1. Early Life and Background
Terry Gene Bollea was born on August 11, 1953, in Augusta, Georgia. His father, Pietro "Peter" Bollea (1913-2001), was a construction foreman, and his mother, Ruth V. (née Moody; 1922-2011), was a homemaker and dance teacher. Bollea's ancestry includes Italian, Panamanian, Scottish, and French roots; his paternal grandfather, also named Pietro, was born in Cigliano, Province of Vercelli, Italy, in 1886. He had an older brother named Allan (1947-1986), who died at the age of 38 from a drug overdose. When Bollea was one and a half years old, his family relocated to Port Tampa, Florida.
1.1. Childhood and Education
Growing up in Florida, Bollea was an active child, participating as a pitcher in Little League Baseball. He attended Robinson High School, where he began watching professional wrestling at the age of 16. During his high school years, he admired Dusty Rhodes and regularly attended wrestling events at the Tampa Sportatorium. It was at one of these events that he first saw Superstar Billy Graham, who became a significant inspiration for Hogan, as he aspired to achieve Graham's "inhuman" physique. Bollea later pursued higher education at Hillsborough Community College and the University of South Florida, though he eventually dropped out of the latter when his musical commitments began to interfere with his studies.
1.2. Musical Career
Before his foray into professional wrestling, Bollea spent a decade as a musician, primarily playing fretless bass guitar in several Florida-based rock bands. In 1976, he and two local musicians formed a band called Ruckus, which quickly gained popularity in the Tampa Bay area. During his spare time, Bollea trained at Hector's Gym in Tampa, where he developed his impressive physique. Many professional wrestlers competing in the Florida region frequented the bars where Ruckus performed. Among them were Jack Brisco and Gerald Brisco, a tag team who wrestled in Florida. Impressed by Bollea's physical stature, the Brisco brothers suggested him as a potential trainee to Hiro Matsuda, a renowned trainer for Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF). In 1976, they invited Hogan to try wrestling, an offer he eventually accepted.
2. Professional Wrestling Career
Hulk Hogan's professional wrestling career spanned over three decades, marked by numerous championship reigns, iconic rivalries, and a profound impact on the sport's global popularity.
2.1. Early Career (1977-1979)
In mid-1977, after more than a year of training under Hiro Matsuda, Jack and Gerald Brisco informed Bollea that he was scheduled for his first professional wrestling match. His debut took place on August 10, 1977, in Fort Myers, Florida, for Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF), where he was booked against Brian Blair. Shortly thereafter, Hogan adopted the masked persona of "The Super Destroyer," a character previously used by Don Jardine.
Feeling that Matsuda was an overbearing trainer, Hogan eventually left CWF. He took a hiatus from wrestling to manage The Anchor club, a private establishment in Cocoa Beach, Florida, for Whitey Bridges. Hogan and Bridges later opened a gym together, known as Whitey and Terry's Olympic Gym. During this period, Hogan's friend Ed Leslie (later known as Brutus Beefcake) joined them to help manage the businesses. Impressed by Leslie's developing physique, Hogan convinced him that they should wrestle as a tag team.
In 1978, yearning to return to wrestling, Hogan contacted Superstar Billy Graham, who helped him secure a job in Louie Tillet's Alabama territory. Hogan persuaded Leslie to join him, promising to teach him the ropes. In Alabama, they wrestled as Terry and Ed Boulder, "The Boulder Brothers," leading many fans to believe they were actual siblings. While in Memphis, Hogan appeared on a local talk show alongside Lou Ferrigno, star of The Incredible Hulk. The host remarked that Hogan, standing 6 ft 7 in and weighing 295 lb (295 lb) with 24 in biceps, dwarfed "The Hulk." This led Hogan to adopt the ring name Terry "The Hulk" Boulder, and he sometimes wrestled as Sterling Golden.
On December 1, 1979, Hogan won his first professional wrestling championship, the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division), recognized in Alabama and Tennessee, by defeating Bob Roop in Knoxville, Tennessee. He held the title until January 1980, when he lost it to Bob Armstrong. He also briefly wrestled for Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) as Sterling Golden from September to December 1979.
2.2. World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/WWE)
Hogan's career in the WWF/WWE spanned multiple significant periods, each contributing to his legendary status.
2.2.1. The Hulkamania Era (1983-1993)
In the fall of 1979, Terry Funk introduced Bollea to Vincent J. McMahon, the owner of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Impressed by his charisma and physique, McMahon Sr. gave him the last name Hogan, wanting him to adopt an Irish persona. Hogan refused to dye his hair red, instead opting to remain a blond Irish. He wrestled his first match as "Hulk Hogan" on November 17, 1979, defeating Harry Valdez on Championship Wrestling. His Madison Square Garden debut on December 17, 1979, saw him defeat Ted DiBiase with a bearhug. McMahon Sr. assigned former tag team champion Tony Altomare as Hogan's chaperone. During this initial run as a villain, Hogan feuded with André the Giant, culminating in a match at Shea Stadium in August 1980, and challenged Bob Backlund for the WWF Championship. He was managed by "Classy" Freddie Blassie.
After a period in other promotions, including a successful run in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Hogan returned to the WWF in December 1983. Vincent K. McMahon, who had purchased the company from his father, sought to expand the WWF nationwide and chose Hogan as his marquee attraction due to his charisma and name recognition. Hogan's return saw him defeat Bill Dixon on December 27, 1983, in St. Louis, Missouri. On January 7, 1984, he solidified his fan-favorite status by saving Bob Backlund from an attack by the Wild Samoans. Less than three weeks later, on January 23, Hogan won his first WWF World Heavyweight Championship by pinning The Iron Sheik at Madison Square Garden. The storyline claimed Hogan was a last-minute replacement for Backlund and became champion by being the first to escape the Iron Sheik's camel clutch.
Immediately after his title win, commentator Gorilla Monsoon famously declared, "Hulkamania is here!" Hogan frequently referred to his fans as "Hulkamaniacs" and introduced his "demandments": training, saying prayers, and eating vitamins. A fourth demandment, "believing in oneself," was added during his 1990 feud with Earthquake. Hogan's ring attire became iconic with its yellow-and-red color scheme. His entrances involved ritualistically tearing his shirt, flexing, and exaggeratedly listening for crowd cheers. The majority of Hogan's matches during this time involved him wrestling heels who had been booked as unstoppable monsters, using a format which became near-routine: He delivered steady offense, but eventually lost momentum, seemingly nearing defeat. After being hit with his opponent's finishing move, he got a sudden second wind, fighting back while "feeding" off the energy of the audience, becoming impervious to attack-a process described as "Hulking up". His signature sequence-pointing at the opponent, shaking his finger, three punches, an Irish whip, the big boot, and the running leg drop-would then lead to victory.
In 1984, the similarities between Hogan's character and The Incredible Hulk led to a quitclaim deal with Marvel Comics. Marvel acquired trademarks for "Hulk Hogan," "Hulkster," and "Hulkamania" for 20 years, while Titan Sports (WWF's parent company) agreed not to refer to him as "incredible" or simply "Hulk," or to dress him in purple or green. Marvel also received a percentage of Hogan's merchandise revenue and earnings under the "Hulk Hogan" name. This agreement extended to WCW, which later merged with Time Warner, a sister company to Marvel's rival DC Comics.
2.2.2. International Renown (1985-1988)
Over the next few years, Hogan became the face of professional wrestling as McMahon transformed the WWF into a pop culture phenomenon with "The Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection" on MTV. This era generated record attendance, pay-per-view buyrates, and television ratings. Hogan was the centerpiece of the first WrestleMania on March 31, 1985, where he teamed with TV and movie star Mr. T to defeat his rival Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. On Saturday Night's Main Event I, Hogan successfully defended the WWF World Heavyweight Championship against Bob Orton, Jr..
Hogan was named the most requested celebrity of the 1980s for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He graced the covers of Sports Illustrated, TV Guide, and People magazines, appeared on The Tonight Show, and had his own CBS Saturday morning cartoon, Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling. He co-hosted Saturday Night Live on March 30, 1985. AT&T reported that his 900 number information line was the single biggest 900 number from 1991 to 1993.
He continued to defend his title against challengers such as Nikolai Volkoff in a flag match on Saturday Night's Main Event II, and against Roddy Piper at WWF The Wrestling Classic, winning by disqualification after Bob Orton interfered. Throughout 1986, Hogan successfully defended against Terry Funk, Don Muraco, King Kong Bundy (in a steel cage match at WrestleMania 2), Paul Orndorff, and Hercules Hernandez. In late 1986, Hogan occasionally wrestled in tag team matches as Hulk Machine, wearing a mask copied from NJPW's "Super Strong Machine" gimmick.
