Hulk Hogan: Real American (2026) s01e02 Episode Script
Hulkamania
[Linda Hogan] Hey, where are you guys?
I gotta get my lighting and stuff set.
-Hi, Ter.
-Hey.
['80s easy listening music playing]
[Linda] I had been dating
Terry for a year.
And he really wanted to make it serious
with me and live together.
But he was getting so famous.
Number-one sports attraction
in the world today.
[Linda] And his lifestyle was just nuts.
Megastar.
And I said, "Well, I'm not going to move
and then have you get tired of me."
"And I'm left with nothing.
I'm sorry, but I can't do that."
And he didn't call me
for two weeks after that.
I was like, "God, I fucked up."
"I should've just…
I should've just lived with the guy."
"Darn it. Now I lost him.
Now he'll break up with me."
And the next thing you know, he called.
And he was kind of stiff on the phone.
Like, "Can you fly to Oakland?
I need to talk to you."
I'm thinking, "God, here comes the ax.
Gah! I'm gonna get it in a minute."
So we go straight to the hotel,
and he's sitting on the edge of the bed.
And he goes,
"Linda, I don't want to lose you."
"And I love you."
[Hulk Hogan] She was life on top of life.
She was vibrant.
And I was young and, you know,
had never met anybody like her.
And I realized
I didn't want to be without her.
And all of a sudden,
he's down on one knee.
And he says, "Will you marry me?"
"I want to marry you
and be with you for the rest of my life."
[crying] And I was like, "Oh my God."
It was, like, such a shock.
Like, I was like, "What?"
You know, I was like,
"You got to be kidding me."
I'm thinking,
"Oh my God, I gotta call my mom."
[heartfelt music playing]
He just took me by the arm
and pulled me into him.
He had a handlebar mustache.
I was like, "Yeah, I like that."
And he can't wait to, like,
you know… like a little wrestling match.
[announcer] Hulk!
Look out, here it comes! What a…
What an explosion!
[Hogan] It's more
than just a wrestling match, Mean Gene.
I've changed my ways
and walked the straight and narrow.
[priest] May then this love,
with which you join your minds
and hearts today, never fade.
[reporter] The incredible Hulk Hogan.
Now the news is out.
[Hogan] My life has changed completely.
I'm on one heck of a roll, man.
I feel like I've been winning in Vegas
for the last ten years.
There was no time for a honeymoon.
It was, "Hurry and pack up.
We have to be in New York."
I'm going for the gold.
[Linda] Madison Square Garden.
[reporter] The bombshell that is going
to knock this city on its ears.
This is what I strive for, work for,
train, and say my prayers for.
The diamond-and-gold-studded
WWE World Title belt.
-[keys jangling]
-[garage door unlocks]
[Hogan] Is my old chair still in here?
-Wow.
-[assistant] Ooh.
-[Hogan] History.
-[assistant] All kinds of gold in here.
Oh, I see what the jackpot is.
Right there, I already see it.
-Here it is, right here.
-[Hogan] Oh my God.
Holy smokes.
These are books I kept my schedule in.
Oh, wow. Minnesota.
Japan.
-Whoa, whoa. What's that right there?
-[assistant] Madison Square Garden.
[Hogan] Madison Square Garden.
January 23rd,1984. [huffs]
Wow.
[anticipatory music playing]
I was ready for that night
in Madison Square Garden.
I was Hulk Hogan,
and I had my gimmick down.
I knew exactly what I was doing.
[announcer] There he is.
Hulkamania.
[Hogan] And because
of the political landscape,
we knew going in
that this was a huge deal.
Anti-Iranian feelings
kept rising across this country today
over the hostage situation.
More than 200 students
burned an Iranian flag
and chanted, "Let our people go."
[Hogan] I wasn't into politics in '84.
But on the world stage, that was the news.
Iran had the American hostages.
[newsreader] Blindfolded hostages
visible in the grounds.
-[horn honking]
-[Hogan] I'd see this crazy tension.
We're tired of being kicked around.
I've had it. I'm furious.
[Hogan] You couldn't miss it.
[Dana Millikin] Children hung out of cars
telling the Iranians to go home.
It was like the perfect setup
for the all-American hero Hulk Hogan
to go against the Iron Sheik.
Hulk Hogan, the biggest American animal.
[Hogan] Back in the day, the Iron Sheik
was actually the Shah of Iran's bodyguard.
We're taking the belt back to Iran
where it rightfully belongs
and where it will stay.
Me being an American,
the storyline meant more than wrestling.
It's good guy versus bad guy.
The world of modern pro wrestling
draws definite lines
between good and evil,
with the fans providing the chorus.
Wrestling has always been a soap opera.
It's not supposed to be nuanced.
It's not supposed to have shades of gray.
America, ha! Bah!
[Costas] The Iron Sheik
would come in and demand
that the Iranian national anthem be played
along with "The Star-Spangled Banner."
[announcer] That's awful.
[Costas] The fans would go nuts.
They'd be booing, throwing stuff.
It was perfect in its own weird way.
And it would really raise
the ire of the American public.
The incredible Hulk Hogan
has been designated
to challenge the Sheik
for the World Championship.
I'm just glad it's finally here
this Monday night.
These Iranians, the 52 people,
the 444 days in captivity,
the oil embargoes, the cartels.
It'd be like putting a six-shooter
to your head
and holding up the United States.
It's all that together.
That's what's got the Hulkster spurred on.
It couldn't have been better timing.
[suspenseful music playing]
Madison Square Garden
is very intimidating.
The crowd reaction was so big.
[announcer] The Iron Sheik in the ring.
Madison Square Garden on its feet.
They have a lot of hate
in their hearts for this man.
I remember that morning.
Terry was out of body.
If you tried to talk to him,
he was not, like, my husband anymore.
He was already, yep.
Shh. In another world.
[Hogan] My parents were there.
Yeah, because my dad was very in love
with this country and our president.
-[Linda] Number 1.
-[Peter Bollea] My old buddy.
[man] Dad likes that Reagan.
[laughter]
[Hogan] He'd never come
to any of my wrestling matches
because he equated wrestling
with a circus performer.
So when he came to Madison Square Garden,
it really meant something.
[noble music playing]
It was giddy up and go time.
It was destiny,
and I felt that fever pitch.
