Hulk Hogan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hulk Hogan
Hogan in 2014
Born	Terry Eugene Bollea (1953-08-11) August 11, 1953 (age 70) Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation	Professional wrestler (retired) television personality actor
Years active	1976 (musician) 1977–2012 (wrestler) 1982–present (actor)
Spouse(s)	Linda Hogan ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 2009)​ Jennifer McDaniel ​ ​ (m. 2010; div. 2021)​
Children	Brooke Hogan Nick Hogan
Relatives	Horace Hogan (nephew)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Hollywood Hogan Hollywood Hulk Hogan Hulk Boulder Hulk Hogan Hulk Machine Mr. America Sterling Golden Terry Boulder The Super Destroyer
Billed height	6 ft 7 in (201 cm)
Billed weight	302 lb (137 kg)
Billed from	Hollywood, California (as Hollywood Hogan) Venice Beach, California (as Hulk Hogan) Washington, D.C. (as Mr. America)
Trained by	Hiro Matsuda
Debut	August 9, 1977
Retired	January 27, 2012

Terry Eugene Bollea (/bəˈleɪə/; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s.

Early life

Terry Eugene Bollea was born in Augusta, Georgia on August 11, 1953, the son of construction foreman Pietro "Peter" Bollea (December 6, 1913 – December 18, 2001) of Italian descent and homemaker and dance teacher Ruth V. (née Moody; 1922 – January 1, 2011) Bollea of Scottish and French descent. When he was one and a half years old, his family moved to Port Tampa, Florida. As a boy, he was a pitcher in Little League Baseball. He attracted scouts from the New York Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds, but an injury ended his baseball career. He began watching professional wrestling at 16 years old. While in high school, he revered Dusty Rhodes, and he regularly attended cards at the Tampa Sportatorium. It was at one of those wrestling cards where he first turned his attention toward Superstar Billy Graham and looked to him for inspiration; since he first saw Graham on TV, Hogan wanted to match his "inhuman" look.

Hogan was also a musician, spending a decade playing fretless bass guitar in several Florida-based rock bands. 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. Eventually, Hogan and two local musicians formed a band called Ruckus in 1976. The band soon became popular in the Tampa Bay region. During his spare time, Hogan worked out at Hector's Gym in the Tampa Bay area, where he began lifting. Many of the wrestlers who were competing in the Florida region visited the bars where Ruckus was performing. Among those attending his performances were Jack and Gerald Brisco, two brothers who wrestled together as a tag team in the Florida region.

Impressed by Hogan's physical stature, the Brisco brothers asked Hiro Matsuda—the man who trained wrestlers working for Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF)—to make him a potential trainee. In 1976, the two brothers asked Hogan to try wrestling. Hogan eventually agreed. 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, Graham finally agreed to accept the Brisco Brothers' request.

Professional wrestling career

Hogan as the WWF World Heavyweight Champion with Brutus Beefcake

Hogan began his professional wrestling career in 1977, but gained worldwide recognition after signing for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 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 of WWF's flagship annual event, WrestleMania. During his initial run, he won the WWF Championship five times, with his first reign being the second-longest in the championship's history. He is the first wrestler to win consecutive Royal Rumble matches, winning in 1990 and 1991. His match with Andre 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.

In 1993, Hogan departed the WWF to sign for rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW). 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. As a result, he became a major figure during the "Monday Night Wars", another boom of mainstream professional wrestling. He headlined WCW's annual flagship event Starrcade three times, including the most profitable WCW pay-per-view ever, Starrcade 1997.

Hogan making his way to the ring in 1989

Hogan returned to the WWF in 2002 following its acquisition of WCW the prior year, winning the Undisputed WWF Championship for a record equaling (for the year) sixth time 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.

Hogan also performed for the American Wrestling Association (AWA), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) – where he won the original IWGP Heavyweight Championship – and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA – now known as Impact Wrestling).

During and after wrestling, Hogan had an extensive acting career, beginning with his 1982 cameo role in Rocky III. He has 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.

Legacy

Hogan in July 2010

Hogan during a match against Ric Flair in 2009

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". Hogan's match with Andre the Giant on February 5, 1988 holds American television records for a wrestling audience with a 15.2 Nielsen rating and 33 million viewers.

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.

Fellow WWE Hall of Fame member Bret Hart has been 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". Hart had previously referred to Hogan as a "hero" to fans. and previously complimented Hogan's look. "You look at Hulk Hogan, okay? Unbelievable look, 6'8″ with the 24″ 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.

Former writer Vince Russo, who Hogan had previously sued, said that more wrestlers in 2022 should wrestle like Hogan, as opposed to the modern-day style acrobats.

Hogan himself has previously said he is "number two" behind Ric Flair, who he said is the greatest wrestler of all time.

On February 20, 2019, it was announced that Chris Hemsworth would portray him in a biopic, directed by Todd Phillips.

Endorsements and business ventures

Food industry

The ring for Hulkamania, the tour promoted by Hogan

Hogan created and financed a restaurant called Pastamania located in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. It opened on the Labor Day weekend of 1995 and was heavily promoted on World Championship Wrestling'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".

