Hulk Hogan Net Worth

Whether or not you’re a wrestling fan, from the 1980s up to the 2000s’ Hulk Hogan was one of the most recognized faces in sports entertainment. In the mid-1980s’ during the peak of Hulk Hogan’s fame and popularity, he transcended wrestling and exploded it into mainstream pop culture. On his entrances onto the ring, wrestling fans alike would loudly cheer and roar to his iconic trademark by ripping off his shirt from his body. Hulk Hogan was one of the most prominent attractions in professional wrestling.

During his time at WWF (World Wrestling Federation), his match with Andre The Giant at The Main Event in 1988 in defending his WWF World title–up to the present day, still holds American viewership records. An American media research company, Nielsen Ratings, scored it at 15.2 and 33 million viewers in the United States alone, making it the biggest televised match in the history of professional wrestling.

What is Hulk Hogan’s Net worth?

In 2008, Hulk Hogan’s net worth was around US$30 million, but as of writing, in 2022, Hulk Hogan’s net worth dropped by US$5 million. Hulk Hogan’s net worth in 2020 is US$25 million. We’ll soon learn why this is the case.

Hulk Hogan’s primary source of wealth didn’t just come from wrestling. He received lucrative pay from making public appearances, starring in movies with the most notable one, Rocky III, TV shows, sales of his merchandise, and royalties earning millions.

In 2016, Hulk Hogan won a lawsuit against Gawker (an American online media company and blog network). He was awarded US$110 million for defamation, loss of privacy, and emotional pain when Gawker publicly released a sex tape where Hogan was having an affair with Heather Clem, the wife of an American radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge. However, both parties reached an agreed settlement of US$31 million.

Who is Hulk Hogan?

During Hogan’s wrestling career, he goes by stage names, including Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Hollywood Hogan, Super Destroyer, Sterling Golden, and Hulkster.

However, Hulk Hogan’s real name is Terry Eugene Bollea, born on August 11, 1953, in Augusta, Georgia, U.S. Bollea is a retired professional wrestler, television personality, actor, and entrepreneur. His father is of Italian descent, and his mother is of Scottish and French descent. The Bollea family moved from Georgia to Port Tampa, Florida, when Bollea was one and a half years old.

He married his first wife, Linda Claridge, in 1983, and together they had 2 children, Nick and Brooke Hogan. Linda Hogan filed for divorce in 2007, stating it was due to Hogan having an affair with a worker names Christiane Plante while shooting the Hogan family reality TV show Hogan Knows Best. Hogan could only retain 30% of the liquid assets or US$10 million, with the rest going to his ex-wife on their divorce settlement.

Hogan remarried in 2010 to Jennifer McDaniel. After 12 years of marriage, on February 2020, Hogan tweeted on Twitter that they’re now divorced.

When in high school, at the age of 16, Hogan started watching professional wrestling. His aspiration in this sport drew from a wrestling card that has a picture of Superstar Billy Graham, Hogan wanted to match the cruel and aggressive how he looked on TV.

Hulk Hogan’s Career

At an early age, Hogan was a talented baseball player; Major League Baseball teams like the New York Yankees were scouting for their future stars, but injury halted his baseball career.

Hogan began his professional wrestling career at the age of 24 in 1977. During Hogan’s adulthood, he got his first taste of wrestling when met Jack and Gerald Brisco at a gym, the two brothers were wrestlers, and that’s the beginning of his wrestling career.

Hogan’s major breakthrough was when he joined WWF in 1979, now, it’s renamed WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). The company owner Vincent McMahon Sr.(the father of the current CEO of WWE, Vince McMahon) was impressed with Terry Bollea’s physique he wanted him to play an Irish character, so he gave him the last name “Hulk,” and also to dye his hair red to look more Irish, Bollea protested that he’s starting to get bald, and said he can be ‘a blonde Irish.’

Hogan’s fame peaked in popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. After stints with other wrestling companies, Hogan signed with WWF in 1982 when Vince McMahon Jr. took over the company from his father. McMahon had Hogan representing the face of the company as a showpiece so he can expand the company nationwide. McMahon successfully penetrated and influenced pop culture, and surged in viewership, pay-per-view, and TV ratings.

By mid 1985s, Hogan became the premier icon of WFF. An annual live wrestling event, also the world’s largest professional wrestling promotion, WrestleMania–Hogan headlined seven out of eight of those WrestleMania events. Before Roman Reigns (a current WWE superstar), Hogan holds the longest reign as the WWF Champion in the championship’s history.

Due to bitterness with WWF, the wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan left the company in 1993 and joined WCW (World Championship Wrestling), where he holds the longest reign as the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. In 1996 he created a group, nWo (New World Order) joining him were other superstars like Kevin Nash and Scott Hall–arguably the greatest group ever created in the history of wrestling. Teenagers, adults, and alike imitated the group’s rebelliousness.

In 1997, Hogan headlined the most profitable WCW pay-per-view ever in an annual flagship event, Starrcade, with over 700,000 buys. When WWE acquired WCW in 2001, Hogan returned to WWE a year later in 2002.

In 2005, Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He got inducted once again in 2020 as a member of nWo.

Hogan’s Controversies

In 2015, Hogan’s rant on racism that he’d be disgusted if his daughter is having a relationship with a black man, his anti-black rant, and his use of a racial slur was a significant blow when the audio was publicly released. The public was profoundly enraged and erupted in anger. Subsequently, the WWE terminated its contract in 2015. The company removed his Hall of Fame recognition, all references relating to Hogan on the WWE website, and his merchandise.

Following up on this, Mattel, one of the biggest toy makers in the world, stopped producing its action figures. Multinational retail corporations like Walmart, Target, and Toys R Us have taken Hogan’s merchandise from their online stores.

Interesting Faces about Hulk Hogan

• In the 1980s, he was the most requested celebrity from an organization that helps fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness, the make-a-wish foundation.
• He’s the only wrestler to ever be featured on Sports Illustrated’s cover.
• Ric Flair is the only wrestler that defeated Hogan more than any other wrestler.
• Hogan turned down an opportunity to endorse a grill (now known as the George Foreman Grill), costing him a business opportunity of over US$200 million.
• Between the 1980s to 2015, there were over 170 different action figures of Hulk Hogan.
• Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel helped Hogan with the finance in a lawsuit against Gawker media.
• Hogan sued Laser Spin Institute for US$50 million for a bad operation and used his images in their ads without his permission.
• The lawsuit filed by World Wildlife Fund forced WWF to change its initial to WWE.
• Chris Hemsworth will portray Hulk Hogan in an upcoming movie.
• He helped several of his wrestling long-term friends get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Hulk Hogan FAQs