Hulk Hogan

[[File:Hulk Hogan @ Impact! TV Taping.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Hogan in 2013]]
{{cquote|AAH! It's NOT hot!!|||Hulk Hogan, touching cold water from a fountain.<ref>{{cite web |last= Roberson|first=Evan |date= July 24, 2025|title= Hulk Hogan Created One of Wrestling’s Funniest Moments—Accidentally|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/hulk-hogan-created-one-of-wrestlings-funniest-moments-accidentally/ |website= Vice |access-date=July 30, 2025}}</ref>}} 
{{media}}
'''Terry Gene Bollea''' {{lived|August 11, 1953|July 24, 2025}}, primarily known by his professional name '''Hulk Hogan''', was an [[American]] professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. Recognizable from his flamboyance and imposing physique, as well as his trademark blond horseshoe mustache and bandannas, Hogan is widely regarded as one of professional wrestling's most recognizable and important figures.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite web |last=Comstock |first= Frannie|date= Jul 29, 2025|title=Hulk Hogan |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hulk-Hogan |website= Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=July 30, 2025}}</ref>

He had a colorful pro wrestling career starting from late 1970s, beginning his career as one of the [[plagiarism|clones]] of {{wpl|Superstar Billy Graham||.}}<ref>{{cite news |last=  Mitchell |first=Houston |date=May 18, 2023 |title=Wrestling’s ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham, the template for Hulk Hogan, dies at 79 |url= https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2023-05-18/superstar-billy-graham-hulk-hogan-dies-obituary-wwe#:~:text=Superstar%20Billy%20Graham%2C%20the%20template%20for%20Hulk,dies%20at%2079%20%2D%20Los%20Angeles%20Times.|work= Los Angeles Times|access-date=July 30, 2025}}</ref>{{efn|No, not that [[Billy Graham]]. Although both "Superstar" and Hogan would become "people of lukewarm faith" at later parts of their lives.}} His breakthrough would occur in circa 1983/1984, thanks to {{wpl|World Wrestling Federation|| (currently World Wrestling Entertainment)}} and his short-but-impactful appearance in {{wpl|Rocky III||,}} starting a phenomenon known as “Hulkamania” that would cement his place in American pop culture of the 1980s. His popularity would subsequently land him roles in various (terrible) television series, shows, and movies.<ref name="Britannica"/>

However, [[reality]] can be a cruel thing, as despite his more positive contributions to entertainment, he has done some really controversial and shitty things that have left a bad impression on the pro wrestling industry and popular culture.

==Biography==
===Early life, career and rise in the 1980s===
Terry Bollea was born in Augusta, [[Fun:Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] in 1953 to Italian-American Pete Bollea and his wife Ruth, who has ancestors from [[Scotland]], [[France]], [[Italy]] and [[Panama]]. Bollea's family moved to Port Tampa, [[Florida]], when he was 18 months old, making Florida his childhood home. He apparently had a pretty good run at baseball in his teens, until an injury to his pitching arm derailed his baseball prospects. During his youth, Bollea also dreamed of becoming a musician and learnt to play bass guitar as freshman in high school.<ref name="Freedman">{{cite book |last= Freedman |first= Lew|date=2018 |title=Pro Wrestling: A Comprehensive Reference Guide |publisher= Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn= 9781440853517}}</ref>{{rp|118}}

While working as a bank teller, he met wrestlers Jerry and Jack Brisco, who would inspire him to start professional wrestling. After being trained by Hiro Matsuda, Bollea wrestled for various companies (including a short stint in WWF - when it was run by {{wpl|Vince McMahon Sr.}}), getting the best reception at the ''American Wrestling Association'' (AWA) and ''New Japan Pro Wrestling'' (NJPW). In 1983, he re-joined the ''World Wrestling Federation'' (WWF), which was now run by {{wpl|Vince McMahon|Vince McMahon Jr.|,}} who had designated Hogan as the lead talent of the company. Around this time, Hogan had married Linda Claridge.<ref name="Freedman"/>{{rp|119-120}}

Hogan was very much [https://youtu.be/qgW8ptzRr8k?t=50 the right 
gay
 guy] at the right time, with his "Real American" good guy persona (complete with his entrance theme being composed by a future fellow Trump-humper {{wpl|Rick Derringer}}) tapping right into the crapsaccharine [[Reagan]]-era [[Machismo|macho]] [[jingoism]].<ref>{{cite news |last= Burgis|first=Ben |date= July 26, 2025|title= Hulk Hogan's 'real American' peak was fun to watch. It was also a warning.|url=https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/hulk-hogan-1980s-reagan-cold-war-jingoism-communism-violence-rcna220925 |work= MSNBC|access-date=July 30, 2025}}</ref> Hogan's 1984 match against {{wpl|The Iron Sheik}} (played by Iranian-American Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri) would be the start of the "Hulkamania" fad. The match exploited the still-fresh [[Racism|racially-inflected]] American anger against Iran from the 1979-1981 {{wpl|Iran hostage crisis||.}}<ref>"Wrestling With the Revolution: The Iron Sheik and the American Cultural Response to the 1979 Iranian Revolution" by Sina Rahmani (2007) ''Iranian Studies'' 40(1):87-108. doi:10.1080/00210860601138640.</ref><ref>"The Racist History of the WWE" by Chude Uzoka-Anofienem (March 27, 2025) ''The La Salle Collegian''.</ref> Subsequently, starting from 1985, WWF started its yearly "Wrestlemania" events, with Hogan chosen to main the show's first card. The third Wrestlemania held in 1987 arguably had his career's defining moment, where he fought against the 7'4" and 520lbs {{wpl|André the Giant||,}} whom Hogan would bodyslam during the match&nbsp;— supposedly the first time anyone had ever bodyslammed the giant.{{efn|In reality, André had been bodyslammed various times during his career prior to this 1987 match, ''including by Hulk Hogan himself''. And since pro wrestling is indeed a show (not a sport), André has had to oblige to help the other wrestler to bodyslam him to keep "kayfabe" (fakery) of the match alive. So this "Herculean feat" is anything but.}} In 1988 and 1990, he would have a daughter, Brooke, and a son, Nick, respectively.<ref>{{cite news |last1= Gibson|first1=Kelsie |last2=Blair |first2= Caroline||date=July 31, 2025|title=Who Are Hulk Hogan's Kids? All About Brooke and Nick Hogan |url= https://people.com/who-are-hulk-hogan-kids-11778339|work= People (magazine)|access-date=August 6, 2025}}</ref><ref name="Freedman"/>{{rp|120-121}}

