Ric Flair. At this same time, news sources began to allege that George Zahorian III, a doctor for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, had been selling steroids illegally to wrestlers in general and Hogan in particular. Hogan appeared on an episode of The Arsenio Hall Show to deny the allegations. Due to intense public scrutiny, Hogan took a leave of absence from the company,[114] later saying that the steroid problem at the time was "horrible, that's the kind of stuff most guys did before breakfast."[115]
Hogan returned to the WWF in February 1993, helping out his friend Brutus Beefcake in his feud with Money Inc. (Irwin R. Schyster and "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase), and officially renaming themselves The Mega-Maniacs, taking on Money Inc.'s former manager "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart.[102] At WrestleMania IX, Hogan and Beefcake lost by disqualification to Money Inc. in a match for the WWF Tag Team Championship. Later that night, Hogan won his fifth WWF Championship by pinning Yokozuna in an impromptu match only moments after Yokozuna had defeated Bret Hart for the championship.[116][117] Hogan reportedly used his influence to have the finish of WrestleMania changed the weekend of the event so he would be champion during an upcoming international and de facto farewell tour. WWF Official Bruce Prichard has said in interviews Hogan was made champion to help ticket sales for a WWF tour of Europe. [118]
At the first annual King of the Ring pay-per-view on June 13, Hogan defended the WWF Championship for the first time of his 5th reign in a rematch against Yokozuna. Yokozuna kicked out of Hogan's signature leg drop and scored the pinfall win after Hogan was blinded by a fireball shot by a "Japanese photographer" (actually a disguised Harvey Wippleman). The victorious Yokozuna proceeded to give Hogan a Banzai Drop.[119][120] This was Hogan's last WWF pay-per-view appearance until 2002, as both he and Jimmy Hart were preparing to leave the promotion. Hogan continued his feud on the international house show circuit with Yokozuna until August 1993 and had a encounter with The Giant Gonzales that did not lead to a match. After that, Hogan sat out the rest of his contract which expired later that year.[121]
Before he lost the belt to Yokozuna, on May 3, 1993, Hogan returned to NJPW as WWF Champion and defeated IWGP Heavyweight Champion The Great Muta in a dream match at Wrestling Dontaku. Hogan wrestled against Muta again, this time under his real name Keiji Mutoh, on September 26, 1993. Hogan also wrestled The Hell Raisers with Muta and Masahiro Chono as his tag team partners. His last match in Japan was on January 4, 1994, at Battlefield, when he defeated Tatsumi Fujinami.[122] These 1993 Japanese matches are to be said to be the greatest technical wrestling matches of Hogan’s career and proved his highly criticized 1993 WWF return was a fluke.
World Championship Wrestling (1994–2000)
World Heavyweight Champion (1994–1996)
Starting in March 1994, Hogan began making appearances on WCW television, as interviewer Gene Okerlund—who was now a WCW employee—visited him on the set of Thunder in Paradise episodes. Hype then built over whether Hogan should remain with Thunder in Paradise or join WCW and have an opportunity to wrestle Ric Flair.[123] On June 11, 1994, Hogan officially signed with Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in a ceremony that was held at Disney-MGM Studios.[124] The next month, with Jimmy Hart as his manager, Hogan won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in his debut match, defeating Ric Flair in the long awaited "dream match" at Bash at the Beach. On July 17, 1994, WCW held Bash at the Beach (1994), which featured the in-ring debut of Hulk Hogan, who faced Ric Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The event marked a major turning point for the WCW company, both financially and creatively. Then-executive producer Eric Bischoff has repeatedly credited the event—and more specifically, Hogan’s signing—with helping to "save" WCW from irrelevance and financial decline. In his autobiography, Bischoff wrote that Hogan's arrival brought mainstream attention, increased pay-per-view revenue, and opened doors for sponsorships that had previously ignored WCW.[125] On his podcast 83 Weeks, Bischoff reiterated the impact, stating: "There is no question in my mind that Hulk Hogan saved WCW. Bash at the Beach 1994 was the start of that. It changed everything. Sponsors started paying attention. Pay-per-view numbers jumped. We became legitimate overnight."[126]
Hogan continued his feud with Flair (who defeated him by count-out on the Clash of the Champions XXVIII, thus Hogan retained the title), which culminated in a steel cage match (with Flair's career on the line and Mr. T as the special guest referee) that Hogan won.[127] Hogan's fame helped WCW to increase their popularity and the numbers of PPV and ratings.[128]
Hogan headlined WCW's premier annual event Starrcade (Starrcade: Triple Threat) in December 1994 by defeating his real-life friend The Butcher for the title, a match that received criticism.[128] His next feud was against Vader, retaining the title at SuperBrawl V, and defeating him in a non-title leather strap match at Uncensored. Hogan's feud with Vader featured the return of the Mega Powers team with Randy Savage in WCW and culminated in a steel cage match for the title at Bash at the Beach, where Hogan won by escaping the cage. The cage match was also filmed and featured as a two part episode of the season premiere of Season Six of the television series Bay Watch titled “Beneath the Sea: Part One and Part Two”.
After this event on September 5, 1995 WCW Monday Nitro debuted going head to head with WWF Monday Night Raw. Nitro was broadcasted live from Mall of America in Minnesota and the main event of episode 1 featured Hulk Hogan vs Big Bubba Rogers. Lex Luger made his shocking WCW return during the match and started the Monday Night Wrestling Wars.
