Hulk Hogan
Terry Gene Bollea, better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, was an American professional wrestler and media personality. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and globally most recognized wrestling stars of all time, Hogan won multiple championships worldwide, most notably being a six-time WWF Champion. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. Hogan also competed in promotions such as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Known for his showmanship, large physique, and trademark blond American Fu Manchu moustache and bandanas, Hogan began training in 1977 with Championship Wrestling from Florida and achieved global stardom after joining the WWF in 1983. His heroic, all‑American persona helped usher in the 1980s professional wrestling boom, during which he headlined eight of the first nine editions of WWF's flagship annual event WrestleMania and regularly headlined Saturday Night's Main Event. His first reign as WWF Champion lasted 1,474 days—the third-longest in the title's history—and he became the first wrestler to win back-to-back Royal Rumbles in 1990 and 1991.
[|In 1994], Hogan joined WCW and won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times. His reinvention as the villainous Hollywood Hogan and leadership of the New World Order revitalized his career and significantly contributed to the success of the "Monday Night War" wrestling boom of the late 1990s, including three headline appearances at Starrcade. Hogan returned to WWF in 2002—after WWF acquired WCW—winning the Undisputed WWF Championship for a then-record-equalling sixth reign before departing in 2003. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 and a second time in 2020 as part of the nWo.
Outside wrestling, Hogan appeared in films such as Rocky III, No Holds Barred, and Suburban Commando, and starred in television shows including Thunder in Paradise and Hogan Knows Best. He also fronted the Wrestling Boot Band; their sole record, Hulk Rules, reached number 12 on the Billboard Top Kid Audio chart in 1995.
Several controversies damaged Hogan's public image. In 1994, he acknowledged using anabolic steroids dating back to 1976 and admitted to discouraging efforts to unionize professional wrestlers. In 2012, the internet media company Gawker published portions of a sex tape, which later had portions leak in which Hogan was heard using racial slurs and openly admitting to being racist. Hogan sued Gawker, which was found liable and subsequently declared bankruptcy.
Early life
Hogan was born in Augusta, Georgia, on August 11, 1953, the son of construction foreman Pietro "Peter" Bollea and homemaker and dance teacher Vernice "Ruth". Hogan was of Italian, Panamanian, Scottish, and French descent; his paternal grandfather, also named Pietro, was born in 1886 in Cigliano, Province of Vercelli in Piedmont. Hogan had an older brother named Allan who died at the age of 38 from a drug overdose. When he was one and a half years old, his family moved to Port Tampa, Florida.As a boy, he was a pitcher in Little League Baseball. Hogan attended Robinson High School. He began watching professional wrestling at 16 years old. While in high school, he regularly attended cards at the Tampa Sportatorium. It was at one of those wrestling cards where he first noticed "Superstar" Billy Graham and began looking to him for inspiration; since he first saw Graham on television, Hogan wanted to match his "inhuman" look.
Hogan was also a musician, spending a decade playing fretless bass guitar in several Florida-based rock bands. He went on to study at Hillsborough Community College and the University of South Florida. After music gigs began to get in the way of his time in college, he dropped out of the University of South Florida. Eventually, Hogan and two local musicians formed a band called Ruckus in 1976. The band soon became popular in the Tampa Bay region. During his spare time, Hogan worked out at Hector's Gym in the Tampa Bay area, where he began lifting. Many of the wrestlers who were competing in the Florida region visited the bars where Ruckus was performing. Among those attending his performances were Jack and Gerald Brisco.
Professional wrestling career
Early years (1977–1979)
Jack and Geraldo Brisco got Hogan connected with Hiro Matsuda—the man who trained wrestlers working for Championship Wrestling from Florida —to make him a potential trainee. During the first session in training, Matsuda broke Hogan's leg. After 10 weeks of rehab, Hogan returned to train with Matsuda and blocked him when he tried to break his leg again. In Hogan's professional wrestling debut, CWF promoter Eddie Graham booked him against Brian Blair in Fort Myers, Florida, on August 10, 1977. A short time later, Hogan donned a mask and assumed the persona of "The Super Destroyer", a hooded character previously played by Don Jardine and subsequently used by other wrestlers.After a brief career hiatus, Hogan wrestled for the Alabama-based promotion Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling in 1978. He formed a tag team with Ed Leslie known as The Boulder Brothers under the names Terry and Ed Boulder. During his time in Alabama, Hogan had early encounters with André the Giant, including two matches and a televised arm-wrestling contest that generated significant local interest. On May 24, 1979, Hogan wrestled his first world championship match against NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race at Rip Hewes Sports Complex in Dothan, Alabama. Hogan pinned Race during the match and was briefly announced as the new champion on GCCW television. However, the NWA later overturned the decision, declaring a disqualification and nullifying the title change. Hogan went on to win the Southeastern Heavyweight Championship twice later in the year; first defeating Ox Baker, then again after regaining it from Professor Tanaka, following a brief loss to Austin Idol.
