How Hulk Hogan went from the wrestling arena to Hollywood

New York Post

6 days ago

From the mat to the big screen.
Hulk Hogan died at 71 on Thursday, July 24, following a 'serious' medical issue, in which paramedics were dispatched to his Florida home for an alleged 'cardiac arrest.'
Although Hogan was famous as a wrestler, the mustachioed blond behemoth also had a colorful movie and TV career.
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15 Hulk Hogan on 'Hogan Knows Best.'
Hogan's path from the ring to Hollywood began in 1982's 'Rocky III.'
In Sylvester Stallone's iconic sports movie franchise, Hogan — real name Terry Bollea — played the wrestling champ Thunderlips, who faced off against Stallone's Rocky. Rocky won, naturally.
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In his 2005 speech to induct Hogan into the WWE Hall of Fame, Stallone, 79, said about Hogan, 'I knew he was a star the minute I laid eyes on him.'
Bill Apter, a friend of Hogan who got him into the 'Rocky' movie, said on his podcast Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, 'Sylvester Stallone's office called my office. They were looking for a certain type to play Thunderlips [in 'Rocky III']. I suggested two people: Superstar Billy Graham and Hulk Hogan.'
Apter said that when he sent photos to Stallone's office, they asked to get in touch, but he couldn't reach Hogan.
15 Hulk Hogan and Sylvester Stallone in 1982's 'Rocky III.'
©United Artists/Courtesy Everett Collection
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'So, I called his mother. She gave him the message, and Hogan initially thought it was a joke. He found it was real, and he was all goosebumps. He knew he could do it,' he shared.
In his speech during Hogan's 2005 Hall of Fame induction, Stallone said, 'People don't know if wrestling is real. In the scene, when Hulk Hogan throws me out of the ring and then jumps into the audience, we had eight stuntmen. Four and a half of them went to intensive care. Seriously!'
The 'Rambo' star added, 'Four of them left in stretchers, because [Hogan] didn't know it was acting!'
15 Sylvester Stallone and Hulk Hogan in 'Rocky III.'
©United Artists/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Apter added, 'When they worked on the film, he was impressed by Stallone's fearlessness. You know, he wasn't afraid to get hit or thrown. And he trusted Hulk to teach him, you know, how to get thrown on the mat and not break his back. You just learned that on the fly.'
He explained that the movie made Hogan look 'even bigger than he is in real life and he's a big guy. And so he was just this giant figure in a film that was at its peak of popularity. It was as big as you could get. It is peak 80s.'
In his Instagram tribute to Hogan posted after his death, Stallone called him a 'brilliant personality and showman' and said, 'He was absolutely wonderful and his amazing skills made Rocky three incredibly special.'
15 Patrick O'Bryan, Joan Severance, Mark Pellegrino, Hulk Hogan, Rebecca Wackler and Bill Henderson in 'No Holds Barred.'
©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection
That small role in the 'Rocky' franchise catapulted him to further prominence, leading to Hogan starring in the 1989 movie 'No Holds Barred,' which was produced by WWE and saw him play a wrestling champ character named Rip.
Apter explained, 'He suddenly had this popularity that expanded way beyond what wrestling was, and therefore helped turn wrestling into the phenomenon it would become through the '80s and '90s and then all the way to today. His image and his persona is Hulk Hogan, larger than life, you know, a hero type character that he developed back then.'
He added, 'That truly made wrestling what it was. But he also had this reach in the worlds of music and film and television. People were drawn to him and his larger than life personality.'
15 Hulk Hogan with Chuck Norris on 'Walker Texas Ranger.'
CBS
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Eventually, Hogan's fame led to him getting the TV show, 'Hogan Knows Best.'
Airing for four seasons on VH1, the show premiered in 2005, shortly after the reality show for another late superstar, 'The Osbournes,' put celeb-based reality TV on the map.
'Hogan Knows Best' ran until 2007 and chronicled his family. It followed Hogan, his then-wife, Linda, 65 (who was married to him from 1983 to 2009), their then-teen daughter, Brooke, 37, and son Nick, 34.
Hogan's longtime friend, fellow wrestler Brian Knobbs, 61, was also often on the show, staying with the family and babysitting Hogan's kids.
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15 Hulk Hogan with his daughter Brooke on 'Hogan Knows Best.'
In a 2019 interview with The Hannibal TV, Knobbs said, Hogan Knows Best was actually one of the greatest times of my life.'
He explained that Hogan asked him to do it after he had knee surgery and was 'off the shelf,' uncertain about the future of his wrestling career.
'He asked if I'd come in and do this reality show.'
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'Hogan Knows Best' allowed fans to see 'the other side of me,' beyond his wrestling persona, Knobbs said, 'which is a funnier guy… I really can't thank him enough for having me on the show.'