===1990s===
The early-to-mid 1990s was not a great time for Hogan. Not only was he unlucky to break into [[Hollywood]] with his various shitty movies (''Suburban Commando'', ''Mr. Nanny'' and ''Santa with Muscles'') and his television magnum opus ''Thunder in Paradise'' becoming the subject of ridicule, but even the WWF wrestling audience was getting sick of Hogan and the shtick he had done for almost a decade. Due to audience dismay towards him, tougher competition from fresh talent and wanting to disassociate himself from the WWF in regards to the ''United States v. McMahon'' court case, Hogan took his act to ''{{wpl|World Championship Wrestling}}'' (WCW) in 1994… only to continue the same stale stuff and receive the same negative reception.<ref name="Britannica"/>

However, he managed to revitalize his career in 1996 by becoming a "heel" (i.e. "bad guy") when he joined the villainous nWo ([[New World Order]]) that consisted of two ex-WWF guys Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, who acted as invaders from WWF trying to ruin WCW. Subsequently, Hogan would {{wpl|Cronyism|bring his old 1980s WWF familiars}} to nWo, which would then splinter to various factions. But nWo gradually became oversaturated (not entirely Hogan's fault, but he had a hand in it) and fans begin to turn on him once more, with the infamous {{wpl|Fingerpoke of Doom}} stunt in 1999 serving as the last straw and causing the core audience to turn out against the WCW wrestling promotion itself.<ref name="Freedman"/>{{rp|121}}

===2000s===
Following backstage disputes with {{wpl|Vince Russo}} that ended up spilling over into the public sphere, Hogan would leave WCW in 2000, with the company itself folding in early 2001. After his acting career failed to pick up, he returned to the WWF, in 2002, the same year it turned into the WWE, starting a re-hash of the nWo thing, but this time as remnants of WCW. 

He took a break from wrestling in 2004, before returning the next year. That year, he teamed with {{wpl|Shawn Michaels}} to defeat Arab-Americans Daivari and Mohammed Hassan (read: two [[Islamophobic]] caricatures). After feuding with Daivari and Hassan, Michaels turned on Hogan, and the feud ended with a "Legend vs. Icon" match at SummerSlam, which Hogan won. Also in 2005, Hogan's own reality show ''{{wpl|Hogan Knows Best}}'' began airing, which featured his wife and two children. Hogan's last notable story-line in WWE was the "Legend vs. Legend Killer" feud with Randy Orton. Despite Orton's gimmick of "retiring the old guard", Hogan again refused to "job" and defeated the former at SummerSlam 2006. Hogan would leave the promotion afterwards.

Hogan was subsequently occupied with family problems from 2007 to 2009. Bollea's 17-year-old son, Nick, was sentenced to eight months in prison in November 2007 after he was involved in a car accident that seriously injured his passenger. That same month, Claridge filed for [[divorce]], and in 2009 the couple divorced after 24 years of [[marriage]].

===2010s===
Hogan joined the misfortune-plagued ''{{wpl|Total Nonstop Action Wrestling}}'' (TNA) in October 2009, with him making his TV debut proper in January 2010. In December 2010, Bollea married his second wife Jennifer McDaniel.

His daughter Brooke was briefly involved in a storyline where wrestler Bully Ray began a relationship with Brooke and, with the help of Hogan (then General Manager of TNA), entered a match for the TNA World Championship belt and won. Bully then showed his true self, as the leader of the heel group "Aces and Eights". On the October 3, 2013 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hogan refused {{wpl|Dixie Carter (wrestling)|Dixie Carter-Salinas|'}} offer to become her business partner and resigned; this was made Hogan's official termination, as his contract with TNA had expired.

In 2014, Hogan made a comeback in WWE as the official host of WrestleMania 30. Since then, he has made sporadic TV appearances in official capacities and acted as a promotional representative. Then in July of 2015, Hogan's racist recording became public, which lead to his immediate termination by the WWE. In addition to the company removing all references to Hulk Hogan from its website, the sale of all Hulk Hogan merchandise was discontinued, and he was removed from the Hall of Fame.<ref name="Freedman"/>{{rp|121}}