At WrestleMania III in 1987, Hogan defended the title against André the Giant, who had been presented as undefeated for 15 years. The storyline began when Hogan received a trophy for being WWF World Heavyweight Champion for three consecutive years, followed by André receiving a slightly smaller trophy for his 15-year undefeated streak. André, influenced by Bobby Heenan, challenged Hogan to a title match at WrestleMania III, where Hogan successfully defended the WWF World Heavyweight Championship against André the Giant. During the match, Hogan famously performed a body slam on the 520 lb (520 lb) André (dubbed "the bodyslam heard around the world") and won the match after a leg drop.
2.2.3. The Mega Powers (1988-1989)
Hogan's first WWF World Heavyweight Championship reign lasted for 1,474 days. On February 5, 1988, in front of 33 million viewers on The Main Event I, Hogan lost the title to André the Giant due to a convoluted scheme involving Ted DiBiase and a crooked referee, Earl Hebner, who counted a pinfall while Hogan's shoulder was clearly off the mat. André then attempted to hand the title to DiBiase, leading WWF President Jack Tunney to vacate the championship for the first time in its 25-year history.
At WrestleMania IV, Hogan participated in a tournament for the vacant title. His match with André resulted in a double disqualification. Later that night, Hogan interfered to prevent André from interfering in the finals, helping Randy Savage defeat Ted DiBiase for the championship. Hogan, Savage, and manager Miss Elizabeth formed a partnership known as The Mega Powers. They feuded with The Mega Bucks (André and DiBiase), defeating them at the first SummerSlam. They then feuded with Slick's Twin Towers (Akeem and Big Boss Man).
In mid-1988, Hogan briefly used a "War Bonnet" helmet in house show matches. The Mega Powers began to implode due to Savage's jealousy and paranoia about Hogan and Elizabeth. At the 1989 Royal Rumble, Hogan accidentally eliminated Savage from the match, causing tension. The duo officially broke up during a match against The Twin Towers on The Main Event II, when Savage accidentally collided with Miss Elizabeth. Hogan took her backstage for medical attention, temporarily abandoning Savage. After ensuring Elizabeth was all right, Hogan returned to the ring and begged Savage to tag him in. Savage, in a fury, grabbed Hogan's outstretched hand with one hand, and slapped him across the face with the other before leaving the ring. Hogan eventually won the match by himself. Savage then attacked Hogan backstage, initiating a feud that culminated in Hogan defeating Savage for his second WWF World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania V.
2.2.4. Final WWF Championship Reigns (1989-1993)
Hogan's second WWF Championship reign in 1989 lasted a year. He defended against Savage in two count-out losses in April and defeated The Big Boss Man in a steel cage match on Saturday Night's Main Event XXI. The WWF Championship was also renamed simply the "WWF Championship" during this reign. Hogan starred in the movie No Holds Barred, which inspired a feud with his co-star Tom Lister, Jr., who appeared as his movie character, Zeus. Hogan defeated Zeus in a series of matches, including a tag team match with Brutus Beefcake against Zeus and Savage at SummerSlam and a rematch at the No Holds Barred pay-per-view. Hogan also won the 1990 Royal Rumble match. He lost the WWF Championship to The Ultimate Warrior in a title-for-title match at WrestleMania VI on April 1, 1990.
Hogan then feuded with the 468 lb (468 lb) Earthquake, who had crushed Hogan's ribs in a sneak attack. Hogan returned by SummerSlam and dominated Earthquake for several months, leading him to add "believing in yourself" as his fourth demandment and adopt the moniker "The Immortal" Hulk Hogan. He became the first wrestler to win two consecutive Royal Rumble matches, winning the 1991 Royal Rumble. At WrestleMania VII, Hogan defeated Sgt. Slaughter for his third WWF Championship.
In late 1991, Hogan lost the WWF Championship to The Undertaker at Survivor Series due to interference from Ric Flair. Hogan regained the title six days later at This Tuesday in Texas, but due to the controversial finishes caused by Flair, the championship was declared vacant. It was decided that the winner of the 1992 Royal Rumble match would be crowned the new champion. Hogan entered at #26 but was eliminated by Sid Justice, who then helped cause Sid's elimination, allowing Flair to win. Hogan and Sid's subsequent feud culminated at WrestleMania VIII, where Hogan defeated Sid via disqualification.
During this period, allegations surfaced that Hogan had illegally purchased steroids. Hogan denied the claims on The Arsenio Hall Show but took a leave of absence due to public scrutiny. Hogan returned to the WWF in February 1993, helping out his friend Brutus Beefcake in his feud with Money Inc. (Irwin R. Schyster and "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase), and officially renaming themselves The Mega-Maniacs, taking on Money Inc.'s former manager "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart (a long-time friend of Hogan's outside of wrestling) as their manager in what was the first time WWF audiences had seen Hart as a fan favorite. At WrestleMania IX, Hogan and Beefcake took on Money Inc. for the WWF Tag Team Championship, a match the Mega-Maniacs lost via disqualification. Later that night, Hogan won his fifth WWF Championship by pinning Yokozuna in an impromptu match just moments after Yokozuna had defeated Bret Hart. Hogan reportedly used his influence to change the WrestleMania finish so he would be champion for an upcoming international tour.
At the first annual King of the Ring pay-per-view on June 13, Hogan defended the WWF Championship against Yokozuna. Yokozuna kicked out of Hogan's leg drop and won the pinfall after Hogan was blinded by a fireball from a disguised Harvey Wippleman. This was Hogan's last WWF pay-per-view appearance until 2002, as he and Jimmy Hart were preparing to leave the promotion. Hogan continued his feud with Yokozuna on the international house show circuit until August 1993, then sat out the remainder of his contract, which expired later that year.
2.2.5. Second Return to WWF/WWE (2002-2003)
Hogan returned to the WWF as a heel at No Way Out on February 17, 2002, leading the original nWo with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. They confronted The Rock and cost Stone Cold Steve Austin a chance at the Undisputed WWF Championship. The nWo feuded with both Austin and The Rock, leading to Hogan accepting The Rock's challenge to a match at WrestleMania X8 on March 17. Despite being the heel, Hogan received overwhelming cheers from the crowd. The Rock won cleanly, and then befriended Hogan, helping him fight off a disgruntled Hall and Nash. After the match, Hogan turned face by siding with The Rock, though he continued wearing black and white tights for a few weeks after WrestleMania X8 until he resumed wearing his signature red and yellow tights. Hogan subsequently adopted the "Hulk Still Rules" logo.
On April 4, 2002, on SmackDown!, Hogan began a feud with Triple H, defeating him for the Undisputed WWF Championship at Backlash on April 21. This made him the last ever WWF Champion, as the company was compelled to change its name to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in May 2002 due to a legal battle with the World Wide Fund for Nature.
On May 19 at Judgment Day, Hogan lost the WWE Undisputed Championship to The Undertaker. After losing a number one contender match to Triple H, Hogan began feuding with Kurt Angle, losing to him by submission at King of the Ring on June 23. On July 4, Hogan teamed with Edge to defeat Billy and Chuck for his first WWE Tag Team Championship. They lost the titles to The Un-Americans at Vengeance on July 21. In August, Hogan was involved in an angle with Brock Lesnar, culminating in a match on SmackDown! where Lesnar defeated him by technical submission, leaving Hogan bloody and unconscious.
Hogan went on hiatus until early 2003, returning without his black beard and dropping "Hollywood" from his name. He faced The Rock again at No Way Out on February 23, losing the match. He then defeated Mr. McMahon at WrestleMania XIX on March 30 in a street fight. After WrestleMania, Hogan had a brief run as the masked character Mr. America, who, despite sounding and behaving like Hogan, consistently denied he was the Hulkster. Mr. America used Hogan's "Real American" as his entrance theme, as well as all of Hogan's signature gestures, moves, and phrases. The storyline involved Mr. McMahon trying to expose Mr. America as Hogan. Mr. America's last WWE appearance was on the June 26 SmackDown! episode. Hogan then quit WWE due to creative frustrations, though McMahon publicly "fired" him on the July 3 SmackDown! episode, showing footage of Mr. America unmasking.
2.2.6. Third Return to WWE (2005-2007)
On April 2, 2005, Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2005 by actor Sylvester Stallone. The next day at WrestleMania 21, Hogan came out to rescue Eugene, who was being attacked by Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari. This led to a tag team match at Backlash on May 1, where Hogan and Shawn Michaels defeated Hassan and Daivari.
