Hulk Hogan Biography

Hulk Hogan Biography

The son of Ruth, a homemaker and dance teacher, and Peter Bollea, a construction foreman, he was raised in Tampa, Florida. As a boy, he was a pitcher in Little League Baseball. He began watching professional wrestling at 16 years old. While in high school, he revered Dusty Rhodes, and he regularly attended cards at the Tampa Sportatorium. It was at one of those wrestling cards where he first turned his attention towards "Superstar" Billy Graham and looked to him for inspiration.[11] Hogan was also a skilled musician, spending ten years playing bass guitar in several Florida-based rock bands.[1] Many of the wrestlers who competed in the Florida territory at that time visited the bars where Hogan was performing. He then attended the University of South Florida, of which he later dropped out; he spent most of his time at a local gym, where he met pro wrestler Mike Graham, the son of legendary wrestler and National Wrestling Alliance president Eddie Graham. Hogan's physical stature also caught the attention of Jack Brisco and his brother Gerald. Together, they convinced Hogan to try wrestling. Having been a wrestling fan since childhood, Hogan agreed, and in 1976, Mike Graham introduced Hogan to Hiro Matsuda, who was among the sport's top trainers. According to Hogan, during their first training session, Matsuda sarcastically asked him, "So you want to be a wrestler?" and purposely broke Hogan's leg.[12]



Where Are They Now

(June 2003) Left WWE for the second summer in a row
(November 2003) Currently under contract with the NWA:TNA (National Wrestling Alliance: Total Nonstop Action).
(November 2003) Was supposed to compete for NWA-TNA, but injured his knee in Japan, wrestling Masahiro Chono. By the time it heals, it is up in the air whether or not he will compete for NWA-TNA, or go back to the WWE for Wrestlemania XX
(July 2004) Is supporting his daughter Brooke's music career.
(January 2005) Negotating with the WWE about an appearence and possibly a match at Wrestlemania 21.
(March 2005) Has been announced as an inductee in the WWE Hall Of Fame Class of 2005. He will likely make an appearance at WWE WrestleMania XXI.
(May 2005) Won his tag-team match with Shawn Michaels at Backlash against Muhammad Hassan and Daivari.
(July 2005) Is scheduled to face Shawn Michaels at Summerslam.
(April 2006) Will be inducting Mean Gene into the 2006 WWE Hall Of Fame
(January 2008) Host of the new "American Gladiators" (2008) on NBC.
(1986) Release of the book, "Hulk Hogan: Eye of the Tiger" by 'Barry Janoff'.
(1986) Release of the book, "Hulk Hogan" by 'William R. Sanford'.
(2000) Release of the book, "Hollywood Hulk Hogan: The Story of Terry Bollea; a Real-life Reader Biography" by 'Susan Zannos'.
(2002) Release of his book, "Hollywood Hulk Hogan" by Hulk with Michael Jan Friedman.
(October 2009) Release of his autobiography, "My Life Outside the Ring".


Wrestling career

Early career
Within a year, Matsuda had prepared him for his professional debut, in which Eddie Graham booked him against Brian Blair in Fort Myers, Florida on August 10, 1977.[13] A short time later, Bollea donned a mask and assumed the persona of "The Super Destroyer," a hooded character first played by Don Jardine and subsequently used by several other wrestlers. A few months later, he joined Louie Tillet's Alabama territory, where he tag teamed with Ed Leslie (later known as Brutus Beefcake) as Terry and Ed Boulder. These early matches as a tag team with the surname Boulder being used by both men prompted a rumor among wrestling fans unaware of the inner workings of the sport that Hogan and Beefcake were brothers, as few people actually knew their real names outside of immediate friends, family, and of course the various promoters the two worked for. During this time, he appeared on a talk show, where he sat beside Lou Ferrigno, star of the television series The Incredible Hulk. The host commented how Terry, who stood 6 ft 7 in and weighed 295 pounds with 24 inch biceps, actually dwarfed "the Hulk." As a result, Bollea began performing as Terry "The Hulk" Boulder and sometimes wrestled as Sterling Golden.[1]

In May 1979, Bollea had an early shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, whose holder was at the time generally recognized as the industry's best. In June 1979, Bollea won his first wrestling championship, the NWA Southeast Heavyweight Championship, recognized in Alabama and Tennessee when he defeated Ox Baker.


World Wrestling Federation (1979-1980)

Later that year, former NWA World Champion Terry Funk introduced Bollea to World Wrestling Federation (WWF) chief Vincent J. McMahon, who was impressed with his charisma and physical stature. McMahon gave Bollea the last name Hogan, as he was obsessed with using Irish names.[14] At this time, Hogan wrestled Bob Backlund for the WWF Championship,[15] and he started his first big feud with André the Giant, which culminated in a match with André at Shea Stadium.[16]Hulk Hogan claims in his autobiography that he and André the Giant were the reason for the Shea gate. However, Sammartino/Zbyszko sold out everywhere they wrestled leading up the show. Hogan and Andre wrestled in White Plains, New York, drawing 1,200 in a building that held 3,500 as the main event before they wrestled at Shea.