Then his WWE "[[Cancel culture|cancellation]]" was undone in 2018, supposedly because his public apologies "showed he learnt his lesson" and the company's desire to give him a "second chance". The real reason why he was brought back&nbsp;— besides [[Donald Trump]]'s presidency and backlash towards [[cancel culture]]&nbsp;— was due to the {{wpl|Crown Jewel (2018)|2018 Crown Jewel wrestling event}} that was co-sponsored by [[Saudi Arabia]]n Crown Prince [[Mohammad bin Salman]] (as part of his {{wpl|Saudi Vision 2030|| initiative}}), with major stars like John Cena and Daniel Bryan [[boycott]]ing the event.{{efn|It should be noted that [[journalist]] {{wpl|Jamal Khashoggi}} was murdered a month prior to the event on the orders of Mohammad bin Salman, with the killing causing massive outrage towards Saudi Arabia at the time.}} There are also indications that the Saudi Arabian authorities themselves wanted Hogan involved to exploit the [[nostalgia]] factor.<ref>[https://theweek.com/speedreads/805472/wwe-controversially-brings-back-hulk-hogan-already-controversial-saudi-arabia-event The Week: "WWE controversially brings back Hulk Hogan at already controversial Saudi Arabia event" by Brendan Morrow, published November 2, 2018]</ref><ref>[https://www.givemesport.com/1394495-tweet-from-saudi-arabia-minister-hints-to-hulk-hogans-wwe-return-at-crown-jewel/ GiveMeSport: "Tweet from Saudi Arabia Minister hints to Hulk Hogan's WWE return at Crown Jewel" by Conor Porter, published Sep 25, 2018]</ref><ref>[https://nesn.com/2018/11/hulk-hogan-makes-his-wwe-return-and-its-controversial-to-say-the-least/ New England Sports Network: "Hulk Hogan’s WWE Return At ‘Crown Jewel’ Controversial In More Ways Than One" by Mike Cole Nov 2, 2018]</ref><ref>[https://www.wrestlecrap.com/inductions/crown-jewel-2018/ Wrestlecrap: "Crown Jewel 2018: The 2018 Gooker Award Winner" by Art O'Donnell January 2019] "Why bring back Hogan? Well, the crown prince, for whom the entire show was put on, was a fan of the WWF as a kid and wanted stars of the past to be on his show. If he wanted Hulk Hogan, then dammit, he was getting Hulk Hogan. It was certainly easier to get the still-living Hulkster to Saudi Arabia than some of the old-school stars MbS had requested for the Greatest Royal Rumble, which included – no joke – The Ultimate Warrior and Yokozuna… the latter of whom had been dead for nearly two decades."</ref>

===2020s and death===
In April 2021, Hogan was reinstated into the Hall of Fame as a member of the nWo. Then in October 2021, Hogan divorced his second wife. From early 2022, he was in a relationship with [[yoga]] instructor and accountant Sky Daily, whom he married in 2023. On January 6, 2025, Hogan made his final live wrestling appearance at the Raw debut on Netflix, accompanied by Jimmy Hart.

Before his death, Bollea lived with his daughter and dealt with several health problems, particularly back problems resulting from his many years as a wrestler. In June 2025, Hogan's health started to rapidly deteriorate after a neck fusion surgery he had in May. Hogan then suffered a heart attack at his home in Clearwater, [[Florida]] and was taken to a local Morton Plant Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead on July 24<sup>th</sup>. After his death, it was revealed that he had been suffering from leukemia for some time. Hogan also suffered from atrial fibrillation, a heart condition that causes irregular heartbeats.<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/wwe-star-hulk-hogan-cause-death-revealed/story?id=124249036 ABC News: WWE star Hulk Hogan's cause of death revealed by Katie Kindelan via GMA, July 31, 2025, 8:14 PM]</ref>{{efn|Cardiovascular diseases are common for anybody who has used anabolic steroids in excess, and has caused deaths of other professional wrestlers, particularly those who wrestled in the 1970s and 1980s.<ref>Herman CW, Conlon AS, Rubenfire M, Burghardt AR, McGregor SJ. The very high premature mortality rate among active professional wrestlers is primarily due to cardiovascular disease. PLoS One. 2014 Nov 5;9(11):e109945. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0109945. PMID: 25372569; PMCID: PMC4220919.</ref>}}

==Wrestling-related antics==
{{Expand section}}
{{cquote|That doesn't work for me, brother.|||Hulk Hogan{{efn|While not 1001% certain, its likely that this was first said by Hulk Hogan in a interview from 1999 in regards to making alterations to the "Hollywood Hogan vs Sting" match at Starrcade 1997. It has since become a meme quote within the pro wrestling community to mock Hogan's shameless backstage politicking.}}}} 
Although professional wrestling as a whole has its own sociopolitical issues and other sorts of dirty laundry, Hogan is considered ''notoriously'' selfish even by the business’ own metrics. In particular, he is known for his locker-room politics, and while he is far from the the only one guilty of such practices in pro wrestling, Hogan’s politicking remains some of the most infamous of its kind. He had a knack for interfering with the pre-arranged booking by either refusing to lose and/or holding other wrestling talent back, either by subtly spreading lies about the rival talent and/or less subtly throwing his weight around by [[Appeal to celebrity|appealing to his fame]].<ref>{{cite news |last= Feldscher |first=Kyle |date= July 25, 2025 |title= Wrestling with the dueling legacies of Terry Bollea and Hulk Hogan |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/25/sport/hulk-hogan-death-analysis-spt |work= |location= CNN|access-date= August 5, 2025|quote= When Bollea appeared as Hulk Hogan on WWE television after his reinstatement, the reception was mixed at best. It wasn’t helped by scores of stories&nbsp;— told in so-called “shoot interviews” in which wrestlers pull back the curtain and tell the behind-the-scenes tales of how the professional wrestling sausage gets made&nbsp;— shared in his later years that gave Bollea the image of a backstage politician who was always doing whatever he could to make sure he came out on top.}}</ref>

One of the earliest known instances is also one that has ramifications to this day. As in 1986, Hogan had a part in crushing the attempted [[Trade union|unionization]] by WWF talent, which was spearheaded by his then-friend and future [[Minnesota]] Governor [[Jesse Ventura]]. When Hogan heard about Ventura's plan to organize a [[Strike|wildcat strike]] to hold the WrestleMania II event hostage, Hogan had informed company boss {{wpl|Vince McMahon}} about it, who immediately clamped down to address that any wrestling talent that even considers taking part in it will be fired. Although Ventura himself was not fired (he quit in 1990), he and Hogan were not on speaking terms after the incident, and even to this day, WWE wrestlers lack any kind of [[union]] to secure their benefits.<ref>{{cite web |last= Winkie |first=Luke |date= July 24, 2025|title= Everyone Hated Hulk Hogan|url=https://slate.com/culture/2025/07/hulk-hogan-died-death-news-cause-trump.html |website= Slate|quote= In 1986 Hogan committed perhaps his greatest sin, when he scuttled a burgeoning unionization effort in the WWE. The labor action was led by future Minnesota Gov. Jesse “the Body” Ventura. He planned to organize a wildcat strike in the days before WrestleMania II, when the performers had maximum leverage. (Health care and retirement benefits were among his core demands.) After Hogan caught wind of the effort, he took it straight to McMahon, who subsequently threatened to fire any wrestler involved in the effort. Just like Hart, Ventura never made amends with Hogan, who characterized what he did as a betrayal. To this day, WWE wrestlers lack a union.|access-date=July 30, 2025}}</ref><ref>[https://www.thesportster.com/wwe-hulk-hogan-killed-jesse-ventura-plan-pro-wrestling-union-vince-mcmahon/ How Hulk Hogan Killed Jesse Ventura's Plans For A Pro Wrestling Union], Marc Callow, ''The Sportster'' 7 November 2024)</ref>