On July 4, 2005, during a segment on Raw, Michaels performed a Sweet Chin Music on Hogan after they had teamed up to defeat Carlito and Kurt Angle. This initiated a feud between the two legends, culminating in a match at SummerSlam on August 21, which Hogan won. Michaels extended his hand after the match, and they shook hands.
Prior to WrestleMania 22 in April 2006, Hogan inducted his friend and former announcer "Mean" Gene Okerlund into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2006. Hogan returned on Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIII with his daughter Brooke. During the show, Randy Orton flirted with Brooke and later attacked Hogan in the parking lot. He later challenged Hogan to a match at SummerSlam on August 20, which Hogan won. This marked Hogan's final match wrestling for WWE in this period, though negotiations for a match against John Cena at WrestleMania 25 ultimately fell through.
2.2.7. Fourth Return to WWE (2014-2015)
On February 24, 2014, Hogan made his first WWE in-ring appearance since December 2007 on Raw to promote the WWE Network. On March 24, he introduced Arnold Schwarzenegger and Joe Manganiello on Raw to promote their film Sabotage.
At WrestleMania XXX in April, Hogan served as the host, opening the show and mistakenly referring to the Superdome as the Silverdome. He was later joined by Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, and they finished their promo by drinking beer together in the ring. Later in the show, Hogan shared a moment with Mr. T, Paul Orndorff, and Roddy Piper, with whom he main-evented the first WrestleMania.
On February 27, 2015, Hogan was honored at Madison Square Garden during a WWE live event, with a commemorative "Hulkamania" banner hung from the rafters. On the March 23 episode of Raw, Hogan along with Snoop Dogg confronted Curtis Axel - who at the time had been "borrowing" Hogan's Hulkamania gimmick with Axel referring to himself as "AxelMania". On March 28, the night before WrestleMania, Hogan posthumously inducted longtime partner and rival "Macho Man" Randy Savage into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2015. The following night at WrestleMania 31, Hogan reunited with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to reform the nWo, appearing in Sting's corner in his match against Triple H, who himself was joined by D-Generation X (DX) members Billy Gunn, X-Pac, Road Dogg, and Shawn Michaels.
2.2.8. Fifth Return to WWE (2018-present)
On July 15, 2018, Hogan was reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame. Later that same night, he was invited backstage to WWE's Extreme Rules pay-per-view event and was briefly mentioned on the event's kickoff show. Hogan made his on-screen return on November 2, 2018, as the host of Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. His first appearance in a WWE ring in North America since his 2015 firing occurred on January 7, 2019, on Raw, where he presented a tribute to his longtime friend Mean Gene Okerlund.
Hogan inducted his Mega-Maniacs tag team partner and longtime friend Brutus Beefcake into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 6, 2019. The following night at WrestleMania 35, he made a surprise appearance at the beginning of the show alongside WrestleMania host Alexa Bliss, welcoming fans to the event and parodying his gaffe from WrestleMania XXX, when he incorrectly referred to the Superdome as the Silverdome. On the June 17, 2019 episode of Raw, WWE aired a Hogan interview about the U.S. Women's World Cup soccer team. On the July 22, 2019 episode of Raw, Hogan appeared as part of the "Raw Reunion" special. Hogan was one of the speakers during the "Toast to Raw" segment along with Steve Austin. On September 30, 2019, episode of Raw, he and Ric Flair unveiled a 10-man tag team match, for Crown Jewel, which saw Hogan manage his team to victory.
Hogan made it public knowledge that he hoped to have one more match in the WWE, including during an interview with the Los Angeles Times. On December 9, 2019, it was announced that Hogan would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame a second time as a member of the New World Order, together with fellow former nWo stablemates Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman. Hogan made his only appearance of 2020 on WWE's non-WWE Network programming when he appeared via satellite on the February 14, 2020, episode of SmackDown to speak about the Hall of Fame. He was interrupted by Bray Wyatt, as Hogan warned him about his upcoming match with Goldberg. The 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony was subsequently delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and aired on April 6, 2021.
Hogan made his first appearance of 2021 on the January 4 episode of Raw, which was a special Legends Night episode. He opened the show introducing the 'H-Phone,' his spin on an iPhone. He appeared in a backstage segment with Jimmy Hart, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus, where he gave his approval to McIntyre, the current WWE Champion. He also watched the championship main event match between McIntyre and Keith Lee on-stage with the rest of the guest legends.
It was announced on the March 19, 2021, episode of WWE SmackDown he would co-host WrestleMania 37 with Titus O'Neil. Hogan opened both nights of WrestleMania 37 with O'Neil, appeared in multiple segments with Bayley, which led to a return of the Bella Twins, who attacked Bayley, and was introduced during the Hall of Fame celebration with Nash, Hall and Waltman.
On January 23, 2023, Hogan appeared live alongside Jimmy Hart to open the WWE Raw is XXX show, celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Raw. On January 22, 2024, WWE celebrated the 40th anniversary of 'Hulkamania' with Hogan appearing in pre-taped footage. On January 6, 2025, Hogan made a live appearance during the Raw debut on Netflix, once again being accompanied by Hart. During Hogan's segment, which was meant to advertise his Real American Beer, he was heavily booed by the live audience.
2.3. World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Career (1994-2000)
Hogan's tenure in WCW marked a significant shift in his career and had a profound impact on the professional wrestling landscape.
2.3.1. WCW World Heavyweight Champion (1994-1996)
Starting in March 1994, Hogan began making appearances on WCW television, as interviewer Gene Okerlund-who was now a WCW employee-visited him on the set of Thunder in Paradise episodes. Hype then built over whether Hogan should remain with Thunder in Paradise or join WCW and have an opportunity to wrestle Ric Flair. On the May 28, 1994, episode of WCW Saturday Night, Hogan publicly tore up his Thunder in Paradise contract and stated he was now willing to quit the show and return to wrestling. On June 11, 1994, Hogan officially signed with Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in a ceremony that was held at Disney-MGM Studios. The next month, with Jimmy Hart as his manager, Hogan won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in his debut match, defeating Ric Flair in a "dream match" at Bash at the Beach. Hogan continued his feud with Flair (who defeated him by count-out on the Clash of the Champions XXVIII, thus Hogan retained the title), which culminated in a steel cage match (with Flair's career on the line and Mr. T as the special guest referee) that Hogan won.
After Hogan headlined WCW's premier annual event Starrcade (Starrcade: Triple Threat) in December 1994 by defeating The Butcher for the title, his next feud was against Vader, who challenged him for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at SuperBrawl V, where Hogan won by disqualification after the returning Flair's interference. Hogan then defeated Vader (who was managed part-time by Flair) in a non-title leather strap match at Uncensored. Because of the controversial ending caused once again by Flair at Uncensored, Hogan's feud with Vader culminated in a steel cage match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Bash at the Beach, where Hogan won by escaping the cage. After successfully retaining the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Big Bubba Rogers and Lex Luger in two separate matches on Nitro in September 1995. The October 9, 1995, broadcast of Nitro was Hogan's first appearance in an all-black attire. Hogan feuded with The Dungeon of Doom, which led to a WarGames match at Fall Brawl where Hogan's team (Lex Luger, Randy Savage, and Sting) won. Hogan's reign as WCW World Heavyweight Champion, which at 469 days is the longest in the title's history, ended when he lost the WCW World Heavyweight Championship to The Giant at Halloween Havoc via disqualification.
Following this controversial loss, the WCW World Heavyweight Championship became vacant. The Giant cost Hogan the title in a 60-man three-ring battle royal at World War III. This led to a steel cage match between Hogan and The Giant at SuperBrawl VI, where Hogan won to end their feud. In early 1996, Hogan reformed The Mega Powers with Randy Savage to feud with The Alliance to End Hulkamania, which culminated at Uncensored in a Doomsday Cage match that Hogan and Savage won. After these victories, Hogan began to appear less frequently on WCW programming.
2.3.2. New World Order (1996-1999)
At Bash at the Beach on July 7, 1996, during a six-man tag team match pitting The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) against WCW loyalists, Hogan shocked the wrestling world by interfering and attacking Randy Savage on behalf of Hall and Nash, thereby turning heel for the first time in nearly 15 years. After the match, Hogan delivered a promo, accosting the fans and WCW for under-appreciating his talent and drawing power, and announcing the formation of the New World Order (nWo). The new stable gained prominence in the following weeks and months. Hogan grew a beard alongside his famous mustache and dyed it black, traded his red and yellow garb in for black and white clothing, often detailed with lightning bolts, and renamed himself "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan (often shortened to Hollywood Hogan).
