Hulk Hogan’s Life, Wrestling Legacy, and Faith Remembered
“Total surrender and dedication to Jesus is the greatest day of my life. No worries, no hate, no judgment… only love.”
That’s what Hulk Hogan wrote in December 2023 after getting baptized. The same guy who once tore off his shirt in the wrestling arena as well on a presidential campaign trail, took on literal giants, and shouted “Whatcha gonna do, brother?” to roaring crowds, was now talking about faith and letting others know how Jesus changed his life.
On Thursday morning, Hogan—born Terry Bollea—met his savior when he died at his Clearwater, Florida home. He was 71.
Paramedics were called around 10 a.m. for what officials said was a cardiac arrest. He was surrounded by family. His longtime manager, Chris Volo, said he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say there’s no sign of foul play.
To say Hogan changed wrestling doesn’t really cover it. He was wrestling. In the ‘80s, he turned what was still a niche sport into something huge, loud, and impossible to ignore. The bandana, the mustache, the “Hulkamania” shirts—he was a walking cartoon in the best way, and people couldn’t get enough. He overcame giants, both in his personal life and in the ring, including slamming Andre the Giant to the mat. He headlined the first WrestleMania, starred in movies, and somehow became a household name across generations.
On news of his death, WWE shared that Hogan helped the company go global. He made wrestling mainstream, and for a while, he was the mainstream. “One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans.”
In recent years, Hogan was in a different place. He talked more about pain than performance. “I’ve had like 25 surgeries in the last ten years—10 of them back surgeries,” he told Jake Paul on a podcast. He spoke about regrets, redemption, and his Christian faith, which he leaned into hard. That baptism video he posted in 2023? It showed a man who looked relieved. Like he’d finally put something heavy down.
Hogan recently posted to social media the joy re-discovering his faith in Jesus after a rocky few years during his wrestling career. “I accepted Christ as my savior at 14 yrs old and the training, prayers, and vitamins kept me in the game, but now that I am one with God, the main event theme of surrender, service, and love makes me the Real Main Event that can slam any giant of any size through the power of my Lord and Savior and so it is, even now brother, AMEN!”
Ric Flair, who’d battled Hogan in the ring and stood by him outside of it, shared a simple tribute: “Our friendship has meant the world to me. He was always there for me even when I didn’t ask.”
Hogan leaves behind his wife, Sky Daily, and his two kids, Brooke and Nick.
He also leaves behind millions of fans both in the wrestling and faith arenas. They’ll all agree that this larger-than-life figure, who had fun flexing in front of the cameras and yelling “brother!” reveled in clean entertainment and sharing his faith.
“I think all those people that have all the excuses for being in the wrong place at the wrong time or not being good enough. You don’t need to be cleaned up. Come to Him. He’ll clean you up,” he said.
–Dwight Widaman
