One of the biggest legends to ever grace the squared circle, Hulk Hogan, is dead.
He was 71-years-old.
Reports indicate that emergency services were called to Hogan’s house early this morning due to a cardiac arrest call. He was rushed to hospital.
Recent reports ranged from Hogan suffering from complications due to neck surgery to he was in a very bad way.
A few weeks ago, Hogan wife Sky deputed rumours that he was in very poor health.
“No, he’s definitely not in a coma! His heart is strong, and there was never any lack of oxygen or brain damage… none of those rumors are true. He’s been recovering from a major four-level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF), which is an intense surgery with a long and layered healing process. If you look it up, you’ll see what the last six weeks have involved… not just for his spine, but also for his vocal cords, and the eating/breathing tubes that are clamped over during surgery,” she wrote on social media.
Radio host Bubba the Love Sponge has accused Hogan and his team of hiding a serious health condition over the last few months.
Hulk Hogan, was born Terry Bollea was a musician and a bodybuilder who rose to become one of the most iconic professional wrestlers of all time. With catch phrases such as “Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you, brother?” and “Eat your vitamins and say your prayers!, Hogan was the face of the WWE (then known as the WWF) and was one of the forces responsible for the wrestling boom in the eighties. He and his Hulk-A-Mania, Real American persona transcended wrestling making him and wrestling house hold names during the Rock n’ Wrestling era.
Hogan made his debut in American Wrestling Association (AWA) but rose to stardom in theWWF in 1983. His feud with André the Giant, especially their legendary match at WrestleMania III in 1987, solidified his superstar status.
In the 1990s, Hogan moved to WCW (World Championship Wrestling) where he continued his Hulk-A-Mania persona but in a move that stunned the wrestling world, reinvented himself as ‘Hollywood’ Hogan and became a founding member of the New World Order.
Hogan would also wrestle in brief stinys in NJPW and TNA, where he reunited with fellow nWo founders Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, and also became an authority figure there.
Hogan returned to WWE in the 2000s and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
Outside the ring, he became a world-reknown pop culture icon appearing in movies such as Rocky III, No Holds Barred, Suburban Commando and Mr. Nanny. He also appeared in such TV shows as Thunder in Paradise, Baywatch and the reality show Hogan Knows Best.
Hogan’s legacy as one of the greatest to ever step in the ring was tainted by controversy including his high-profile lawsuit against Gawker Media and racist remarks he had made in the past.
In January last year, he became a real-life hero saving a woman who was involved in a car crash.
Recently, Hogan was collaborating with Eric Bischoff on the new Real American Freestyle Wrestling, busy promoting his Real American Beer company and was even interested in stepping in to buy, run Hooters restaurants.
In recent news, Kurt Angle has spoken about why he turned down Hulk Hogan’s initial offer for him to join the Real American Freestyle Wrestling team.
