The Undertaker Reveals The Awful Truth About Hulk Hogan

The Undertaker Exposes Hulk Hogan: Behind the Mask of a Wrestling Icon

When news broke of Hulk Hogan’s death on July 25th, 2025, the wrestling world was forced to confront the complex legacy of its most recognizable figure. Tributes poured in, but not everyone was willing to speak only of the good. Mark Callaway, better known as The Undertaker, decided it was finally time to pull back the curtain—and reveal the truth about the man behind the mustache.

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The Night Everything Changed: Survivor Series 1991

November 27th, 1991. Survivor Series. The night that would define The Undertaker’s relationship with Hulk Hogan for the next three decades.

A young Mark Callaway, just 24 years old, stood across the ring from the biggest name in sports entertainment. The Deadman was about to capture his first WWF championship. But what happened after that three-count would expose the real Terry Bollea in ways that would haunt their relationship forever.

This wasn’t just a title match. It was a rite of passage—a chance for Undertaker to prove he belonged at the top. But Hogan, the golden goose of the WWF, had other plans. What transpired that night would reveal the calculating, manipulative nature that, according to Undertaker, defined Hogan’s entire career.

The warning signs appeared before the match even began. “Hogan would usually roll in late,” Callaway recalls. “But that day, he was already at the arena when I arrived at noon. That should have been my first red flag.”

Hogan pulled the young Undertaker into the sacred privacy of the locker room shower—where real business was done. “He tells me, ‘Hey, I got this neck injury. I’m really nervous about taking your finish.’” Hogan was planting seeds of doubt, setting up a narrative that would serve him after the match.

Undertaker, ever the professional, promised to protect him. “I pride myself on not hurting people. I told him I’d have him so tight, there’s no way he’d get hurt.” But Hogan wouldn’t let it go. All day, he reminded Undertaker about his “neck.”

The Tombstone Heard ’Round the World

When the moment arrived, Ric Flair slid a chair into the ring, and Undertaker hoisted Hogan for the tombstone piledriver. “I had the brother secure. He was locked up tighter than Fort Knox,” Undertaker says. “There was no way any injury could happen.”

But as soon as Undertaker’s knees hit the mat, Hogan began writhing in agony. “You got me, brother. My neck, my back!” he groaned. Backstage, Hogan was found lying on Vince McMahon’s office floor, surrounded by paramedics, milking every moment for maximum dramatic effect.

Shane McMahon, who had a perfect view of the match, tried to reassure Undertaker. “Mark, his head wasn’t anywhere close to the mat.” But Undertaker, wracked with guilt, couldn’t believe it—until he saw the footage himself. Hogan’s head never touched the canvas. The injury was a complete fabrication.

A Legacy of Manipulation

Confronting Hogan later, Undertaker was met with a new excuse: “Well, brother, you had me so tight, I couldn’t move. That’s what jammed my neck.” The audacity was staggering. But it revealed everything Undertaker needed to know about Hogan’s character: a master manipulator who would do whatever it took to protect his spot.

Six days later at This Tuesday in Texas, Undertaker was forced to drop the title back to Hogan. Wrestling insiders called it a classic veteran trick—using guilt and politics to control the narrative and maintain power.

This wasn’t an isolated incident. It established a pattern that would define Hogan’s career: backstage politics, manipulation, and self-preservation at any cost.

The Avalanche of Controversy

The 1990s brought the steroid scandal, with Hogan’s under-oath admission of steroid use shattering his wholesome image. Rumors and stories of Hogan’s exaggerations and self-aggrandizement became legend—from false claims about Metallica to taking credit for discovering The Undertaker.

But the most damaging revelations came later. In 2012, a secretly recorded tape featuring Hogan and the wife of his close friend, Bubba the Love Sponge, was leaked. The legal battle that followed was intense, culminating in a $140 million verdict that bankrupted Gawker Media.

Even more devastating were the transcripts: Hogan was heard using the N-word and making racist and homophobic remarks. WWE immediately terminated his contract, erased his profile, and pulled his merchandise. His public apology did little to stem the tide—his legacy was forever tarnished.

The Undertaker’s Perspective

For The Undertaker, none of this came as a surprise. “I saw the real Terry Bollea back in 1991,” he said. “Everything that followed was just confirmation.”

Hogan’s political affiliations, including his support of Donald Trump and a cringe-worthy appearance at the Republican National Convention, only added to the controversy. When Hogan appeared at WWE Raw’s Netflix debut in January 2025, the Los Angeles crowd booed him mercilessly. The Undertaker showed no sympathy: “Sometimes in life, things come back.”

The Complicated Legacy

Despite all the controversies, even The Undertaker acknowledges Hogan’s seismic impact on wrestling. “He’s a Mount Rushmore guy,” he admits. “For what he did for the business, he has to be on there.”

When Hogan died of cardiac arrest on July 25th, 2025, The Undertaker’s tribute was measured: “The wrestling world has lost a true legend. His contributions to our business are immeasurable, and for that, I’m appreciative. Thank you, Hulk Hogan.”

The Man Behind the Mustache

To understand Hogan’s legacy, you have to go back to the beginning. Born Terry Gene Bollea in Augusta, Georgia, he grew up in rough South Tampa—a background he would later blame for his racial language. He was drawn to music before wrestling, but it was the ring that gave him purpose.

Hogan’s rise was meteoric. From his star-making turn in Rocky III to headlining WrestleMania and launching wrestling into the mainstream, he became a cultural icon. But behind the scenes, his creative control and backstage politics were already causing friction.

The incident at Survivor Series 1991 was just one chapter in a long story of manipulation, self-preservation, and controversy. The New World Order storyline in WCW became his greatest reinvention, but even that couldn’t erase his flaws.

The Final Years

Hogan’s return to WWE in 2002 was a nostalgia-fueled homecoming, but the business had changed. New stars had emerged, and Hogan’s influence waned. Still, The Undertaker maintained a professional relationship with him, out of respect for what Hogan had contributed—not for the man himself.

In his final years, Hogan’s attempts at apology and rehabilitation met with mixed reactions. The crowd’s boos at Raw’s Netflix debut showed that many fans weren’t ready to forgive or forget.

The Honest Tribute

As The Undertaker said in his tribute, the wrestling world lost a legend. But perhaps the most honest tribute is this: it’s possible to acknowledge someone’s professional impact while never forgetting the personal disappointments they caused along the way.

That, in the end, is the real story of Hulk Hogan—a legend whose shadow looms large, not just for his achievements, but for the very human flaws that ultimately defined him.

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