Hulk Hogan: Wrestling Legend “Terry Bollea” Dies at 71

Hulk Hogan, one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling, passed away on Thursday at the age of 71. Florida police and WWE, the wrestling company he made famous, shared the sad news. Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, died after a heart problem called cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida. Authorities said there was nothing strange about his death, and he was taken to a hospital where doctors confirmed he had passed.

Hulk Hogan was not just any wrestler, he was the man who made wrestling a huge deal across the country. In the 1980s, he helped turn WWE (then called WWF) into something everyone talked about. His bright yellow bandana and big muscles made him easy to spot. Hogan was the top star at the first WrestleMania in 1985, a show at Madison Square Garden that about 1 million people watched on TV. That event changed wrestling forever.

Then, in 1987, Hulk Hogan faced Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III. Around 80,000 fans filled a stadium in Michigan to see it, and millions more watched a rematch on TV later that year. Hogan was in the main event for seven of the first eight WrestleMania shows. He won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship six times, holding it once for over 1,400 days. Only two other wrestlers ever kept it longer.

By the 1990s, Hogan wanted to try something new. In 1996, he joined a rival company called WCW and became a bad guy, or “heel.” He led a group called the New World Order (NWO) and changed his name to “Hollywood” Hogan. Instead of his usual red and yellow clothes, he wore black and white. This switch made wrestling exciting again, and WCW became more popular than WWE for 83 weeks straight.

The legendary Hulk Hogan ❤️💛 pic.twitter.com/3daG7IDznf

— WWE (@WWE) July 24, 2025

Later, in 2002, Hogan returned to WWE to fight The Rock at WrestleMania 18. Even though he was supposed to be the bad guy, over 68,000 fans cheered for him. This showed how much people still loved Hogan. So, he went back to being the good guy in his red and yellow gear. In 2005, WWE added him to their Hall of Fame.

Hogan didn’t stop at wrestling. He was in movies like “Rocky III,” where he fought Sylvester Stallone’s character, and on TV shows like “Thunder in Paradise.” Even after he stopped wrestling in 2012, Hogan kept busy. He was starting a new wrestling group called Real American Freestyle and planning to open a bar near Madison Square Garden in New York City. But his health had been bad for years, especially his back, which hurt from all his wrestling days.

Hogan faced problems outside the ring too. In 2015, people heard him say rude things about race on a recording. WWE stopped working with him for a while, but they brought him back later. That same year, a website called Gawker showed a private video of him. Hogan took them to court and won $115 million.

After his death, many famous people shared kind words. Wrestlers like Ric Flair and Triple H posted online about him. Even President Donald Trump called Hogan a great friend. Hogan had spoken at a big event for Trump in 2023, and Trump said Hogan’s speech was a highlight. Trump also said Hogan’s wife, Sky, and his family would miss him a lot.

Hulk Hogan was a giant in wrestling. He made it fun and popular for millions of people. His big matches, like those at WrestleMania, and his time with the NWO changed how people saw wrestling. Even with some hard moments, Hogan stayed a name everyone knew. His death is a big loss to wrestling and to those who loved watching him.

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