I felt that fever pitch,
and I came out tearing my shirt.
Looking and pointing.
And just pointing, "You, the Iron Sheik…"
And just looking at the crowd.
[announcer] The incredible Hulk Hogan!
As soon as I heard the response, I went…
[inhales and grunts]
And that's why I jumped the Sheik
before the bell started.
-He didn't know I was coming.
-[music continues]
That was not planned at all.
I just beat the crap out of him.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator] Hulk Hogan
now stands up with the Sheik
and rams him into the top turnbuckle.
I don't want to talk.
I want to watch the match.
[commentator 2] He's going up, Hulk Hogan,
and he drops the big leg on him.
He's down for the count,
hook the leg, one, two.
He got him!
[crowd cheering]
[bell ringing]
[announcer] The winner of this bout,
and new Heavyweight Champion,
the incredible Hulk Hogan!
[Hogan] That place
was so loud and so electric.
Just totally nuts for my mom and dad
to hear something like this
for the first time ever.
It's just overwhelming.
-[Okerlund] What about your son?
-[Peter] We're very proud of him.
He's very dedicated
and a real professional and…
-You gotta be proud of him, mom and dad.
-You know something, Mean Gene?
Pete and Ruth
are the people that trained me
from the day I could toddle, man.
They're the ones that fed me
and made these 24-inch pythons.
This is Pete's belt and Ruth's belt,
and we're gonna
stand behind it all the way, Daddy.
It's USA and Hulkamania running wild.
Oh, the party,
ladies and gentlemen, is going on.
There is your new Champion of the World,
the incredible Hulk Hogan,
kissing that coveted belt.
He never kind of got over…
the fact that I passed on a college degree
to become
the World's Heavyweight Champion.
But that night, he understood it.
[Linda] It was almost like a miracle,
because where he came from,
his poor upbringing,
to look at their son holding up
that championship belt,
just how famous he had gotten.
[Hogan] So I took them
out to dinner, you know.
They were very happy,
you know, my dad especially.
He told me he was proud of me,
said he loved me,
and that I made the right choice.
Tonight in Madison Square Garden,
the WWE Champion, Hulk Hogan.
You know something, Vicious Vince?
I am the WWE champion, and I knew that…
[Bruce Prichard]
For Hulk to beat the Iron Sheik from Iran,
that was a major deal
in the world of wrestling.
Hulk Hogan is about as big
as Prince in Purple Rain.
Hulk, what in the world
are you doing here?
It's time to train, Daddy, time to train.
Hulkamania, Gene-a-mania,
get psyched, man.
But professional wrestling
didn't have national television exposure,
so "pro wrestling" was a dirty word.
[Hogan] No carbs, no fat,
nothing but pure protein.
[Okerlund] No, Hulk.
[Hogan] There's not a better way to go.
Come on, Mean Gene.
It wasn't considered
legitimate sports or entertainment.
Come on. Come on, Gene-O.
[Prichard] When you look back
at moments that are pivotal,
moments of time that changed the industry,
you can look back to 1985.
That changed everything going forward.
It's ours, brother. It's ours.
In my crystal ball, I saw I was more
than just a wrestler, you know?
This was just a setup for what's next.
[announcer] WrestleMania,
what the world has come to.
Vince, being the businessman, says,
"Hey, man, we need a Super Bowl."
All the top talent
assembled under one roof.
The coliseum of wrestling,
Madison Square Garden.
[Prichard] In our industry, WrestleMania I
was the most important event
that has ever taken place.
[announcer] Locations coast-to-coast
in which you can see WrestleMania…
[Prichard] This was everywhere
on closed-circuit television.
I was a little reluctant
to do a wrestling story.
[newsreader] Why would a sophisticated
young audience buy into this stuff?
It was very simple.
They had a cavalcade of celebrities.
I'd like to talk a bit about Cyndi Lauper
for my main man, Mr. T!
["Theme from The A-Team"
by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter playing]
Mr. T! ♪
[Hogan] During the '80s, he was the guy.
Teamin' up with Mr. T! ♪
[Greenberg] He was the top television star
in the United States.
Oh, wow! Now, that'll start some scandals.
Nah! Uh-huh!
[Hogan] The original idea was a tag match.
Hulk Hogan and Mr.
versus Mr. Wonderful and Roddy Piper.
I thought to myself,
"What is he doing fighting me?"
Mr. T, the wonderful human being.
[Hogan] Good versus evil.
Plain and simple.
You could wind up looking like this.
I painted this myself,
with your arm in a cast.
[Greenberg] The hope was that fans
were not just watching for wrestling.
They were watching for the spectacle.
[heroic music playing]
That said, there was a lot of uncertainty
about whether WrestleMania
would really fly.
[McMahon] There was a lot of risk
because it was extremely expensive
to put on.
We bet the farm.
How's the audio sound on this?
What kind of audio do you have?
[Hogan] Vince's livelihood,
everything he owned.
He begged, borrowed, and stealed.
His house was on the line.
So much of it was built around me.
The showcase of this business
had to be a win-win situation.
-We've got all kinds of stuff to do.
-[director] Back up, please.
It was non-stop press, 24/7.
["25 Or 6 To 4" by Chicago playing]
Waiting for the break of day… ♪
[reporter] A wrestling veteran
teams up with a rookie of the ring.
-Ain't no telling what I might do.
-Street fighting, Chicago-style shuffling.
[McMahon] Mr. T and Hulk
will be in Los Angeles on the 19th.
Then from there,
we're gonna have to swing down to Phoenix
to do some PR for March 31st.
Just think about Piper and Orndorff.
Just think about that.
Just think.
Just think.
Just think.
["25 Or 6 To 4" continues]
[audience cheering]
You know, when you laugh,
your little things go bambi, bambi, bambi.
[Hogan] Wrestling's always been around,
but now the people are following it.
A lot of, like you said,
Wall Street people
or normal people
that may have been afraid to say,
"I was at matches
Friday and Saturday with my kids."
We were browbeating ourselves to death.
We could leave no stone unturned.
-[Mr. T] Come on, Hulk.
-[Hogan] Get hungry.
-[Mr. T] That's what we do.
-Take that, New York City.
I was completely beat up.
[host] You gentlemen have
one million viewers paying a lot of money.