==Real-life antics==
===Assault===
Hogan's first known instance of physical assault was him assaulting TV presenter/comedian/[[conspiracy theorist]] {{wpl|Richard Belzer}} in 1985. Belzer hosted a TV show called Hot Properties, and on the episode that aired March 27, 1985, he was live interviewing Hulk Hogan and {{wpl|Mr. T}} for their upcoming WrestleMania I tag team match.

Belzer asked Hogan to put him in a wrestling hold as a humoristic gesture and to entertain the audience, who also wanted to see it. Hogan apparently relented to audience pressure and put Belzer on the hold. However, instead of taking it easy, Hogan applied a hold for real and rendered Belzer unconscious, who then slipped from Hogan's relaxed hold and hit his head on the floor. Hogan then pulled up the dazed Belzer, who then gave a cheerful lead-in to commercial break before turning around to walk backstage revealing blood quite clearly dripping from his head and down the back of his jacket. Once backstage, Belzer was taken to a hospital, where he was given nine stitches in the back of his head where he hit the floor. After the break, Hogan apologized for hurting Belzer while trying to maintain {{wpl|kayfabe||,}} and telling the audience to not copy what he just did. A week later, Belzer appeared on Hot Properties and showed the stitches from the incident. He then sued Hogan for $5 million in personal injury damages.<ref>[https://www.wrestlecrap.com/inductions/hulk-hogan-richard-belzer/ WrestleCrap: Hulk Hogan & Mr. T on Hot Properties with Richard Belzer], Art O'Donnell, ''WrestleCrap''. Retrieved August 30, 2025</ref>

The case was heard in the New York Supreme Court in 1990. Even though Belzer and Hogan settled outside of court, the lawsuit continued over the issue of attorney fees. Belzer's lawyers claimed they deserved 50% of the settlement because they had put in a lot of effort personal time into the case. Belzer disagreed with the extra fees and even told his own lawyer that he thought the lawyer was showing "a paradigm of ingratitude." The judge refused to award the additional fees, and the case, ''Belzer v. Bollea'', has become a {{wpl|legal precedent}} for how attorney fees are handled in contingency cases.

On the October 20, 2006, episode of the ''{{wpl|Bubba the Love Sponge Show||,}}'' which featured Hogan in the studio, it was stated that the settlement was $5 million, with half coming from Hogan and half from Vince McMahon. However, Belzer later claimed the settlement was actually around $400,000, which he used to buy a home for himself and his wife in [[France]], which he named "Chez Hogan".

Besides the Belzer incident, there are also reports by Linda that recounts incidents of domestic violence by Hogan.

===Sex pestery and infidelity===
There have been a handful of cases of Hogan being a [[sex]] pest. On March 2025, before Hogan's passing, his ex-wife Linda had alleged that Hogan was a "sex-addict" who had been unfaithful to her many times.<ref name="People_ALC_2025">{{cite news |author=Anna Lazarus Caplan |date= July 24, 2025|title=Inside Hulk Hogan’s Scandals and Controversies: Sex Tape, Racist Rant, Family Drama and More |url= https://people.com/inside-hulk-hogan-scandals-controversies-sex-tape-racist-rant-family-drama-11778716|work= People|access-date=August 14, 2025}}</ref>

One of the earliest cases to go public was in 1996 when Hogan was accused of [[sexual assault]] by a 29-year-old businesswoman, who stated that she was sexually assault by Hogan during a Labor Day weekend in 1995 during the first taping of the WCW Nitro TV show. The woman and her lawyer sent Hogan a letter agreeing to settle the case financially before making it public. However, Hogan then sued them for extortion and in response, the woman filed a counter-suit against Hogan in 1997.<ref>[https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/01/07/hulk-hogan-sues-over-sex-charge/ CHICAGO TRIBUNE: "Hulk Hogan Sues Over Sex Charge" (January 7, 1996)</ref>

Speaking of lawsuits...

===The sex tape and ''Gawker'' lawsuit===
Sometime in 2006, Bollea/Hogan had a sexual encounter with Heather Clem (currently Heather Cole)&nbsp;— the wife of Tampa-area radio host Bubba Clem (alias ''Bubba the Love Sponge'')&nbsp;— at the latter's home. According to Hogan in an October 2012 interview with {{wpl|Howard Stern}} (after the sex tape was released), Hogan was depressed by the divorce proceedings with Linda (even though Linda filed for divorce in November 2007), and that Heather had consented to the act. However, the moment was secretly recorded on a camera in the bedroom. During the trial, Bubba stated he had burned the recording onto a DVD, with him writing "Hogan" on the disc and then hiding it in his desk drawer.<ref name="ViceGawkerLawsuit">[https://www.vice.com/en/article/hulk-hogans-sex-tape-is-about-to-go-to-trial-gawker/ VICE: "Everything You Need To Know About Hulk Hogan vs Gawker" by Maria Bustillos (July 1, 2015)]</ref>

