WWE icon Hulk Hogan will be remembered by Ric Flair, Triple H and more
WWE icon Hulk Hogan has died at the age of 71. Ric Flair, Triple H and more praise the accomplishments of professional wrestling superstars.
- Netflix’s new documentary series “Hulk Hogan: The Real American” looks at the life of a famous wrestler named Terry Gene Bollea.
- Until his death in 2025, Hogan’s decades-long career made him a household name in the wrestling world.
- However, Hogan’s legacy has been marred by controversies including steroid use and racist language.
Hulkamania is taking over Netflix.
Hulk Hogan: The Real American (now streaming) reveals how the young man born Terry Gene Bollea, who was scolded by his father for not being as strong as his older brother, rose to become a member of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Hall of Fame and helped make the sport what it is today.
In the conversation, filmed last year before his death on July 24, 2025, Hogan walks viewers through his career journey, which began under the guise of a masked Super Destroyer. The four-part documentary continues until Hogan’s death from a heart attack at age 71.
Hogan’s son, Nicholas Bollea, also known as Nick Hogan, said in the documentary that his father suffered complications from neck surgery before his death. “We were in and out of the hospital for about two and a half months, but he showed great resilience and strength in those moments.”
Linda, Nick’s mother and Hogan’s first wife, also attended the film and spoke about the excitement of their love story before it cooled down. Hogan’s manager James “Jimmy” Hart and fellow wrestlers Bret Hart and Jesse Ventura discuss Hogan’s decades-long career. President Donald Trump will also attend a press conference at Hogan’s request.
President Trump says, “Professional wrestling is an imitation of life.” “There are winners and losers. But Hulk was really at the top of his game.”
Despite Hogan’s legacy, the prime minister is far from pure. As featured in the documentary, the wrestler admitted to using steroids and saying offensive racial slurs.
“Terry Bollea wasn’t the greatest guy of all time,” Hogan admits. “I wasn’t, but this character was perfect. I loved the greatness of that character.”
Here are some notable moments from Netflix’s The Real American.
Hulk Hogan admits to using steroids after years of denials
Hogan often attributed his physique to training, praying prayers and taking vitamins. He didn’t mention the one thing that caused his weight to balloon to more than 300 pounds: steroids. Hogan said he began using steroids a few years after graduating from high school in 1971.
“At the time, the idea was that steroids were safer than sugar,” Hogan says. Administering steroids for non-medical purposes was banned in 1988, but Hogan continued to use them. His addiction came to light in 1991 when Dr. George Zahorian, who was charged with administering steroids to wrestlers, named Hogan as the administerer. Hogan realized that “something had to be done” and appeared on “The Arsenio Hall Show” to deny the story.
“Of course I lied to him,” Hogan says in the documentary. “It’s something that falls into the ‘mistake’ category. If I could relive it, I wouldn’t do it again.”
Hogan admitted to using steroids in 1994. At the time, Vince McMahon, who bought the Old World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from his father in 1982, was charged with conspiracy to distribute steroids.
“I said he never sold me steroids,” Hogan says. “I told the judge it was like a carton of cigarettes. ‘Hey, give me a carton of cigarettes. Next time I get one, I’ll pay you back.'” McMahon was acquitted.
Hulk Hogan mentions O.J. Simpson’s infamous quote
Linda said she learned Hogan had been unfaithful when her housekeeper found earrings in her bed that didn’t belong to her. Hogan had an affair with Christian Plante, a friend of his daughter Brooke (who does not appear in the documentary). Linda filed for divorce in 2007 and the two went through a bad breakup, which Hogan spoke about in a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone.
“I could have turned the whole thing into a crime scene and cut everyone’s throats like O.J.,” Hogan told the outlet. “You live half a mile from a 20,000-square-foot house that you can no longer go to. As I was driving through downtown Clearwater, I saw a 19-year-old boy driving your Escalade. And I know that a 19-year-old boy is sleeping in your bed with your wife…I totally get it, OJ, I get it.” In 1995, Simpson was charged in the “trial of the century” for the murder of his ex-wife. Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. Both were stabbed to death on June 12, 1994. Although the jury found Mr. Simpson not guilty, some believe he is responsible for their deaths.
“I spent three days at Rolling Stone,” Hogan says in the documentary, believing he and the writer became friends. “All of a sudden, we were sitting on the back porch of my house, drinking beers on the beach, talking a little bit, and he asked me about O.J. Simpson. I said, ‘Wow, brother, you know I used to be so jealous and so angry with girls, and I totally understand how he was mad, but I would never do that. I would never go there.’
“I started drinking, I started eating pills, and I was down this rabbit hole for a few days, and the next thing I knew, I was sitting in the bathroom with a gun in my mouth and I didn’t even know what I was doing,” Hogan said amid the backlash.
“I gave Linda 70% of everything to get rid of her,” Hogan said, adding that he was financially penniless after the divorce.
Hulk Hogan wins lawsuit against Gawker over sex tape
In 2012, celebrity media company Gawker released a portion of a 2007 sex tape featuring Hogan and Heather Clem, then-wife of Hogan’s friend Todd Clem, known as Bubba the Love Sponge.
When asked to delete the tape, Gawker refused, citing First Amendment reasons. Ken Turkel, the attorney who represented Hogan in the lawsuit, said in the documentary that Hogan was “terrified by the thought of a young child searching Google for himself and seeing that.” In March 2016, a jury awarded Hogan a $140 million verdict, which shut down the company. Hogan and Gawker settled a few months later in November 2016 for $31 million.
Hulk Hogan expresses regret over racial slur
The Gawker lawsuit wasn’t a complete victory for Hogan. A transcript of the tape released in 2015 revealed that he used a racial slur during the encounter. Hogan apologized at the time and was fired from WWE.
“I’m a person who gets very upset about personal situations,” Hogan said on the show. “I used words, and yes, I regret them, because I should have stayed still and shut up even in that heavy, crazy fire. But what I said resonates and has an echo effect. It continues to vibrate for years.”
Hogan recalled a conversation with McMahon earlier in the documentary series in which he spoke about his temper. Hogan’s victory over Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX in 1993 left Hogan wondering what the future held, but McMahon believed he didn’t have long to live.
Hogan remembers being on the phone with McMahon and “just going crazy.” “Whatever. Any…bad name you say will cancel you.”
President Donald Trump talks about his ‘very controversial’ friendship with Hogan: ‘I’m pretty controversial too’
President Trump began the interview by urging the crew to begin when they are ready because “we have a big meeting going on with Russia.” While the president’s physical appearance may be surprising, Trump and Hogan have been friends since meeting in the 1980s, and Trump says they have something in common.
“The Hulk has always been controversial, and that’s okay,” he says. “I’m a pretty controversial person. I think I’ve become less controversial in the last few years, but I’m also pretty controversial.”
Hogan praises President Trump’s work ethic. Trump praised Hogan’s showmanship, loyalty and their “good chemistry.”
Hogan said he previously avoided politics to avoid alienating his fans, but quietly voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020. He had planned to do the same in 2024, but after an assassination attempt that summer, Hogan could no longer remain silent. A few days later at the Republican National Convention, Hogan enthusiastically endorsed Trump as if promoting a wrestling match. He even tore his shirt to reveal the Trump and Vance T-shirt underneath.
“He’s a friend of mine,” Hogan explains. “A lot of people would say I’m completely crazy, but I know the guy. I know him very well. I’m not saying I agree with everything he does, but at least he’s honest about who he is.”
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