For decades, Hulk Hogan essentially was professional wrestling. He headlined the first nine Wrestlemanias and was a breakout crossover star in films and television. If there was one wrestler that everyone could name off the top of their heads, it was Hogan.
Though he was no longer the defining avatar of wrestling in the 1990s, his re-invention of himself as the villainous Hollywood Hogan, leader of the New World Order, helped turned wrestling from a hokey set of scripted pretend matches into compelling narrative fight operas.
But was Hogan (born Terry Gene Bollea) who died at age 71 of cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida on Thursday actually a good wrestler?
That depends on what you mean.
In Terms of Technical Skill? Better Than You Think
If you’ve seen one Hogan match, you’ve probably seen them all. He was the AC/DC of professional wrestling. After some back and forth featuring moves you’d learn your first week in wrestling school, Hulkster would become impervious to pain. A few grand gestures later, during his famous “Hulking up,” he would hit a big boot, perform his leg drop finisher, and walk away. Hundreds of matches went this way no matter who Hogan was working with.
That sounds like mediocre talent buried under 1980s hype and big muscles, but just because a wrestler’s repertoire is simple doesn’t mean it’s bad. People love John Cena, and he almost always sticks to his 5 Moves of Doom. Nobody came to see Hogan put on a master class in grappling. They came to see a living cartoon character.
It’s worth remembering he was capable of a much higher class of technical work. Hogan would periodically go to Japan in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and when he did it was something to see. Check out this highlight reel of Hogan versus Genichiro Tenryu.
While no one is ever going to compare Hogan to Iyo Sky in terms of versatility, it’s weird to see him moving lightning quick in an exchange of holds or even busting out a pretty decent enzuigiri in those clips. In many ways, Hogan’s wrestling performances were a victim of their own success. Americans expected the same bland program every night, and he delivered until it was all he ever did. Underneath that, though, he was better than people give him credit for.
In Terms of Physical Storytelling, Absolutely
Every Hogan match until July 7, 1996 was a hero’s journey in microcosm. It was so pure that it’s easy to miss how brilliant it really was. Even when fighting other beloved figures like the Ultimate Warrior and Macho Man Randy Savage, Hogan was universally able to rally an audience to his side.
Part of it was his look. The skullet always gave him the air of an aging champion fighting for one last bit of glory even when he was still in his 20s. The fact that he was one of wrestling’s greatest criers doesn’t hurt either. Hogan made people believe that he was overcoming great odds at terrible personal expense even when he clearly outclassed his opponent in every way.
Following the formation of the NWO, Hogan displayed a different side. Now, his limited repertoire and villainous smirk were the tools of a power-mad parasite holding the business back. Hogan may not have changed his moveset much when he switched from face to heel, but he emoted those moves so differently that they became a new toolbox.
Once he entered elder statesman status after the fall of WCW, Hogan still proved able to pivot in his art. His fight with The Rock at Wrestlemania X-8 is maybe his finest moment, and the best of it happens before the two ever touch. A rabid crowd unsure of who to cheer for leads to this mesmerizing standoff where the two wrestlers expertly dual in glances as they try to will the audience to their side. Standing out while next to The Rock is a tall order, and Hogan was still able to pull it off near-effortlessly.
As a Booker? God, No
There’s a reason Hogan’s nickname among informed fans is Terrible Terry. Part of the deal when Hogan jumped ship from WWE to WCW was that he received greater creative control over his character. By the time the NWO became the hottest thing in wrestling not named Stone Cool Steve Austin, he was a backstage tsar.
And it went very badly. Hogan’s addiction to the main event led to several high-profile moments that are some of wrestling’s biggest screwups. In 2000, Hogan famously refused to lose to Jeff Jarrett, who simply laid down in the ring to be pinned without a contest. Hogan was also behind the notorious Fingerpoke of Doom, where a match with Kevin Nash ended after a single poke in the chest so that Hogan could reclaim the world championship and re-united the two warring factions of the NWO.
Yes, wrestling is scripted, but it depends on the audience’s suspension of disbelief. If the illusion of real combat and high stakes is lost, it just becomes a group of men in a synchronized hugging competition. Hogan’s megalomaniacal reign at WCW stripped away the glamour of wrestling in service to Hogan’s ego, and it a good example of why you should never let your star control the production. Arguably, the reason WCW finally foundered was because Hogan strip-mined fans’ goodwill for bug payouts and enduring glory.
As a Member of the Locker Room? He Was The Worst
Hogan’s last years saw a well-earned decline in popularity thanks to a recording of him saying a racial slur and his cheerleading of right-wing politics. It was the final nail in the coffin for a once-beloved wrestler that was a monster behind the scenes.
We’ve already covered in detail how Hogan was almost single-handedly ended the push for wrestler unionization in the 1980s by squealing about a proposed walk-out before Wrestlemania 2. Considering how many wrestlers have ended their careers and lives far too early thanks to overwork, unsafe conditions, and other things a union would protect from, that is a ton of blood on Hogan’s hands.
He was also petty in smaller, personal ways. When The Undertaker debuted in 1990, it was clear that Houston’s own Dead Man was going to be a very big deal. Hogan, who was starting to decline in popularity, clearly felt threatened. The two met at Survivor Series in 1990, where Hogan was slated to lose to ‘Taker.
The match ended with Undertaker performing the Tombstone Piledriver on a steel chair. Hogan claimed ‘Taker had dropped him on the chair, damaging his neck, and was sent to the hospital. Undertaker was horrified that he had potentially gravely injured not only a coworker, but the company’s biggest star.
You can clearly see on the footage that Hogan’s head never touched the chair. The Undertaker handled him as gently as a baby. The obvious conclusion is that Hogan was trying to derail the career of an upstart who might supplant him, and it’s one of the many reasons people backstage have a poor opinion of the Hulkster.
Okay, But Was He a Good Wrestler?
Terry Bollea often wasn’t a good guy. He betrayed his coworkers constantly and made working with him a living hell. Some of his actions had a great negative impact on the business.
But yes, Hogan was a good wrestler by any reasonable definition. He may not have had much dynamic range much in the ring, but he could do exceptional work when the situation called for it. Though his moveset was arbitrarily limited by the expectations of American audiences, within that narrow scope he was a master who rarely left a crowd unmoved. In terms of sheer emotional expression, few could touch Hogan even if they could out-grapple him.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.
