Hulk Hogan dies at 71: 10 lesser-known facts about the wrestling icon who defined a generation
Live Events
FAQs
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
Wrestling has lost one of its most legendary figures. Hulk Hogan , born Terry Gene Bollea , died on July 24, 2025, at the age of 71, of cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida. From WrestleMania headliner to reality TV star, Hogan's influence extended far beyond the ring. To honor his memory, here are ten truly surprising facts about the man who created Hulkamania Hulk Hogan is best known for revolutionizing wrestling, but he also made an impact in music, film, and television. Beyond his iconic persona, these lesser-known facts reveal more about the man who rose to prominence in pop culture.A lot of people only know Hogan for his famous bandana and 24-inch pythons, or for slamming André the Giant. But there is a lot more to him than that. Here are 10 surprising and little-known facts about the man who helped make WWE's golden age what it was.Hulk Hogan's last WWE appearance was in 2025, when Raw debuted on Netflix, but his impact will never go away. WWE honored the man who led the company through the boom years of the 1980s with a heartfelt statement."One of pop culture's most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan's family, friends, and fans," they posted.Hulk Hogan was more than just a wrestler; he was a phenomenon. He made a lasting mark on pop culture by body-slamming giants and starring in cult classics.His real name was Terry Gene Bollea.He passed away from cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Kristin Scott Thomas reveals personal connection to directorial debut ‘My Mother's Wedding'
Kristin Scott Thomas, known for her poise and emotional depth on screen, is stepping behind the camera for the first time with My Mother's Wedding: a deeply personal story inspired by her own life. The film, which premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival under the title North Star, will be released in theaters on August 8. The Oscar-nominated actor, now 65, co-wrote the film with her husband, journalist John Micklethwait, drawing from the loss of both her father and stepfather: Royal Navy pilots who died in separate training accidents. Kristin Scott Thomas alongside Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, and Emily Beecham(Instagram/kristinscottthomas) Speaking to CBS, she talked about growing up with the weight of unresolved grief, 'I had this feeling of something missing. These events left a huge hole I tried to fill through imagination.' Kristin Scott Thomas brings personal memories to the screen In My Mother's Wedding, Thomas plays Diana, a woman preparing for her third marriage after she was widowed twice: a fictional mirror of her own mother's life. The film explores how Diana and her three daughters reunite for the weekend wedding and are forced to confront their past, their pain, and their fractured relationships, according to another People report. Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, and Emily Beecham portray Diana's daughters, each carrying emotional baggage of their own. Johansson plays a Royal Navy captain, Miller a famous actor, and Beecham a nurse: all women shaped by the shadow of their lost fathers and a complicated mother. Also read: How Fantastic Four: First Steps gives Marvel's 'first family' a second chance Thomas, who spent much of her life in France but is now based in London, said during the interview that her English blood and French culture coexist. Her duality has long been present in her acting career: as comfortable in The English Patient and Darkest Hour as in French-language drama like I've Loved You So Long. Directing, she told CBS, was an extraordinary and exhausting joy. 'The satisfaction that comes from filmmaking is unlike anything else,' Thomas said and likened the creative control to the completeness she searched for as a child writing stories of the family life she never knew. My Mother's Wedding plot Set in the English countryside, My Mother's Wedding is more than a family drama; it is an emotional reckoning with loss, identity, and motherhood. According to People, Diana declares in the film, 'I brought you up to be women, not just daughters,' and urges her children to grow beyond grief. With a supporting cast that includes Freida Pinto and a tone that balances heartbreak with humor, Thomas' debut captures the complex, messy beauty of family and the strength it takes to heal. FAQs Is Kristin Scott Thomas fluent in French? Yes. She is fluent and has starred in numerous French-language films. She has said, "My blood is English, but my culture is French." Did Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas date? Despite their chemistry in The English Patient, there's no confirmed record that they dated. Who is Kristin Scott Thomas's new husband? She is married to journalist John Micklethwait, with whom she co-wrote My Mother's Wedding. Who is Kristen Scott Thomas's ex-husband? She was previously married to François Olivennes, a French gynaecologist. They share three children.
