Terry Bollea, better known as Hulk Hogan, was an American professional wrestler and media personality. Despite being one of the most influential and decorated pro wrestlers of all time, his legacy was marred by controversies before his passing on July 24, 2025, at the age of 71.
In the latest news about the Augusta, Georgia native, Netflix has released a four‑part docuseries titled Hulk Hogan: Real American, which depicts the wrestler’s rise to fame and the several missteps that lead to a truly complicated legacy.
In the documentary, Hogan himself shares the following,
“Terry Bollea was not the greatest person of all time. The character was impeccable, even though I wasn’t. I just loved the greatness of the character.”
This applies to several of the former athlete’s foibles, including a longstanding history of denying steroid use. In the docuseries, Hogan shares,
“Back then, the mindset was steroids were safer than sugar.”
He then blatantly lied in an Arsenio Hall Show appearance in 1991, where he doubled down on his denial, despite being a user since the 1970s.
“Of course, I lied to him. It’s something that would be classified in the ‘mistake’ category. If I could relive it, I wouldn’t do it again.”
The docuseries goes on to cover several other instances of Hulk Hogan’s divisive behavior, giving the audience a more unfiltered view of the iconic wrestler than ever before.
Hogan had married three times: his first marriage was to Linda Claridge, then he married Jennifer McDaniel, and at the time of his death, he was married to Sky Daily.
Hulk Hogan on attempts to take his life following divorce, more
Hulk Hogan: Real American is full of shocking revelations about the once beloved entertainment icon. Hogan recalls “nobody would ever answer” when he attempted to contact his children after his divorce from his first wife, Linda.
Linda shared,
“It was to the point where we literally didn’t speak to each other anymore, at all. So everything had to go through lawyers. It made it incredibly difficult for the kids.”
After their split, Linda began dating an 18-year-old who was his children’s peer, which took a toll on the wrestling superstar. As he remembers it,
“I could hear my boat start up every morning, and Linda’s 18-year-old boyfriend would back it out.”
After that, participating in a Rolling Stone interview where he appeared to sympathise with OJ Simpson for allegedly murdering his wife, Nicole Brown, the backlash grew unbearable. Under the weight of all the pressure on his plate, he admittedly took a dark turn.
“I started drinking and started eating pills, and I just went down this rabbit hole for a couple days. Next thing I know, I’m sitting in front of my bathroom with a gun in my mouth not knowing what I was doing.”
The documentary series attempts to unpack Hulk Hogan’s complicated legacy, leaving it up to the viewer to decide what they ultimately think of the man behind the larger-than-life character.
Edited by Nimisha