The Complicated Legacy of 'Wrestling's Top Banana'

AN ’80S ICON WHO CREATED ‘HULKAMANIA,’ THE PRO-WRESTLING LEGEND SPARKED CONTROVERSY IN HIS LATER YEARS

- EILEEN FINAN

HULK HOGAN

1953-2025

Hulk Hogan was an oiled 6'7" bronze giant for many kids in the ’80s, including a young Dwayne Johnson. “You sold out every arena and stadium across the country … on your way to becoming the greatest of all time,” Johnson wrote in a tribute to his “childhood hero,” whom he later faced in the ring as the Rock.

Ringleader For nearly two decades Hogan (in 1991), with his signature T-shirt-tearing move, ruled the wrestling circuit.

A masterful showman and star of the era’s exploding pro-wrestling circuit, Hogan died July 24 at his home in Clearwater, Fla., at the age of 71, following a series of health challenges, including more than 25 surgeries to address the beating his body had taken over the years. In the mid ’80s he helped take the sport mainstream and made millions of fans. “No matter where we went, it was insane,” Hogan’s friend and manager Jimmy Hart told People. “It was like traveling with Elvis Presley.” But years later Hogan’s legacy was tarnished by a series of scandals, and his following was fractured by his support of President Donald Trump, who in a post after Hogan’s death called him “a great friend” and “MAGA all the way.”