Hulk Hogan, an entertainment icon and one of the most successful figures in the history of professional wrestling, passed away on Thursday at the age of 71. He was a worldwide icon of the sport, appearing in movies, television shows, and music, becoming more vocal about his Christian faith in later years.
Wrestling since 1973, Hogan, born Terry Bollea, gained national attention after joining the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1983. As Hogan moved up the ranks, body slammed the legendary André the Giant and became the world champion and a figurehead, the organization became massively successful as he became the most recognized wrestler in the world.
Hogan’s popularity also helped the WWF to launch the first “WrestleMania,” in which he partnered with actor Mr. T, and he went on to headline eight additional events.
As an ambassador of the WWE and professional wrestling, Hogan’s visibility into the mainstream increased, appearing in the film “Rocky III,” the television series “The A-Team” and even Saturday morning television with the animated “Hulk Hogan’s Rock N Wrestling.” The latter spawned out of a venture with Cyndi Lauper that also included “The Wrestling Album” in 1985 and later a kid’s album “Hulk Rules.” Hogan’s additional film appearances also included “No Holds Barred,” “Mr. Nanny,” “Santa With Muscles” and “Suburban Commando” and the series “Thunder in Paradise.”
Hogan also launched several business ventures, including energy drinks, food, retail shops, merchandising, and “Hogan’s Hangout” and “Hogan’s Hangout” in Clearwater Beach, Florida. He reportedly has been represented in more than 170 different action figures through the years.
In 2024, Hogan entered the political arena, appearing at the Republican National Convention and endorsing Donald J. Trump for president. He explained to the crowd, “As an entertainer, I try to stay out of politics, but . . . I can no longer stay silent. I’m here tonight because I want the world to know that Donald Trump is a real American hero, and I’m proud to support my hero as the next president of this United States.”
Hulk Hogan said that he has “always” been a believer but had not always handed control of his life over to Jesus Christ, acknowledging some much-publicized public feuds and controversies in his personal life.
“I was always a believer, but I didn’t completely surrender,” he said in a TBN interview. “I thought I could drive better than he could. I thought I could make the decisions better than He could. And you know, He takes his hands off the wheel and says, ‘Okay’ thinking ‘You do it better. Go ahead and do it.’ So I got tired of crashing and burning, and at this point, with that 40 year career behind me in that whole platform, I understand now that was just a temporary situation to set me up for this next run. . Now I realize why I’m here and what, why all that happened.”
Hogan says that the accepted Jesus Christ as his savior at age 14 and credits God’s power as “The Real Main Event.” In 2023, at age 70, he was baptized as Indian Rocks Baptist Church: “Total surrender and dedication to Jesus is the greatest day of my life. No worries, no hate, no judgment … only love,” he posted to social media.
“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!,” he continued.
Hulk Hogan is one of the celebrities featured in BeliefNet’s Celebrity Faith Database. Click here to read the entry.
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