I think you should be nervous.
[Hogan] I was completely spent.
[music fades]
Five days before WrestleMania,
Vince goes, "Hey, you got
one more thing you gotta do tonight."
"Somebody booked you on a show called
Hot Properties with Richard Belzer."
"And there's like six or seven kids
waiting there in wheelchairs."
[tense music playing]
I said, "Okay, I'll go."
So we get to Hot Properties…
Show me one of the moves you use.
…there are no kids in wheelchairs.
That didn't sit well with T or me.
What's your famous move?
I'm gonna have
to stick to the basics with you.
The floor is hard.
I don't want you getting hurt.
-There's--
-I don't want you hurt, so be careful.
[Hogan] Belzer was condescending.
-Nice and easy if you bend over--
-[yells]
No, I'm sorry.
"Oh. Now look at this asshole."
Just tell me, brother,
when you want him to quit squealing.
All right. [laughs]
I'm sitting in the audience,
and Terry's like, "This guy's a wise guy."
He's popping off
about how fake this shit is.
Hey, fun and games.
Fake wrestling? Oh, really?
-How about it, T?
-[Mr. T] Keep him like that for a while.
[audience laughs]
-[body thuds]
-[audience gasps]
[Mr. T] He's all right.
He's just sleeping.
He's sleeping. Really.
That was a sleeper hold.
I don't think Terry intended to actually,
like, make him pass out to that point.
But he did,
because he's, like, skinny, you know.
Yeah, I knew I went too far.
-[Mr. T] He's waking up now.
-[Hogan] You all right, brother?
[audience murmuring]
[Hogan] See? It works.
All right, brother.
And now, we'll be right back
after this word from you-know-who.
I went backstage and collapsed,
and the ambulance took me to Cedars-Sinai,
where I have eight stitches
in the back of my head.
Belzer became a real pain in the ass.
You know, I'm in show business.
I don't have a show to get almost killed.
I assume he didn't apologize?
He didn't feel bad at all.
Somebody wants to, you know,
make fun of the business that he's in,
that he's worked so hard to be in,
kind of spit on it, in a way?
There's very little remorse,
unfortunately.
Sure enough, a couple days later,
here comes
the half-a-million-dollar lawsuit.
Financially,
there's going to be a big problem.
We lived on about $3,500 a month.
We were living in an apartment,
which was, like, in the hood of Stamford.
And I said,
"Terry, train, say your prayers."
[Hogan] Pray to God WrestleMania works,
and it's not the biggest flop
ever in the business.
[chuckling] "Okay." You know?
[atmospheric music playing]
[reporter] The wrestling extravaganza
of all time, WrestleMania.
-[man] What are you so excited about?
-This is WrestleMania.
-Body slam!
-Yeah! Yeah!
Tickets for Sunday's sold-out
tag team brawl at the Garden
have been going for as much as $100 a pop.
Next thing you know, they'll be hawking
Perrier and quiche at ringside.
This is where it's at.
Forget the Super Bowl, it's super boring.
This is exciting.
Never saw a wrestling match in my life.
-[reporter] You're about to.
-Yes, sir.
[crowd cheering]
Our main event.
Liberace.
There he is, the greatest, Muhammad Ali.
[commentator] Have you ever seen
such pandemonium?
It's just so exciting,
I just don't know what to say.
[triumphant music playing]
[inaudible]
-[bell rings]
-[commentator] There goes the bell!
Look at the bell by Liberace.
Oh, look at that bell, Jeff.
Oh, nice fireman's carry.
[commentator 2]
What's he gonna do with him?
A slam by Mr. T, as Piper goes down.
Whoa! Here comes the Hulk.
[commentator 3]
All four going at it in the corner.
[commentator 2]
And a four-way is going on.
[commentator 3]
Muhammad Ali is getting into the ring.
[commentator 1]
Ali stepped right in there.
Look at Ali, took a shot at Piper.
Ali won't take anything from anybody.
[commentator 2] A champion taking control.
[commentator 1] Look out, knocker.
Double whip now. Piper off the ropes.
Oh no!
We tore the house down
and accomplished the mission.
[rock music playing]
[commentator 2] Unbelievable,
pandemonium here in the Garden.
He tries to pin him.
[commentator 3] He got out.
[rock music continues to play]
[Hogan] Madison Square Garden,
WrestleMania, Hulk Hogan, Mr. T.
We reign supreme. Can you dig that?
[laughs evilly]
-I can dig it. Proving conclusively…
-I love it, man. Thank you.
The whole United States was watching,
and it… it changed.
It changed our lives, changed wrestling,
it changed everything from that night on.
It was never the same.
That's it, mainstream, overnight.
I'm a real wild one, wild one
Wild one, wild one ♪
["Real Wild Child (Wild One)"
by Iggy Pop playing]
[Joan Rivers] Ladies and gentlemen,
Heavyweight Champion of the World,
Mr. Hulk Hogan.
[Hogan] That was the beginning
of this global juggernaut.
And here he is,
in all his glory, Hulk Hogan.
[Hogan] It was just total insanity.
[reporter] Move over, Mr. T and Rambo.
It seems Hulk Hogan is now
the superhero America chooses.
I want your autograph.
You look famous. [laughs]
I just had to sit back
and shake my head and think, like…
"I cannot believe that this has happened."
That I've gotta be a wild one ♪
[Linda] Our bookkeeper called us,
and he goes, "Are you sitting down?"
[commentator] Oh, look at that!
You guys have a million dollars
in your bank account.
Baby, I'm a real wild child ♪
I was like, "Terry, we're millionaires."
[laughs]
We celebrated.
We just got it on, right?
[engine rumbles]
Well, Terry's new boat is finally here.
He's probably just jumping for joy.
These girls are gonna have a good time.
Yeah, let's party!
Professional wrestling.
It's always been popular,
but lately, it's been emerging
from second-rate arenas
to attract a whole new generation of fans.
[Hogan] Along with Vince McMahon,
we got the beer drinkers, cigar smokers,
and bloodthirsty people
out of the front row,
and the families showed up.
Gonna tell them all I'm a wild one ♪
Ooh, yeah, I'm a wild one ♪
Every city, every arena, I dominated.
[Cyndi Lauper] What do you think, Mom?