Hogan won his second WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Hog Wild on August 10 by defeating The Giant for the title. He spray-painted "nWo" across the title belt, scribbled across the nameplate, and referred to the title as the "nWo title". Hogan then started a feud with Lex Luger after Luger and The Giant defeated Hogan and Dennis Rodman in a tag team match at Bash at the Beach on July 13, 1997. On the August 4 episode of Nitro, Hogan lost the title to Lex Luger by submission. Five days later at Road Wild on August 9, Hogan defeated Luger to regain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
Hogan then lost the title to Sting in a match at Starrcade on December 28. In a controversial finish, WCW's newly contracted Bret Hart accused referee Nick Patrick of fast-counting a victory for Hogan and had the match restarted - with himself as referee. Sting later won by submission. After a rematch the following night on Nitro, where Sting controversially retained the title, the WCW World Heavyweight Championship became vacant. Sting went on to win the vacant title against Hogan at SuperBrawl VIII on February 22, 1998. Hogan then developed a rivalry with former friend (and recent nWo recruit) Randy Savage, who had just cost Hogan the title match at SuperBrawl by hitting him with a spray can. The feud culminated in a steel cage match at Uncensored on March 15, which ended in a no contest. Savage took the WCW World Heavyweight Championship from Sting at Spring Stampede on April 19, while Hogan teamed with Kevin Nash to take on Roddy Piper and The Giant in the first-ever bat match.
Hogan betrayed Nash by hitting him with the bat and then challenged Savage the following night on Nitro for the world title. In the no disqualification match for Savage's newly won title, Nash entered the ring and hit a powerbomb on Hogan as retribution for the attack the previous night, but Bret Hart interfered moments later and jumped in to attack Savage and preserve the victory for Hogan, who won his fourth WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Nash's attack on him signified a split of the nWo into two separate factions - Hogan's became nWo Hollywood and Nash's became nWo Wolfpac- that feuded with each other for the remainder of the year. Hogan defended the title until July of that year, when WCW booked him in a match against newcomer and then WCW United States Heavyweight Champion Goldberg, who had yet to lose a match in WCW. Late in the match, Hogan was distracted by Karl Malone, and Goldberg pinned Hogan to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on the July 6 episode of Nitro.
Hogan spent the rest of 1998 wrestling celebrity matches: his second tag team match with Dennis Rodman pitted them against Diamond Dallas Page and Karl Malone at Bash at the Beach on July 12, and at Road Wild on August 8 he and Eric Bischoff lost to Page and Jay Leno thanks to interference from Kevin Eubanks. Hogan also had a critically panned rematch with The Warrior at Halloween Havoc on October 25, where his nephew Horace aided his victory.
On the Thanksgiving episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Hogan officially announced his retirement from professional wrestling, as well as his candidacy for President of the United States. Both announcements were false and made as publicity stunts to draw some of the hype of Jesse Ventura's Minnesota gubernatorial win back to him. After some time off from WCW, Hogan returned on the January 4, 1999, episode of Nitro to challenge Kevin Nash for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship which Hogan won for the fifth time in the controversial "Fingerpoke of Doom" match. As a result, the warring factions of the nWo reunited into one group, which began feuding with Goldberg and The Four Horsemen.
2.3.3. Final Years in WCW (1999-2000)
Hogan lost the WCW World Heavyweight Championship to Ric Flair at Uncensored in a steel cage First Blood match. Later, Hogan was severely injured in a Texas tornado match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship featuring him, Diamond Dallas Page, Flair, and Sting at Spring Stampede. On the July 12 episode of Nitro, Hogan made his return as a face for the first time in three years and accepted an open challenge from Randy Savage, who had won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Bash at the Beach the night before in a tag team match by pinning Kevin Nash. Thanks to interference from Nash, Hogan defeated Savage to win his sixth and final WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Nash turned on him the next week, and the two began a feud that lasted until Road Wild.
On August 9, 1999, Hogan started the night dressed in the typical black and white, but after a backstage scene with his son came out dressed in the traditional red and yellow for his main event six-man tag team match. Hogan then defeated Nash in a retirement match at Road Wild to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Injuries and frustrations mounted, and he was absent from television from October 1999 to February 2000. In his book Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Hogan said that he was asked to take time off by newly hired head of creative booking Vince Russo and was not told when he would be brought back at the time. Despite some reservations, he agreed to do so. On October 24 at Halloween Havoc, Hogan was to face Sting for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Hogan came to the ring in street clothes, lay down for the pin, and left the ring.
Soon after his return in February 2000, at Bash at the Beach on July 9, Hogan was involved in a controversial work with Vince Russo. Hogan was scheduled to challenge Jeff Jarrett for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Before the match, there was a backstage dispute between Hogan and Russo; Hogan wanted to take the title, but Russo was going to have Jarrett win, and lose it to Booker T. Russo told Hogan that he was going to have Jarrett lie down for him, simulating a real conflict, although Jarrett was not told it was a work. When the bell rang, Jarrett lay down in the middle of the ring while Russo threw the WCW World Heavyweight Championship belt in the ring and yelled at Hogan from ringside to pin Jarrett. A visibly confused Hogan complied with a foot on Jarrett's chest after getting on the microphone and telling Russo, "Is this your idea, Russo? That's why this company is in the damn shape it's in, because of bullshit like this!" After winning and being announced as the new WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Hogan immediately took the WCW title belt. Moments later, Russo returned to the ring, angrily proclaiming this would be the last time fans would ever see "that piece of shit" in a WCW stadium. This is also when the public discovered, through Russo, the "creative control" clause that Hogan had, which meant that Hogan could control what would happen with his own character, without anyone else telling him no. In his Bash at the Beach shoot promo, Russo said that he was arguing with Hogan all day prior to the event in the back because he wanted to use the clause in the Jarrett match, saying, "That means that, in the middle of this ring, when [Hogan] knew it was bullshit, he beats Jeff Jarrett!". Since Hogan refused to job to Jarrett, a new WCW World Heavyweight Championship was created, setting the stage for a title match between Booker T and Jarrett later that night.
As a result, Hogan filed a defamation of character lawsuit against Russo soon after, which was eventually dismissed in 2002. Russo claims the whole thing was a work, and Hogan claims that Russo made it a shoot. Eric Bischoff agreed with Hogan's side of the story when he wrote that Hogan winning and leaving with the belt was a work (devised by Bischoff rather than Russo), and that he and Hogan celebrated after the event over the success of the angle, but that Russo coming out to fire Hogan was an unplanned shoot which led to the lawsuit filed by Hogan. It was the last time he was seen in WCW.
2.4. TNA Career (2009-2013)
Hogan's involvement with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) saw him take on various roles, from business partner to on-screen authority figure.
2.4.1. Dixie Carter's Business Partner (2009-2010)
On October 27, 2009, Hogan signed a full-time contract with TNA. Footage of his signing and the subsequent press conference at Madison Square Garden aired on the October 29 episode of Impact!. On December 5, Hogan announced on Ultimate Fighting Championship's The Ultimate Fighter that he would make his official TNA debut on January 4, 2010, during a special live three-hour Monday night episode of Impact!, competing with WWE's Raw.
On the January 4 episode of Impact!, Hogan debuted, reuniting briefly with former nWo partners Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman, the latter two of whom made their returns to the company. He refused to join them for a full-fledged reunion of their group claiming, "it's a different time", and stuck to his business relations with Bischoff, who made his appearance to declare that, the two of them would "flip the company upside down" and everyone would have to earn their spot. Hogan also encountered TNA founder Jeff Jarrett on the broadcast, appearing via video wall and interrupting Jarrett's company success speech, stating that Carter was instrumental to the company's survival, and that just like the rest, Jarrett would have to earn his spot in TNA.
On the February 18 episode of Impact!, Hogan took Abyss under his wing, and during this sequence, gave him his Hall of Fame ring and claimed it would make him a "god of wrestling". Hogan made his in-ring return on the March 8 episode of Impact!, teaming with Abyss to defeat A.J. Styles and Ric Flair when Abyss scored a pinfall over Styles. Afterward, the returning Jeff Hardy saved Hogan and Abyss from a beatdown by Styles, Flair and Desmond Wolfe. The storyline became a Team Flair versus Team Hogan situation, with Jarrett and the debuting Rob Van Dam joining Team Hogan and Beer Money (James Storm and Robert Roode) and Sting joining Team Flair. At Lockdown on April 18, Team Hogan (Hulk Hogan, Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam) defeated Team Flair (Ric Flair, Sting, Desmond Wolfe, Robert Roode and James Storm) in a Lethal Lockdown match.
