Terry Gene Bollea, better known as Hulk Hogan, was born on August 11, 1953, in Augusta, Georgia. Growing up, Hulk Hogan was no stranger to glory; he played little league baseball, dreaming of hitting home runs, but his true passion ignited at age 16 when he caught a glimpse of wrestling legends like the late WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes and “Superstar” Billy Graham on TV. Music called him for a while, so he picked up a bass and rocked out in local bands. He even studied at Hillsborough Community College and The University of South Florida before dropping out to chase his dreams of being a rockstar. But God had other plans for Hogan.

In 1977, Hogan stepped into the ring for the very first time. He trained under Japan legend/WWE Hall of Famer Hiro Matsuda (who also trained wrestlers like Scott Hall, The Great Muta, and Lex Luger) in Championship Wrestling in Florida. He debuted on August 10, 1977, against Brain Blair and won. By 1979, he was in the World Wrestling Federation (known as WWF, now WWE), wrestling giants like Andre The Giant in epic feuds across the world. In 1980, he left WWF and started wrestling at New Japan Pro Wrestling/American Wrestling Association where he won the AWA World Championship in April 1982 and, on June 2, 1983, became the inaugural IWGP Heavyweight Champion, carrying both company titles. But it was in 1983 that WWF called him to make his return and give birth to Hulkamania.

On January 23, 1984, at Madison Square Garden, Hulk Hogan beat The Iron Sheik to claim his first WWF Championship; his first reign lasted 1,474 days, the longest of the WrestleMania era. Hogan headlined eight of nine WrestleManias, teaming with Mr. T against Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff at WrestleMania I in 1985 and delivering an iconic body slam to Andre The Giant at WrestleMania III in 1987, witnessed by a record 93,173 fans. His 1988 rematch with Andre on WWE Main Event shattered a record with 33 million viewers. Hogan won the WWF title five times, becoming the first superstar to win back-to-back Royal Rumbles in 1990 and 1991. Hogan was not just a wrestler; he was also a cultural icon. He starred in Rocky III as “Thunderlips” and in “No Holds Barred,” and even released an album called “Hulk Rules” that hit the Billboard charts.

But every icon and hero has twists in their story. In 1993, Hogan left WWE because of steroid scandals and pursued Hollywood and TV shows like “Thunder in Paradise” and his family reality show “Hogan Knows Best.” Then came 1994, when Hogan signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW, WWE’s main rivals at the time). He captured the WCW World Championship six times; his first reign lasted 469 days, the longest ever in WCW history. In 1996, at WCW Bash at the Beach, he turned heel, revealing himself as the third member of the NWO (New World Order) alongside Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. He also changed his name to “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan and led the black-and-white rebellion that fueled the Monday Night Wars with WWF. Hogan headlined events and WCW pay-per-views, making them the most profitable in history. His matches with Sting, Ric Flair, and Goldberg became legends. But controversy struck in 2000 when he botched a match with Jeff Jarrett at Bash at the Beach, which led to his firing from WCW.

Hogan made his WWE return in 2002, winning his sixth world title against Triple H, and was inducted into WWE twice—in 2005 and 2020 with the NWO. He was part of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2009 to 2013 as a backstage boss and on-screen authority. In 2015, a scandal erupted when his 2007 sex tape was released along with racist remarks, leading WWE to fire him again and delete his legacy from their site. In 2016, he sued Gawker for releasing his 2007 sex tape without his permission; he won the case, and Gawker paid Hogan $31 million. Hogan apologized for his upbringing. With WWE legends like The Rock and Booker T, he was reinstated in 2019. He made comebacks at WWE events like Crown Jewel and was the co-host at WrestleMania 37 in 2021. He started his own business withPastamania Restaurants, Hogan Energy Drinks, and Real American Beer; plus, he even endorsed Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention.

On July 24, 2025, at his Florida home, Hogan had a cardiac arrest and passed away at the age of 71. He was two weeks shy of his 72nd birthday. As the wrestling world mourned the man who sold more tickets than any wrestler in history, as Dave Meltzer noted, and whose match with The Rock at WrestleMania 18 is one of the greatest matches of all time.