[Dolly Parton] Now, I love Hulk Hogan.
My daddy's crazy about him.
[fans screaming]
["Real Wild Child" continues]
[reporter] It's showbiz, pure and simple,
and America is eating it up.
I'm a wild one ♪
[Hogan] So it changed
the dynamics of the business
from a territorial status
to stadiums and big arenas.
And then the groundwork was laid
for a lot of the other wrestlers
to jump on that train,
cutting these guys better deals.
So now, at the end of the year,
instead of bringing home
half a million bucks to wife and kids,
you're probably gonna bring
three or four million dollars home.
[crowd cheering]
[Jake Roberts] He was the golden goose.
You knew if he was on the card,
the building was sold out.
[announcer] Jake "The Snake" Roberts!
[commentator] Look at that snake!
He's wrapping it all around his throat!
You wanted to wrestle Hogan.
That's where the money was at.
A lot of people want a piece of you,
and they all want this right here.
Hogan meant money.
That meant you were the main event.
That meant you got the bigger check.
Not as big as his.
But let's give the credit where it's due.
Everybody in the dressing room
was praying and crossing their fingers.
When they handed out the booking sheets,
you'd look and see
if you were on the same shows
that Hulk was on.
Look at all the guys
that are lining up behind this guy.
They want this guy!
You get a better check
when it was sold out.
[laughs] This is easy money, baby.
Oh my God, a different level.
Are you kidding me?
Here you're with a guy
that's making the whole company money.
Hulkamania elevated wrestling to a place
that nobody ever thought it would go.
This mega business.
They say money is the root of all evil.
Well, I'm here to tell you that it's not.
Not that money means everything,
and it doesn't.
Only thing it does
is make things a little easier.
[Linda] We have a 12-foot surfboard here.
Turn around, Terry,
let me see your face with it.
The Hulkster board.
-Yeah.
-[Linda] Matches the motorcycle.
When he'd give gifts,
he wasn't a cheap miser.
He really rolled the dice on things,
you know?
["Over the Top"
by Graham Preskett playing]
[Hogan] Linda and I used
to go out on the boat every day.
It was just raising holy hell,
Wild Wild West, winging it, you know?
[Linda] It was like constant good times.
Nothing really got us down.
[woman] Hey, Tony, what's happening, mama?
[Linda] The success and the money
turned into a lifestyle of partying.
Good, good. How are you doing?
-[waiter] Your menu for this evening.
-[Linda] Okay! You have to hand them out.
[Hogan] We were running pretty hard
doing the drug stuff.
[Linda] Party's beginning!
[laughter]
Coke? Yeah, we did a little bit of it.
And we have Hulkamania himself,
with a buzz on. [chuckles]
We were going 90 miles an hour,
and, uh, whatever you think about,
we did it.
[woman] Yes, we do!
[Roberts] It was all there for the taking.
[Linda] The boat's on the way back.
Okay, so what shall we have?
[laughter]
Sure, I'll take a little bit of that.
Uppers, downers, sideways.
[laughing]
I had diet pills from my mom's doctor.
What we have got to face every night,
each and every night, it is a nightmare.
I mean, you needed it.
You've got a 13 or 15-hour day
ahead of you.
But, Hulk, they all want you!
They all want you!
When you're on one hour of sleep,
you've gotta figure out how to do it.
[Hogan] Scratching, clawing, fighting.
Working longer, working harder,
to achieve a goal of greatness.
[Linda] He was kind of like "the guy."
You don't want anything to mess that up.
[Hogan] And something happened
that kind of, like,
knocked me off my pedestal.
[music fades]
We were at Gold's Gym
on, uh, Sherman Way in the Valley.
There was a Gold's Gym there
years ago, and…
I went back out to the car to go
get water or something, or my towel.
As I go out there,
there's this big biker guy
just standing around our car.
[tense music playing]
Then I looked at him,
like, "It looks just like Terry."
The same face, the same nose.
They were twins.
And Linda, she came back in,
her eyes were huge.
She goes, "There's this monster
sitting on the hood of your car."
"He says he's your brother."
It was my brother, Allan.
We weren't that close.
He rode off the reservation early.
Grew up really fast.
By the time he was 17,
he was riding with a bunch of bikers.
He got in some trouble here in Florida.
And he ended up in Oakland, California.
So when I used to wrestle
at the Oakland Coliseum or the Cow Palace,
he'd always show up
with like ten Hell's Angels.
So we talked and stuff,
and he goes, "I just got out of rehab."
He just had a problem with drugs.
You know, hard drinking, hard living.
You know, so Terry kind of put
the straight line on him, you know.
[Hogan] I said, "Look, I'm gonna wrestle.
We'll be out there about 9:30.
We'll jump on a plane. Come with me."
I was trying to help him out
as much as I could.
But he goes, "Oh, no, no, man.
I gotta pay my rent."
"I need you to lend me some money."
So I gave him some money,
and I didn't take him with me.
And I went to wrestle.
And when I came out of the ring,
I got a… a number.
And it was like, uh, an emergency, so…
I called the number, and they said,
"Your brother overdosed and passed away."
So I should have taken him with me,
um, instead of giving him the money.
So that was the last time I saw him.
It was a…
That was a hard one to get over.
[somber music playing]
[interviewer] Was there a funeral?
[Hogan] I tried to go,
but I had to leave right away.
I couldn't handle it.
-[interviewer] And your parents?
-No.
[interviewer] Did you talk to them
about his death? Or have any grieving?
No. Bro, I… We have to stop.
You have to stop.
You're digging way too much for me.
I was running pretty hard,
partying and drinking, and the drug stuff.
I was completely done after that.
[poignant music playing]
You know, the problem with me at the time
was that "Hulk Hogan" was just a business.
I just didn't realize the responsibility
that came along with it,
as Hulk Hogan, the role model.
-[children exclaiming]
-[Hogan] Yeah.
Excuse me, I'm gonna step right here.
Any questions or anything anybody
would like to ask? How about it?
Would you show your muscles?
-[Hogan] You guys wanna see my muscles?
-[children] Yeah!
[yelling]
[Hogan] When I saw the respect
the fans had for Hulk Hogan,
I quit being cynical about it, you know.
I started thinking,
"Wow, this is really cool."