2.4.2. Immortal (2010-2011)
On the June 17 episode of Impact!, Hogan's alliance with Abyss came to an abrupt end when Abyss turned heel. Abyss later claimed that he was controlled by some entity that was coming to TNA. The next month, Hogan worked with Bischoff, Jeff Jarrett and Samoa Joe against Sting and Kevin Nash, who claimed that they knew that Hogan and Bischoff were up to something. During this time, Abyss went on a rampage, attacking Rob Van Dam to the point that he was forced to vacate the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and eventually put his hands on TNA president Dixie Carter, which led to her signing the paperwork, presented by Bischoff, that would have Abyss fired from TNA following his match with Van Dam at Bound for Glory on October 10. Hogan was set to wrestle with Jarrett and Joe against Sting, Nash and D'Angelo Dinero at Bound for Glory, but was forced to miss the event due to a back surgery. He made an appearance at the end of the event, and helped Jeff Hardy win the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship and aligning himself with Hardy, Bischoff, Abyss and Jarrett, turning heel in the process.
On the October 14 episode of Impact!, it was revealed that Bischoff had tricked Carter and the paperwork she had signed a week earlier, were not to release Abyss, but to turn the company over to him and Hogan. Meanwhile, Bischoff's and Hogan's new stable, now known as Immortal, formed an alliance with Ric Flair's Fortune. Dixie Carter returned on the November 25 episode of Reaction, informing Hogan and Bischoff that a judge had filed an injunction against the two on her behalf over not having signatory authority, indefinitely suspending Hogan from TNA. During his absence, Hogan underwent a potentially career-ending spinal fusion surgery on December 21.
Hogan returned to TNA on the March 3, 2011, episode of Impact!, declaring himself as the new owner of TNA, having won the court battle against Dixie Carter. In April, he began hinting at a possible return to the ring to face the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Sting. On the May 12 episode of the newly renamed Impact Wrestling, Hogan lost control of the program to Mick Foley, who revealed himself as the Network consultant who had been causing problems for Immortal ever since Hogan and Bischoff took over the company. This angle was cut short three weeks later, when Foley left TNA. During the following months, Hogan continued to interfere in Sting's matches, costing him the TNA World Heavyweight Championship first at Hardcore Justice on August 7, recruiting Kurt Angle to Immortal in the process, on the September 1 episode of Impact Wrestling and finally at No Surrender on September 11. On the September 15 episode of Impact Wrestling, Sting defeated Immortal member Ric Flair to earn the right to face Hogan at Bound for Glory on October 16. On October 4, it was reported that Hogan had signed a contract extension with TNA. After feigning retirement from professional wrestling, Hogan accepted the match at Bound for Glory on the October 6 episode of Impact Wrestling, while also agreeing to hand TNA back to Dixie Carter, should Sting win the match.
Hogan was defeated by Sting at Bound for Glory, ending his storyline as the president of TNA. After the match, Immortal attacked Sting, but Hogan turned on Immortal and helping Sting, turning face in the process. On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Hogan, wearing his trademark yellow and red again, admitted to his mistakes, and put over Sting for winning.
2.4.3. General Manager and Feud with Aces & Eights (2011-2013)
During TNA's tour of the United Kingdom, on January 26 and 27, 2012, Hogan returned to the ring at house shows in Nottingham and Manchester, where he, James Storm and Sting defeated Bobby Roode, Bully Ray and Kurt Angle in a six-man tag team main event at both events, the latter of which was Hogan's final match. Hogan returned to Impact Wrestling on February 2, when he was revealed as Garett Bischoff's trainer. On the March 29 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hogan returned and accepted Sting's offer to replace him as the new General Manager.
In July, Hogan, alongside Sting, began feuding with a mysterious group of masked men, who had dubbed themselves the "Aces & Eights". The group's attack on Hogan on the July 12 episode of Impact Wrestling was used to write Hogan off television as he was set to undergo another back surgery.
In November, Hogan moved into a storyline with Bully Ray after Austin Aries revealed a secret relationship between Ray and Hogan's daughter Brooke. After seeing them kissing in a parking garage on the December 20 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hogan suspended Ray indefinitely on the January 3, 2013 episode of Impact Wrestling. The following week on Impact Wrestling, after Ray saved Brooke from a kidnapping by the Aces & Eights, Brooke accepted his marriage proposal. Despite Hogan's disapproval, he still walked Brooke down the aisle for her wedding on the next episode of Impact Wrestling, during which Ray's groomsmen Taz interrupted and revealed himself as a member of the Aces & Eights, leading the group to attack Hogan, Ray, and the rest of the groomsmen.
On the January 31 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hogan reinstated Ray so he could take on the Aces & Eights. Hogan named Ray the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on the February 21 episode of Impact Wrestling. At Lockdown on March 10, Ray betrayed Hogan, after Aces & Eights helped Ray defeat Jeff Hardy win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, and Ray revealed himself as the President of the Aces & Eights. Following Lockdown, Hogan blamed Sting for Ray winning the title as it was Sting who encouraged Hogan to give Ray the title shot. Sting returned and saved Hogan from an attack by Aces & Eights on the April 25 episode of Impact Wrestling. The following week on Impact Wrestling, Hogan and Sting reconciled their differences. On the October 3 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hogan refused an offer from Dixie Carter to become her business partner and quit; this was done to officially write Hogan off, as a result of his contract expiring with TNA.
2.5. Other Promotions
In addition to his prominent roles in WWF/WWE, WCW, and TNA, Hogan also made significant appearances in other wrestling promotions.
In 1980, Hogan began appearing in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where Japanese fans nicknamed him 一番IchibanJapanese ("Number One"). Hogan first appeared on May 13, 1980, while he was still with the WWF. He occasionally toured the country over the next few years, facing a wide variety of opponents ranging from Tatsumi Fujinami to Abdullah the Butcher. When competing in Japan, Hogan used a vastly different repertoire of wrestling moves, relying on more technical, traditional wrestling holds and maneuvers as opposed to the power-based, brawling style American fans became accustomed to seeing from him. In addition, Hogan used the Axe Bomber, a crooked arm lariat, as his finisher in Japan instead of the running leg drop that has been his standard finisher in America. Hogan still made appearances for the WWF, even unsuccessfully challenging Pedro Morales for the Intercontinental Championship on March 26, 1981. On June 2, 1983, Hogan became the first International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP) tournament winner and the first holder of an early version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, defeating Antonio Inoki by knockout in the finals of a ten-man tournament. Since then, this championship was defended annually against the winner of the IWGP League of the year until it was replaced by current IWGP Heavyweight Championship, that is defended regularly.
Hogan and Inoki also worked as partners in Japan, winning the MSG (Madison Square Garden) Tag League tournament two years in a row: in 1982 and 1983. In 1984, Hogan returned to NJPW to wrestle Inoki to defend the early version of the IWGP title after that Inoki won in the finals of the IWGP League, becoming the new No. 1 contender to the championship. Hogan lost the match and title belt by countout, thanks to interference from Riki Choshu. Hogan also defended his WWF World Heavyweight Championship against Seiji Sakaguchi and Fujinami, among others, until ending his tour in Nagoya on June 13 losing to Inoki via count-out in a championship match for the early version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Hogan was the only challenger in the history of that title that didn't win the tournament to become the No. 1 contender to the championship. Hogan returned to NJPW in October 2003, when he defeated Masahiro Chono at Ultimate Crush II in the Tokyo Dome. His last match in Japan was on January 4, 1994, at Battlefield, when he defeated Tatsumi Fujinami.
After accepting an offer to work on the film Rocky III (a decision Vincent J. McMahon disapproved of and subsequently chose to release Hogan from the promotion for), Hogan made his debut in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), owned by Verne Gagne, in August 1981. Hogan started his AWA run as a villain, with "Luscious" Johnny Valiant as his manager. This did not last long, however, as the AWA fans fell in love with Hogan's presence and Hogan became the top fan favorite of the AWA, battling the Heenan Family and Nick Bockwinkel. Hogan's turn as a fan favorite came at the end of July 1981, when during a television taping that aired in August, Jerry Blackwell, after suffering a pinfall loss to Brad Rheingans, began beating down Rheingans and easily fighting off anyone who tried to run in for the save. Hogan ran in, got the upper hand and ran Blackwell from the ring. Hogan was eventually victorious in his feud with Blackwell and by the end of 1981, gained his first title matches against Bockwinkel.
