The wrestling world mourns the loss of one of its most emblematic figures. Hulk Hogan, who brought this sport to national stardom and became the biggest economic draw in the history of the industry, passed away on Thursday at the age of 71, according to Florida authorities and WWE.
Officers responded to an emergency call in Clearwater, Florida, on Thursday morning, related 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.
Mayor Nate Burnside
WWE also expressed its regret through its social media, after learning of the death of the Hall of Fame member.
Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was one of the most recognizable figures in popular culture. He helped WWE achieve worldwide recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans.Hulk Hogan fue la estrella principal en siete de los primeros ocho eventos de WrestleMania y revivió el interés generalizado en la lucha libre en la década de 1990 con su giro para crear la NWO.Hogan, who battled several health problems in recent years, including a persistent back injury from his days in the ring. Although he hadn’t wrestled since 2012, he was recently in the news as the founder of the Real American Freestyle wrestling promotion 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 through closed-circuit television and is credited with bringing professional wrestling, specifically the then WWF (now WWE), into the national spirit.
Hogan’s match with Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III took the wrestling business, and Hogan’s career, to new heights. Nearly 80,000 people filled the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan for the match. The rematch, several months later on NBC, drew 33 million viewers.
Hogan was the main star in seven of the first eight WrestleMania events. He was the face and hero of the wrestling world, breaking into the mainstream with numerous appearances on television talk shows, as well as starring roles in films, including the third “Rocky” film, where he faced the main character played by Sylvester Stallone, and on television, including “Thunder in Paradise” in the 1990s. Hogan won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship six times, including a reign of 1,474 days.
In 1996, with interest in him as a hero waning, Hogan made the biggest villain 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. The villain turn, 29 years ago this summer, captured the public’s interest in a way that wrestling hadn’t achieved since WrestleMania I.
The NWO, with “Hollywood” Hogan as the ruthless leader dressed in black and white instead of his signature red and yellow, breathed new life into the wrestling industry during the counterculture of the 1990s, when the public demanded a darker and more adult product. Hogan rose to the challenge, helping WCW beat the WWF in television ratings for 83 consecutive weeks starting in 1996.
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, then the biggest hero in WWE, which forced Hogan to return to Florida that weekend to pick up his old red and yellow wrestling shirts and trunks.
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.
President Donald Trump also reacted to the news.
After his wrestling career concluded, Hogan found himself embroiled in some controversies. In 2015, video recordings were leaked where he used the N-word and referred to himself as “racist to a certain degree.” 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 featuring 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 received $115 million.