''{{wpl|Gawker}}'' got involved in the circus when on October 4<sup>th</sup> 2012, editor A. J. Daulerio&nbsp;— who received the footage from an anonymous source&nbsp;— released a two-minute clip from a 30-minute video, which included 10 seconds of explicit sexual content. Hogan subsequently sued both Bubba and Clem, along with ''Gawker'' media, stating that he wasn't aware he was being recorded. Bubba, insisting to the contrary, said in his interview with Stern that Hogan knew about the camera the whole time. Additionally ''Gawker'' made a statement that Hogan turned his sex life into a topic of public discussion long before the release of the proverbial "highlights reel," by openly talking about his private activities in a detailed and explicit way on shows such as the one hosted by Clem's husband, Bubba the Love Sponge, and Stern's radio show.<ref name="ViceGawkerLawsuit"/>

A few days after his appearance on the Stern radio show, Bubba and Clem reversed course, saying that he now believed Hogan didn't know the camera was there. Hogan would then drop him from the lawsuit, with Bubba then officially relinquishing the rights to the sex tape to Hogan. Hogan's representative Elizabeth Rosenthal Traub subsequently confirmed that Hogan had reached an settlement with Clem, which left ''Gawker'' as the sole defendant in the lawsuit.<ref name="ViceGawkerLawsuit"/>

Hogan first filed a lawsuit against ''Gawker'' in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, asking for a temporary court order to stop the publication. The judge, James D. Whittemore, refused to grant the order. He said there were questions about whether the copyright was valid, and that since Bollea had already shared a lot of his personal life publicly, the video might be allowed under [[fair use]] rules.<ref>[https://www.leagle.com/decision/inadvfdco131011000161 LEAGLE: BOLLEA v. GAWKER MEDIA, LLC Case No. 8:12-cv-02348-T-27TBM.]</ref><ref>[https://www.politico.com/media/story/2016/03/jury-awards-hulk-hogan-115-million-as-gawker-looks-to-appeal-004433/ POLITICO: "Jury awards Hulk Hogan $115 million as Gawker looks to appeal" by Peter Sterne (03/18/2016)]</ref>

Hogan took his case to a US district court but later decided to sue ''Gawker'' in a Florida state court. In 2013, Judge Pamela Campbell approved his request for an injunction. ''Gawker ''refused to follow the part of the court order that told them to take down the post and related comments, saying the order was "risible and contemptuous of centuries of [[First Amendment]] jurisprudence." Even though they removed the video, they would still direct readers to other websites where the video could be found.

The injunction was temporarily stopped through an appeal and was ultimately rejected in 2014 by the appeals court, which determined that it constituted an unconstitutional prior restraint on [[free speech]] as protected by the First Amendment. ''Gawker'' attempted to have Judge Campbell dismiss the case based on that decision, but the case still proceeded to trial.

The trial went on for two weeks, during which ''Gawker'' emphasized that Bollea made his personal life, especially his sex life, public. Bollea/Hogan deflected many of the accusations by saying that the comments he made in interviews were part of his "professional wrestling persona", not his real self. One particularly notable moment was when Bollea testified that he did not have a 10-inch penis, distinguishing between his real-life size and the character of Hulk Hogan. Gawker's lawyer confronted him with a radio interview where he claimed his penis was 10 inches long, but Hogan insisted that was Hulk Hogan speaking, not Terry Bollea. The exchange was a tactic by ''Gawker's'' defense to cast doubt on Hogan's truthfulness.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/18/business/media/hulk-hogan-v-gawker-a-guide-to-the-trial-for-the-perplexed.html New York Times: "Hulk Hogan v. Gawker: A Guide to the Trial for the Perplexed" by Ravi Somaiya (March 17, 2016)] (PAYWALL)</ref>

On March 18, 2016, the jury ruled in favor of Bollea. They gave him $115 million in compensation, which included $60 million for emotional suffering. On March 21, the jury added another $25 million in punitive damages.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/business/media/hulk-hogan-damages-25-million-gawker-case.html New York Times: "Jury Tacks On $25 Million to Gawker’s Bill in Hulk Hogan Case" by Nick Madigan (March 21, 2016)] (PAYWALL)</ref> On June 10, 2016, ''Gawker'' sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and decided to sell itself. Company CEO Denton also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on August 1.

The public had mixed reactions to the verdict. It was believed the large judgment would have a serious and intimidating effect on journalism, since courts would now essentially decide what is newsworthy. Afterwards it was reported that this was one of the many cases that [[Peter Thiel]] helped bankroll in order to try destroy ''Gawker''. In 2007, ''Gawker'' had published an article that [[Closet|outed]] Thiel as a [[homosexual]]. Thiel would later boast that his backing of Hogan was "one of my greater [[Charity|philanthropic]] things that I've done."<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/25/business/dealbook/peter-thiel-is-said-to-bankroll-hulk-hogans-suit-against-gawker.html New York Times: "Peter Thiel Is Said to Bankroll Hulk Hogan’s Suit Against Gawker" by Andrew Ross Sorkin (May 25, 2016)] (PAYWALL)</ref><ref>[https://www.npr.org/2025/07/28/nx-s1-5479230/the-legacy-of-hulk-hogans-sex-tape-scandal NPR: "The legacy of Hulk Hogan's sex tape scandal" by Vanessa Romo (July 28, 2025)]</ref><ref>[https://www.vox.com/2016/5/25/11779910/peter-thiel-gawker-hulk-hogan-interview VOX: "Peter Thiel says backing Hulk Hogan’s Gawker suit was ‘one of my greater philanthropic things that I’ve done’" by by Noah Kulwin (May 26, 2016)]</ref>

