Hulk Hogan
Terry Gene Bollea[1][2] (August 11, 1953 – July 24, 2025), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, was an American former professional wrestler. He was best known for his work with WWE and World Championship Wrestling. Known for his flamboyance and massive physique, and his trademark blond horseshoe moustache and bandanas, Hogan was widely regarded as the most recognised wrestling star worldwide, the most popular wrestler of the 1980s and one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.[3][4]
Hogan began his professional wrestling career in 1977, but gained worldwide recognition after signing with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in December 1983. There, his persona as a heroic all-American helped usher in the 1980s professional wrestling boom, where he headlined eight of the first nine editions (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) of the WWF's flagship annual event WrestleMania. Hogan also was a regular headliner of Saturday Night's Main Event and its spin-off The Main Event. During his initial run, he was a five-time WWF Champion, with his 1,474-day reign being the longest of the WrestleMania era ever. He was the first wrestler to win consecutive Royal Rumble matches, winning in 1990 and 1991. His match with André the Giant on WWF The Main Event on February 5, 1988, still holds American television viewership records for wrestling with a 15.2 Nielsen rating and 33 million viewers.[5]
In 1993, Hogan departed the WWF to pursue a career in film and television. He was lured back to the ring when he signed with rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994. He won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times, and holds the record for the longest reign. In 1996, he underwent a career renaissance upon adopting the villainous persona of "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, leading the popular New World Order (nWo) stable.[6] As a result, he became a major figure during the "Monday Night War", another boom of mainstream professional wrestling. He headlined WCW's annual flagship event Starrcade three times (in 1994, 1996, and 1997), in which the 1997 edition was the most profitable WCW pay-per-view in the company's history.[7]
Hogan returned to the WWF in 2002 following its acquisition of WCW the prior year, winning the Undisputed WWF Championship for his record equaling (for the time) sixth reign before departing in 2003. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, and inducted a second time in 2020 as a member of the nWo.[8] Hogan also performed for the American Wrestling Association (AWA), where he headlined the inaugural AWA closed circuit supercard, Super Sunday in 1983, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) – where he was the inaugural winner of the original IWGP Heavyweight Championship – and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).[9][10][11]
During and after wrestling, Hogan had an extensive acting career, beginning with his 1982 role in Rocky III. He starred in several films (including No Holds Barred, Suburban Commando, and Mr. Nanny) and three television shows (Hogan Knows Best, Thunder in Paradise, and China, IL), as well as in Right Guard commercials and the video game, Hulk Hogan's Main Event. He was the frontman for The Wrestling Boot Band, whose sole record, Hulk Rules, reached No. 12 on the Billboard Top Kid Audio chart in 1995.
Sources[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Amended Complaint" (PDF). documentcloud.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-01-11. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
- ↑ "Bollea v. Gawker Media, LLC, Case No. 8:12-cv-02348-T-27TBM | Casetext Search + Citator". Archived from the original on 2023-01-08. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
- ↑ "Top 10 Wrestling Moustaches of All Time - PROGRESS Wrestling". progresswrestling.com. 2023-11-17. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
- ↑ "Top 50 Wrestlers of All Time – Page 5". IGN. 2012-11-02. Archived from the original on 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
Hogan is the most recognised wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the '80s.
- ↑ Boman, Ryan K. (2021-02-05). "Looking back on Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant: The biggest televised match in the history of pro wrestling". Spotskeeda. Archived from the original on 2022-06-03. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
- ↑ Combs, Jason (2007-09-20). "The Original Triple H". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on 2016-10-01. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
- ↑ Hoops, Brian (2008-01-07). "Nostalgia: Starrcade '97". PWTorch. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
- ↑ "WWE to honor nWo with Hall of Fame induction". ESPN.com. December 9, 2019. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ↑ "The New PWI". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
- ↑ Oglesby, Brooks (June 29, 2015). "PWI Will No Longer Recognize TNA World Heavyweight Championship". WWE Wrestling News World. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
- ↑ "WCW SUPERSTARS: Hulk Hogan". WCW.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- Hulk Hogan
- 1953 births
- 2025 deaths
- 20th-century American bass guitarists
- 20th-century American businesspeople
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American male singers
- 20th-century American singer-songwriters
- 20th-century male professional wrestlers
- 20th-century American professional wrestlers
- 21st-century American businesspeople
- 21st-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male musicians
- 21st-century American male writers
- 21st-century American non-fiction writers
- 21st-century American rappers
- 21st-century male professional wrestlers
- 21st-century American professional wrestlers
- Actors from Pinellas County, Florida
- American autobiographers
- American Christians
- American food industry businesspeople
- American lyricists
- American male bass guitarists
- American male film actors
- American male guitarists
- American male pop singers
- American male professional wrestlers
- American male non-fiction writers
- American male rappers
- American male singer-songwriters
- American male television actors
- American male video game actors
- American male voice actors
- American musicians of Panamanian descent
- American people of French descent
- American people of Scottish descent
- American professional wrestlers of Italian descent
- American radio personalities
- American rock bass guitarists
- American rock guitarists
- American rock singers
- American rock songwriters
- American session musicians
- American sportspeople of Panamanian descent
- American television hosts
- American writers of Italian descent
- Businesspeople from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Businesspeople from Miami
- Businesspeople from Tampa, Florida
- American expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan
- G1 Climax winners
- Guitarists from Florida
- Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling executives
- Male actors from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Male actors from Miami
- Male actors from Tampa, Florida
- Masked wrestlers
- Musicians from Augusta, Georgia
- Musicians from Miami
- Male actors from Pinellas County, Florida
- Musicians from Tampa, Florida
- New World Order (professional wrestling) members
- Participants in American reality television series
- People associated with the 2024 United States presidential election
- People associated with direct selling
- People of Piedmontese descent
- Professional wrestlers from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- Radio personalities from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Radio personalities from Miami
- Radio personalities from Tampa, Florida
- Rappers from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Rappers from Miami
- Record producers from Florida
- Record producers from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Royal Rumble match winners
- Singer-songwriters from Florida
- Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Sportspeople from Augusta, Georgia
- Sportspeople from Clearwater, Florida
- Professional wrestlers from Miami
- Professional wrestlers from Tampa, Florida
- Stampede Wrestling alumni
- Television personalities from Florida
- Television personalities from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Television producers from Florida
- Television producers from Georgia (U.S. state)
- University of South Florida alumni
- WCW World Heavyweight Champions
- World Tag League (NJPW) winners
- World Tag Team Champions (WWE, 1971–2010)
- Writers from Augusta, Georgia
- Writers from Miami
- Writers from Tampa, Florida
- WWE Champions
- WWE Hall of Fame inductees