Hulk Hogan, pro wrestling’s top star for more than a decade during the WrestleMania and Monday Night War periods, dead at 71

Hulk Hogan has died, according to numerous reports including initially TMZ and now CNN. He was 71. His real name was Terry Gene Bollea. The city of Clearwater, Florida released a statement saying rescue crews were dispatched to his home early this morning where he was transported to Morton Plant Hospital and pronounced dead. His death has been attributed to cardiac arrest.

Hogan was the top star of the pro wrestling industry during the national expansion years of the WWF in the mid-1980s after a run as the top babyface star in the AWA prior and few years in territories in the South and as a heel in the WWF in the Northeast before that.

A pro wrestling fan growing up in Florida, he admired Dusty Rhodes’s charisma and promo style. He was “discovered” by wrestlers watching his band play and in local gyms and was encouraged to try training to become a pro wrestler, following in the footsteps of “Superstar” Billy Graham, a muscular, bombastic, colorful wrestler from the 1970s.

He became recognized nationally after his part in “Rocky III” in 1982 where he was a villain boxer against Rocky. That, along with the crowds he was drawing and cheers he was receiving in the AWA, caught Vince McMahon Jr.’s attention as he was planning to aggressively expand nationally.

Hogan left the AWA and signed with the WWF. Hogan was a “turn-key” top star for McMahon. The Hulk Hogan persona and Hulkamania catch-phrase were already established by Hogan in the AWA. McMahon took that and ran with it. Hogan quickly was booked to beat the Iron Sheik and be the WWF’s new top star. He headlined early WrestleMania pay-per-view events and Saturday Night’s Main event specials on NBC. During this time, he became a national crossover celebrity, including via the MTV-WWF “Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection” marketing, hosting NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” with Mr. T, doing guest spots on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” at a time when wrestlers were rarely seen as worthy of that stage, and eventually starred in some movies. The WWF even produced a cartoon series built around his character and other top stars of that era.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Podcast weekly Tuesday Flagship episode with guest cohost Greg Parks: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “wade Keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)

When steroid use among wrestlers and other athletes became a national headline story in the early 1990s, his star began to fade. He initially steadfastly denied using steroids to build muscle, trying to protect his “wholesome” image which was used on kids lunchboxes and other merchandise, including on “The Arsenio Hall Show,” which he said in a Torch Talk interview in the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter 25 years ago was his biggest mistake at that point in his career. McMahon soured on Hogan in part due to the stigma of that scandal.

Hogan ended up signing with WWF rival, WCW, and went on to have a massively successful second segment of his career, first as a babyface champion and later as a bearded heel heading up the NWO during WCW Nitro’s peak run of ratings which beat Raw from 1996-1998. WCW went out of business and was absorbed in a buyout by WWE a few years later.

He had a comeback in the WWF/WWE in 2002 and 2003, but had become more of a nostalgia special attraction instead of a clear-cut top act. Years later, in 2010, Hogan worked for TNA for a time during TNA’s attempt to become a national force, partnering with former WCW promoter Eric Bischoff, but that petered out when his drawing power and the support around him wasn’t strong enough.

During the last ten years of Hogan’s life he was embroiled in controversies, primarily due to negative comments about blacks on audio tape twice, including once to his son that leaked to the public, including use of the n-word. It led to WWE disassociating themselves with Hogan for a while and sponsors and partners cutting ties. It also led to fans re-calibrating how they viewed him.

A few years later, WWE eased him back into their shows. He was part of Raw’s 30th anniversary episode in 2023 and he appeared earlier this year on the premiere episode of Raw on Netflix, where he was loudly booed. He had associated his name with an upstart beer company also over the last year.

Last year, he spoke at the Republican National Convention in support of then-candidate Donald Trump.

WWE released a statement on Twitter/X: “WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away. One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans.”

NOTE: We’ll have continuing coverage and updates on this situation throughout the rest of the week including podcast coverage.