15 Hulk Hogan with his then-wife, Linda, on 'Hogan Knows Best.'
In 2016, Hogan said about the show, 'It was lightly scripted but they'd actually tell us what to say.'
He added, 'If we missed a point… producers would tell us exactly what to say until they get what they wanted.'
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In the final episode of 'Hogan Knows Best,' Hogan got an award for being 'Father of the Year.'
Just one month later, Linda filed for divorce.
15 Madeline Zima and Hulk Hogan in 'Mr. Nanny.'
©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection
The show was canceled amid a slew of scandals for the family: a jail stint for Nick and a highly publicized cheating scandal for Hogan and Linda.
In 2007, Nick had a car accident in Clearwater, Florida.
The wreck left his friend, John Graziano, with a severe brain injury. Nick spent eight months in Pinellas County Jail after pleading no contest to a charge of reckless driving involving serious bodily injury.
Around the same time, Brooke's best friend, Christiane Plante, told the National Enquirer that she'd allegedly had an affair with Hulk.
15 Geoff McKnight and Hulk Hogan in 'No Holds Barred.'
©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection
After the 2007 cancellation of 'Hogan Knows Best,' in 'Oprah: Where Are They Now?' he said that he felt suicidal.
'Everything got dark, everything happened at once,' the former WWE star said.
He added, 'I was drinking alcohol very heavily. It just all kept piling up, it all kept mounting and mounting I didn't know how to handle it. I always wondered how could someone possibly take their own life and so I got to that point where I said, 'You know what, maybe this would be easy. You know, maybe this would be an easy way to fix things.''
15 Hulk Hogan, Yasmine Bleeth and Pamela Anderson in 'Baywatch.'
Courtesy Everett Collection
Brooke got a short-lived spinoff, 'Brooke Knows Best,' that ran from 2008 to 2009.
Hogan also had several cameos where he played himself, including 1990's 'Gremlins 2: The New Batch' and 1999's 'Muppets From Space.' He was also featured in a 1996 episode of 'Baywatch.'
On a 2021 episode of 'The Taskmaster Talks' podcast, the late former wrestler and booker Kevin Sullivan, who died in 2024, said, 'The people on Baywatch were super. They were very nice. The only thing is I think there was some animosity between Hasselhoff and Hogan.'
He claimed, 'Hasselhoff was not in that episode if you recall and he didn't even come around to see Hulk. I think he was jealous of Hulk. Pamela [Anderson] was wonderful to everybody.'
15 Hulk Hogan and Madeline Zima in 'Mr. Nanny.'
©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection
But, at the 2010 Comedy Central roast of David Hasselhoff, Hogan joked about the 'Baywatch' actor's career being in the 'toilet' but also said, 'Brother, I love you, man. And I hope you keep doing your thing, Hoff.'
In 1997, he starred in a made for TV action movie called 'Assault on Devil's Island' with the late Carl Weathers and Martin Kove.
The former wrestler then progressed to several action comedies in the '90s, including 'Mr. Nanny' in 1993 – playing a tough guy tasked with babysitting kids. 1996's 'Santa With Muscles' saw him portray a conceited millionaire who thinks he's Santa.
15 Hulk Hogan in 1999's 'Muppets From Space.'
©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Oddly, Jordan Belfort – the notorious former Wall Street shark who Leonardo DiCaprio played in 2013's 'The Wolf of Wall Street' – produced 'Santa With Muscles.'
During a 2024 interview on Joe Rogan's podcast, Hogan said, 'If you pull up 'Santa With Muscles,' you see he has a producer credit. So he gave me money to do 'Santa With Muscles.''
When asked if he met Belfort, he added, 'I didn't have a conversation [with him], or anything.'
15 Hulk Hogan on 'Walker Texas Ranger.'
CBS
Hogan also appeared in a 2001 episode of 'Walker, Texas Ranger,' playing 'Boomer McKnight,' a former gangster.
In recent years, his film and TV career dwindled. He voiced a character in the 2011 animated movie 'Gnomeo & Juliet' and appeared on an episode of 'The Goldbergs' in 2019.
Hogan's last appearance on WWE's 'Monday Night Raw' was on the January 6, 2025, episode, and he's also listed as being involved in the upcoming 2026 animated project 'The Adventures of Tikki The Wonder Dog.'
15 Hulk Hogan in 1993's 'Mr Nanny.'
©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection
15 Sean Giambrone, Hulk Hogan, and Troy Gentile on 'The Golbbergs.'
ABC via Getty Images
During his 2024 appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast, the wrestler was asked if he liked being in movies and TV shows.
'I used to, but no, not anymore,' Hogan replied.
'My problem was…, you'd be in makeup at 5:30 in the morning, and [when you leave] it's getting dark. I couldn't stand the process. The whole time, I'd be thinking, 'I could be out doing a lot of things.''
Referring to his wrestling career, he explained, 'To walk away from that type of intensity and money to be locked in an RV all day [on a movie set]…I couldn't handle it, man.'
Hogan added, 'After the great life I've had in the entertainment business, I just love being on the beach, man. That's my mindset. I just hate leaving the beach.'