In interviews on The Tonight Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Bollea 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. Instead, Bollea endorsed a blender, known as the Hulk Hogan Thunder Mixer. He has since endorsed a grill known as "The Hulk Hogan Ultimate Grill".

In 2006, Bollea unveiled Hogan Energy, a drink distributed by Socko Energy. His name and likeness were also applied to a line of microwavable hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and chicken sandwiches sold at Wal-Mart called "Hulkster Burgers". On November 1, 2011, Bollea launched a new website called Hogan Nutrition, which features many nutritional and dietary products.

On New Year's Eve 2012, Bollea opened a beachfront restaurant called "Hogan's Beach", located in the Tampa area. The restaurant dropped Hogan's name in October 2015. Hogan later opened Hogan's Hangout in Clearwater Beach.

Finances

In September 2008, Bollea's net worth was revealed to be around $30 million. In September 2011, Bollea revealed that his lavish lifestyle and divorce had cost him hundreds of millions of dollars and nearly bankrupted him.

Other

In October 2007, Bollea 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.

In April 2008, Bollea announced that he would lend his license to video game developer Gameloft to create "Hulkamania Wrestling" for mobile phones. Hogan 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. As of 2010^[update], Hogan stars alongside Troy Aikman in commercials for Rent-A-Center. On March 24, 2011, Hogan made a special appearance on American Idol, giving a big surprise to wrestling fans Paul McDonald and James Durbin. 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.

In October 2013, Bollea partnered with Tech Assets, Inc. to open a web hosting service called "Hostamania". To promote the service, a commercial video was released, featuring Hogan parodying Jean-Claude Van Damme's GoDaddy.com commercials and Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" music video. On November 21, 2013, Hulk Hogan and GoDaddy.com appeared together on a live Hangout On Air on Google Plus, where Hulk Hogan had a casual conversation about Hostamania, fans, and business.

Hogan became a distributor for multi-level marketing company ViSalus Sciences after looking for business opportunities outside of wrestling. Hogan supports the American Diabetes Association.

Acting

The handprints of Hulk Hogan in front of The Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park

Hogan's crossover popularity led to several television and movie roles. Early in his career Bollea 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). 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 (1997), in which Brutus Beefcake also appears in a cameo.

Bollea also starred in a pair of television movies, originally intended as a pilot for an ongoing series for TNT, produced by Eric Bischoff. The movies, Shadow Warriors: Assault on Devil's Island and Shadow Warriors: Hunt for The Death Merchant, starred Hogan alongside Carl Weathers and Shannon Tweed as a freelance mercenary team. In 1995, he appeared on TBN's Kids Against Crime. Bollea 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. In 2001, Hogan guest-starred on an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger.

Hogan has become a busy voice actor in later years making guest voice spots on Robot Chicken and American Dad! and as a primary actor in the Cartoon Network/Adult Swim series China, IL.

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. In July 2008, a spin-off entitled Brooke Knows Best premiered, which focused primarily on Hogan's daughter Brooke.

Bollea hosted the comeback series of American Gladiators on NBC in 2008. He also hosted and judged the short-lived reality show, Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling. Hogan had a special titled Finding Hulk Hogan on A&E on November 17, 2010.

In 2015, Hogan was a judge on the sixth season of Tough Enough, alongside Paige and Daniel Bryan, but due to the scandal, he was replaced by The Miz after episode 5.

Music and radio

Bollea released a music CD, Hulk Rules, as Hulk Hogan and the Wrestling Boot Band. Green Jellÿ released a duet with Hogan, performing Gary Glitter's song "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)". He has also made cameos in several music videos. From her self-named show, Dolly the music video for Dolly Parton's wrestling-themed love song "Headlock on My Heart" features Hogan as "Starlight Starbright". In the music video "Pressure" by Belly featuring Ginuwine, Bollea and his daughter Brooke both made brief cameo appearances.

Bollea 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. On March 12, 2010, Bollea hosted his own radio show, titled Hogan Uncensored, on Sirius Satellite Radio's Howard 101.

Merchandising

The Wrestling Figure Checklist records Bollea as having 171 different action figures, produced between the 1980s and 2010s from numerous manufacturers and promotions.

Filmography

Hogan in 2015

Video games

Bollea provided his voice for the 2011 game Saints Row: The Third as Angel de la Muerte, a member of the Saints. In October 2011, he released a video game called Hulk Hogan's Main Event.

A likeness of him, as Rex Kwan-Do, is featured as a playable police officer in This Is The Police.

Hulk Hogan and Hollywood Hogan are featured in the following licensed wrestling video games:

Personal life

Hulk Hogan in Toronto in 2009

Family

On December 18, 1983, Bollea married Linda Claridge. They have a daughter Brooke (born May 5, 1988) and a son Nick (born July 27, 1990). Bollea made his personal life the centerpiece of the television show Hogan Knows Best, which included his wife and two children.

On November 20, 2007, Linda filed for divorce in Pinellas County, Florida. Bollea only retained around 30% of the couple's liquid assets totaling around $10 million in the divorce settlement.

