Hulk Hogan

Who is Hulk Hogan?

Hulk Hogan is a retired professional wrestler, musician, and actor who is known around the world as Hollywood Hogan, Mr. America, and so on. Hulk Hogan is one of the most well-known wrestlers of all time.

He is well-liked by individuals of all ages and is also a businessman. After joining the WWF, he became quite well-known.

Childhood, Family, and Education

Hulk Hogan was born on August 11, 1953, in Augusta, Georgia, to Pietro “Peter” Bollea, a construction worker, and Ruth V. Bollea, a homemaker and dance teacher.

When he was one and a half years old, his family relocated to Tampa, Florida.

Baseball had always piqued his curiosity as a child. He was even a pitcher in Little League Baseball.

Despite drawing big-name teams like the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds, an injury cut short his baseball career.

When he was 16 years old, he began just watching professional wrestling.

As a wrestler, Superstar Billy Graham drew his attention, and he was a source of inspiration for him.

Hogan was enamored with his appearance and aspired to be as fearsome and “inhuman” as he.

Hulk went to Hillsborough Community College and the University of South Florida to further his education.

However, he dropped out of the University of South Florida when the number of music engagements he was getting began to damage his musical career.

He was a busy musician at the time, which limited the amount of time he could devote to the university.

Hogan was a fretless bass guitarist who eventually established Ruckus with two other local artists.

Their band quickly became well-known in the Tampa area.

Hulk was seen by Jack and Gerald Brisco, brothers who wrestled, during one of their performances.

They saw Hogan and were blown away by his body.

They hired wrestler trainer Hiro Matsuda to work with Hulk.

Hogan eventually agreed to enter wrestling after the two brothers approached him in 1976.

Body Dimensions

In wrestling, Hulk Hogan is a hulking figure who keeps himself in good shape.

He’s also one of the great names in the industry when it comes to good images.

Hogan currently stands at 6 feet 8 inches (or 1.84m) tall and weighs 303 pounds (or 137 kg).

He also has the following physique measurements: 58-37-24 inches.

He also has a shoe size of 12 in the United States (47 EU or 11.5 UK).

Overall, his toned body is a result of his regular gym visits and well-maintained nutrition routines.

Facts of Hulk Hogan

Business Ventures, Endorsements, and Net worth

Hulk Hogan is estimated to have a net worth of approximately $25 million.

Hogan has had an eventful business life as well. He opened a restaurant called the Pastamania, which remained in operation for less than a year.

Hogan also has another restaurant called Hogan’s Beach in the Tampa area. He later opened Hogan’s Hangout in Clearwater Beach.

Hogan also partnered with Socko Energy to create Hulk Drinks. In addition, he endorsed blenders, grills, etcetera, along with microwavable hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and sandwiches sold at Walmart.

Hulk has been a part of multiple commercials for many organizations like Rent-A-Center, made appearances in American Idol, and even launched various games based on himself.

Professional Life

The Beginning

On August 10, 1977, Hogan was officially granted his debut match against Brian Blair in Fort Myers, Florida, after more than a year of training with Matsuda.

Following that, Hogan began to wrestle under a mask and take on the role of “The Super Destroyer,” a hooded character first played by Don Jardine and later by a slew of other wrestlers.

Wrestling

He eventually retired from wrestling because he realized he could no longer work with his trainer, Hiro Matsuda, because of his rigorous training routines.

Hogan began working at The Anchor Club for a man named Whitey Bridges, who would eventually become a close friend of Hogans.

They even built their own gym, The Whitey and Terry Olympics Gym, together.

Ed Leslie, a buddy of Hulk’s, came to join them and assist them in their business. Leslie developed a good figure when she and Hulk began working out together in their gym.

Hulk was reminded of his wrestling days, and he persuaded Leslie to join him on this adventure.

Return to WrestleMania

They began their wrestling career as tag team partners in Alabama Territory after calling Billy Graham seeking a wrestling job outside of Florida.

He eventually relocated to Memphis, where he appeared on a talk show alongside actor Lou Ferrigno, who played The Incredible Hulk in the film The Incredible Hulk.

When Lou stated that Terry(Hogan) was physically larger than the Hulk himself, the name stuck.

In 1979, Hulk joined the World Wrestling Federation, where he was given the Irish name Hogan by owner/producer Vincent J. McMahon.

As a result, he became the Hulk we know today. Hogan continued to win matches and the hearts of the crowd in the WWF.

In the 1980s, Hulk made an appearance in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. In addition, he fought and toured the country on occasion.

His Japanese supporters dubbed him “Ichiban,” which translates to “Number One.” Hogan’s wrestling style was very different from that of the Japanese and the Americans.

He competed against a number of well-known Japanese wrestlers, including Tatsumi Fujinami, Abdullah the Butcher, and others.

When Hogan returned to the WWF, which had been revamped by its owner Mr. McMahon, he was a household name.

Hulk was McMahon’s main draw. His ring attire evolved to include the now-iconic yellow and red color scheme that he tore up to flex his muscles.

In interviews, he referred to his admirers as “Hulkamania” and outlined his three “demands,” which included training, prayers, and vitamins. He eventually added the fourth demand of believing in oneself.

As the face of wrestling, Hulk garnered international acclaim. McMahon pushed the WWF to become a household name, boosting Hulk’s star power even further.

Hulk became one of the Make-a-Wish Foundation’s most well-known figures. He was also the first wrestler to be featured in the prestigious Sports Illustrated magazine.

Hogan appears on a number of discussion shows on television. He was even the subject of a comic.