On October 9, 1995, broadcast of Nitro was Hogan's first appearance in an all-black attire. Hogan feuded with The Dungeon of Doom, which led to a WarGames match at Fall Brawl where Hogan's team (Lex Luger, Randy Savage, and Sting) won.[129] Hogan's reign as WCW World Heavyweight Champion (which, at 469 days, is the longest in the title's history) ended when he lost the WCW World Heavyweight Championship to The Giant at Halloween Havoc via disqualification.[130]
Following the controversial loss (which was due to a "contract clause"), the WCW World Heavyweight Championship became vacant and a new champion was to be crowned in a 60-man three-ring battle royal at World War III, where The Giant cost Hogan the title.[131] This led to a steel cage match between Hogan and The Giant at SuperBrawl VI, where Hogan won to end their feud.[132] In early 1996, Hogan reformed The Mega Powers a third time with Randy Savage to feud with The Alliance to End Hulkamania, which culminated at Uncensored in a Doomsday Cage match that Hogan and Savage won. This match also featured the No Holds Barred Zues actor Tiny Lister returning to the ring as “Z Gangster”.[133]
New World Order (1996–1999)
At Bash at the Beach on July 7, during a six-man tag team match pitting The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) against WCW loyalists, Hogan interfered and attacked Randy Savage on behalf of Hall and Nash, thereby turning heel for the first time in nearly fifteen years.[134] After the match, Hogan delivered a promo, accosting the fans and WCW for under-appreciating his talent and drawing power, and announcing the formation of the New World Order (nWo).[134] The new stable gained prominence in the following weeks and months.[1][4][134][135] Hogan grew a beard alongside his famous mustache and dyed it black, traded his red and yellow garb in for black and white clothing, often detailed with lightning bolts, and renamed himself "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan (often shortened to Hollywood Hogan).[2][119] Hogan won his second WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Hog Wild on August 10 by defeating The Giant for the title.[135][136] He spray painted "nWo" across the title belt, scribbled across the nameplate, and referred to the title as the "nWo title".[136] Hogan then started a feud with Lex Luger after Luger and The Giant defeated Hogan and Dennis Rodman in a tag team match at Bash at the Beach on July 13, 1997.[130]
On the August 4 episode of Nitro, Hogan lost the title to Lex Luger by submission.[137] Five days later at Road Wild on August 9, Hogan defeated Luger to regain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.[138] Hogan then lost the title to Sting in a match at Starrcade on December 28.[139] In the match, WCW's newly contracted Bret Hart accused referee Nick Patrick of fast-counting a victory for Hogan and had the match restarted – with himself as referee.[119] Sting later won by submission.[119] After a rematch the following night on Nitro, where Sting controversially retained the title, the WCW World Heavyweight Championship became vacant.[2] Sting went on to win the vacant title against Hogan at SuperBrawl VIII on February 22, 1998,[140] and Hogan then developed a rivalry with former friend (and recent nWo recruit) Randy Savage, who had just cost Hogan the title match at SuperBrawl by hitting him with a spray can.[119] The feud culminated in a steel cage match at Uncensored on March 15, which ended in a no contest.[141] Savage took the WCW World Heavyweight Championship from Sting at Spring Stampede on April 19, while Hogan teamed with Kevin Nash to take on Roddy Piper and The Giant in the first-ever bat match.[142]
Hogan betrayed Nash by hitting him with the bat and then challenged Savage the following night on Nitro for the world title.[135] In the no disqualification match for Savage's newly won title, Nash entered the ring and hit a powerbomb on Hogan as retribution for the attack the previous night, but Bret Hart interfered moments later and jumped in to attack Savage and preserve the victory for Hogan, who won his fourth WCW World Heavyweight Championship.[143] Nash's attack on him signified a split of the nWo into two separate factions – Hogan's became nWo Hollywood and Nash's became nWo Wolfpac – that feuded with each other for the remainder of the year. Hogan defended the title until July of that year, when WCW booked him in a match against newcomer and then WCW United States Heavyweight Champion Goldberg, who had yet to lose a match in WCW. Late in the match, Hogan was distracted by Karl Malone, and Goldberg pinned Hogan to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on the July 6 episode of Nitro.[144]
Hogan spent the rest of 1998 wrestling celebrity matches: his second tag team match with Dennis Rodman pitted them against Diamond Dallas Page and Karl Malone at Bash at the Beach on July 12,[145] and at Road Wild on August 8 he and Eric Bischoff lost to Page and Jay Leno thanks to interference from Kevin Eubanks.[146] Hogan also had a critically panned rematch with The Warrior at Halloween Havoc on October 25, where his nephew Horace aided his victory.[147]
On the Thanksgiving episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Hogan officially announced his retirement from professional wrestling, as well as his candidacy for President of the United States.[148] Campaign footage aired on Nitro of Hogan and Bischoff holding a press conference, making it appear legitimate. Both announcements were false and made as publicity stunts to draw some of the hype of Jesse Ventura's Minnesota gubernatorial win back to him.[148] After some time off from WCW, Hogan returned on the January 4, 1999, episode of Nitro to challenge Kevin Nash for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship which Hogan won for the fifth time, the match ended controversially.[149] Known as the "Fingerpoke of Doom", the match saw Hogan poke Nash in the chest with his index finger, prompting Nash to theatrically throw himself onto the mat and allow Hogan to pin him; the victory marked the reunion of both nWo factions into one villainous group.[150][151] The incident had negative ramifications for WCW as a whole, with some wrestling journalists crediting it as the beginning of the company's ultimate downfall.[152]
Final years in WCW (1999–2000)
Hogan lost the WCW World Heavyweight Championship to Ric Flair at Uncensored on March 14 in a steel cage First Blood match.[2][153] Later, Hogan was severely injured in a Texas tornado match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship featuring him, Diamond Dallas Page, Flair, and Sting at Spring Stampede on April 11.[154] On the July 12 episode of Nitro, Hogan made his return as a face for the first time in three years and accepted an open challenge from Savage, who had won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Bash at the Beach the night before in a tag team match by pinning Kevin Nash. Thanks to interference from Nash, Hogan defeated Savage to win his sixth and final WCW World Heavyweight Championship.[155]
On August 9, Hogan defeated Nash at Road Wild to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. At Fall Brawl, on September 12, Hogan lost the championship to Sting.[156] On October 24 at Halloween Havoc, Hogan was to face Sting for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Hogan came to the ring in street clothes, laid down for the pin, and left the ring.[157] Hogan was then convinced by newly hired head booker Vince Russo to take time off with no clear return date, despite reservations. Hogan later commented on the match, "Those were wack times. That was the old Russo and the old me. It was all stupid."[115]
In 2000, Hogan feuded with the cruiserweight Billy Kidman. Their feud had negative reception, being voted as the worst feud of the year by readers of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. According to Bischoff, Hogan didn't want to work with Kidman, but he wrestled him to increase the morale of the roster, since many wrestlers though they would not have an opportunity in WCW.[158] At Bash at the Beach on July 9 he was involved in a controversial segment. Hogan was scheduled to challenge Jeff Jarrett for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.[159] Before the match, there was a backstage dispute between Hogan and Russo. The match ending was changed to a worked shoot where Jarrett laid down for Hogan and Hogan disparaged Russo and the company on the microphone afterwards. Moments later, Russo came to the ring and said this would be "the last time fans would ever see that piece of shit in a WCW ring" whilst revealing Hogan's creative control clause in his contract (giving Hogan final say on any storyline decisions).[119]
As a result, Hogan filed a defamation of character lawsuit against Russo soon after,[160] which was eventually dismissed in 2002. Russo claims the whole thing was a work, and Hogan claims that Russo made it a shoot.[161] Eric Bischoff agreed with Hogan's side of the story when he wrote that Hogan winning and leaving with the belt was a work, and that he and Hogan celebrated after the event over the success of the angle, but that Russo coming out to fire Hogan was unplanned which led to the lawsuit filed by Hogan. It was the last time he was seen in WCW.[2][160]
Post-WCW endeavors (2001)
In the months following the eventual demise of WCW in March 2001, Hogan underwent surgery on his knees in order for him to wrestle again. As a test, Hogan worked a match in Orlando, Florida on November 14, for the Xcitement Wrestling Federation (XWF) promotion run by his longtime manager Jimmy Hart. Hogan defeated Curt Hennig in this match and felt healthy enough to accept an offer to return to the WWF in February 2002.[2]
