Hulk Hogan's Wild Career from Global 'Hulk-a-Mania' Wrestling Superstar to MAGA Fanatic

Medics were called to Hogan's Clearwater, Florida residence in response to an apparent "cardiac arrest," per the outlet. After being transported on the scene by Clearwater Fire & Rescue, he was reportedly transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The charismatic face of the then-WWF as it became first a national and then a global powerhouse helped bring wrestling into the mainstream with his over-the-top shirt-tearing antics, and high-energy interview style, as well as his overpowering presence in the ring.

Even more remarkable, Hogan managed to parlay his success as a professional wrestler into incredible crossover success, helping to elevate the WWE brand, as well as his own, becoming one of the biggest stars of the '80s and '90s. And he was everywhere!

The symbol of all-American righteousness in the early '80s, Hogan set a record in 1988 when he and Andre the Giant faced off in front of 33 million television viewers. It's still the highest-rated wrestling moment.

His iconic red and yellow garb paired with his signature leg drop, shirt-tearing, and cupping his hand to his ear for audience roars helped ensure "Hulk-a-Mania" was alive and well, as Hogan's fanatical fans ate up merchandise from cereals to lunch boxes, t-shirts, jackets, and even his signature headbands. Suffice to say, Hogan was one of the biggest stars on the planet.

Running almost concurrently with his dominance in the world of professional wrestling, Hogan began taking over other realms of entertainment with memorable roles in major films like Rocky III and Gremlins 2: The New Batch leading to star performances in the early '90s with No Holds Barred, Suburban Commando, and Mr. Nanny.

Meanwhile, Hogan led his WWE pals into Saturday morning cartoons with the launch of Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling in 1985, taping live-action segments, and a decade later made the time to star in an action-adventure series from Baywatch creators, Thunder in Paradise.

All the while, the superstar never fully stepped away from wrestling, spending time with both of the major organizations (WWE and WCW) at the time, making his first exit before their 2001 merger. Hogan shocked the nation when he went heel with WCW -- meaning his wrestling persona turned villainous -- in 1996, forming the New World Order.

The move, though, ushered in a new era for both the WCW and WWE as storytelling and out-of-the-ring drama began to take up even more of the narrative. So while Hogan's fans felt shocked and betrayed, the shift would prove incredibly lucrative for WCW, as Hogan's infamy made industry headlines.

By the early 2000s, WWE and WCW were one entity with Hogan turning back to face (i.e., hero) and working alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. He would continue to wrestle throughout the decade, and was inducted as part of the the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, with his friend Sylvester Stallone honoring him.

As his wrestling career was honored in the ring, Hogan began the next phase of his career, bringing his family along for the ride, as he launched the first season of Hogan Knows Best in July 2005.

The VH1 series starred Hogan and wife Linda, along with their two teen children Brooke and Nick and featured the lead-up to his Hall of Fame induction in its first season. It launched with VH1's largest premiere audience ever at the time.

2006 would mark Hogan's final match with WWE, after a feud with Randy Orton that involved daughter Brooke. Orton's flirting with the Hogan teen triggered that showdown at SummerSlam on August 20, with the Hulkster exiting WWE with one final win.

Issues with son Nick involving a felony reckless driving charge in 2007, as well as underage drinking that left his friend on life support with serious brain injuries to this day, would help lead to the show's early demise. Another factor was Hulk's reported affair with one of Brooke's friends 21 years his junior.

Linda would go on to file for divorce after 24 years, saying that their marriage had already been effectively over. Along with the end of the marriage came the end of the show after four seasons, though Brooke would go on to star in two-season spinoff Brooke Knows Best.

He spent the latter 2000s and early 2010s wrestling with TNA before making yet another return to WWE in 2014. He would enjoy a few years, with several events honoring his career and impact on the industry, before a leaked sex tape would reveal shocking racist comments that led to the termination of his contract, and a dramatic shift as his image was irreperably tarnished.

In audio from the 2007 sex tape shared by the National Enquirer and Radar Online in July 2015, Hogan was heard using the n-word as he admitted to being "racist, to a point" as he shared his negative thoughts about the possibility of Brooke ever dating a Black man.

Hogan received some support from within the industry after he publicly apologized for his comments, saying they were not aligned with his beliefs, including some Black wrestlers like Virgil, Kamala, and crossover star Dennis Rodman.

Nevertheless, WWE stripped him of his contract, and removed almost all reference of Hogan from their website, stripping him from WWE video games. His action figures were pulled and he continued to deal with the fallout as more racist comments emerged, apologizing and claiming racial bias due to the neighborhood where he grew up.

Three years later, in 2018, Hogan was reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame and returned to the air in 2019, with subsequent appearances from that point forward, primarily as a presenter or speaker.

He would again shock a segment of his fanbase in 2024 when he publicly endorsed Donald Trump for president with an appearance at the Republican National Convention, tearing off his shirt to reveal a Trump-Vance shit underneath. He cited the assassination attempt on Trump as the reason for his public announcement, per ABC News.

"As an entertainer, I try to stay out of politics," he said. "But after everything that's happened to our country over the past four years, and everything that happened last weekend, I can no longer stay silent."

He went on to call Trump "a real American hero," expressing his support. Trump had previously hosted two WrestleMania events in the 1980s featuring Hogan, with the wrestling noting they've known each other for decades.

Hogan also spoke at Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden in October 2024. During his speech, he said, "I don't see no stinkin' Nazis in here. I don't see no stinkin' domestic terrorists in here. The only thing I see here are a bunch of hard-working men and women that are real Americans, brother."

Donald Trump Jr. was among the first to pay tribute after Hogan's death, sharing a picture of the two at the RNC with the caption, "R.I.P to a legend."