He was the only professional wrestler to ever grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.
In 2014, Time Magazine named him one of the 100 Most Obsessed-Over People on the Web.
He was the first wrestler to host Saturday Night Live and the first to have a mass-produced action figure.
And today (July 24, 2025) Hulk Hogan—the man who brought professional wrestling into the American mainstream—was gone. He died at the age of 71, reportedly from cardiac arrest, in Clearwater, Florida.
Hulk Hogan, born Terry Bollea, wasn’t just a wrestler. He was my childhood.
I watched wrestling like it was oxygen. I wore the red and yellow. I owned the action figure.
One year, I begged my parents to order from the WWF catalog for Christmas. Hulk Hogan was the guy. He was the one you cheered for before you even fully understood what the heck a storyline was. He was a real-life superhero—larger than life in every way.
You want proof that Hulk Hogan was woven into American pop culture? A friend of mine—who never followed or watched wrestling like I did —texted me the news of his passing. That’s how I found out. That’s the reach Hogan had.
Yes, he was a complicated figure. He made headlines for all the wrong reasons at times: a racist rant, a leaked sex tape, controversial political views. He was never the best technical wrestler—there were (and still are) performers who could wrestle circles around him.
But Hogan brought something else. He brought showmanship. He brought the entertainment. He brought the charisma. He brought the red and yellow. The flexing. The finger point. The leg drop.
Let’s remember that part, too.
At the peak of Saturday morning cartoons, Hogan had his own animated show. On eBay, “Hulk Hogan” pulls up more than 70,000 listings—twice as many as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. He is everywhere.
The wrestling industry as we know it today doesn’t exist without Hulk Hogan. Full stop. End of sentence. He took wrestling from a regional, smoke-filled, male-dominated subculture and turned it into a global spectacle.
You see The Rock, John Cena, Dave Bautista, and Stone Cold in Hollywood today? Hogan cracked that door open first. He was the blueprint.
Before WrestleMania, there was Hulkamania.
Before “Attitude,” there was “Train, say your prayers and eat your vitamins.”
Before reality TV took over, there was Hogan Knows Best on VH1, giving fans a glimpse into his family life with Brooke, Nick, and Linda.
And let’s not forget 1996—the heel turn heard around the world. When Hogan joined the nWo in WCW, it was arguably the most shocking, legendary moment in wrestling history. He redefined what it meant to be a villain—and somehow, we loved him even more for it.
He was a flawed man. But he was still a wrestling icon.
Hulkamania may have started in the ’80s—but today, it lives on.
Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you!?
Rest in peace, Hulk Hogan.
Thanks for the madness, the memories and the magic.
From The Cheap Seats 