Pro wrestling legend Hulk Hogan dead at 71
Professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan has died at age 71 according to a report from TMZ.
The article states, “police cars and EMTs were parked outside Hogan’s home … and the icon was carried on a stretcher and into an ambulance.”
Born as Terry Gene Bollea in 1953, Hulk Hogan was widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide, the most popular wrestler of the 1980s and one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.
Hogan began his professional wrestling career in 1977, but gained worldwide recognition after signing with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in December 1983. There, his persona as a heroic all-American helped usher in the 1980s professional wrestling boom, where he headlined eight of the first nine editions (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) of the WWF’s flagship annual event WrestleMania.
In 1993, Hogan departed the WWF to pursue a career in film and television. He was lured back to the ring when he signed with rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994. He won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times, and holds the record for the longest reign. In 1996, he underwent a career renaissance upon adopting the villainous persona of “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, leading the popular New World Order (nWo) stable.
Hulk was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. He was removed in 2015 after a scandal erupted over racists comments while he was being secretly recorded during a sexual encounter. Gawker posted the clip and Hulk subsequently sued, winning the lawsuit.
Hulk was inducted a second time in the WWE in 2020 … this time as a member of NWO.