Before, it was all "work,"
and it really didn't matter.
But it really did matter
what the people thought, you know.
I wanted to be closer
to who the character was.
[woman] Your 8th International
Summer Special Olympic Games.
[Hogan] I never really prepared for it.
It just started happening.
The Make-A-Wish kids started showing up.
They wanted to meet me.
[gentle music playing]
Instead of seeing Mr. T or Mickey Mouse,
they wanted to come see me.
I started seeing one at a time,
then two at a time.
Sometimes it was five or six,
ten at a time.
[reporter] Here at Madison Square Garden,
there are well over
18,000 special children.
-Do you know who Hulk Hogan is?
-[kid] Yeah.
[reporter] Yeah, he's gonna be here today.
-[kid] He is?
-Hulk Hogan's gonna be here.
[Hogan] They're survivors, hanging in.
All happy with smiles on their faces.
And it hurts a little bit.
I wish I could give these kids
what I have, a healthy body.
It gave them something to believe in,
an "I, too, can live like a Hulkamaniac."
-Hey, big guy. How you doing?
-Fine.
Oh, boy. You look like
a Hulkamaniac to me.
[Linda] He was amazing
with the Make-the-Wish kids.
He would always put them first.
I'm glad to meet you. Don't break my arm.
I gotta go to work in a little while.
-All right.
-I'm glad to meet you.
I'm worried.
-Worried about what?
-Well, tomorrow.
-Oh, yeah.
-What do you think I ought to do?
Well, I don't know.
Just do your best.
That's good advice, isn't it?
To have these kids as fans
is such a huge responsibility.
Hulk Hogan was able
to capture their imagination.
Whether it was the size…
[Hogan] God bless you, all right?
I love you. Don't get in any trouble,
or I'll have to come and body slam you.
…or the fact that he was able to be booked
against these big monsters and overcome.
-[Hogan] What's up, big man?
-Hey.
[Hogan] Everything good?
[man] When I was six years old,
my dad took us to WrestleMania III.
I was like, "Oh my God!"
I remember that day. I was a little kid.
WrestleMania III
meant something very different
in the evolution of Hulkamania.
WrestleMania III will be your last lesson.
[Hogan] Talk about heroes.
I'd looked up to André,
you know… my whole life.
Oh! Oh!
[Hogan] He was my mentor.
I'm really proud of you,
and you are a good wrestler.
You're the reason
I got into professional wrestling.
You were like a god to me, a role model!
And wrestling fans had been waiting
to see me fight him for the belt.
What are you doing, man?
You can't leave like this, man.
Used to respect the guy a lot.
André was viewed
as someone who couldn't be beaten.
He was called
the eighth wonder of the world.
[reporter] The most
extraordinary athlete of all time.
They weighed him at the Detroit airport
on the baggage scale,
he was like 600 pounds or something crazy.
In later years,
every time Hulk told the story,
André gained 100 pounds.
For those who believe,
it's like when St. Paul had his epiphany
on the road to Damascus.
The whole earth is gonna shake!
[Greenberg] When Jesus rose from the dead.
What are they gonna think
when the giant hits the ground?
[Okerlund] This is
the main event of the evening.
The people,
they were right there with all of it.
[commentator] He ripped the shirt
off the champion as well as the crucifix.
Seven-foot-five.
[Hogan] First time I've been in the ring
not knowing what was gonna happen.
[commentator] Look
at the size of the giant.
What's Hogan saying to him?
What could Hogan
possibly be saying to him?
[Hogan] "I love you to death, brother."
"Thank you so much, man,
for helping me out all these years."
That was the conversation.
And he looked pissed.
He looked like a rabid great white shark
that was gonna tear me apart.
[commentator] Big right hand
blocked by the champion.
And the Hulkster unloading,
going for a slam. He almost got him.
The storyline is
no one had body slammed André the Giant.
[commentator] With ease! That's right!
[Greenberg] It's impossible.
[commentator] André telling the champion,
"Get up, get up."
[Hogan] I said, "Well, I'm dead
because you're gonna kill me."
[commentator] Oh, the bear hug!
We could get a submission on this.
[intense music playing]
He's facing a man
who has never been beaten in 15 years.
He's taking the air away from Hogan.
Hogan is not being allowed
to get a full breath of oxygen in there.
When you talk about who's the greatest,
the greatest is, was, or ever will be,
or greatest in the world,
I challenge anybody in this business…
[commentator] The referee
checking the arm. Look.
…to do one move better than mine.
[commentator] One more time.
If that arm drops, it's over.
Which, as etched in time,
would be a piece of history.
Do whatever sidekick you want to do,
whatever suplex you want to do,
whatever twirly twisty thing
off the top rope.
What I did will live forever.
[commentator] Oh, look at that.
It's up there.
-[crowd cheering]
-Listen to these fans.
[intense music continues]
Right on the side of the ear.
And another one, and another one!
-[commentator 2] He dropped him!
-[commentator 1] He dropped the big guy!
He's Hulking up.
That adrenaline can do wonders.
We're seeing
what this guy is really made of.
What he is.
The greatest professional athlete
in the world today.
Look at this!
-[commentator 2] He slammed him!
-[commentator 1] He's out!
[commentator 2] I don't believe it!
-I don't believe it!
-[commentator 1] Hulk dropping a big one!
Over from the jumper.
It's over!
-[commentator 2] Unbelievable!
-[commentator 1] It's all over!
[music fades]
[Hart] After that, I told him,
"You're never gonna be
Terry Bollea again, Hulk."
"When you walk out there
with that headband on,
it's not Terry Bollea, it's Hulk Hogan.
And that's the way the people see you."
[Brian Blair] He became
the legend, the myth.
Hulk Hogan, the immortal one.
[commentator 1] He's thanking
the guy upstairs, Jess. As he always does.
[Greenberg] The power of Hulkamania
made us push everything else aside
and escape into this marvelous movie.
[Hogan] Hulk Hogan
turned out to be more real
than any… anyone ever
thought it would be.
It turned out to be who I really am.
[assistant] Here you go.
[Hogan] Whoa.
I was hoping
these had André's blood on them.
I used to order 12 pair at a time.
Every time I'd order 12 pair, I'd swear,
"Once I'm done
with these 12 pair of boots,
I'm quitting. I'll never wrestle again."