Second return to WWF/WWE (2002–2003)
At No Way Out on February 17, 2002, Hogan returned to the WWF as a heel.[4] Returning as leader of the original nWo with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, the three got into a confrontation with The Rock[162] and cost Stone Cold Steve Austin a chance at becoming the Undisputed WWF Champion against Chris Jericho in the main event.[162] The nWo feuded with both Austin and The Rock, and on the February 18 episode of Raw, Hogan accepted The Rock's challenge to a match at WrestleMania X8 on March 17,[163] where Hogan asked Hall and Nash not to interfere, wanting to defeat The Rock by himself. Despite the fact that Hogan was supposed to be the heel in the match, the crowd cheered for him heavily. The Rock cleanly won the contest,[164] and befriended Hogan at the end of the bout, helping him fight off Hall and Nash, who were upset by Hogan's conciliatory attitude.[165] After the match, Hogan turned face by siding with The Rock, though he continued wearing black and white tights for a few weeks after WrestleMania X8 until he resumed wearing his signature red and yellow tights. During this period, the "Hulk Rules" logo of the 1980s was redone with the text "Hulk Still Rules", and Hogan also wore the original "Hulk Rules" attire twelve years earlier, when he headlined WrestleMania VI at the same arena, in the SkyDome. For a time, he was still known as "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, notably keeping the Hollywood Hogan style blond mustache with black beard while wearing Hulkamania-like red and yellow tights and using the "Voodoo Child" entrance theme music he'd used in WCW. On the March 25 episode of Raw, Hogan was drafted to the SmackDown! brand as part of the inaugural draft lottery.[166] On the April 4 episode of SmackDown!, Hogan began a feud with Triple H,[167] and then defeated Triple H for the Undisputed WWF Championship at Backlash on April 21.[168][169] Two weeks later, WWF changed its name to WWE, hence Hogan was the final "WWF Champion" and the first "WWE Champion".[170]
On May 19 at Judgment Day, Hogan lost the WWE Undisputed Championship to The Undertaker.[171] After losing a number one contender match for the WWE Undisputed Championship to Triple H on the June 6 episode of SmackDown!,[172] Hogan began feuding with Kurt Angle resulting in a match between the two at the King of the Ring on June 23, which Angle won by submission.[173] On the July 4 episode of SmackDown!, Hogan teamed with Edge to defeat Billy and Chuck and capture the WWE Tag Team Championship for the first time.[174] They celebrated by waving the American flag as the overjoyed audience sang along to Hogan's theme song "Real American". They lost the belts to The Un-Americans (Christian and Lance Storm) at Vengeance on July 21.[175] In August, Hogan was used in an angle with Brock Lesnar, culminating in a main event singles match on the August 8 episode of SmackDown!, which Lesnar won by technical submission. Lesnar became only the second WWE wrestler to defeat Hogan by submission (after Kurt Angle). Following the match, Lesnar continued to beat on Hogan, leaving him bloody and unconscious in the ring.[176]
As a result of Lesnar's assault, Hogan went on hiatus until early 2003, shaving off his black beard and dropping "Hollywood" from his name in his return.[177] Hogan battled The Rock (who had turned heel) once again at No Way Out on February 23 and lost[178] and defeated McMahon at WrestleMania XIX on March 30 in a street fight billed as "twenty years in the making".[179] Hogan's next storyline had McMahon forcing Hogan to sit out the rest of his contract, leading to him debuting the masked Mr. America character.[2] On the May 1 episode of SmackDown!, Mr. America debuted on a Piper's Pit segment. McMahon appeared and claimed that Mr. America was Hogan in disguise; Mr. America shot back by saying, "I am not Hulk Hogan, brother!".[2] The feud continued through May, with a singles match between Mr. America and Hogan's old rival "Rowdy" Roddy Piper at Judgment Day on May 18, a match Mr. America won.[180]
Mr. America's last WWE appearance was on the June 26 episode of SmackDown! when Big Show and The World's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) defeated Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, and Mr. America in a six-man tag team match.[181] After SmackDown! went off the air, Mr. America unmasked to show the fans that he was indeed Hogan, putting his finger to his lips telling the fans to keep quiet about his secret. The next week, Hogan quit WWE due to frustration with the creative team.[182] On the July 3 episode of SmackDown!, McMahon showed the footage of Mr. America unmasking as Hogan and "fired" him, although Hogan had already quit in real life.[182] It was later revealed that Hogan was unhappy with the payoffs for his matches after his comeback under the Mr. America gimmick.[182]
Second return to NJPW (2003)
Hogan returned to NJPW in October 2003, when he defeated Masahiro Chono at Ultimate Crush II in the Tokyo Dome. Shortly after Hogan left WWE, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) began making overtures to Hogan, culminating in Jeff Jarrett, co-founder of TNA and then NWA World Heavyweight Champion, launching an on-air attack on Hogan in Japan after the Chono match. The attack was supposed to be a precursor to Hogan battling Jarrett for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at TNA's first three-hour pay-per-view. Due to recurring knee and hip problems, Hogan did not appear in TNA.[183]
Third return to WWE (2005–2007)
On April 2, 2005, Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2005 by actor and friend Sylvester Stallone.[184] At WrestleMania 21 on April 3, Hogan came out to rescue Eugene, who was being attacked by Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari.[185] The build-up to Hogan's Hall of Fame induction and preparation for his WrestleMania angle was shown on the first season of Hogan Knows Best. The next night on Raw, Hassan and Daivari came out to confront and assault fan favorite Shawn Michaels.[186] At Backlash on May 1, Hassan and Daivari lost to Hogan and Michaels.[187]
Hogan then appeared on July 4 episode of Raw, as the special guest of Carlito on his talk-show segment Carlito's Cabana. After being asked questions by Carlito concerning his daughter Brooke, Hogan attacked Carlito. Kurt Angle then also appeared, making comments about Brooke, which further upset Hogan, who was eventually double teamed by Carlito and Angle, but was saved by Shawn Michaels. Later that night, Michaels and Hogan defeated Carlito and Angle in a tag team match; during the post-match celebration, Michaels performed the Sweet Chin Music on Hogan and walked off.[188] The following week on Raw, Michaels appeared on Piper's Pit and challenged Hogan to face him one-on-one for the first time.[189] Hogan appeared on Raw one week later and accepted the challenge.[190] The match took place at SummerSlam on August 21, which Hogan won. After the match, Michaels extended his hand to him, telling him that he "had to find out for himself", and Hogan and Michaels shook hands as Michaels left the ring to allow Hogan to celebrate with the crowd.[191]
Prior to WrestleMania 22 in April 2006, Hogan inducted friend and former announcer "Mean" Gene Okerlund into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2006. Hogan returned on Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIII with his daughter Brooke. During the show, Randy Orton flirted with Brooke and later attacked Hogan in the parking lot.[192] He later challenged Hogan to a match at SummerSlam on August 20, which Hogan won, finishing with a perfect 6-0 record at SummerSlam.[193] This was Hulk Hogan's final match wrestling for the WWE, although he had negotiations for a match against John Cena at WrestleMania 25 which ultimately fell through.[194][195]
Memphis Wrestling (2007)
During this time Hogan was invited to join Memphis Wrestling to face Jerry Lawler.[196] The match was promoted for months, but on April 12, 2007, Lawler announced that WWE would not let him participate as his contract,due to his appearances on NBC-affiliated shows like Raw, prevented him from appearing on VH1, where Hogan's reality show Hogan Knows Best aired.[196] Lawler was replaced by Paul Wight, and Hogan defeated Wight at the PMG Clash of Legends event on April 27, 2007, using his trademark body slam and leg drop[197]
Hulkamania: Let the Battle Begin (2009)
On November 21, 24, 26 and 28, Hogan performed in an independent wrestling tour across Australia titled Hulkamania: Let The Battle Begin. The main event of each show was a rematch between Hogan and Ric Flair, with Hogan winning each match.[198][199]
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2009–2013)
Dixie Carter's business partner (2009–2010)
On October 27, 2009, it was announced that Hogan had signed a contract to join TNA on a full-time basis.[200] The footage of his signing and the press conference at Madison Square Garden following it were featured on the October 29 episode of Impact!.[201]
On December 5, Hogan announced on Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)'s The Ultimate Fighter that he would make his official TNA debut on January 4, 2010, in a special live three-hour Monday night episode of Impact! to compete with WWE's Raw (which featured the return of Bret Hart).[202]
