Terry Bollea, famously known as ‘Hulk Hogan’, was reported dead at 71, as reported by TMZ on Thursday.
The TMZ article stated that “Medics were dispatched to the WWE icon’s Clearwater, Florida home early Thursday morning … with operators stating it was regarding a ‘cardiac arrest.” Hogan was then taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Bollea was able to take the Hulk Hogan character to heights never imagined in pro wrestling, but as the years passed, the things that occurred in his personal life began to overshadow all that he created while being an American Icon.
Hulk Hogan, A Real American Hero
When historians look back at wrestling, yes, there are icons like Bruno Sammartino, Harley Race, and Andre the Giant, but Hogan, with the help of Vince McMahon, became a larger-than-life figure not only in America but all over the world, making wrestling and the WWF (now WWE) into the biggest company in the business.
After his role in 1982’s Rocky III, Hogan hooked up with McMahon, and the plan was to make Hogan the face of the company. That began with him winning the WWF championship from the Iron Sheik on January 23, 1984. This is the moment where “HULKAMANIA” started to run wild in America.
A year later, an event was organized that would later be considered the Super Bowl of wrestling: WrestleMania. And what better place to have it than at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where Hogan won the title the year prior. The event would be huge as celebrities Muhammad Ali, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Martin, and Liberace all came out to be part of WrestleMania.
The main event, in which Hogan teamed up with Mr. T to face Paul Orndorff & Rowdy Piper, drew 19,121 fans in attendance and generated over one million PPV buys on closed-circuit TV. The success of WrestleMania set the WWF on an upward trajectory that, aside from some bumps in the road (the Monday Night Wars with WCW), never came back down.
From WrestleMania 1 to the early 90s, Hogan was the biggest star on the planet, and there wasn’t anywhere he wouldn’t be noticed. But like all good things, they have an expiration date, and in 1993, McMahon felt like Hogan’s run was over. Hogan felt differently and the following year, signed with WCW (World Championship Wrestling).
It was a shocking move at the time, and although nostalgia carried him for a little while, the WCW fans turned on him as the Hogan act from the 80s wore off quickly on the audience of the 90s. On July 7, 1996, the most iconic moment in wrestling history occurred as Hogan turned “heel” (bad) for the first time in his career, birthing the NWO (New World Order). The NWO run was arguably as big as the HULKAMANIA one, as it crossed over into pop culture. The NWO made being the villain cooler than the hero, attracting celebrities and athletes to find a way to be part of the movement in some capacity.
Terry Bollea Killed HULKAMANIA
The NWO run was iconic but mishandled. This is where stories about Terry Bollea would emerge, as it marked the beginning of the information age. News that Bollea had creative control of his character rubbed fans the wrong way, as it meant he had the final say on whether he won or lost. Bollea’s creative control, which other members of the NWO also had, led to the demise of one of the biggest things in the 90s.
More stories began to come out about Bollea being “in business for himself” in “the back” and that he wasn’t well-liked amongst his peers because of the preferential treatment he demanded. In 2012, Gawker leaked a sex tape of Bollea having sex with his best friend’s wife while also making racist remarks. This sparked a massive backlash, and Bollea would never recover from it.
Bollea was then seen making public comments in support of President Trump that did not go over well with some of his fan base. When he did make a return to the WWE to announce his new line of beer, the crowd booed him out of the building and would not welcome him back after. Bollea would make appearances on podcasts and shows, but the desire to hear from him dramatically declined, leading to a sad ending to what was an iconic career.
A Part of My Childhood Is Gone
Growing up in the Bronx, NY, during the 80s, Hogan was a larger-than-life figure. Wrestling was everywhere, whether on TV, at the bodega in the ice cream section, in cartoons, posters, etc. It was all that was talked about, along with the Knicks, Yankees, Mets, Giants, and Jets.
My father was a huge wrestling fan, so naturally, I became one as well. However, Hogan is the reason I fell in love with it. Yes, Bollea was a flawed human being who made a lot of mistakes, but Hogan was someone who inspired millions of people worldwide with his famous line, “Train, Say Your Prayers & Take Your Vitamins.”
It’s hard to imagine where wrestling would be without Hogan, as the WWE owes him a huge debt for carrying the company on his back for all of those years. The wrestling world took a huge loss today, and the only question that remains is which person will be the lasting memory for you: Hulk Hogan or Terry Bollea? RIP Hulkster.
Discover more from Fights Around The World
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