Then I'd order 12 more. Then 12 more.
Then 12 more.
WrestleMania III etched in stone
that I wasn't going anywhere.
[propulsive music playing]
I was 700 feet tall in the public's eyes.
Whoo!
There was no corner in the earth
where they didn't know about Hulk Hogan
or what was going on with me.
[Hart] It was like John Lennon
and Paul McCartney at their heyday.
The people just come out of the woodwork.
[Hogan] It was a who's who
of who would show up at these matches
to meet and talk with me.
[commentator 1] Unreal,
Donald Trump, one of the Hulkamaniacs.
[commentator 2] There he is right there.
A Hulkamaniac, you really think so?
[commentator 1] Absolutely.
It's an honor.
I'll tell you what, it's an honor.
Everybody in the country
wanted this event.
Get on up here.
Come on. Do you believe this?
I'm 6'2".
I want the world to know that I'm 6'2".
And look what I look like.
[Hogan] It was just amazing
to watch this guy work.
I'd heard a lot about him,
but this was the first time
I ever saw him in action in person.
-[Trump] Nice to see you.
-[interviewer] Sit right in here.
So you go ahead, if you're ready.
I have a big Russia meeting going on, so…
Somehow, I became friendly
with Hulk over there, the Hulkster.
He's a good man. He's just a nice guy.
He asked, "Would you do this interview?"
I said, "Why not?"
Here we are in the White House, right?
Get ready, ladies and gentlemen,
for WrestleMania IV,
which will be held
at the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino.
'88, WrestleMania at Trump Plaza
in Atlantic City.
[commentator]
Oh, there he is, Donald Trump.
[Hogan] Yeah, he's my main man.
He's sitting in my box.
[Trump] Yeah, he was in there
wrestling his heart out.
[commentator] Hulk Hogan
miraculously on his feet!
Obviously, you need the physical ability.
If he walked in and he was not,
didn't look like that,
I don't care how good an actor you are,
it's not going to work.
Thank God Donald Trump's a Hulkamaniac!
But he's also a showman.
And that would be a good word for him.
Thank you, Hulk Hogan!
Let's get back to action.
I've seen him numerous times.
I've watched him wrestle numerous times.
Trump Plaza is dedicated
to getting the greatest sporting events.
We're really delighted
to land WrestleMania V.
But we… we sort of had
a good relationship early on.
It was a good chemistry.
-[Hogan] Trump. How you doing?
-The big man. Come here.
Come in and shut the door.
-How are the kids?
-They're great. They send their regards.
They gonna be ringside?
[Trump] He's just a big, strong guy
who's got a good heart.
He's a very loyal person.
If you want to be in Hulk's corner,
that's all right.
-I'll take care of you outside the ring.
-Sounds good.
Yes. I'll take care of everyone.
[commentator] Hogan!
[Trump] Wrestling is a mimicking of life.
There's a winner and a loser.
[commentator] Here we go.
-[Trump] Hulk was at the top of the game.
-[commentator] Hulkster's out of there!
[Trump] You'll think he was beat…
[commentator] Nobody's ever
come back from that elbow!
[Trump] …and then you'll see
the finger moving.
[crowd cheering]
The finger going like this,
and all of a sudden--
[interviewer] Can you show me?
What does he do?
[chuckling] No,
I've given you enough there.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator] And a leg-drop!
One, two! Yeah!
[crowd cheering]
[Hogan] Business-wise,
his work ethic rubbed off on me.
How he recreated
the whole New York skyline.
[Trump] Hulk has a great brand.
He's had a lot of success.
Yeah!
He was the biggest ever
in this world of wrestling.
And it's a pretty big world.
[fans cheering]
[Ventura] He was the first one
that had merchandising.
Hulk was great that way.
That's Hulk Hogan!
[announcer] Wrestling buddies
are looking for action.
[Roberts] The amount of money
that is made off a product…
[children] Dropkick!
[Roberts] …that's where it's all at.
Not by putting asses in seats.
[reporter] The marketing
of professional wrestling
has turned
into a multi-million dollar business.
[Hogan] Hulkster rules, brother!
When I say, you know, Hulk Hogan
was the greatest wrestler in the world,
it's because I was the guy
who generates the most revenue.
You need to be able to walk in a room
where you're talking
to 4,000 buyers from Walmart.
I'm so thrilled, so happy about the new
Hulk Hogan rock wrestling cartoon.
There's a lot of responsibility
with being a businessman
outside the "normal" wrestler
that was driving down the ring,
chugging some beers before the match.
You need to know merchandise,
licensing, ancillary, talk their language.
[man] Hogan's the only number one.
[woman] There is no one better.
You also need to be able to hold your own
with 30 women, be able to relate to them.
Hulk Hogan is sexy.
-He's a wonder.
-Good build, good body.
Best looking wrestler in the business.
Good for the kids!
I'm approving ten or 15
new products every week.
Underwear, bedsheets, potty seats for kids
to learn how to go to the bathroom.
[announcer] 16-inch high.
[Hogan] A Hulk Hogan
vibrating action figure.
And that… that had
to get knocked off right away.
-[interviewer] Why is that?
-I have no idea. [clears throat]
Hulk Hogan turned
into a licensing merchandising monster.
[Linda] There's Hulk.
It's a beautiful day on the beach here.
Strange in those clothes,
I'm not used to seeing him all dressed up.
His career became all-consuming.
He would have a promo,
a commercial, a photo shoot.
Then he had a wrestling match at night.
He would live, sleep, eat, and breathe it.
The 900 number might be
the quickest and easiest thing.
[Linda] I got to a point where I was like,
"You know something, Terry?"
"Ever since we got married,
we've just been on the run."
Like Bonnie and Clyde, you know,
it's never been a situated situation.
And I'm like,
"I need a situated situation right now."
"And I think maybe it'd be
a good time now if we had a kid."
I want to have a baby.
Nine months later, Brooke came.
[gentle music playing]
This big man's holding this little baby
in a pink blanket.
I mean, it was like, he couldn't believe
that he had a baby.
[music turns upbeat]
[Hogan] Oh no, ice-cold water on Daddy.
[Linda chuckling]
My whole reason for living
changed instantly.
-Come on, give Dad a kiss.