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Four-time Tour de France winner Pogacar - greatest cyclist of his generation
Tadej Pogacar is cycling's generational great and the Slovenian has silenced any remaining doubters that the sport has found its heir to the great Eddy Merckx. HT Image On his swaggering romp across France on his way to a fourth Tour de France title on Sunday, one could still catch glimpses of the boy desperate to beat his brother in the hills outside Ljubljana. But now Pogacar has also learned to curb some of his gung-ho instincts, which not only lifted him to success at times, but were also behind his rare defeats. In 2024 he won the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the world title, a feat known as cycling's Triple Crown and won only by Merckx in 1974 and Stephen Roche in 1987. Pogacar's dominance of the current scene is without doubt, but the kangaroo courts of social media are asking another question, one that will forever dog cycling -- is Pogacar for real? Pogacar, a proven combative all-rounder capable of taking on mountain climbs as easily as flat sprints, has never tested positive at any time in his career. "I'm a good boy from a good family, taking no short cuts in life," he told AFP. He does indeed appear to be surrounded by a good family, a school teacher mother and a furniture designer father who live in the same village in the hills outside the Slovenian capital where he grew up. He shares a home with his fiance and fellow cyclist Urska Zigart in Monaco when their programmes allow, while his firm friend and off-season traing partner cyclist Michael Matthews of Australia is a near neighbour. "He hasn't changed, he's such a humble guy. He just wants to have fun and enjoy his riding," Matthews said. Pogacar is credited with having recreated that family spirit at his Team UAE, with whom he signed a 54-million-dollar six-year contract last November, according to Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport. Teammate Pavel Sivakov told AFP that Pogacar was easy to deal with and a constantly positive personality. "He's always super relaxed and easy to work with. Mentally he's always focused on the positives. We know he's always going to deliver whatever he can. He's humble and good for the atmosphere in the team," said Sivakov. While most agree there is something boyish about Pogacar, there are signs he has grown up. "This is my sixth Tour de France now, I miss the white jersey," he told reporters, referring to the jersey worn by the best-placed rider aged 26 and under. In taking on his great rival, the two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard, Pogacar has galvanised his team and forced them to control the peloton, leading to accusations of arrogance. "There's a difference between arrogance and trying to win a Tour de France," retorted the man who psyches himself up by listening to Slovenian rapper Drill. He still rides a bike with a sticker of the Incredible Hulk on it, joking: "He's the one you shouldn't make angry." Fellow Slovenian Matej Mohoric, himself a junior world champion and elite rider for the Bahrain Victorious team, said this week that Pogacar was a true great. "He was born with a machine inside him, and he was born with the brain to use that machine," Mohoric said. There will always be doubters, but during his victorious charge across France, Pogacar was already scanning the horizon for the next win. "Unlike a lot of cyclists I haven't booked any holidays, so maybe I'll race the Vuelta," he said of the Spanish Tour, which starts on August 23. He will also be in the Rwandan capital Kigali in September to defend the world road race title. dmc/lp/gj
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Here's what Chennai's parkour community is up to
When you think of parkour, scenes of people scaling rooftops and leaping through walls might come to mind. But that is not all parkour is about, it is a way of life, says the parkour community in Chennai. At a park in Indira Nagar, members of the Parkour Circle begin their regular Sunday morning practice by tackling various obstacles. 'Parkour is all about being comfortable and efficient in your environment. It engages and develops all the senses in the body,' says Prabu M, who has been running the Parkour Circle, mostly outdoors. For him, the introduction to Parkour began with a video clip from a French film 'District B13' on Orkut in 2004. 'This community has grown but also waned, as parkour started to take a hyper-masculine image. But now, with conscious efforts to collaborate with other art forms like theatre and dance, it is more inclusive and bigger than before,' says Mr. Prabu, who also works with children with intellectual disabilities, helping them learn parkour. Meanwhile, at the indoor parkour sessions in Ekkattuthangal, early on a weekday morning, a young crowd gathered at Chennai Parkour practising Kong vault. 'People often think parkour is dangerous and only for the young, but what they don't see is the foundation of building strength, flexibility and mobility for the first six months,' says Vignesh Raghavan, professional parkour practitioner and senior coach at Chennai Parkour. 'Only then, we introduce the more intense techniques. When done right, parkour is safe and for people of all ages,' adds him. Seeing the crowd in their 20s and 30s who have largely been making use of the parkour facilities in Chennai, it is the children now joining the queue. Radhika Kannan, whose 8-year-old daughter Mahika says parkour is a lot of fun, and attends Chennai Parkour classes. 'My daughter was always jumping around the house, and we thought that parkour was something she would enjoy, and a dedicated parkour training centre was safer. Even though she was hesitant to try all the moves at first, she started enjoying the classes a lot, especially as more children have been joining in. The facilities are safe and the coaches take good care of the students,' she says. 'What I have noticed is that, along with her physical strength, her confidence has improved tremendously. Now, she is happy to do any adventure activity, without fear holding her back,' she adds. Ashwath, a 36-year-old management accountant and parkour practitioner for 15 years with the Parkour Circle, started this only to flex among his peers, but it has become his whole lifestyle today. He says the community in the city is livelier currently, because more people are seeking a break from their monotonous routine. 'Here, you don't compete against each other, it is about working on yourself, and parkour indeed makes me mentally strong, not just physically,' says Mr. Ashwath. Stereotypes still persist When it comes to outdoor parkour, the presence of practitioners in public parks often felt like an unwelcome guest, mistaking it for reckless play. Moreover, Mr. Prabu points out a cultural stigma when it comes to women training outdoors. 'When you search for parkour online, what shows up are intense stunts, but we teach parkour as a more grounded practise. It is a constant challenge we are trying to break,' he says . 'There are a lot of women who wish to join, but they are often held back by families who see parkour as something too risky, and they are nudged towards conventional gyms,' adds Mr. Raghavan. As this senior coach was training the members, he says parkour is never about rooftop jumps, which only a few adrenaline-seekers chase but always about using both your environment and your body to move efficiently!