On the January 4 episode of Impact!, Hogan debuted, reuniting briefly with former nWo partners Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman, the latter two of whom made their returns to the company. He refused to join them for a full-fledged reunion of their group claiming, "it's a different time", and stuck to his business relations with Bischoff, who made his appearance to declare that, the two of them would "flip the company upside down" and everyone would have to earn their spot. Hogan also encountered TNA founder Jeff Jarrett on the broadcast, appearing via video wall and interrupting Jarrett's company success speech, stating that Carter was instrumental to the company's survival, and that just like the rest, Jarrett would have to earn his spot in TNA.[203]
On the February 18 episode of Impact!, Hogan took Abyss under his wing, and during this sequence, gave him his Hall of Fame ring and claimed it would make him a "god of wrestling".[204] Hogan made his in-ring return on the March 8 episode of Impact!, teaming with Abyss to defeat A.J. Styles and Ric Flair when Abyss scored a pinfall over Styles.[205] Afterward, the returning Jeff Hardy saved Hogan and Abyss from a beatdown by Styles, Flair and Desmond Wolfe.[205] The storyline became a Team Flair versus Team Hogan situation, with Jarrett and the debuting Rob Van Dam joining Team Hogan and Beer Money (James Storm and Robert Roode) and Sting joining Team Flair. At Lockdown on April 18, Team Hogan (Hulk Hogan, Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam) defeated Team Flair (Ric Flair, Sting, Desmond Wolfe, Robert Roode and James Storm) in a Lethal Lockdown match.[206]
Immortal (2010–2011)
On the June 17 episode of Impact!, Hogan's alliance with Abyss came to an abrupt end when Abyss turned heel.[207] Abyss later claimed that he was controlled by some entity that was coming to TNA.[208] The next month, Hogan worked with Bischoff, Jeff Jarrett and Samoa Joe against Sting and Kevin Nash, who claimed that they knew that Hogan and Bischoff were up to something.[209] During this time, Abyss went on a rampage, attacking Rob Van Dam to the point that he was forced to vacate the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and eventually put his hands on TNA president Dixie Carter, which led to her signing the paperwork, presented by Bischoff, that would have Abyss fired from TNA following his match with Van Dam at Bound for Glory on October 10.[210][211][212]
Hogan was set to wrestle with Jarrett and Joe against Sting, Nash and D'Angelo Dinero at Bound for Glory, but was forced to miss the event due to a back surgery. He made an appearance at the end of the event, and helped Jeff Hardy win the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship and aligning himself with Hardy, Bischoff, Abyss and Jarrett, turning heel in the process.[213] On the October 14 episode of Impact!, it was revealed that Bischoff had tricked Carter and the paperwork she had signed a week earlier, were not to release Abyss, but to turn the company over to him and Hogan. Meanwhile, Bischoff's and Hogan's new stable, now known as Immortal, formed an alliance with Ric Flair's Fortune.[214] Dixie Carter returned on the November 25 episode of Reaction, informing Hogan and Bischoff that a judge had filed an injunction against the two on her behalf over not having signatory authority, indefinitely suspending Hogan from TNA.[215] During his absence, Hogan underwent a potentially career–ending spinal fusion surgery on December 21.[216][217]
Hogan returned to TNA on the March 3, 2011, episode of Impact!, declaring himself as the new owner of TNA, having won the court battle against Dixie Carter.[218] In April, he began hinting at a possible return to the ring to face the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Sting.[219] On the May 12 episode of the newly renamed Impact Wrestling, Hogan lost control of the program to Mick Foley, who revealed himself as the Network consultant who had been causing problems for Immortal ever since Hogan and Bischoff took over the company. This angle was cut short three weeks later, when Foley left TNA.[220][221] During the following months, Hogan continued to interfere in Sting's matches, costing him the TNA World Heavyweight Championship first at Hardcore Justice on August 7, recruiting Kurt Angle to Immortal in the process, on the September 1 episode of Impact Wrestling and finally at No Surrender on September 11.[222][223][224] On the September 15 episode of Impact Wrestling, Sting defeated Immortal member Ric Flair to earn the right to face Hogan at Bound for Glory on October 16.[225][226] On October 4, it was reported that Hogan had signed a contract extension with TNA.[227] After feigning retirement from professional wrestling, Hogan accepted the match at Bound for Glory on the October 6 episode of Impact Wrestling, while also agreeing to hand TNA back to Dixie Carter, should Sting win the match.[228]
Hogan was defeated by Sting at Bound for Glory, ending his storyline as the president of TNA. After the match, Immortal attacked Sting, but Hogan turned on Immortal and helping Sting, turning face in the process.[229] On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Hogan, wearing his trademark yellow and red again, admitted to his mistakes, and put over Sting for winning.[230]
Feud with Aces & Eights (2012–2013)
During TNA's tour of the United Kingdom, on January 26 and 27, 2012, Hogan returned to the ring at house shows in Nottingham and Manchester, where he, James Storm and Sting defeated Bobby Roode, Bully Ray and Kurt Angle in a six-man tag team main event at both events, the latter of which was Hogan's final match.[231][232] Hogan returned to Impact Wrestling on February 2, when he was revealed as Garett Bischoff's trainer.[233] On the March 29 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hogan returned and accepted Sting's offer to replace him as the new General Manager.[234]
In July, Hogan, alongside Sting, began feuding with a mysterious group of masked men, who had dubbed themselves the "Aces & Eights".[235] The group's attack on Hogan on the July 12 episode of Impact Wrestling was used to write Hogan off television as he was set to undergo another back surgery.[236]
In November, Hogan moved into a storyline with Bully Ray after Austin Aries revealed a secret relationship between Ray and Hogan's daughter Brooke.[237][238] After seeing them kissing in a parking garage on the December 20 episode of Impact Wrestling,[239] Hogan suspended Ray indefinitely on the January 3, 2013, episode of Impact Wrestling.[240] The following week on Impact Wrestling, after Ray saved Brooke from a kidnapping by the Aces & Eights, Brooke accepted his marriage proposal.[241] Despite Hogan's disapproval, he still walked Brooke down the aisle for her wedding on the next episode of Impact Wrestling, during which Ray's groomsmen Taz interrupted and revealed himself as a member of the Aces & Eights, leading the group to attack Hogan, Ray, and the rest of the groomsmen.[242]
On the January 31 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hogan reinstated Ray so he could take on the Aces & Eights.[243][244] Hogan named Ray the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on the February 21 episode of Impact Wrestling.[245] At Lockdown on March 10, Ray betrayed Hogan, after Aces & Eights helped Ray defeat Jeff Hardy to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, and Ray revealed himself as the President of the Aces & Eights.[246] Following Lockdown, Hogan blamed Sting for Ray winning the title as it was Sting who encouraged Hogan to give Ray the title shot.[247][248][249] Sting returned and saved Hogan from an attack by Aces & Eights on the April 25 episode of Impact Wrestling.[250] The following week on Impact Wrestling, Hogan and Sting reconciled their differences.[251] On the October 3 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hogan refused an offer from Dixie Carter to become her business partner and quit; this was done to officially write Hogan off, as a result of his contract expiring with TNA.[252]
Fourth return to WWE (2014–2015)
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On February 24, 2014, on Raw, Hogan made his first WWE in-ring appearance since December 2007 to hype the WWE Network.[253] On the March 24 episode of Raw, Hogan came out to introduce the guest appearances of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Joe Manganiello; this was to promote the guests' new film Sabotage.[254]
At WrestleMania XXX in April 2014, Hogan served as the host, coming out at the start of the show to hype up the crowd. During his promo, he mistakenly referred to the Superdome, the venue the event was being held at, as the Silverdome, which became the subject of jokes throughout the night.[255] Hogan was later joined by Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, and they finished their promo by drinking beer together in the ring.[256] Later in the show, Hogan shared a moment with Mr. T, Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper, in a reference to the first WrestleMania.[257]
On February 27, 2015, Hogan was honored at Madison Square Garden during a WWE live event dubbed "Hulk Hogan Appreciation Night" with a special commemorative banner hanging from the rafters, honoring his wrestling career and historic matches he had in the arena.[258] Hogan then appeared on the March 23 episode of Raw, where he and Snoop Dogg got the better of Curtis Axel, who was promoting "AxelMania".[259] On March 28, Hogan posthumously inducted "Macho Man" Randy Savage into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2015.[260] The next night at WrestleMania 31, Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, representing the nWo, interfered in the Sting–Triple H match on behalf of Sting, where they battled D-Generation X (DX) members Billy Gunn, X-Pac, Road Dogg, and Shawn Michaels.[261]
Racism scandal and departure
Eight years ago I used offensive language during a conversation. It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it.