===Steroids and ''United States v. McMahon''===
Like ''just about'' every major pro-wrestling star from the 1980s, Hogan was on the juice. While segments of the public certainly suspected him of 'roid use even in the 1980s, there wasn't really any way to provide direct evidence of that fact. But things started to change in March 1990, when a [[Pennsylvania]] physician and WWF ringside doctor, George Zahorian III, was indicted on 15 counts of illegally distributing controlled substances, mainly anabolic steroids. While the arrest was initially small news, Zahorian's attorney slipped up in telling the press that two "John Doe" patients whom Zahorian had provided steroids were Hulk Hogan and {{wpl|Rowdy Roddy Piper|| (Roderick George Toombs)|.}} Then on the eve of the 1991 trial, the attorney blurted out that "the use of steroids isn't limited to these wrestlers", with ''USA Today'' running a front page headline, "Hulk: Bulk from a Bottle?"<ref name="SexLiesHeadlocks">{{cite book |last1= Assael|first1= Shaun|last2= Mooneyham|first2= Mike |date= 2004|title=Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment |publisher= Crown Publishing |isbn= 9780307758132}}</ref>{{rp|91-92}}

As the trial proper began, Zahorian stated that he had provided steroids to WWF performers, specifically delivering them to Vince McMahon's office at Titan Towers. The prosecution also had Piper/Toombs as one of the nine witnesses, with Toombs confessing he had asked for {{wpl|Winstrol}} and some {{wpl|Deca-Durabolin}} from Zahorian. On June 25<sup>th</sup>, 1991, the jury had found Zahorian guilty of the first count of illegally dispensing steroids, as well as eleven other counts of illegally distributing controlled substances.<ref name="SexLiesHeadlocks"/>{{rp|93}}

The next day, every major news outlet had covered the conviction and put the heat on the WWF, with the company in full-on damage control mode. The timing was especially bad, because Hogan's supposed successor as the company's superstar&nbsp;— {{wpl|The Ultimate Warrior}}&nbsp;— was not cutting it, and they wanted Hogan back, only to be labeled as a juicer by the media. McMahon tried to bury the problem by proclaiming in an op-ed in ''[[The New York Times]]'' that he was going to start testing his wrestlers for steroids.<ref name="SexLiesHeadlocks"/>{{rp|96}}

Only for Hogan to then go on ''{{wpl|The Arsenio Hall Show}}'' and address the claims by [[lying]] and denying he ever used steroids willfully on himself, saying that the doctors gave him steroids as part of a medical treatment(s) for his injuries. Hogan also added that his physique was the result of rigorous training over two decades, and that he's "not a steroid abuser" and that he doesn't do steroids.<ref name="SexLiesHeadlocks"/>{{rp|97}} The ''Arsenio Hall'' appearance made things worse, which lead Hogan to stop using anabolic steroids around early 1992. Following that year's Royal Rumble (held in January), Hogan's build started to gradually shrink, then taking a tactical leave of absence for the latter part of that year. After he returned in early 1993, Hogan's build had become noticeably slimmer as had been observed by many at the WrestleMania IX held in April of that year.<ref>{{cite web |last=Mitchell |first= Houston|date=July 24, 2025 |title= Hulk Hogan dies: The rise and fall of a wrestling icon|url= https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2025-07-24/hulk-hogan-dies|website= L.A. Times|quote= Hogan, hoping to end discussion that he was on steroids, appeared on “Arsenio Hall” in [1991] and said that he has only used steroids on three occasions, all under doctor’s care to rehabilitate muscle injuries. The outcry was immediate, with wrestlers coming out to says Hogan was lying. Fans, who could see how well-built these stars were, were disillusioned that Hogan would lie. His popularity began to wane and he began to get booed at some appearances. Hogan took a leave of absence from the company. <u>A much-smaller Hogan returned in 1993</u> to team with his friend Brutus Beefcake to take on Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster at WrestleMania in Las Vegas |access-date=August 11, 2025}}</ref>

In 1994, Hogan, who had been given legal protection, gave testimony during the ''{{wpl|United States v. McMahon}}'' trial. His testimony was about steroid shipments that both sides had received from Zahorian. While under oath, Hogan admitted he had used anabolic steroids since 1976 to build muscle and gain weight. It was also during this trial that he admitted that he ratted out Ventura's attempt to unionize professional wrestlers to McMahon. Because Hogan stated that McMahon had not directly provided him the steroids nor told Hogan to take them, hampered the government's case against McMahon. As such, combined with other juristic legal issues, McMahon was found not guilty and got off pretty much scot-free.<ref name="SexLiesHeadlocks"/>{{rp|129-130}}

===Racism and ''that'' recording===
{{cquote|'''RedEye:''' [Hulk Hogan] getting in the middle of a civil war reenactment… (beat) ...and not for the side you would have thought.<br>'''CryptidRenfri (one of the top comments):''' I bet it's for exactly [[CSA|the side]] I would've thought. |||RedEye Reviews: Hulk Hogan Thought This Was a Good Idea - Thunder in Paradise<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5TarsxS8mc RedEye Reviews: Hulk Hogan Thought This Was a Good Idea - Thunder in Paradise]</ref>}} 
It might come as a surprise that a man born in 1950s [[Fun:Georgia|Georgia]], who made his career out of beating wrestlers who were thinly-veiled analogies for the [[Iran#Iranian Revolution|Iranian revolution]], the [[Soviet Union]], [[Saddam Hussein|Hussein regime]] and [[Yellow Peril|yellow peril]] fears about the 1980s/early 1990s [[Japan#Economic "miracle"|Japanese economic miracle]], is not exactly a beacon of racial justice.

Despite having a brief few racist slip-ups in pro wrestling, Hogan never drew scrutiny regarding his racial views prior to 2015. Most of the racist stuff mainly comes from the wrestling promotions' creative choices instead, notably the infamous "Yapapai Indian strap match" thing.{{efn|Which not only implies a non-existent violent practice by [[Native American|Indigenous Americans]], but also possibly implying a real-life {{wpl|Yavapai}} creating it. On one hand, it can be interpreted as a brain-fart that Hogan never rectified, but it can also be to avoid connecting the real life tribe to stupid wrestling shit.}} One of the notable instances of him using a slur is when he used the word "Jap" to refer to wrestler "Yokozuna",{{efn|"{{wpl|Yokozuna||"}} was portrayed by [[American Samoa|Samoan]]-American {{wpl|Rodney Anoaʻi||,}} who was assigned to be a Japanese Sumo Wrestler for… reasons.}} Peculiarly, Hulk Hogan himself was called the [[N-word]] by a black wrestler named {{wpl|Booker T}} (Booker T. Huffman Junior) in WCW.

