On July 24, 2025, a wrestling legend passed away at the age of 71. I was shocked to hear the news as I thought he was doing great for his age. I even saw him appear at Joe Rogan's podcast just a few years back. It was a really sad day for me as Hogan was both a hero and a role model to me growing up.
My earliest memories of him was probably when I was five or six years old. WWF was such a huge hit even here in the Philippines, especially Hulk Hogan's character. Wrestling was so campy and wacky back then but we all thought it was the greatest show on earth. Our parents would say wrestling is fake, but we didn't believe it and we didn't care. To us, it was all real, the punches, the leg drops, and the super kicks. In my young mind, I would even classify Hogan on the same category as Superman or the Power Rangers.
But as I grew up and WWF no longer aired on free TV, I lost track of his career. I wasn't there for the whole Attitude Era or the Monday Night Wars. And yet, Hulk Hogan kept being relevant and was on various non-wrestling media. I remember watching episodes from his TV series, Thunder in Paradise, as well as the movie Mr. Nanny. He was ever so popular in pop culture.
I resumed following wrestling in the early 2000s, or the so-called Ruthless Aggression era. It was right then when the storyline of Mr. America began. Basically, WWE's owner, Mr. McMahon banned Hulk Hogan from appearing on Smackdown, so he then donned the alter ego Mr. America to circumvent it. I had a blast with this storyline and it's probably the best memories I had of the Hulkster.
It also became my inspiration when I joined a 2022 contest from Hive's very own wrestling game, WOO - Wrestling Organization Online. I didn't have much time to prep for the props and just grab whatever I can to resemble Mr. America. Luckily, I won that contest, although I lost a pretty good shirt in the process. That's probably the highlight of my entire Hive career right there. You can check out WOO here.
I know the Hulkster had his fair share of controversies and bad rep throughout his career. But I'm glad that he repented and finally found his faith in the later years of his life. I will always remember him as Hulk Hogan, the man who always reminds kids to train, say their prayers, and eat their vitamins.
Farewell, brother. Hulkamania will live in our hearts forever.