In March 1982, Hogan defeated Bockwinkel and his manager Bobby Heenan in a non-title handicap match in the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois. Hogan went on to repeatedly challenge Bockwinkel for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, with the matches generally ending in disqualifications (a decision wherein the Championship does not change hands). In April 1982, Hogan defeated Bockwinkel and was declared the new AWA World Heavyweight Champion, only for the decision to be overturned by AWA President Stanley Blackburn due to the use of a foreign object during the match. Hogan left the AWA in November 1983.
After a brief fallout with McMahon and WWE, Hogan was lured to Memphis Wrestling with the prospect of wrestling Jerry Lawler. The match had been promoted on Memphis Wrestling Prime Time for several months. On April 12, 2007, Lawler announced in a news conference that WWE had barred him from wrestling Hogan on the basis that NBC performers (including Lawler, on the basis of co-hosting the NBC-owned USA Network's Raw and his appearances on the biannual WWE's Saturday Night's Main Event) are contractually prohibited from appearing on VH1, the channel on which Hogan Knows Best airs. The situation resulted in a lawsuit being filed against WWE by event promoter Corey Maclin. Lawler was replaced with Paul Wight. Hogan defeated Wight at Memphis Wrestling's PMG Clash of Legends on April 27, 2007, when he picked up and hit a body slam on Wight before pinning him following his signature running leg drop.
In November 2009, Hogan performed with a group of wrestlers including Spartan-3000, Heidenreich, Eugene, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, and Orlando Jordan across Australia in a tour titled Hulkamania: Let The Battle Begin. The main event of each show was a rematch between Hogan and Ric Flair - the wrestler who defeated Hogan more times than any other. Hogan defeated Flair in all four matches.
2.6. Championships and Accomplishments
Hulk Hogan has achieved numerous championships and accolades throughout his illustrious career:
- 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)
- Sports Illustrated
- Ranked No. 2 of the 20 Greatest WWE Wrestlers Of All Time
- 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)
3. Acting and Media Appearances
Hulk Hogan's crossover appeal extended beyond the wrestling ring into various forms of media, including film, television, music, and video games.
3.1. Film Appearances
Hogan's acting career began with his memorable role as the wrestler Thunderlips in Rocky III (1982), where he famously fought Sylvester Stallone's character, Rocky Balboa. This early exposure helped boost his mainstream visibility. He went on to star in several feature films, often in family-friendly action or comedy roles. These included No Holds Barred (1989), a wrestling-themed film, followed by Suburban Commando (1991), Mr. Nanny (1993), Santa with Muscles (1996), and 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998). He also appeared in The Secret Agent Club (1996) and The Ultimate Weapon (1998), which featured a cameo by Brutus Beefcake.
Hogan made cameo appearances as himself in Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Spy Hard (1996), and Muppets from Space (1999). In 2009, he played Zeus in Little Hercules in 3D. He also provided voice acting for the character Terrafirminator in Gnomeo & Juliet (2011).
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Notes | ||
| 1982 | Rocky III | Thunderlips | |
| 1989 | No Holds Barred | Rip Thomas | |
| 1990 | Gremlins 2: The New Batch | Himself | Cameo |
| 1991 | Suburban Commando | Shep Ramsey | |
| 1993 | Mr. Nanny | Sean Armstrong | |
| Thunder in Paradise | Randolph J. "Hurricane" Spencer | Direct-to-video | |
| 1996 | Spy Hard | Steele's other Tag-Team Member | Cameo |
| The Secret Agent Club | Ray Chase | ||
| Santa with Muscles | Blake Thorn | ||
| 1998 | McCinsey's Island | Joe McGrai | |
| 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain | Dave Dragon | ||
| The Ultimate Weapon | Ben Cutter | ||
| 1999 | Muppets from Space | Himself | Cameo |
| 2009 | Little Hercules | Zeus | |
| 2011 | Gnomeo & Juliet | Terrafirminator V.O. | Voice role |
3.2. Television and Reality Shows
Hogan starred in his own television series, Thunder in Paradise, in 1994, playing Randolph J. "Hurricane" Spencer across 22 episodes. He made guest appearances on popular shows such as The A-Team (in 1985 and 1986), Baywatch (1996), and Suddenly Susan (1999). In 1997, he starred in the TNT original movie Assault on Devil's Island as the leader of a commando unit, followed by a sequel, Assault on Death Mountain, in 1999. In 2001, Hogan guest-starred on an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger.
In later years, Hogan became a busy voice actor, with guest spots on Robot Chicken and American Dad!, and a primary role as The Dean in the Cartoon Network/Adult Swim series China, IL (2011-2015).
His personal life became the subject of the VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best, which premiered on July 10, 2005. The show centered around Hogan, his then-wife Linda, and their children Brooke and Nick. In July 2008, a spin-off, Brooke Knows Best, premiered, focusing on his daughter Brooke. Hogan hosted the comeback series of American Gladiators on NBC in 2008 and also hosted and judged the short-lived reality show, Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling. A special titled Finding Hulk Hogan aired on A&E on November 17, 2010. In 2015, Hogan served as a judge on the sixth season of Tough Enough, but was replaced by The Miz after episode 5 due to the racism scandal.
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Notes | ||
| 1984 | Goldie and the Bears | Mac McKenna | TV film |
| 1985-1986 | The A-Team | Himself | 2 episodes: "Body Slam", "The Trouble with Harry" |
| 1985-1986 | Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling | Himself | Live-action parts only |
| 1994 | Thunder in Paradise | Randolph J. "Hurricane" Spencer | Main role; 22 episodes |
| 1995 | Space Ghost Coast to Coast | Himself | 1 episode ("Sleeper") |
| 1996 | Baywatch | Himself | 1 episode: "Bash at the Beach" |
| 1997 | Assault on Devil's Island | Mike McBride | TV film |
| 1999 | Suddenly Susan | Himself | 2 episodes ("In This Corner... Susan Keane!: Part 1" & "In This Corner... Susan Keane!: Part 2") |
| Assault on Death Mountain | Mike McBride | TV film | |
| 2001 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Boomer Knight | 1 episode: "Division Street" |
| 2005-2007 | Hogan Knows Best | Himself | Reality TV series |
| 2006-2016 | Robot Chicken | Himself, Abraham Lincoln, The Giving Tree, Bigfoot, Various | 4 episodes |
| 2008 | Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling | Himself | Reality TV series |
| 2008-2009 | Brooke Knows Best | Himself | Reality TV series |
| 2011-2015 | China, IL | The Dean | Main cast |
| 2012 | American Dad! | Himself | 1 episode: "Stanny Tendergrass" |
| 2012 | The Inbetweeners | Himself | 1 episode ("Fire!") |
| 2014 | The '80s Called | Himself | RadioShack commercial for Super Bowl XLVIII |
| 2015 | Smosh | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2019 | The Goldbergs | Himself | 1 episode ("WrestleMania") |
| 2022 | Camp WWE | Himself | 2 episodes ("John Cena's Grounded", "Vince's Pizza Party") |
3.3. Music and Radio Activities
Hogan released a music CD titled Hulk Rules in 1995, under the name Hulk Hogan and the Wrestling Boot Band. Despite receiving negative reviews, the album reached No. 12 on the Billboard Top Kid Audio chart. He also collaborated with Green Jellÿ on a duet of Gary Glitter's song "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)". Hogan made cameo appearances in several music videos, including Dolly Parton's "Headlock on My Heart" and Belly featuring Ginuwine's "Pressure."
Hogan was a regular guest on Bubba the Love Sponge's radio show and served as best man at Bubba's wedding in January 2007. On March 12, 2010, Hogan began hosting his own radio show, Hogan Uncensored, on Sirius Satellite Radio's Howard 101.