-[kisses]
-[Brooke] No! Daddy!
-[Hogan grunts]
He became more of a family man,
and he liked doing family things.
[Hogan] I had no idea
my whole focus would change
to try to protect this human being.
[Linda] And what to my wandering eyes
should appear but a huge Hulkamania.
[Hogan] Lindoochay, what do you have
to say for yourself on this sunny day?
[giggles]
[Hogan] We already did that.
That's why we're in this predicament.
Ba-boom. Holy shit.
Let me get back, my lenses are fogged up.
At the time, Nini, Linda's grandmother,
was living with us.
I came downstairs for coffee.
She goes, "I want to let you know,
congratulations, Linda's pregnant."
I went, "What?"
[exhales] Thanks, Nini,
with your big mouth.
[Hogan] I said, "How'd you get pregnant?"
She goes, "I quit taking birth control.
I decided not to tell you." I went…
Cool.
That's okay. He got over it.
[Hogan] My son Nick came along,
and I had a baby boy. I was ecstatic.
[Linda] I'd like to lose some.
My life is in shambles.
-[Hogan] No.
-[Linda] Shut up.
[Hogan] It was something
that was printed in my brain,
that I didn't want to live
the way I grew up.
Not that my parents didn't love me.
It wasn't a verbal or a physical thing.
There's people I love, man.
I'm not afraid to tell people.
He was always affectionate with the kids.
Never forgot to say "I love you."
Oh, there she goes.
One, two, kicks out. She's up.
She's staring me down.
I thought you were a fighter,
I'm supposed to punch you.
-You're on my side?
-[Baby Nick squeals]
[Hogan] Aah!
-[grunts]
-[Hogan] Let them hang.
Yes, sir, buddy.
That's that come to Jesus set.
There you go.
[Baby Nick coos]
[Hogan] We're not done.
-Whoo-ee!
-[Nick grunts]
-Stick with it. Good.
-[grunts]
[pants]
The person that's been around the longest
and has stuck with me through everything
is my son, Nick.
That breeze coming off the ocean.
Oh my God, that feels good.
Oh, man.
[Hogan] When Nick is around,
I hang like this.
You guys see me do that?
It's hard to walk straight.
I'm off balance.
You know, it's kind of embarrassing.
Ego-wise, you know.
Dad, you do more weight than I do.
You're still stronger than me.
He was just this, you know,
action figure that was my dad, you know.
So I still see him like that.
I don't remember Hulkamania.
I was so young at the time.
So I never really understood
what Hulk Hogan, what wrestling was,
what any of that really meant.
My friends, they'd come over and be like,
"Am I gonna meet your dad?"
"Is your dad gonna be there?"
[Neidhart] The first time I met Hogan
was at one of his birthday parties
that he threw on his yacht.
[Linda] These girls are gonna have
a good time on this cruise.
My dad was a part
of that very special era.
[woman] This is the nasty guy.
He's The Anvil.
No, we're… we're not nasty.
Like, I was in awe. Wow.
He just kind of exuded that, like, star.
You see him,
and he's got this presence, this aura.
He was the guy.
I've never met a top person in wrestling
that has had an easy, smooth road.
Woo-hoo!
Even my dad wasn't a top star,
but my dad was gone 300 days a year.
[commentator] Jim Neidhart,
in the ring, hammering down.
[Neidhart] I saw my dad
more on TV than in real life.
Just like Hogan with his kids.
Tell them, Brooke. Who's here?
Brooke and Nicholas and Daddy.
[Linda] Yay!
[Hart] Brooke and Nick had to share him
with everybody else.
I love Hulk Hogan!
[Hogan] There you go, Hulkamania.
[epic music playing]
They had to share him
with the other boys and girls.
[Hogan] Look at this big one.
He couldn't be a real father
because he was Hulk Hogan.
He was not Terry Bollea.
Trading a real life for a wrestling life,
it's a choice that can destroy a family.
-[Linda] Come here.
-[phone ringing]
Come here.
Hello?
Hi. We're just playing in the kitchen.
[cooing excitedly]
[Hogan] Yo, Nick, this is Dad.
[Hart] Hulk loved his family.
He loved his wife.
He'd be on the road,
"I'm just gonna keep my family happy."
"Whatever Linda wants,
that's what we'll do."
[Linda] Are you done? Okay.
Everything this man did,
you were to have the best life possible.
But what good is a good life
if you don't have your husband with you?
[Linda] I get to have
such a nice Mother's Day.
Terry just sent three dozen
long-stemmed red roses.
He was gone for 12 days
and then only home for two sometimes.
[Hogan] Hey, Brooke, come over here.
No, turn, turn, turn.
Then, boom, we're gone again.
[Linda] Leaving for England.
I don't want him to.
I don't either.
My kids were starting to freak out
when I'd leave.
-[Linda] Crying.
-[Hogan] Oh no.
[Linda] Come on. Why were you crying now?
It took him a long time
to get out the front door.
And it probably affected him
until he finally got, you know,
vodka and tonic
on the plane and got going.
But, honestly, I know
it must have been hard for him.
Oh, my gosh.
Ugh. It was killing me.
And I told Linda
that I'm gonna gracefully approach Vince
and start winding this down
to a part-time schedule.
It made it really hard for him.
We didn't have anybody else at that time
that could draw the thousands
and thousands of people.
You have to give them what they want.
And it was just me.
As he's opening his book, and he goes,
"Okay, how am I gonna book Cincinnati?"
"How am I gonna book Boston?"
"How am I gonna book New York
when I can't put your name on the book?"
"How am I gonna do this, Terry?"
I said, "Well, we need another star."
[intense music playing]
[Hogan] The Ultimate Warrior came along.
[Jim Hellwig] Warrior had a look.
Warrior had ungodly charisma.
Ultimate Warrior was just custom-made.
Something that guys would want to be,
and something girls would want to be with.
[Greenberg] He has this belligerent body.
He has the face paint.
[Hogan] And Vince has put
all the neon colors on him.
Much brighter than the red and yellow.
[yelling]
[Rhodes] I was someone
who bought into the Ultimate Warrior.
I really liked the Ultimate Warrior.
I was so excited.
And you could feel that energy.
Now, Hulk Hogan,
I come to take what you believe in
further than you ever could!