In July 2015, National Enquirer and Radar Online publicized an anti-black rant made by Hogan on a leaked sex tape recorded in 2007. In the recording, he is heard expressing disgust with the notion of his daughter dating a black man, referenced by repeated use of the racial slur "nigger".[263][264] Hogan also said that he was "a racist, to a point".[264]
Once the recordings went public erupting in a media scandal, Hogan apologized for the remarks, which he said is "language that is offensive and inconsistent with [his] own beliefs".[262]
On July 24, WWE terminated their contract with Hogan, stating that they are "committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds";[265] however, Hogan's lawyer said Hogan chose to resign.[262] A day prior, WWE removed almost all references to Hogan from their website, including his listing as a judge for Tough Enough, his merchandise from WWE Shop, and his entry from its WWE Hall of Fame page. His DLC appearance from WWE 2K15 was taken down from sale, and his character was cut from the then-upcoming WWE 2K16 game during development.[266][267]
In response to the controversy, Mattel stopped producing Hogan action figures, while Hogan's merchandise was taken down from online stores of Target, Toys "R" Us, and Walmart.[268] On July 28, Radar Online reported that Hogan had also used homophobic slurs on the leaked sex tape.[269] Days later, it was reported that Hogan had used racist language in a 2008 call to his then-imprisoned son, Nick, and also said that he hoped they would not be reincarnated as black males.[270]
Hogan gave an interview with ABC on August 31 in which he pleaded forgiveness for his racist comments, attributing these to a racial bias inherited from his neighborhood while growing up.[271] Hogan said that the term "nigger" was used liberally among friends in Tampa; former neighbors disputed this.[272]
Reaction from African-American wrestlers
Three black wrestlers who worked in the WWF and WCW with Hogan made supportive comments. Virgil commented "Hogan has never given me a reason to believe he is a racist",[273] while Dennis Rodman said he "most certainly is not a racist"[274] and Kamala added "I do not think Hogan meant harm by saying that. Hogan is my brother until he decides not to be."[275] Other black wrestlers working in the WWE made different comments. Mark Henry said he was pleased by WWE's "no tolerance approach to racism" response, and that he was hurt and offended by Hogan's manner and tone.[276] Booker T said he was shocked and called the statements unfortunate.[277]
In the time that followed, numerous African-Americans associated with wrestling expressed some level of support for Hogan including: Rodman,[278] The Rock,[279] Booker T[280] Kamala,[281] Virgil,[282] Mr. T,[283] Henry,[284] Big E,[285] and D'Angelo Dinero, who stressed his forgiveness of Hogan, whom he saw as having made a "positive mark on humanity" for over three decades.[286][better source needed]
Upon his return to the company in 2018, Hogan talked to all the wrestlers backstage to apologize.[287] Several African-American wrestlers, including The New Day, Titus O'Neil, Mark Henry, Shelton Benjamin and JTG doubted the sincerity of Hogan's apology,[288][289][290][291][292][293] due to Hogan warning wrestlers to be "mindful about being recorded without their knowledge" during his apology instead of addressing his comments.[287][294][295] Henry stated "He thinks it's gonna go away. That it's not gonna be that dark cloud over his career. I offered to say hey, let's do a tour of the black colleges and law schools and explain what happened. He didn't want to do that."[296]
Fifth return to WWE (2018–2025)
On July 15, 2018, Hogan was "reinstated" into the WWE Hall of Fame[297] (despite no prior official statement suspending him). Hogan made his on-screen return on November 2, 2018, as the host of Crown Jewel.[298] On January 7, 2019, Hogan returned to Raw to present a tribute to Mean Gene Okerlund, who had died five days prior.[299]
During the following years, Hogan appeared on several WWE events, like the 2019 and 2020 Hall of Fame ceremonies, where he inducted Brutus Beefcake in 2019 and was inducted for a second time as part of the New World Order (with Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman) in 2020.[300][301] He also hosted the 35 and 37 editions of WrestleMania, along with Alexa Bliss and Titus O'Neil respectively.[302][303][304] He also participated at Crown Jewel 2019, where he was the captain of a team opposing Ric Flair's team.[305]
In January 2025, Hogan made his final appearance at a professional wrestling event during the Raw debut on Netflix, where alongside Jimmy Hart he cut a promo advertising his Real American Beer. Hogan was heavily booed by the crowd, which received widespread coverage in the media.[306]
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Tributes and legacy
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Hogan has been described as one of the largest attractions in professional wrestling history and a major reason why Vince McMahon's expansion of his promotion worked. Wrestling historian and journalist Dave Meltzer stated that "...You can't possibly overrate his significance in the history of the business. And he sold more tickets to wrestling shows than any man who ever lived".[307]
Fellow wrestler Cody Rhodes has said numerous times that Hogan's WrestleMania X8 match with The Rock is the greatest match in wrestling history and that it epitomized what professional wrestling is.[308][309]
Fellow WWE Hall of Fame member Bret Hart was repeatedly critical of Hogan's wrestling abilities, including in 2021 saying that he "didn't know a headlock from a headlamp", and that he was "very limited".[310] Hart had previously referred to Hogan as a "hero" to fans.[311] and previously complimented Hogan's look. "You look at Hulk Hogan, okay? Unbelievable look, 6'8″ with the 24-inch pythons, it's an incredible [look]. When he walks in the room, the whole room stops. Like, you see it. He [has] got, like, legs stuck on his shoulders. His arms are as big as somebody's legs.[312]
Hogan himself had previously said he is "number two" behind Ric Flair, who he said is the greatest wrestler of all time.[313]
Chris Jericho said on his podcast in 2023 that Hogan was a better worker than Flair in his experience. "Hogan is a better worker than Flair. For me. I always had amazing matches with Hogan because he knew exactly who he was as a babyface, as a heel, whatever. He was so great. He knew his audience. He didn't do anything he didn't have to. It was one of my favorite times in my career."[314]
On February 20, 2019, it was announced that Chris Hemsworth would portray him in a biopic, directed by Todd Phillips.[315] However, in 2024, Phillips announced the film had been scrapped.[316]
Following Hogan's death on July 24, 2025, many wrestlers paid tribute to Hogan on social media, such as The Rock, The Undertaker, John Cena, Triple H, Ric Flair, Kane, Sting, Kurt Angle, The Miz and Matt Hardy.[317][318][319] Promotions like WWE, TNA, NWA, NJPW and AEW also remembered him.[320][321][322] Hogan was also remembered by people outside pro wrestling, like actor Sylvester Stallone, UFC President Dana White and U.S. President Donald Trump.[323][324]
The July 24, 2025 episode of TNA Impact would be dedicated to Hogan.[325] On the July 25, 2025, episode of WWE SmackDown, which aired on the USA Network, Hogan was honored with a ten-bell salute and a tribute show.[326] In NJPW, based in Japan, Hogan would also be given a ten-bell salute, as well as a tribute ceremony, during the sixth night of the G1 Climax 35 tournament on July 26, 2025.[327][328] In AEW, Hogan would be honored on the July 26 2025, episode of AEW Collision, which aired on former WCW Nitro network TNT, with a tribute from former WCW commentator Tony Schiavone.[329] A tribute video and another ten-bell salute would be given to Hogan on the July 28, 2025, episode of WWE Raw.[330][331] He would also receive a ten-bell salute on the July 29, 2025 episode of WWE NXT.[332] Tribute videos were shown at SummerSlam 2025 with Nick Hogan and his wife in attendance.[333]
On July 31, 2025, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared August 1, 2025 as Hulk Hogan Day for the state, in Hogan's memory. DeSantis also declared for the flags at the Florida State Capitol to be flown at half-staff on August 1. [334]