Hulk went on to win a staggering amount of matches, cementing his status as the best and most popular wrestler of all time.

Andre the Giant vs. Hulk Hogan

The André the Giant–Hulk feud is well-known, and it is regarded as one of the most important in professional wrestling history.

This rivalry illustrates the professional wrestling rivalry between wrestlers André the Giant and Hogan, in simple terms.

Indeed, the World Wrestling Federation was the focus of the battle (WWF, now WWE). Looking back, Andre and Hogan first met in 1980, when Andre was a heel and Hogan was a face.

In fact, they’ve both put in a strong showing during their adventure.

Hogan quit the WWF in 1981, and they remained friends until 1986. During their time together, they were involved in a number of famous bouts. In the meanwhile, Hogan reportedly resurfaced in the WWF in 1984.

However, their feud grew in intensity over the years, and they eventually accused each other of betraying their friendship.

Overall, after capturing the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania III, Hogan body-slammed Andre.

Following that, they had a number of major events interspersed among their minor fights. They reportedly reunited for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship (Andre vs. Hogan II). Following that, they competed in WrestleMania IV.

Acting Career

Hogan had a pretty impressive acting career too. Over the years, he has been seen in many TV Shows and Movies.

He appeared as Thunderclips in Rocky III in 1982; No Holds Barred in 1989. After that, he also appeared in family films Suburban Commando in 1991, and Mr. Nanny in 1993.

Santa with Muscles in 1996 and 3 Ninjas: High Noon At Mega Mountain in 1998.

Apart from movies, Hulk also appeared in a handful of TV shows and commercials. His popular commercial was for Right Deoderant in 1992. He appeared in his own TV Series, Thunder in Paradise, in 1994.

He also starred in The Ultimate Weapon in 1997. Shadow Warriors: Assault on the Devil’s Island and Shadow Warriors: Hunt for the Death Merchant were other of his movies where he shared the screen with Carl Weathers and Shannon Tweed.

Recently, Hogan has become a busy voice actor, lending his voice to many cartoons like Robot Chicken and American Dad! and as a primary actor in the Cartoon Network/Adult Swim series China, Illinois.

Reality Television and Hogan-The Host

He starred in Hogan Knows Best as himself in 2005, which aired on VH1. The show focused on his and his family’s life, including his then-wife Linda and their children, Brooke and Nick.

He hosted the comeback series of American Gladiators on NBC in 2008. Hulk also judged Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling, which was short-lived.

He judged the sixth season of Tough Enough alongside Paige and Daniel Bryan in 2015, but he was shortly replaced.

Music, Radio, and Video Games

Hulk Rues was the first CD he released as Hogan and the Wrestling Boot Band. He also sang I’m the leader of the Gang, a duet with Green Jelly.

Appearing in many cameos for Dolly Parton in her self-name show Dolly, he also appeared in her wrestling theme song “Headlock on my Heart.”

Hulk was quite a regular guest on Bubba the Love Sponge’s radio show. He also had his own radio show called Hogan Uncensored.

Hogan has also lent his voice and images to many video games, namely Saint Row: The Third, Hogan’s Main Event, and This is the Police.

Personal Life

Apparently, Hulk has a huge faith and often credits it for keeping him in a good place. However, when it comes to his political beliefs, Hogan is not interested in such.

Apparently, he believes that they do not deliver their promises no matter who he votes for. Back in 2012, Hogan used to be an avid Romney supporter and had even voted for Obama.

However, later he stated why he even voted for Obama in the first place, thus, showing his dissatisfaction with fiscal policy.

Wife and Relationships

On December 18, 1983, Hulk Hogan married Linda Claridge. They both have a daughter named Brooke Hogan and Nick Hogan.

In November 2007, Linda filed for divorce after Christiane Plante claimed that she had an affair with Hogan.

He has written about this in his autobiography, where he denied ever cheating on her.

In 2012, a sex tape of Hulk and Heather Clem was released online. Heather was the wife of the radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge.

Hogan labeled it as a mistake he made when he was with some friends, and he deeply regretted it. He even filed a lawsuit against them, claiming an invasion of his privacy.

Hogan married Jennifer McDaniel in 2010 in Clearwater, Florida. They are still married to this day.

Hulk has also fallen prey to numerous lawsuits throughout the course of his career.

Richard Belzer Lawsuit, Gawker lawsuit, and Testimony in MaMahon Trial as well. He also filed a lawsuit against Laser Spine Institute for malpractice.

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Racist Restaurant

As we all know, Hogan has his own eatery, Hogan’s Beach, in Tampa, Florida.

Apparently, he manages and runs it and even decides the rules.

Hiss one video got viral during one such tenure, which immediately caught him in controversy.

All in all, he was caught saying an n-word while making his dress codes as no low-hanging pants or shorts, no hats, caps, or visors worn sideways, and no oversized or excessive jewelry.

Right then, critics and people hit hard on him, and he was quick to make an apology.

As he was criticized, Hogan backed off and admitted his mistakes.

Health

Hulk hasn’t had the soundest health. He suffers from numerous health problems, particularly with his back, when he retired from professional wrestling.

This might have been the result of years and years of heavyweight training and jolting as a wrestler.

Additionally, he revealed that he suffers from B-cell lymphoma and is in Stage 3 or 4.

Chris Hemsworth is set to play his biopic directed by Todd Phillips. It was announced on Feb 20, 2019.

An eccentric personality, Terry Bollea, aka Hulk, has had an eventful career with his own ups and downs.

Hogan is 67 years old and still just as charming and active in his life and work.