Flonique Guimary

The controversial life of Hulk Hogan outside the wrestling ring

Article (news)

Peter Andrew Acierto

Push Team

<p>American wrestler Hulk Hogan passed away on July 24 at the age of 71. He, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was an icon of professional wrestling back in the 1980s and helped it become known globally. </p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DMgBSKCOOMA/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=630&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A113199.59999999404%2C%22ls%22%3A112705.5%2C%22le%22%3A113139.30000001192%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="1077" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>The late American professional wrestler may have had his fair share of popularizing wrestling globally, but outside of the ring, he has had several controversies that have plagued his career and tarnished his reputation. </p><p>Let’s take a look back on some of the controversies that Hulk was involved in over his decades-long career in the entertainment industry. </p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/celebrities/2025/7/24/pro-wrestling-legend-hulk-hogan-dead-at-71-us-media-0044" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>READ: Pro wrestling legend Hulk Hogan dead at 71</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Steroid Usage</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>For several years into his professional career as a wrestler, Hulk claimed he had never used steroids. The deception of the late athlete would soon come to an end as he revealed his steroid usage to avoid a perjury charge during the trial of Vince McMahon. </p><div><br/></div><p>He admitted that he used steroids but made sure to help his friend and maintained that he was never offered or supplied by Vince with the drug. This helped Vince’s case in avoiding jail time but since then, fans of Hulk have expressed their disappointment with the wrestler.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>2007 Sex Tape</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>In 2007, a copy of the secretly recorded sex tape of Hulk and his friend’s wife were obtained by American internet media company, Gawker. They released nine seconds of the footage in 2012 to which the late wrestler filed a lawsuit against them.</p><div><br/></div><p>Hulk claimed that he didn’t know that their private moment was being caught on cam. It was in 2016 when a Florida jury ruled that Gawker indeed violated Hulk’s right to privacy.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Racist remarks</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The late American professional wrestler became a trending topic once more after he was caught on tape openly admitting he is racist and has said some politically incorrect words to refer to a Black American. Due to this, Hulk was wiped from World Wrestling Entertainment’s Hall of Fame but was later reinstated in 2018. </p><div><br/></div><p>He has since acknowledged his past mistakes but netizens never forgot.</p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/7/19/hulk-hogan-electrifies-republican-convention-with-shirt-ripping-speech-1021" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>READ: Hulk Hogan electrifies Republican Convention with shirt-ripping speech</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Joke on body slamming Kamala Harris</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Prior to the US elections last 2024, Hulk, who’s a supporter of Donald Trump and his bid for his election as US President, jokingly shared in front of a crowd about body slamming then-Vice President Kamala Harris. </p><div><br/></div><p>Apart from his unnecessary remark, he also questioned the racial identity of the US politician.</p><div><br/></div><p>“Do you want me to body slam Kamala Harris?! Do you want me to drop the leg on Kamala?” he previously shared. </p><div><br/></div><p>Despite his six WWE championships and six WCW championships during his more than three decades of being a professional wrestler, Hulk’s legacy will forever be colored by the controversies he faced.  </p>

<p>Winning championships wasn't enough to shut down all the controversies Hulk Hogan had in his lifetime.</p>

Winning championships wasn't enough to shut down all the controversies Hulk Hogan had in his lifetime.