The wrestling world is in mourning. Hulk Hogan, the iconic star who brought this sport to national stardom and became the highest-grossing figure in the history of the industry, passed away on Thursday at the age of 71, according to Florida authorities and WWE.
Clearwater, Florida police responded to a call on Thursday morning due to cardiac arrest. Hogan was pronounced dead at a hospital, according to a police statement.
There were no signs of foul play or suspicious activity.
Maj. Nate Burnside
WWE expressed its sadness at the passing of this Hall of Fame member.
WWE extended its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans.Hulk Hogan fue el evento principal de siete de los primeros ocho eventos de WrestleMania y revivió el interés en la lucha libre en la década de 1990 con su giro para crear la NWO.Hulk Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, had been dealing with several health problems in recent years, including a persistent back injury stemming from his wrestling days. Although he hadn’t wrestled since 2012, he had recently been in the news as the founder of the wrestling promotion Real American Freestyle and the owner of a bar in New York, near Madison Square Garden, the scene of many of his great matches.
In 1985, Hogan headlined the first WrestleMania, teaming with 1980s television star Mr. T to face Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. WrestleMania I, at MSG, drew an audience of around 1 million people via closed-circuit television and is credited with bringing professional wrestling, specifically the then WWF (now WWE), to national awareness.
Hogan’s match with Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III took the wrestling business, and Hogan’s career, to new heights. Around 80,000 people filled the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan for the match. The rematch, several months later on NBC, drew 33 million viewers.
Hogan headlined seven of the first eight WrestleMania events. He was the face and hero of the wrestling world, transcending into the mainstream with numerous appearances on television talk shows, as well as starring roles in films and television.
Hogan won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship six times, including a reign of 1,474 days. Only Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund held the belt for more consecutive days.
In 1996, with interest in him as a hero waning, Hogan made the most impactful turn in wrestling history as a second act. Working for WWE’s competition, World Championship Wrestling, Hogan became a villain, leading a group of invaders called the New World Order. This change, 29 years ago this summer, captured public interest in a way that wrestling hadn’t achieved since WrestleMania I. The NWO, with “Hollywood” Hogan as the leader, wearing black and white instead of his traditional red and yellow, breathed new life into the wrestling industry during the counterculture of the 1990s.
Hogan returned to WWE in 2002 to face The Rock at WrestleMania 18 in Toronto. His character was the villainous version of the NWO, but the more than 68,000 attendees were not interested in booing Hogan. They cheered him over The Rock.
He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
Ric Flair and Triple H were among several notable wrestling icons who reacted to Hogan’s death on social media.
Former President Donald Trump also reacted to the news. Hogan gave a speech at the Republican National Convention last July to support Trump’s presidential campaign.
After his wrestling career concluded, Hogan found himself embroiled in some controversies. In 2015, video recordings were leaked in which he used a racial slur and referred to himself as “racist to a certain extent.” WWE terminated his legends contract at the time, although they brought him back three years later as an ambassador with infrequent television appearances. Hogan appeared on WWE’s Netflix debut show in January to promote his new Real American beer, but was booed by fans in Los Angeles.
A sex tape involving Hogan was leaked by the website Gawker in 2015, and Hogan subsequently sued for defamation, invasion of privacy, and emotional distress. Hogan won the case and was awarded $115 million.