At the same time, many sources noted his complicated legacy due to his backstage politics, his racial comments, and his support for Donald Trump.[335][336][337][338]
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Endorsements and business ventures
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Food, beverage, restaurants and wrestling shops
Hogan created and financed a restaurant called Pastamania located in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.[339] It opened on the Labor Day weekend of 1995 and was heavily promoted on World Championship Wrestling (WCW)'s live show Monday Nitro. The restaurant, which remained in operation for less than a year, featured such dishes as Hulk-U's and Hulk-A-Roos.[339]
In interviews on The Tonight Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Hogan claimed that the opportunity to endorse what came to be known as the George Foreman Grill was originally offered to him, but when he failed to respond in time, Foreman endorsed the grill instead. However, there is no evidence to support this claim.[340][341] Instead, Hogan endorsed a blender, known as the Hulk Hogan Thunder Mixer. He later endorsed a grill known as The Hulk Hogan Ultimate Grill, voluntarily recalled as a fire hazard in 2008 along with other QVC and Tristar grills.[342]
In 2006, Hogan unveiled Hogan Energy, a drink distributed by Socko Energy.[343] His name and likeness were also applied to a line of microwavable hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and chicken sandwiches sold at Wal-Mart called Hulkster Burgers.[344] On November 1, 2011, Hogan launched a website called Hogan Nutrition featuring many nutritional and dietary products.[345]
On New Year's Eve 2012, Hogan opened a beachfront restaurant called Hogan's Beach near Tampa, Florida.[346][347] The restaurant dropped Hogan's name in October 2015.[348] Hogan later opened Hogan's Hangout in Clearwater Beach, within walking distance from his memorabilia store. Hogan regularly would host Karaoke tournaments that featured Ric Flair and Jimmy Hart; and where hosted by his son Nick Hogan on Monday Nights called “Main Event Kareoke”. [349]
In 2017 Hogan opened a second memorabilia store on International Drive in Orlando, Fl during Wrestlemania 34 weekend. The memorabilia stores names changed from Hulk Hogan’s Beach Shop to Hulk Hogan’s Wrestlinh Shop in 2024. A third memorabilia store opened in 2025 shortly before his death in Pigeon Gorge Tennessee. Also in May 2024 Hogan announced the opening of a second bar across from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
In 2024, Hogan launched Real American Beer, a light beer brand.[350][351]
Finances
In September 2008, Hogan's net worth was revealed to be around $30 million.[352][353][354] In September 2011, Hogan claimed that his lavish lifestyle and divorce had cost him hundreds of millions of dollars and nearly bankrupted him.[355]
Political
Hogan endorsed Donald Trump for president at the 2024 Republican National Convention.[356] He notably spoke at the 2024 Trump rally at Madison Square Garden.[357]
Other
In October 2007, Hogan transferred all trademarks referring to himself to his liability company named Hogan Holdings Limited. The trademarks include Hulk Hogan, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Hulkster, Hogan Knows Grillin, Hulkamania.com, and Hulkapedia.com.[358]
In April 2008, Hogan announced that he would license Gameloft to create a Hulkamania Wrestling video game for mobile phones. He stated in a press release that the game would be "true to [his] experiences in wrestling" and use his classic wrestling moves like the Doublehand Choke Lift and Strong Clothesline.[359] In 2010, Hogan starred alongside Troy Aikman in commercials for Rent-A-Center.[360] On March 24, 2011, Hogan made a special appearance on American Idol, surprising Paul McDonald and James Durbin, who were both wrestling fans. On October 15, 2010, Endemol Games UK (a subsidiary of media production group Endemol UK) announced a partnership with Bischoff Hervey Entertainment to produce Hulk Hogan's Hulkamania, an online gambling game featuring video footage of Hogan.[361][362]
In October 2013, Hogan partnered with Tech Assets, Inc. to open a web hosting service called Hostamania.[363] A commercial video promoting the service featured Hogan parodying Jean-Claude Van Damme's GoDaddy.com commercials and Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" music video.[364][365] On November 21, 2013, Hulk Hogan and GoDaddy.com appeared together on a live Hangout On Air on Google Plus.[366]
Hogan became a distributor for multi-level marketing company ViSalus Sciences after looking for business opportunities outside of wrestling.[367] Hogan supported the American Diabetes Association.[368]
In 2025, he appeared in the documentary film Wrestlemania IX: The Spectacle. The documentary was released on Peacock on April 11, 2025.[369][370][371]
Hogan co-founded Real American Freestyle in April 2025, and he served as the promotion's commissioner.[372]
Hogan, both personally and through the Real American Beer brand, sponsored and promoted Arena Football One.[373][374]
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Other media
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Acting
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Hogan's crossover popularity led to several television and film roles. Early in his career Hogan played the part of Thunderlips in Rocky III (1982). He also appeared in No Holds Barred (1989), before starring in family films Suburban Commando (1991), Mr. Nanny (1993), Santa with Muscles (1996), and 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998).[375] Hogan also appeared in 1992 commercials for Right Guard deodorant. He starred in his own television series, Thunder in Paradise, in 1994. He is the star of The Ultimate Weapon (1998), in which Brutus Beefcake also appears in a cameo.[376]
In 1997, Hogan starred in the TNT original film Assault on Devil's Island, as the leader of a commando unit featuring fellow genre veterans Carl Weathers and Shannon Tweed. Eric Bischoff was also listed as an executive producer. The characters were considered for a regular series, but instead received a second feature-length showcase two years later, called Assault on Death Mountain. In 1995, he appeared on TBN's Kids Against Crime. Hogan made cameo appearances in Muppets from Space, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (the theatrical cut) and Spy Hard as himself. Hogan also played the role of Zeus in Little Hercules in 3D. Hogan also made two appearances on The A-Team (in 1985 and 1986), along with Roddy Piper. He also appeared on Suddenly Susan in 1999.[377]
Hogan voiced "The Dean" in the 2011 animated show China, IL.[378][379]
Reality television and hosting
On July 10, 2005, VH1 premiered Hogan Knows Best a reality show which centered around Hogan, his then-wife Linda, and their children Brooke and Nick.[380] In July 2008, a spin-off entitled Brooke Knows Best premiered, which focused primarily on Hogan's daughter Brooke.[381]
Hogan hosted the comeback series of American Gladiators on NBC in 2008.[382] He also hosted and judged the short-lived reality show, Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling.[383] Hogan had a special titled Finding Hulk Hogan on A&E on November 17, 2010.[384]
In 2015, Hogan was a judge on the sixth season of Tough Enough, alongside Paige and Daniel Bryan,[385] but due to that year's Hogan scandal, he was replaced by The Miz.[386]
Music and radio
Hogan released a music CD, Hulk Rules, as Hulk Hogan and the Wrestling Boot Band, which also included Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart, his then-wife Linda and J.J Maguire.[387] Despite negative reviews, Hulk Rules reached No. 12 on the Billboard Top Kid Audio chart in 1995.[387] Hogan and Green Jellÿ in 1993 performed a cover version of Gary Glitter's song "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)".[388] In the 1980s, Hogan appeared in the music video for Dolly Parton's wrestling-themed love song "Headlock on My Heart" for Parton's show Dolly.[388]
Hogan was a regular guest on Bubba the Love Sponge's radio show. He also served as the best man at Bubba's January 2007 wedding.[389] On March 12, 2010, Hogan hosted his own radio show titled Hogan Uncensored, on Sirius Satellite Radio's Howard 101.[390]