3.4. Video Games
Hogan has been featured as a character or provided voice acting in numerous video games. He provided his voice for the character Angel de la Muerte in the 2011 game Saints Row: The Third. In October 2011, he released his own video game, 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 numerous licensed wrestling video games:
| WWE Video games | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Notes | |
| 1987 | MicroLeague Wrestling | Video game debut | |
| 1989 | WWF WrestleMania | Cover athlete | |
| WWF Superstars | |||
| 1990 | WWF WrestleMania Challenge | Cover athlete | |
| 1991 | WWF WrestleMania | Cover athlete | |
| WWF WrestleFest | |||
| 1992 | WWF Super WrestleMania | Cover athlete | |
| WWF European Rampage Tour | |||
| WWF Superstars 2 | Cover athlete | ||
| WWF WrestleMania: Steel Cage Challenge | |||
| 1993 | WWF Royal Rumble | Hogan was featured in the Sega Genesis version of the game (of which he was also on the cover), but was not in the SNES version | |
| WWF King of the Ring | Cover athlete | ||
| 2002 | WWF WrestleMania X8 | Cover athlete | |
| WWE Road to WrestleMania X8 | |||
| WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth | Hogan was on the cover of the PAL version of the game, but not the NTSC version | ||
| 2003 | WWE Crush Hour | ||
| WWE WrestleMania XIX | |||
| WWE Raw 2 | |||
| 2005 | WWE Day of Reckoning 2 | ||
| WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006 | |||
| 2006 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 | ||
| 2009 | WWE Legends of WrestleMania | Cover athlete | |
| 2011 | WWE All Stars | Cover athlete | |
| 2013 | WWE 2K14 | ||
| 2014 | WWE SuperCard | ||
| WWE 2K15 | Cover athlete on the Hulkamania edition of the game; Hogan was downloadable content and removed after his racial scandal | ||
| 2015 | WWE Immortals | ||
| 2017 | WWE Champions | Added in 2019 | |
| 2019 | WWE 2K20 | ||
| 2020 | WWE 2K Battlegrounds | ||
| 2022 | WWE 2K22 | Cover athlete on the nWo 4-Life edition of the game | |
| 2023 | WWE 2K23 | ||
| 2024 | WWE 2K24 | Cover athlete on the 40 Years of WrestleMania edition of the game | |
| WCW Video games | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Notes | |
| 1997 | WCW vs. the World | Video game debut | |
| WCW vs. nWo: World Tour | |||
| 1998 | WCW Nitro | Cover athlete | |
| WCW/nWo Revenge | |||
| 1999 | WCW/nWo Thunder | Cover athlete | |
| WCW Mayhem | |||
| 2000 | WCW Backstage Assault | ||
| TNA Video games | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Notes | |
| 2010 | TNA Impact! Cross the Line | Hogan was featured in the Nintendo DS version of the game (of which he was also on the cover), but was not in the PSP version | |
| 2011 | TNA Wrestling Impact! | ||
| Legends of Wrestling Video games | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Notes | |
| 2001 | Legends of Wrestling | Cover athlete | |
| 2002 | Legends of Wrestling II | Cover athlete | |
| 2004 | Showdown: Legends of Wrestling | Cover athlete | |
4. Business and Endorsements
Hulk Hogan has engaged in various entrepreneurial activities and brand endorsements throughout his career, capitalizing on his widespread recognition.
4.1. Food and Beverage Ventures
Hogan opened and financed a restaurant called Pastamania in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. It launched on Labor Day weekend 1995 and was heavily promoted on WCW's Monday Nitro. The restaurant, which operated for less than a year, featured dishes like "Hulk-U's" and "Hulk-A-Roos."
Hogan has claimed that the opportunity to endorse what became the George Foreman Grill was initially offered to him, but he failed to respond in time, leading to George Foreman endorsing it instead. However, there is no direct evidence to support this claim. Instead, Hogan endorsed a blender called the Hulk Hogan Thunder Mixer. He later endorsed "The Hulk Hogan Ultimate Grill," which was voluntarily recalled as a fire hazard in 2008 alongside other QVC and Tristar grills.
In 2006, Hogan unveiled Hogan Energy, an energy drink distributed by Socko Energy. His name and likeness were also used for a line of microwavable hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and chicken sandwiches sold at Walmart called "Hulkster Burgers." On November 1, 2011, Hogan launched Hogan Nutrition, a website featuring nutritional and dietary products.
On New Year's Eve 2012, Hogan opened a beachfront restaurant called "Hogan's Beach" in the Tampa area. The restaurant dropped Hogan's name in October 2015. Hogan later opened Hogan's Hangout in Clearwater Beach. In 2024, Hogan launched "Real American Beer," a light beer brand.
4.2. Other Business Ventures
In September 2008, Hogan's net worth was reported to be around 30.00 M USD. However, in September 2011, Hogan revealed that his lavish lifestyle and divorce had cost him hundreds of millions of dollars, nearly leading to bankruptcy.
In October 2007, Hogan transferred all trademarks related to his persona, including Hulk Hogan, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Hulkster, Hogan Knows Grillin, Hulkamania.com, and Hulkapedia.com, to his liability company, Hogan Holdings Limited.
In April 2008, Hogan announced a licensing deal with video game developer Gameloft to create "Hulkamania Wrestling" for mobile phones, which he stated would be "true to [his] experiences in wrestling." As of 2010, Hogan starred alongside Troy Aikman in commercials for Rent-A-Center. On March 24, 2011, Hogan made a special appearance on American Idol. On October 15, 2010, Endemol Games 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, Hogan partnered with Tech Assets, Inc. to launch a web hosting service called "Hostamania." To promote the service, a commercial parodying Jean-Claude Van Damme's GoDaddy.com commercials and Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" music video was released. On November 21, 2013, Hogan and GoDaddy.com appeared together on a live Hangout On Air on Google Plus to discuss Hostamania and business. Hogan also became a distributor for the multi-level marketing company ViSalus Sciences. He supports the American Diabetes Association.
In 2024, Hogan endorsed Donald Trump for president, appearing at the 2024 Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, and at a 2024 Trump rally at Madison Square Garden on October 28, 2024, where he tore his shirt in a signature move and expressed support for Trump.
5. Personal Life
Hulk Hogan's personal life has been a subject of public interest, marked by his family relationships, health struggles, and personal beliefs.
5.1. Family Life
On December 18, 1983, Hogan married Linda Claridge. They have two children: daughter Brooke Hogan (born May 5, 1988) and son Nick Hogan (born July 27, 1990). Hogan's family life became the focus of the reality television show Hogan Knows Best, which featured his wife and children.
In 2007, Christiane Plante claimed to have had an affair with Hogan while Hogan Knows Best was being filmed. Plante, 33 at the time, had worked with Brooke Hogan on her 2006 album. On November 20, 2007, Linda filed for divorce in Pinellas County, Florida. In November 2008, Linda publicly stated that she decided to end her marriage after discovering Hogan's alleged affair. In his 2009 autobiography, Hogan acknowledged that Linda frequently suspected him of infidelities when he befriended other women, but he denied ever cheating on her. Hogan also experienced financial difficulties due to his extravagant wife, and his son Nick Hogan, who caused a car accident and totaled an expensive luxury car, was imprisoned as a habitual traffic offender. Hogan, unable to bear the wasteful spending of his hard-earned money, eventually divorced. In the divorce settlement, Hogan retained approximately 30% of the couple's liquid assets, totaling around 10.00 M USD. Hogan later stated that he considered suicide after the divorce and credited Laila Ali, his co-star on American Gladiators, with preventing him from doing so.
Hulk Hogan began a relationship with Jennifer McDaniel in early 2008. They became engaged in November 2009 and married on December 14, 2010, in Clearwater, Florida. On February 28, 2022, Hogan announced on Twitter that he and McDaniel had divorced.
In July 2023, Hogan became engaged to yoga instructor Sky Daily, proposing at actor Corin Nemec's wedding reception. They married on September 22, 2023.
5.2. Health Issues
Hogan has experienced numerous health problems, particularly with his back, following years of intense weight-training and the physical toll of professional wrestling. His height has reportedly decreased from 79 in (201 cm) to 76 in (193 cm) due to multiple spinal surgeries.
In January 2013, Hogan filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the Laser Spine Institute for 50.00 M USD. He alleged that the firm persuaded him to undergo six "unnecessary and ineffective" spinal operations over 19 months, which worsened his back problems and only provided short-term relief. After these procedures failed, Hogan underwent traditional spinal fusion surgery in December 2010, which enabled him to return to professional activities. Additionally, he claimed the Laser Spine Institute used his name in advertisements without his permission.
5.3. Religious Beliefs
Hogan has openly spoken about his Christian faith. In 2007, he stated, "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 the wrong way. I could have self-destructed, but I took the high road." On December 20, 2023, he was baptized at Indian Rocks Baptist Church in Largo, Florida.
6. Controversies and Legal Issues
Hulk Hogan's career has been marked by several significant controversies and legal battles that have affected his public image and professional standing.
6.1. Racism Scandal and Departure
In July 2015, National Enquirer and Radar Online publicized an anti-black rant made by Hogan on a leaked sex tape recorded in 2007. In the recording, he was heard expressing disgust with the notion of his daughter dating a black man, repeatedly using the racial slur "nigger". Hogan also admitted to being "a racist, to a point."
