Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan: The Brotherhood, Betrayal, and Final Farewell That Defined Wrestling

 August 2025

The End of an Era

On July 24th, 2025, the wrestling world stopped. Hulk Hogan—born Terry Gene Bollea—died suddenly of cardiac arrest in his Clearwater, Florida home at age 71. For millions, it was the end of an era. The man who turned wrestling into a global phenomenon was gone, and fans everywhere waited for one voice above all: Vince McMahon.

Their relationship built WWE. It nearly destroyed it, too.

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Vince’s Tribute: A Rare Glimpse of Emotion

For months, Vince McMahon had been silent, his public profile diminished by legal battles and his 2024 resignation from WWE. But Hogan’s death broke the silence. On July 24th, McMahon posted a statement on X that stunned the industry:

“The world lost a treasure today. Hulk Hogan was the greatest WWE superstar of all time. Someone who was loved and admired around the world. He was a trailblazer, the first performer who transitioned from being a wrestling star into a global phenomenon. His grit and unbridled thirst for success were unparalleled and made him the consummate performer. He gave everything he had to the audience whom he appreciated, respected, and loved. Train, take your vitamins, and say your prayers today. We pray for him.”

This wasn’t just a corporate eulogy. It was Vince McMahon—famously ruthless, famously guarded—laying bare his emotions for the world to see.

How Hogan and McMahon Changed Wrestling Forever

To understand the weight of Vince’s words, you have to go back to the early 1980s. McMahon was a young visionary, ready to break the old territorial system and build a national wrestling empire. He needed a larger-than-life star. He found Terry Bollea, soon to be Hulk Hogan.

Together, they created Hulkamania. Hogan’s charisma and McMahon’s business genius turned wrestling into spectacle—WrestleMania, pop culture crossovers, and the rock-and-wrestling connection that made wrestling family-friendly and mainstream. Hogan was the hero America wanted. McMahon was the mastermind who made it happen.

But behind the scenes, their partnership was more than business. It was brotherhood, rivalry, and creative tension. McMahon saw Hogan’s star power; Hogan saw McMahon’s vision. Together, they built an empire.

Brotherhood—and Betrayal

Their relationship wasn’t simple. Hogan once described McMahon as two people: “The first Vince would give you the shirt off his back. The other is the businessman—nothing personal, just business.”

In the 1980s, they were inseparable. McMahon attended Hogan’s wedding, traveled with him, and together they made wrestling a household name. But as Hogan’s influence grew, so did creative clashes. McMahon hesitated to turn Hogan heel; Hogan later did it in WCW, proving his versatility—and sparking the Monday Night Wars.

The first major crack came with the 1993 steroid scandal. Hogan was pressured to testify against McMahon, facing the threat of prison. He ultimately testified in Vince’s favor, saving McMahon from a fifteen-year sentence. But the ordeal left both men shaken, their trust fractured.

Then came the ultimate betrayal: Hogan’s 1994 jump to WCW. Vince called it “an enormous slap in the face.” Hogan’s heel turn and leadership of the nWo nearly put WWE out of business. The rivalry was personal, and the wounds ran deep.

Scandals, Controversies, and Reconciliation

Both men weathered storms. Hogan’s career was rocked by scandals—steroid allegations, union busting, racism, privacy lawsuits, and a messy divorce. Vince faced his own legal battles, including recent lawsuits and a $400,000 SEC fine.

Yet, their story was never just about conflict. Despite betrayals, Hogan returned to WWE multiple times. Their feud played out on screen—most famously at WrestleMania 19, where Hogan defeated McMahon in a brutal street fight. The promo before the match was raw:

“I created you, and you turned your back on me,” Vince spat.

“If it wasn’t for my testimony,” Hogan fired back, “you’d still be rotting in prison.”

It was personal. It was real. And it was wrestling at its most dramatic.

The Legacy They Leave Behind

As the tributes poured in, one thing became clear: Hogan and McMahon’s partnership transformed wrestling forever. They built the blueprint for sports entertainment—larger-than-life characters, dramatic storylines, and global spectacle.

But their legacy is complicated. Both men made mistakes, hurt people, and weathered scandal. They were perfect partners and bitter enemies, best friends and worst rivals—sometimes all at once.

McMahon’s final tribute chose to remember the joy, the empire, and the barriers they broke together. As the wrestling world mourns, fans are left with a legacy that defies easy categorization. Hogan and McMahon achieved extraordinary things, but their story is also a cautionary tale about ambition, loyalty, and the price of greatness.

Wrestling’s Final Curtain Call

With Hogan’s death, the last direct link to wrestling’s golden age is gone. The industry he and Vince built is now a billion-dollar empire, watched in every corner of the globe. The template they created is the standard for all wrestling.

But the magic they made—like all magic—was complicated. As we say goodbye to Hulk Hogan and watch Vince McMahon fade from the spotlight, we remember them not as perfect heroes, but as flawed men who changed the world.