Merchandising
The Wrestling Figure Checklist records Hogan as having 171 different action figures, produced between the 1980s and 2010s from numerous manufacturers and promotions.[391]
Video games
Hogan provided his voice for the 2011 game Saints Row: The Third as Angel de la Muerte, a member of the Saints.[392] In October 2011, he released a video game called Hulk Hogan's Main Event.[393]
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Personal life
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Legal issues
Belzer lawsuit
On March 27, 1985, just days prior to the inaugural WrestleMania, Richard Belzer requested on his cable TV talk show Hot Properties that Hogan demonstrate one of his signature wrestling moves. After consistently refusing but being egged on by Belzer, Hogan put Belzer in a modified guillotine choke, which caused Belzer to pass out. When Hogan released him, Belzer hit his head on the floor, sustaining a laceration to the scalp that required a brief hospitalization. Belzer sued Hogan for $5 million and later settled out of court. On the October 20, 2006, broadcast of the Bubba the Love Sponge Show, it was claimed (with Hogan in the studio) that the settlement totaled $5 million, half from Hogan and half from Vince McMahon. During his June 23, 2008, appearance on Sirius Satellite Radio's The Howard Stern Show, Belzer suggested that the settlement amount was closer to $400,000.[394]
Testimony in McMahon trial
In 1991, on The Arsenio Hall Show, Hogan denied using steroids, stating "I trained 20 years two hours a day to look like I do. But the things that I'm not, I am not a steroid abuser and I do not use steroids."[395][396] Billy Graham, a fellow wrestler, in a 1991 interview on Inside Edition, stated that he injected Hogan with steroids in the 80's.[397] In 1993, media reports indicated that Hogan was a heavy steroid user.[398]
In 1994, Hogan, having received legal immunity, testified in the trial of Vince McMahon relating to shipments of steroids received by both parties from WWF physician George T. Zahorian III.[399] Under oath, Hogan admitted that he had used anabolic steroids since 1976 to gain size and weight, but that McMahon had neither sold him the drugs nor ordered him to take them. The evidence given by Hogan proved extremely costly to the government's case against McMahon. Due to this and jurisdictional issues, McMahon was found not guilty.[400]
During his testimony, Hogan said that he and King Kong Bundy had gone to McMahon to tip him off over Jesse Ventura's unionization efforts in 1986.[401][402][403] Hogan later stated "Vince already knew about it, I just said I didn't think it was a good idea. [Ventura] was running his mouth like usual, trying to get everyone on board, everyone knew".[115] This led to criticism; no professional wrestlers' union has been established.[404][405][406]
Sexual assault allegation and extortion lawsuit
In January 1996, Hogan was accused of sexual assault by a 29-year-old businesswoman on Labor Day weekend in 1995.[407][408] The incident is alleged to have occurred at the first WCW Nitro taping at the Mall of America in Minneapolis. The woman claims she was helping Hogan to sell merchandise for his Pastamania restaurant and when she went to deliver the leftover merchandise to him at his hotel room after the show, Hogan forced her to perform oral sex on him.[409] She also claimed to have evidence that Hogan raped another woman.[410] The woman and her lawyer sent Hogan a letter agreeing to settle the case financially before making it public, and Hogan sued for extortion.[411][408] Gene Okerlund claimed he was with Hogan the whole day and denied the allegations.[407] The woman filed a counter-suit against Hogan in 1997.[409]
Gawker lawsuit
In April 2012, a sex tape between Hogan and Heather Clem, the estranged wife of radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge, emerged online. On October 4, 2012, Gawker released a short clip of the video.[412] In the video, Bubba can be heard saying that the couple can "do their thing" and he will be in his office. At the end of the video, he can also be heard telling Heather, "If we ever need to retire, here is our ticket".[413] Hogan later told Howard Stern on his satellite radio show that, "it was a bad choice and a very low point" and "I was with some friends and made a wrong choice. It has devastated me, I have never been this hurt".[414] On October 15, 2012, Hogan filed a lawsuit against Bubba and Heather Clem for invading his privacy.[415] A settlement with Bubba was announced on October 29, 2012.[416] Clem publicly apologized to Hogan.[417] In December 2012, a federal court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, found that Gawker's publication of the video snippet did not violate U.S. copyright law. Hogan then added Heather Clem as a defendant in the case, allowing it to be re-filed in Florida state court as both were Florida residents. This suit alleged invasion of privacy, negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and sought $100 million in damages.[418]
On October 1, 2015, the New York Post reported that a Florida Judge granted Hogan access to Gawker's computer system for a forensic expert to search Gawker's computers and office.[419]
Hogan later sued Gawker for $100 million for defamation, loss of privacy, and emotional pain,[420] and on March 18, 2016, was awarded $115 million.[421][422] Also, on August 11, 2016, a Florida judge gave Hogan control of the assets of A. J. Daulerio, former Gawker editor-in-chief, who was involved in the posting of Hogan's sex tape.[423]
Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel helped Hogan finance his lawsuit against Gawker Media.[424]
On November 2, 2016, Gawker reached a $31 million settlement with Hogan.[425]
Alleged fabrications
Hogan was accused multiple times of fabricating elements of his past. The Independent said "a great believer in self-mythologising, Hogan was known for stretching the truth about his already remarkable life – often to outrageous extremes."[338] Some of Hogan's statements include claiming that Elvis Presley was a big fan of his (Presley died only a few days after Hogan had his first match),[338] that the "difference in time zones" flying between the US and Japan caused him to wrestle "400 days in a single year",[338] that his neck was severely injured by the Undertaker dropping him on his head performing his signature Tombstone piledriver move at Survivor Series in 1991 (when Undertaker saw the tape of the match he saw that he safely performed the move with Hogan's head a foot away from making contact with the mat, and when confronting Hogan, Hogan claimed it was due to whiplash while taking the move),[426] that both the Rolling Stones and Metallica wanted him to play bass guitar for their bands (Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich denied having ever met Hogan),[427][338][428] and that he was offered the starring role in the film The Wrestler (2008) but turned it down (Director Darren Aronofsky said the role was written for star Mickey Rourke and he never considered Hogan).[429] During an appearance on Bubba the Love Sponge, Hogan claimed to have a 10-inch (25 cm) penis. During the Gawker trial, he admitted in court that this was not true, claiming he was speaking as the character Hulk Hogan, and not as Terry Bollea.[430]
Family
In 1983 Hogan married his first wife, Linda Claridge. They have two children: a daughter, Brooke, and a son, Nick.[431] Hogan was featured in the reality television show Hogan Knows Best, with Claridge and their children.[431]
According to an interview in the National Enquirer, Christiane Plante claimed that Hogan had an affair with her in 2007 while the Hogan family was shooting Hogan Knows Best.[432] Plante was 33 years old at the time and had worked with Brooke Hogan on her 2006 album.[433]
On November 20, 2007, Linda filed for divorce in Pinellas County, Florida.[434] In November 2008, Linda claimed to the public that she decided to end her marriage after finding out about Hogan's affair.[435][436] In his 2009 autobiography, Hogan acknowledged that Linda on numerous occasions suspected he was having infidelities whenever he developed friendships with other women,[437] but denied cheating on her.[437] Hogan retained around 30% of the couple's liquid assets, totaling around $10 million, in the divorce settlement.[438] Hogan claimed to have considered committing suicide after the divorce, and credited Laila Ali, his co-star on American Gladiators, with preventing him from doing so.[439] In a 2010 interview, he stated if he could change one thing in his life it would be to "get divorced right after Nick was born".[115]
