Biography
Terry Gene Bollea (August 11, 1953 – July 24, 2025), known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, was an American professional wrestler and media personality. He was regarded by many as one of the most prominent and widely recognised professional wrestlers of all time. Hogan won multiple championships in various promotions worldwide, including six WWF/WWE Championships. He was best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and also appeared in promotions such as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Known for his showmanship, large physique, and distinctive blond Fu Manchu moustache and bandanas, Hogan began training in 1977 with Championship Wrestling from Florida and achieved international fame after joining the WWF in 1983. His heroic, all-American persona contributed to the expansion of professional wrestling in the 1980s, during which he headlined eight of the first nine WrestleMania events and frequently appeared in main events on "Saturday Night's Main Event". His first WWF Championship reign lasted 1,474 days, the third-longest in the title's history, and he became the first wrestler to win consecutive Royal Rumble matches in 1990 and 1991.
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In 1994, Hogan joined WCW and won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times. He later adopted the villainous persona of Hollywood Hogan and led the New World Order (nWo), a storyline that contributed to WCW's popularity during the "Monday Night War" period in the late 1990s, including several main event appearances at Starrcade. Hogan returned to WWF in 2002 after the company acquired WCW, winning the Undisputed WWF Championship for a sixth reign before leaving in 2003. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, inducted again in 2020 as part of the nWo, and was posthumously inducted in 2026 for his match against André the Giant at WrestleMania III in the Immortal Moments category.
Outside professional wrestling, Hogan appeared in films including "Rocky III", "No Holds Barred", and "Suburban Commando", and starred in television series such as "Thunder in Paradise" and "Hogan Knows Best". He also performed with the Wrestling Boot Band, whose album "Hulk Rules" reached number 12 on the Billboard Top Kid Audio chart in 1995.
Hogan's public image was affected by several controversies. In 1994, he acknowledged long-term use of anabolic steroids beginning in 1976 and stated that he had discouraged attempts to unionise professional wrestlers. In 2012, the media company Gawker published parts of a sex tape involving Hogan, and related recordings later surfaced in which he was heard using racial slurs and making statements about his racial views. Hogan sued Gawker, which was found liable in court and later filed for bankruptcy. Despite the legal outcome, the controversies continued to influence public perception of him, and responses to his death in 2025 were mixed.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.