Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan was the ring name of Terry Bollea, an American professional wrestler and television personality. He became a central figure in the expansion of the World Wrestling Federation, now WWE, during the 1980s and later performed for World Championship Wrestling. He died on July 24, 2025, aged seventy-one.

Before wrestling, Bollea played bass in the Florida band Ruckus. He entered professional wrestling after training with Hiro Matsuda and worked under several names before becoming Hulk Hogan in the WWF. His early career also included wrestling in Japan and for the American Wrestling Association. An appearance as Thunderlips in the film Rocky III introduced him to an audience beyond wrestling.

Hogan defeated the Iron Sheik for the WWF championship in January 1984. The title victory began the period promoted as Hulkamania, built around his red-and-yellow clothing, television appearances, and role as the company’s leading heroic character. His matches included rivalries with André the Giant and Randy Savage, and he won the Royal Rumble in both 1990 and 1991.

In 1994, he joined WCW. Two years later, he adopted a villainous character as Hollywood Hogan and became a founding member of the New World Order. The change placed him at the centre of the television competition between WCW and WWF during the 1990s. Across WWE and WCW, he held each organization’s principal world championship six times.

Hogan later returned to WWE and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2005. His entertainment work included films, television programs, the animated series Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling, and the reality series Hogan Knows Best. His two autobiographical books cover different periods: Hollywood Hulk Hogan follows his wrestling and entertainment career, while My Life Outside the Ring concentrates more closely on family events and personal difficulties during the late 2000s.

The contrast between his WWF and WCW characters also runs through his published account of wrestling. In the first, he was presented as a patriotic hero; in the second, his alliance with the New World Order placed him among the principal villains in the promotion’s televised stories.

Wrestling Memoirs

Hollywood Hulk Hogan: Hogan recounts his move from playing music in Florida to training as a wrestler and becoming an internationally recognized performer. Written with Michael Jan Friedman, the autobiography follows his early wrestling work, his rise in the WWF, and his years in WCW. It describes the development of his heroic and villainous characters, his entertainment work, and the career decisions behind those changes. The account presents his recollections of the industry and the people involved before his return to WWE in the early 2000s.

My Life Outside the Ring: Hogan describes the family crises and public scrutiny that followed the success of Hogan Knows Best. The memoir covers his son Nick’s car crash, the serious injuries suffered by passenger John Graziano, Nick’s imprisonment, and the breakdown of Hogan’s marriage. Written with Mark Dagostino, it also addresses Hogan’s depression and his account of rebuilding his life. Wrestling provides background to a narrative concerned chiefly with events outside the ring and their effects on his family and public reputation.