‘Hulkamania will live forever’: Pros react to Hulk Hogan’s death

Hulk Hogan has died at the age of 71, according to a report from TMZ.

The professional wrestling legend’s death was reportedly due to a cardiac arrest that took place at his home in Clearwater, Fla. Hogan (real name: Terry Bollea) is widely recognized as one of the most popular and influential performers in the history of the business and was an instrumental figure in the global rise of the WWE (formerly WWF) and later WCW, in addition to working with several other notable promotions.

Despite performing in his last match in 2012, the two-time WWE Hall of Fame inductee remained an active figure in the combat sports world, appearing on WWE programming as recently as 2025 and founding the upcoming Real American Freestyle wrestling organization alongside longtime friend and business partner Eric Bischoff and famed wrestling coach Izzy Martinez.

Hogan’s legacy is a complicated one. He was a prominent sporting figure through the ‘80s and ‘90s, emerging as a mainstream star after being promoted as the face of the then-WWF, which saw him cross paths with fellow legends Andre the Giant, Randy Savage, The Iron Sheik, Roddy Piper, Paul Orndoff, and Terry Funk among countless others, as well as becoming embroiled in storylines involving celebrities such as Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper. The wrestler’s boundless charisma generated massive box office numbers for the WWF and launched Hogan and the company into the pop culture zeitgeist of the era.

Following a lull in popularity and a jump from WWF to rival company WCW, Hogan again struck gold as a member of the nWo, which also featured former WWF stars Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. The three led WCW to unprecedented financial success, including record pay-per-view numbers and a streak of over 80 weeks where WCW’s flagship program Nitro beat WWF’s Monday Night Raw in television viewership, an inconceivable feat at the time.

Hogan’s reputation was dogged by backstage controversies, though, with numerous wrestlers accusing him of political machinations that benefited his career at the expense of others and the organizations he worked for. He was also involved in a grotesque 2015 incident that saw the release of a sex tape from 2007 involving Hogan and a friend’s wife and racist comments from the video subsequently being made public. Hogan was heard criticizing his daughter for dating a Black man and repeatedly used racial slurs in an offensive rant.

Regardless of how his outside-of-the-ring behavior clashed with his often virtuous in-character persona, Hogan’s life and death left a major impact on the combat sports world.

Check out reactions from the MMA community below.

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