Later that year, Hogan and Leslie joined Jerry Jarrett's Memphis-based promotion Continental Wrestling Association. While in Memphis, Hogan made a talk show appearance alongside actor Lou Ferrigno, star of the television series The Incredible Hulk. The host commented that Hogan, standing 6 ft 7 in and weighing 295 lbs with biceps, dwarfed Ferrigno. Inspired by this, Mary Jarrett suggested the nickname "The Hulk," resulting in Hogan wrestling as Terry "The Hulk" Boulder. He also occasionally performed under the name Sterling Golden.
World Wrestling Federation (1979–1981)
According to his autobiography My Life Outside the Ring, Bollea briefly left professional wrestling in 1979 and was working on the Tampa docks when he was spotted by Gerald Brisco. Brisco and his brother encouraged Hogan to return to wrestling and helped arrange a meeting with World Wide Wrestling Federation promoter Vince McMahon Sr. However this claim is disputed, with some wrestling historians crediting Terry Funk with recommending Hogan to McMahon Sr., having recognized his potential during Hogan's early matches. Funk, who previously appeared in the 1978 Sylvester Stallone film Paradise Alley, would also later recommend Hogan to Stallone for the role of Thunderlips in Rocky III.McMahon, impressed with Bollea's charisma and physical stature, offered him a spot on the WWWF roster as an opponent for André the Giant. McMahon, who wanted to use an Irish name, gave him the last name Hogan, and suggested he dye his hair red. Hogan, whose hair was already thinning, declined, quipping, "I'll be a blond Irishman." Hogan wrestled his first match in the WWWF under the ring name "Hulk Hogan" by defeating Harry Valdez on the November 17 episode of Championship Wrestling. He was presented as a villain in the WWWF, and was managed by "Classy" Freddie Blassie.
The next year, Hogan began a high-profile feud with André the Giant. On August 9, 1980, at Showdown at Shea, André defeated Hogan in a match. However, Hogan notably body-slammed André during the bout, an early version of the iconic moment that would later be immortalized at WrestleMania III. They faced off again on August 30, 1980, at Madison Square Garden in a televised match with Gorilla Monsoon serving as special guest referee. Once again, Hogan managed to body-slam André, but was unsuccessful in ultimately defeating him.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1980–1985)
In 1980, Hulk Hogan began wrestling for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he was nicknamed "Ichiban". by Japanese fans. He made his debut on May 13, 1980, while still under contract with the WWF, and continued to tour Japan occasionally over the next few years. During his time in NJPW, Hogan used a more technical wrestling style than the power-based approach he used in the United States. He also used the Axe Bomber, a crooked arm lariat, as his finisher in Japan instead of the running leg drop.While still appearing for the WWF, including wrestling Pedro Morales for the Intercontinental Championship on March 26, 1981, Hogan achieved major success in Japan. On June 2, 1983, he won the inaugural International Wrestling Grand Prix tournament by defeating Antonio Inoki by knockout, becoming the first holder of the original version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Hogan also teamed with Inoki to win the MSG Tag League tournament in both 1982 and 1983.
In 1984, Hogan returned to NJPW to defend the IWGP title against Inoki, who had earned a title shot by winning that year's IWGP League. Hogan lost the match and therefore the title by countout after interference from Riki Choshu. During this period, Hogan also defended his WWF World Heavyweight Championship in Japan against opponents like Seiji Sakaguchi and Tatsumi Fujinami. His final match of that tour was on June 13, 1984, where he again lost to Inoki by countout in an IWGP title match. Hogan was the only IWGP champion to defend the title without winning the qualifying tournament.