Hulk Hogan: The Icon Who Betrayed Wrestling—Why His Death Split the Industry

 August 2025

A Sudden Death, A Divided Legacy

On July 24th, 2025, Hulk Hogan—the man who defined wrestling’s golden era—died suddenly of cardiac arrest at age 71. For millions, the news triggered memories of childhood heroes, red and yellow bandanas, and the roar of “Hulkamania.” But as tributes poured in, a different story began to emerge. The Rock dropped a bombshell. Instead of the glowing eulogy fans expected, he revealed the secret resentment that simmered beneath wrestling’s surface for decades.

Hogan’s death didn’t unite the wrestling world. It exposed its deepest fault lines.

.

.

.

The Betrayal That Changed Everything

To understand why so many wrestlers secretly hated Hulk Hogan, you have to go back to 1986, when wrestling was at a crossroads. Wrestlers were classified as independent contractors—no health insurance, no pensions, no protection from the brutal schedule that destroyed bodies and lives. Jesse “The Body” Ventura, a visionary who saw the power of collective bargaining, tried to rally the locker room to unionize.

He needed one thing: Hulk Hogan’s support.

Hogan was the face of wrestling, the star who could make or break careers with a word to Vince McMahon. If Hogan joined, the union movement would succeed. Instead, Hogan went straight to McMahon and ratted out the union plans. The next day, Ventura was fired, the union drive crushed, and wrestlers were left with nothing but broken bodies and empty promises.

Years later, under sworn deposition, McMahon confirmed: “Hulk Hogan told me.” Hogan himself admitted it in the Netflix docuseries Mr. McMahon, claiming he acted to “protect the company.” Critics called it pure self-interest. While Hogan raked in millions, his colleagues struggled for basic health care.

The betrayal delayed unionization for decades. Wrestlers continued to suffer, and the list of untimely deaths—Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit—grew longer. Social media now calls Hogan a “union buster,” linking his actions to the industry’s darkest tragedies.

Backstage Politics and Buried Careers

Hogan’s union busting was just the beginning. Behind the scenes, his political maneuvering became legendary.

In WCW, Hogan’s contract gave him creative control—a weapon he used to rewrite scripts, veto storylines, and protect his own status. The infamous Starrcade 1997 match was supposed to be Sting’s crowning moment. Instead, Hogan politicized the finish, turning a year-long story into a confusing mess and robbing Sting of his triumph.

The pattern repeated everywhere Hogan went. In WWE, he refused to lose cleanly to rising stars like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, delaying their ascension and sabotaging careers. In TNA, his arrival shifted focus to aging veterans, tanking ratings and alienating young talent.

Hogan didn’t just protect his own legacy—he suffocated the next generation of stars. Bret Hart, Randy Orton, and the Ultimate Warrior all saw their momentum stalled by Hogan’s backstage influence. Even midcarders like Billy Kidman were buried on air, their credibility destroyed.

The Lies and the Racism

Hogan’s compulsive lying became infamous. He claimed to have wrestled 400 days in a year (impossible), played bass for Metallica (denied by the band), and was offered the lead in The Wrestler (refuted by the director). But his most disgraceful lie involved claiming a terminally ill Make-A-Wish child died in his arms at Wembley Stadium—a story with no evidence, later contradicted by Hogan himself.

But nothing damaged his legacy more than the leaked tapes. In 2007, Hogan was caught using the n-word repeatedly, expressing disgust over his daughter dating a Black man, and stating, “I am a racist to a point.” WWE terminated his contract, erased his merchandise, and removed him from the Hall of Fame. Additional audio from 2008 revealed more racial slurs, confirming a pattern of behavior.

Black wrestling fans who grew up idolizing Hogan felt betrayed. Social media exploded with posts like, “Satan about to have his way with you, brother.” Even Hogan’s own daughter, Brooke, skipped his funeral, citing his disrespect toward her dating a Black man.

The Rock’s Tribute: Respectful, But Cold

On July 25th, The Rock posted a tribute on Instagram. He recounted catching Hogan’s headband as a child, praised their Wrestlemania match, and called Hogan a “childhood hero.” But he stopped short of endorsing Hogan’s character. No personal anecdotes, no defense against critics—just a professional acknowledgment of Hogan’s impact on the industry.

The Rock’s diplomatic approach reflected the complexity of Hogan’s legacy. Modern wrestlers can’t ignore his influence, but they refuse to gloss over his betrayals and racism.

A Legacy That Can’t Be Separated

Hulk Hogan helped turn wrestling from a regional sideshow into a global phenomenon. But his personal behavior—union busting, career destruction, compulsive lying, and racism—created a legacy that’s impossible to separate from the character he portrayed.

Upon his death, the wrestling community didn’t just mourn. It debated. Was Hogan a hero or a villain? An icon or a cautionary tale?

As Slate noted, “Everyone hated Hulk Hogan for his betrayals.” Jesse Ventura summed it up: “Union busting and placating those in power.”

Wrestling’s Reckoning

The wrestling industry is still grappling with how to remember Hulk Hogan. His contributions are undeniable—but so are the scars he left behind. For every fan who remembers his glory days, there’s a wrestler who remembers a career sabotaged, a union destroyed, or a moment stolen.

Hogan’s death didn’t bring closure. It reopened old wounds and forced wrestling to confront its own history—a history shaped as much by betrayal as by triumph.