There is also an infamously bizarre episode of Hulk Hogan's craptastic TV show ''{{wpl|Thunder in Paradise||'',}} where he finds himself on a island with an [[American Civil War]] reenactment and decides to help the [[Confederate]] side. Later the reenactment gets interrupted by actual [[terrorist]]s, with Hogan then fighting them off in a Confederate uniform. While it can't be proven that this thing was wholly Hogan's idea, he ''was'' one of the executive producers of the show who born to a US state that was part of the CSA.

Although Hogan had been careful in keeping his racism hidden for so long, everything changed on July 24<sup>th</sup>, 2015 when the ''[[National Enquirer]]'' and ''{{wpl|Radar Online}}'' leaked excerpts from the transcript for the 2006/2007 sex tape, that was submitted to a [[Florida]] court handling the Hogan-''Gawker'' lawsuit. In it, Hogan talks about his daughter's (Brooke Bollea's) business and personal connections with a "black billionaire" and his son, of whom Hogan says the following:<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150724210538/https://gawker.com/hulk-hogan-refers-to-fucking-niggers-in-leaked-transc-1719933145 GAWKER: Hulk Hogan Refers to “Fucking (N-word)” in Leaked Transcript by J.K. Trotter 7/24/15 9:15am (ARCHIVED, WAYBACK MACHINE)]</ref>
{{quotebox|I don’t know if Brooke was fucking the black guy’s son. I mean, I don’t have double standards. I mean, I am a racist, to a point, fucking [n-words]s. But then when it comes to nice people and shit, and whatever. I mean, I’d rather if she was going to fuck some [n-word], I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall [n-word] worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player! I guess we’re all a little racist. Fucking [n-word].}}

At the time, WWE was very careful in presenting its product as clean as possible, and two days after the news broke out, the company terminated its contract with him, subsequently removing him from the organization's Hall of Fame and ceasing the sales of Hogan-related merchandise. Due to his reputation getting a heavy hit, as well as starting to lose merch money, Hogan would subsequently try repeated apologies to various news organizations. Although few of his pro-wrestling colleges came to his defense, there were others who slammed Hogan for his racism, including white talent such as {{wpl|Scott Steiner}} and {{wpl|CM Punk}} and black talent such as Booker T and {{wpl|Mark Henry||.}} WWE would undo his proverbial cancellation in 2018 in relation to the {{wpl|Crown Jewel (2018)|Crown Jewel}} event hosted by [[Saudi Arabia]], stating that Hogan's apologies had been "[[bullshit|good enough]]"&nbsp;— luckily for Hogan, it was during [[Donald Trump]]'s presidency, [[The Simpsons#The Problem With Apu|so nobody noticed]].

===Politics and Trump-thumping===
{{Expand section}}
Although Hogan's wrestling character was a Reaganite wet dream, he was not actually directly involved in politics either in the 1980s or 1990s. Even after he joined WCW in 1994, when the promotion was owned by ''Turner Broadcasting System'', which was run by {{wpl|Ted Turner}} (who is known for his [[liberal]] politics), there was no indication about his personal beliefs. Hogan had actually supported [[Obama]] in 2008 (which is funny considering Hogan's infamous racist rant was recorded a year or two prior), though he rescinded his support in 2011, instead supporting [[Mitt Romney]] in the [[2012 United States presidential election]].<ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/hulk-hogan-donald-trump-quotes-2103891 Newsweek: Everything Hulk Hogan Said About Donald Trump by Megan Cartwright (Deputy Entertainment Editor) Published Jul 25, 2025]</ref><ref>[https://www.politico.com/blogs/click/2012/08/hulk-hogan-ready-to-rumble-for-romney-133822 Politico: Hulk Hogan ready to rumble for Romney] by Kevin Robillard (08/30/2012 10:19 AM EDT) ''Politico''.</ref> 

It wasn't until the mid-2010s when he went full-on [[MAGA]] and came out as an ardent supporter of [[Donald Trump]]. Hogan's relationship with Trump actually goes all the way back to the late 1980s, as WWF head honcho Vince McMahon Jr. was in good graces with Trump back then. Trump notably had a part in promoting WrestleManias IV and V, that were advertised to take place at {{wpl|Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino|Trump Plaza}} (although they actually took place at the nearby Atlantic City Convention Hall). As you'd expect, Trump took advantage of Wrestlemania IV to promote his properties, which was highlighted in the broadcast.<ref>[https://www.thesportster.com/wwe-wrestlemania-4-5-werent-hosted-at-donald-trump-plaza/ "WWE WrestleMania 4 & 5 Weren't Actually Hosted At Donald Trump's Trump Plaza" by Ishaan Sharma (The Sportster), Published Jun 21, 2023]</ref>

After Trump had formally announced his campaign on June of 2015, Hogan&nbsp;— the following September&nbsp;— voiced his support for Trump, proclaiming that he would like to be Trump's running mate.<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hulk-hogan-i-want-to-be-trumps-running-mate/ CBS: ''Hulk Hogan: "I want to be Trump's running mate"'' by Rebecca Kaplan September 2, 2015]</ref>

He again endorsed Trump in the [[2024 United States presidential election|2024 election]], with him appearing at both the {{wpl|2024 Republican National Convention|Republican National Convention}} and the later {{wpl|2024 Donald Trump rally at Madison Square Garden|Madison Square Garden rally|.}} During both events, he made disparaging remarks about [[Kamala Harris]]. Notable "highlights" included crude remarks about her race and threatening to bodyslam her in a deranged nod to the famed André the Giant match.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Balk |first=Tim |date=July 19, 2024 |title=Why Hulk Hogan Is Speaking at the Republican National Convention |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/18/us/politics/hulk-hogan-rnc-speech-trump.html |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=July 19, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nordyke |first=Kimberly |date=October 28, 2024 |title=Hulk Hogan, Dr. Phil, Elon Musk Speak at Donald Trump's Insult-Filled Rally at Madison Square Garden |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/hulk-hogan-dr-phil-elon-musk-donald-trump-rally-madison-square-garden-1236046330/ |access-date=October 29, 2024 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] }}</ref>