Following the public outcry, Hogan apologized for the remarks, stating they were "offensive and inconsistent with [his] own beliefs." Three black wrestlers who worked with Hogan in WWF and WCW expressed support: Virgil said Hogan "has never given me a reason to believe he is a racist," Dennis Rodman stated he "most certainly is not a racist," and Kamala added, "Hogan is my brother until he decides not to be." In contrast, black wrestlers currently working in WWE offered different perspectives. Mark Henry expressed being "hurt and offended" by Hogan's tone and manner, while Booker T called the statements "unfortunate."
On July 24, WWE terminated their contract with Hogan, stating their commitment to "embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds." Hogan's lawyer, however, claimed Hogan chose to resign. WWE removed almost all references to Hogan from their website, including his Hall of Fame listing, merchandise, and his role as a judge for Tough Enough. His downloadable content appearance from WWE 2K15 was removed from sale, and his character was cut from the upcoming WWE 2K16 game. Mattel stopped producing Hogan action figures, and his merchandise was removed from online stores of Target, Toys "R" Us, and Walmart. On July 28, Radar Online reported that Hogan had also used homophobic slurs on the leaked sex tape. Days later, it was reported that Hogan had used racist language in a 2008 call to his then-imprisoned son, Nick, and hoped they would not be reincarnated as black males.
Hogan gave an interview with ABC on August 31, pleading for forgiveness and attributing his racist comments to a racial bias inherited from his neighborhood while growing up. Hogan claimed the term "nigger" was used liberally among friends in Tampa, a claim disputed by former neighbors. In the time that followed, numerous African-Americans associated with wrestling, including The Rock, Dennis Rodman, Booker T, Kamala, Virgil, Mr. T, Mark Henry, Big E, and D'Angelo Dinero, expressed some level of support or forgiveness for Hogan.
On July 15, 2018, Hogan was reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame.
6.2. Gawker Lawsuit
In April 2012, a sex tape featuring Hogan and Heather Clem, the estranged wife of radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge, surfaced online. On October 4, 2012, Gawker released a short clip of the video. In the video, Bubba could be heard saying the couple could "do their thing" and he would be in his office. At the end, he told Heather, "If we ever need to retire, here is our ticket." Hogan later described it as "a bad choice and a very low point," stating it had "devastated" him. On October 15, 2012, Hogan filed a lawsuit against Bubba and Heather Clem for invading his privacy. A settlement with Bubba was announced on October 29, 2012, and Clem publicly apologized to Hogan.
In December 2012, a federal court found that Gawker's publication of the video snippet did not violate U.S. copyright law. Hogan then joined Gawker in the ongoing action against Heather Clem in Florida state court, alleging invasion of privacy, negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and seeking 100.00 M USD in damages. On October 1, 2015, a Florida judge granted Hogan access to Gawker's computer system for a forensic expert to search.
Hogan sued Gawker for 100.00 M USD for defamation, loss of privacy, and emotional pain. On March 18, 2016, he was awarded 115.00 M USD. On August 11, 2016, a Florida judge gave Hogan control of the assets of A.J. Daulerio, former Gawker editor-in-chief, who was involved in the posting of Hogan's sex tape. Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel helped Hogan finance his lawsuit against Gawker Media. On November 2, 2016, Gawker reached a 31.00 M USD settlement with Hogan.
6.3. Steroid Allegations
In 1994, Hogan, having received immunity from prosecution, testified in the trial of Vince McMahon relating to shipments of steroids received by both parties from WWF physician George T. Zahorian III. Under oath, Hogan admitted that he had used anabolic steroids since 1976 to gain size and weight, but that McMahon had neither sold him the drugs nor ordered him to take them. Hogan's testimony proved costly to the government's case against McMahon, who was found not guilty due to this and jurisdictional issues.
6.4. Other Legal Issues
On March 27, 1985, just days before the inaugural WrestleMania, Richard Belzer requested on his cable TV talk show Hot Properties that Hogan demonstrate a wrestling move. After repeated refusals, Hogan put Belzer in a modified Guillotine choke, causing Belzer to pass out. When Hogan released him, Belzer hit his head on the floor, sustaining a scalp laceration that required brief hospitalization. Belzer sued Hogan for 5.00 M USD and later settled out of court. On the October 20, 2006, broadcasting of the Bubba the Love Sponge Show, it was claimed (with Hogan in the studio) that the settlement totaled 5.00 M USD, half from Hogan and half from Vince McMahon. However, during his June 23, 2008, appearance on Sirius Satellite Radio's The Howard Stern Show, Belzer suggested the real settlement amount was closer to 400.00 K USD.
Hogan has been accused multiple times of fabricating elements of his past, including that he was one of the last people to see Kerry Von Erich prior to his death, that an experience with a terminally ill child inspired his Hulk Rules album, that he was scouted by MLB teams before an elbow injury, that he played in the Little League World Series with a .714 batting average, that The Undertaker injured his neck at the 1991 Survivor Series, that Elvis Presley was a fan, that both The Rolling Stones and Metallica wanted him to play bass, that André the Giant weighed over 600 lb (600 lb) at WrestleMania III, and that he was offered the starring role in The Wrestler but turned it down. During the Gawker trial, Hogan admitted in court that his claim of having a 10 in penis was untrue, stating he was speaking as the character Hulk Hogan, not Terry Bollea.
7. Legacy and Evaluation
Hulk Hogan's legacy is one of immense impact on professional wrestling and popular culture, though it is also subject to varied critical assessments.
7.1. Impact on Professional Wrestling and Popular Culture
Hogan has been described as one of the largest attractions in professional wrestling history and a major reason for Vince McMahon's successful expansion of the WWF. 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." IMDb ranked Hogan as the biggest draw in professional wrestling history, placing him at number 1 on a list of 60 wrestlers. A 2022 survey found Hogan to be the most frequently cited professional wrestler by the general public.
Hogan's iconic status and larger-than-life persona helped transform professional wrestling from a regional spectacle into a global phenomenon. His "Hulkamania" era captivated audiences worldwide, inspiring a generation of fans and aspiring wrestlers. His signature catchphrases, poses, and red-and-yellow attire became synonymous with wrestling itself. His heel turn as "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan and leadership of the nWo in WCW revolutionized the industry, ushering in the "Attitude Era" and demonstrating his ability to reinvent himself and remain relevant. His influence extended beyond wrestling, with appearances in films, television shows, and various media, solidifying his place as a pop culture icon.
7.2. Critical Reception and Evaluation
Despite his undeniable drawing power, critical assessments of Hogan's wrestling ability have varied. Fellow wrestler Cody Rhodes has repeatedly called Hogan's WrestleMania X8 match with The Rock the greatest match in wrestling history, epitomizing what professional wrestling is.
However, fellow WWE Hall of Fame member Bret Hart has been a frequent critic of Hogan's in-ring skills, stating in 2021 that Hogan "didn't know a headlock from a headlamp" and was "very limited." Hart had previously referred to Hogan as a "hero" to fans and complimented his physical appearance, noting his "unbelievable look, 6 ft 8 in with the 24 in pythons."
Former writer Vince Russo, whom Hogan had previously sued, commented in 2022 that more wrestlers should emulate Hogan's style, as opposed to the acrobatic modern-day approach. Hogan himself has humbly stated that he considers himself "number two" behind Ric Flair, whom he regards as the greatest wrestler of all time.
In contrast, Chris Jericho stated on his podcast in 2023 that Hogan was a better worker than Flair in his experience. "Hogan is a better worker than Flair. For me. I always had amazing matches with Hogan because he knew exactly who he was as a babyface, as a heel, whatever. He was so great. He knew his audience. He didn't do anything he didn't have to. It was one of my favorite times in my career."
A biopic about Hulk Hogan, set to star Chris Hemsworth and directed by Todd Phillips, was announced in 2019. However, Phillips announced in 2024 that the movie had been scrapped.
8. Awards and Honors
Hulk Hogan has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, recognizing his contributions to professional wrestling and popular culture.
He 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 participated in the parade, throwing doubloons with his likeness. This honor was partly due to meeting Hogan being one of the most requested "wishes" of terminally ill children supported by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Hogan was inducted into the Boys and Girls Club Alumni Hall of Fame on May 3, 2018.
| Year | Award | Group | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Male Athlete | - | |
| 2006 | Teen Choice Awards | TV - Choice Reality Star (Male) | - | Hogan Knows Best |