Bollea has been in a relationship with Jennifer McDaniel since early 2008. The two were engaged in November 2009 and married on December 14, 2010, in Clearwater, Florida. On February 28, 2022, Bollea stated on Twitter that he and McDaniel divorced.

Bollea is a Christian. He has spoken about his faith in his life saying, "[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".

Health

Bollea has suffered numerous health problems, particularly with his back since retiring as a wrestler following the years of heavy weight-training and jolting as a wrestler.

In January 2013, Bollea filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the Laser Spine Institute for $50 million, citing that the medical firm persuaded him to undergo a half-dozen "unnecessary and ineffective" spinal operations that worsened his back problems. He claimed that the six procedures he underwent over a period of 19 months only gave him short-term relief. After the procedures failed to cure his back problems, Bollea underwent traditional spinal fusion surgery in December 2010, which enabled him to return to his professional activities. In addition, the Laser Spine Institute used his name on their advertisements without his permission.

Awards and honors

Bollea was honored as the 2008 King of the Krewe of Bacchus, a New Orleans carnival organization. Hogan visited the Children's Hospital of New Orleans and rode in the parade where he threw doubloons with his likeness. Hogan received the honor in part because meeting Hogan is one of the most requested "wishes" of the terminally ill children benefited by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Hogan was inducted in the Boys and Girls Club Alumni Hall of Fame on May 3, 2018.

Championships and accomplishments

Hogan is a two-time WWE Hall of Fame inductee - 2005 for his individual career, and 2021 as a member of the nWo.

• International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2021
• New Japan Pro-Wrestling
  • IWGP Heavyweight Championship (original version) (1 time)
  • IWGP League Tournament (1983)
  • MSG Tag League Tournament (1982, 1983) – with Antonio Inoki
  • Greatest 18 Club inductee
• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  • Class of 2003
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Comeback of the Year (1994, 2002)
  • Feud of the Year (1986) vs. Paul Orndorff
  • Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1983, 1999)
  • Match of the Year (1985) with Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff at WrestleMania I
  • Match of the Year (1988) vs. André the Giant at The Main Event I
  • Match of the Year (1990) vs. The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI
  • Match of the Year (2002) vs. The Rock at WrestleMania X8
  • Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1996, 1998)
  • Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1985, 1989, 1990)
  • Wrestler of the Year (1987, 1991, 1994)
  • Ranked No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1991
  • Ranked No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003
  • Ranked No. 44 and No. 57 of the top 100 tag teams of the PWI Years with Antonio Inoki and Randy Savage in 2003
• Southeastern Championship Wrestling
  • NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division) (1 time)
  • NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Southern Division) (2 times)
• Tokyo Sports
  • Best Foreigner Award (1983)
  • Match of the Year (1991) vs. Genichiro Tenryu on December 12, 1991
• World Championship Wrestling
  • WCW World Heavyweight Championship (6 times)
• World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE
  • WWF/WWE Championship (6 times)
  • WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Edge
  • Royal Rumble (1990, 1991)
  • WWE Hall of Fame (2 times)
    • Class of 2005 – individually
    • Class of 2020 – as a member of the New World Order
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Strongest Wrestler (1983)
  • Best Babyface (1982–1991)
  • Best Box Office Draw (1997)
  • Best Gimmick (1996) as a member of New World Order
  • Feud of the Year (1986) vs. Paul Orndorff
  • Feud of the Year (1996) as a member of New World Order vs. World Championship Wrestling
  • Most Charismatic (1985–1987, 1989–1991)
  • Most Embarrassing Wrestler (1995, 1996, 1999, 2000)
  • Most Obnoxious (1994, 1995)
  • Most Overrated (1985, 1986, 1994–1998)
  • Most Unimproved (1994, 1995)
  • Readers' Least Favorite Wrestler (1985, 1986, 1991, 1994–1999)
  • Worst Feud of the Year (1991) vs. Sgt. Slaughter
  • Worst Feud of the Year (1995) vs. The Dungeon of Doom
  • Worst Feud of the Year (1998) vs. The Warrior
  • Worst Feud of the Year (2000) vs. Billy Kidman
  • Worst on Interviews (1995)
  • Worst Wrestler (1997)
  • Worst Worked Match of the Year (1987) vs. André the Giant at WrestleMania III
  • 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
  • Worst Worked Match of the Year (1997) vs. Roddy Piper at SuperBrawl VII
  • Worst Worked Match of the Year (1998) vs. The Warrior at Halloween Havoc
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

Images for kids

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  Miss Elizabeth, who managed Hogan as part of The Mega Powers storyline with her husband Randy Savage

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  Hogan during his time with the nWo

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  Hogan in 2000

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  Hogan making his entrance at WrestleMania X8 in March 2002, his first WrestleMania in nine years

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  Hogan performing his signature Leg Drop on Mr. McMahon at WrestleMania XIX

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  Hogan making his entrance at SummerSlam in 2005

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  Hogan facing Ric Flair on the Hulkamania Tour

See also

In Spanish: Hulk Hogan para niños