After Hogan died, most of the tributes came from [[Republican]]-connected sources, including Cheeto Benito and his [[JD Vance|VP]]. Florida Governor [[Ron DeSantis]] ordered the state's flags to be flown at half-mast on July 31, 2025, to honor Hogan's passing. He then went on to declare it "Hulk Hogan Day in Florida."<ref>[https://floridaphoenix.com/briefs/friday-is-hulk-hogan-day-in-florida-flags-ordered-flown-at-half-staff/ Florida Phoenix: "Friday is ‘Hulk Hogan Day in Florida’; flags ordered flown at half staff" by Jay Waagmeester (July 31, 2025)]</ref><ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/31/ron-desantis-declares-hulk-hogan-day-florida-00487643  POLITICO: "Ron DeSantis declares ‘Hulk Hogan Day in Florida,’ and orders flags lowered" by Gregory Svirnovskiy (07/31/2025)]</ref>

==Insane lies==
{{Expand section}}
Hogan is quite notorious for the myriad of [[bullshit|tall tales]] that he told during his lifetime. Although these are mostly harmless in nature&nbsp;— namely in that ''everybody'' (who is not a delusional, die-hard fan) knows [[PIDOOMA|Hogan is talking out of his ass]]&nbsp;— it does underline the gargantuan size of Hogan's ego.

Hogan's constant lies have had the effect that people can get away with spreading misinformation about non-existent Hogan lies. One notable one is him proclaiming that [[Elvis Presley]] was a "Hulkamaniac",{{efn|Elvis died in 1977 and Hogan didn't even start wrestling until 1979.}} but there appears to be no evidence to prove he ever actually said this.

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
|-
!style="width:50%"|Claim
!style="width:50%"|Reality
|-
| Hulk Hogan was going to be the bassist for {{wpl|Metallica||.}}
| Band members Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield shot down the claim and called Hogan a liar.<ref>[https://metaladdicts.com/hulk-hogan-claims-he-received-an-invitation-to-join-metallica-as-their-bassist/ HULK HOGAN Claims He Received An Invitation To Join METALLICA  As Their Bassist April 2, 2024 by Reeder]</ref><ref>[https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/hulk-hogan-metallica-bassist-20786861.php Hulk Hogan tried to join Metallica but never got a call back By Aidin Vaziri, Staff WriterJuly 25, 2025]</ref>
|-
| He tore ''all'' his back muscles body-slamming André the Giant during Wrestlemania III, but he had no time to recover, as he had to head to [[Japan]] to wrestle for 29 straight nights.<ref name="HoganDagostino2009">Hogan, H., Dagostino, M. (2009). My Life Outside the Ring. St. Martin's Press. {{isbn|9781429987905}}</ref>{{rp|12, 137}}
| The bodyslam was a pre-planned spot and Hogan has slammed André previously without any injury. Also there are no records of Hogan wrestling in Japan immediately after Wrestlemania III, with Hogan primarily wrestling there circa 1980-1985 and again in the early 1990s.
|-
| Hogan was originally meant to be the face of the {{wpl|George Foreman Grill||,}} and the only reason he wasn't was because he missed the company's call. He claimed he received a voicemail that said that both he and Foreman were being considered. 
| Michael Boehm - who created the concept for the grill - said that he never even considered Hogan.<ref>[https://prowrestlingstories.com/pro-wrestling-stories/foreman-grill-hulk-hogan/ Foreman Grill: A $200m Mistake for Hulk Hogan! by JP Zarka Feb 16, 2023]</ref>
|-
| Claimed in a ''{{wpl|Herald Sun}}'' interview that he was asked to fight in the {{wpl|UFC}} during the company's infancy in the early 1990s.
| UFC co-founder Campbell McLaren refuted this claim, stating it is "absolutely false" and that "I never wanted Hulk Hogan in UFC. No one asked him. Bullshit if he says different."<ref>[https://www.joe.co.uk/sport/ufc-founder-firmly-denies-approaching-hulk-hogan-to-fight-on-historic-event-3689#! JOE: UFC founder denies ever approaching Hulk Hogan to fight in the Octagon (May 7, 2015)]</ref>
|-
| Another MMA-related lie; at a radio show hosted by Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton, Hogan claimed to have wrestled {{wpl|PRIDE Fighting Championships}} fighters in Japan during the 1970s.<ref>[https://prowrestling.net/artman/publish/TNA/article10021288.shtml TNA News: Hulk Hogan claims he wrestled Pride MMA fighters back in the '70s in Japan and never knew if they were going to shoot on him Oct 14, 2011]</ref>
| PRIDE FC was founded in 1997 and most of its noted fighters were born around mid-1960s to early 1980s. Even the older PRIDE fighters would had been in their teens during mid-1970s, when Hogan began his wrestling training in Japan.
|-
| Hogan claimed he wrestled 400 days in a year due to time zone differences between the [[US]] and [[Japan]]. That by flying back and forth across the International Date Line, he essentially "gained" days and had multiple wrestling matches on the same "day".<ref name="HoganDagostino2009"/>{{rp|118}}
| There's 365 days a year (366 on [[leap year]]) and it's not literally possible to add days to a year. At best, time zone differences could allow for two matches in different locations within the same "day" if one counts the time zone shift as an extra day.
|-
|}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note|2}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hogan, Hulk}}
[[Category:Actors]]
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Categories: Actors, Conservatism, Completely heterosexual, Christians, Culture, Culture wars, Florida, Nationalism, Machismo, Racists, Sport, Thielsphere, Trumpism