Hulk Hogan began a relationship with Jennifer McDaniel in early 2008.[440] The two were engaged in November 2009[440] and married on December 14, 2010, in Clearwater, Florida.[441][442] On February 28, 2022, Hogan stated on Twitter that he and McDaniel divorced.[443]
Hogan became engaged to yoga instructor Sky Daily in July 2023, proposing to her at actor Corin Nemec's wedding reception.[444][445] They married on September 22, 2023.[446]
Through Brooke, Hogan would have two grandchildren who were born in January 2025, However, he would not meet them by the time of his death in July 2025.[447]
Religious beliefs
Hogan was public about his faith in Christ. In 2007 Hogan said, "[I've] leaned on my religion. I was saved when I was 14. I accepted Christ as my savior. He died on the cross and paid for my sins [...] I could have went [sic] the wrong way. I could have self-destructed, but I took the high road."[448]
On December 20, 2023, Hogan and his wife, Sky Daily, were baptized at Indian Rocks Baptist Church in Largo, Florida.[449][450]
Health problems
Hogan suffered numerous health problems, particularly with his back, since retiring as a wrestler following years of heavy weight-training and jolting as a wrestler.[451] He underwent at least 25 medical procedures, including back surgeries, and knee and hip replacements.[452]
After the procedures failed to cure his back problems, Hogan underwent traditional spinal fusion surgery in December 2010, which enabled him to return to his professional activities. In January 2013, Hogan filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the Laser Spine Institute for $50 million, saying that the medical firm persuaded him to undergo a half-dozen "unnecessary and ineffective" spinal operations that worsened his back problems.[453][454] He claimed that the six procedures he underwent over a period of 19 months only gave him short-term relief.[455] In addition, the Laser Spine Institute used his name on their advertisements, which Hogan claimed was without his permission.[456] The Laser Spine Institute shut down in 2019.[457]
In July 2025, Brooke Hogan stated that Hogan's health was declining by 2023, and that he had undergone numerous surgeries by this point in time.[458]
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Death
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On May 14, 2025, Hogan underwent a four-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion procedure.[452] Close friends Jimmy Hart and Eric Bischoff noted a rapid decline in Hogan’s health following his neck fusion surgery. Hart shared that Hogan avoided visitors to prevent infection,[459] while Bischoff recalled Hogan sounding weak and expressing embarrassment over his condition.[460] On June 18, 2025, radio host Bubba the Love Sponge reported that Hogan was seriously ill in hospital and "might not make it".[452]
Hogan died at his Clearwater, Florida, home on the morning of July 24, 2025, at the age of 71.[461] He collapsed while doing therapy after returning home from hospital,[452] and was taken by paramedics to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.[462] His official cause of death was acute myocardial infarction, known as a heart attack.[463] His medical records later revealed he had been battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia and atrial fibrillation.[464][465]
On August 5, 2025, Hogan's first funeral service was held at Indian Rocks Baptist Church in Largo, Florida with widow Sky Daily, ex-wife Linda Hogan, Vince McMahon, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Ric Flair, Dennis Rodman singer Kid Rock Theo Von and skateboarder Bam Margera being among those in attendance.[466][467][468][469] Daughter Brooke, who was estranged from her father since 2023, did not attend his funeral services.[470][471] Following another funeral service which was held at Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park & Funeral Home in Clearwater, Florida, Hogan was cremated and laid to rest.[470][467][472]
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Awards and honors
Hogan was honored as the 2008 King of the Krewe of Bacchus, a New Orleans carnival organization.[473][474] Hogan received the honor in part because meeting Hogan was one of the most requested "wishes" of the terminally ill children benefited by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.[474]
Hogan was inducted in the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame on May 3, 2018.[475]
Championships and accomplishments
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- International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2021[477]
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship (original version) (1 time)[478]
- IWGP League Tournament (1983)[479][64]
- MSG Tag League Tournament (1982, 1983) – with Antonio Inoki[480][481]
- Greatest 18 Club inductee[482]
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Comeback of the Year (1994, 2002)[484]
- Feud of the Year (1986) vs. Paul Orndorff[484]
- Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1983, 1999)[484]
- Match of the Year (1985) with Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff at WrestleMania I[484]
- Match of the Year (1988) vs. André the Giant at The Main Event I[484]
- Match of the Year (1990) vs. The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI[484]
- Match of the Year (2002) vs. The Rock at WrestleMania X8[484]
- Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1996, 1998)[484]
- Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1985, 1989, 1990)[484]
- Wrestler of the Year (1987, 1991, 1994)[484]
- Ranked No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1991[485]
- Ranked No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003[486]
- Ranked No. 44 and No. 57 of the top 100 tag teams of the PWI Years with Antonio Inoki and Randy Savage in 2003[487]
- Southeastern Championship Wrestling
- Sports Illustrated
- Ranked No. 2 of the 20 Greatest WWE Wrestlers of All Time[491]
- Tokyo Sports
- Best Foreigner Award (1983)[492]
- Match of the Year (1991) vs. Genichiro Tenryu on December 12, 1991[493]
- World Championship Wrestling
- World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
- WWF/WWE Championship (6 times)[496][497][498]
- WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Edge[499]
- Royal Rumble (1990, 1991)[500][501][2][104]
- WWE Hall of Fame (2 times)
- Class of 2005 – individually[502]
- Class of 2020 – as a member of the New World Order[503]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Strongest Wrestler (1983)[504]
- Best Babyface (1982–1991)[504]
- Best Box Office Draw (1997)[504]
- Best Gimmick (1996) as a member of New World Order[504]
- Feud of the Year (1986) vs. Paul Orndorff[504]
- Feud of the Year (1996) as a member of New World Order vs. World Championship Wrestling[504]
- Most Charismatic (1985–1987, 1989–1991)[504]
- Most Embarrassing Wrestler (1995, 1996, 1999, 2000)[504]
- Most Obnoxious (1994, 1995)[504]
- Most Overrated (1985, 1986, 1994–1998)[504]
- Most Unimproved (1994, 1995)[504]
- Readers' Least Favorite Wrestler (1985, 1986, 1991, 1994–1999)[504]
- Worst Feud of the Year (1991) vs. Sgt. Slaughter[504]
- Worst Feud of the Year (1995) vs. The Dungeon of Doom[504]
- Worst Feud of the Year (1998) vs. The Warrior[504]
- Worst Feud of the Year (2000) vs. Billy Kidman[504]
- Worst on Interviews (1995)[504]
- Worst Wrestler (1997)[504]
- Worst Worked Match of the Year (1987) vs. André the Giant at WrestleMania III[504]
- Worst Worked Match of the Year (1996) with Randy Savage vs. Arn Anderson, Meng, The Barbarian, Ric Flair, Kevin Sullivan, Z-Gangsta, and The Ultimate Solution in a Towers of Doom match at Uncensored[504]
- Worst Worked Match of the Year (1997) vs. Roddy Piper at SuperBrawl VII[504]
- Worst Worked Match of the Year (1998) vs. The Warrior at Halloween Havoc[504]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)[505]
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References
See also
Notes
References
Sources
External links
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