[Greenberg] The building blocks
all made sense.
If it worked for Hulk Hogan,
why can't you do it for him?
I am the chosen one.
[Hogan] And Vince goes, "I'm gonna give
the Ultimate Warrior a big push."
[snarls] Something's
going to happen, Warriors.
I can feel it!
[Hogan] Turned out to be
probably one of the worst ideas
in the history of professional wrestling.
The Ultimate Shit. You got to know
what the hell you're doing.
[hisses]
[man] Remember
what's going on in the ring.
[McMahon] What was supposed
to happen, more or less,
was sort of a changing of the guard.
Ultimate Warrior was supposed
to lead the company and the brand
into the next century.
["Va pensiero sull'ali dorate"
by Giuseppe Verdi plays]
[Greenberg] What no one
really seemed to stop and consider
is what do we do with this guy
after he wins?
When you step in the Sky Dome,
when you feel the energy
that'll run wild throughout the arena,
those are my people.
That's my energy, brother.
The muscles on my skeleton
are of a different texture.
Do it again.
[Linda] He doesn't have the walk,
he doesn't have the talk.
When you send him out to Toys "R" Us
or to a convention…
[Hogan] He was deader than Kelsey's nuts.
-Can you look up for a second?
-Yes. There you go.
Thank you.
All the freaks are out today.
I remember thinking,
"Warrior's not the guy."
-"Warrior's not gonna carry it."
-He had nothing on the bone.
For the life… Oh, fuck.
The Ultimate Warrior
was not well-liked at all.
Fuck. Go again.
[Roberts] He knew everything.
He didn't give a shit.
"Listen to me,"
is basically what he'd tell you.
And if you don't like it,
shut the fuck up.
[Hart] If anything, we were kind of
clinging to Hulk going, "You're the guy."
You know, it also seems
as though you've been chosen, man.
Just like I was,
to lead the masses to higher ground.
[snarls]
Wow.
[music fades]
It was decided, "Okay, well,
put the title on the Ultimate Warrior
and let Hulk endorse him
and see what he can do."
[commentator]
What a match-up this is going to be!
This is what has brought 68,000 strong
here to the Sky Dome!
Look at the intensity!
[Hart] Hulk was like, "I'll put him over
just the way you want."
"And he'll be your new star."
[Hogan] If you put someone over,
that means you're letting them win.
And actually putting them over means
making them look good in the match too.
[Dibiase] He… He couldn't wrestle.
He was horrible.
Unless he had somebody
actually leading him step-by-step,
you know, he was horrible.
[intense music playing]
[Hogan] Probably about three-minute mark,
he wanted to end the match.
"Let's go home."
I said, "No, we're not going home."
I said, "No, bro."
-[commentator] This is a winner here.
-[Hogan] If you're gonna beat me, earn it.
Walked him around the ring for another
15, 20 minutes, maybe 15 minutes.
That had to be like pulling damn teeth.
-[commentator 1] He's going for a slam!
-[commentator 2] I don't believe it!
[commentator 1] He got him up!
[Hogan] He was totally out of gas.
He couldn't walk or breathe.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator] Look out, the big splash!
One, two, and it's over!
[Greenberg] Rather than letting
the Ultimate Warrior exalt in his triumph,
Hulk Hogan pondered the belt,
and he shook his head.
It felt like the story was Hogan losing.
And I, even at a young age, thought,
"How cool do you have to be
that it's still your story?"
You losing is more of the tale
than someone new being anointed.
Answering to the power
of the Ultimate Warrior.
I think a lot of people resented
the Ultimate Warrior as champion,
and the audience…
I don't wanna say they saw through it,
but the audience said
he was no Hulk Hogan.
[atmospheric music playing]
The Ultimate Warrior didn't work out.
He was immediately shut down.
[Okerlund] New World Wrestling
Entertainment Champion!
Vince McMahon, when he can't draw
the crowd that he wants,
he goes back to the familiar.
The Ultimate Slime, Hulk Hogan.
Sergeant Slaughter essentially
would turn into the Iron Sheik,
wrestling Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VII.
Iraq invaded Kuwait.
Shut your mouth, you pig!
[Greenberg] From an Iranian
to the next big villain.
And he's literally
doing the same identical match.
[commentator] It's not over yet!
[Hogan] They should have found somebody
to take my place in the '90s, but didn't.
-[commentator] The cover!
-[crowd] …two, one!
[commentator] He got him!
-[Hogan] They couldn't replace Hogan.
-[commentator] What a comeback!
[Hogan] So they had
to put the belt back on me again.
[music fading gradually]
You know, my run was a lot longer
than Vince expected it to be.
I ran with it as hard as I could
and as long as I could.
Most guys' careers don't generate
that type of interest for that long.
-Jesus.
-[assistant] Anything good here?
I've looked through there, see?
Looks like there's contracts
and all kind of crap in there.
Who knows? Could be anything.
I want you to understand
that Hulkamania is never gonna die.
It's something that is going to go down
in the history books as an era.
You talk about the Roaring '20s still.
Hulkamania era is going to be
talked about like that.
You know, you talk about World War I,
World War II, the Wild Wild West.
Hulkamania will be talked about like that.
It was a part of our society.
It was a part
of the international climate.
Write Hulk-a-Missile.
[reflective music playing]
[Hogan] There was a period of years there
where the life was so clear and clean.
Where did that life go?
How did it go away so fast?
[reporter] Most of us think of Hulk Hogan
as the King of the Ring.
But was there a sinister side
to his success?
[man] I think he's the scum of the earth
for the lies
that he's perpetrated on children.
[Hogan] People read
the paper to be informed.
Sometimes you read the paper
and you get misinformed.
[man] It's the lie
that gets you in the end.
Like Nixon. You're a liar.
[reporter] He's taken steroids
through the whole decade of the '80s.
Congress ought to investigate.
[interviewer]
What's going to happen to Hulkamania?
It's gonna die.
["I Want to Be a Hulkamaniac"
by Hulk Hogan playing]
I want to be a Hulkamaniac ♪
Have fun with my family and friends ♪
I want to be a Hulkamaniac ♪
Have fun with my family and friends ♪
If you want to be a Hulkamaniac
I can sure tell you how to stay on track ♪
You got to train, say your prayers
Eat your vitamins too ♪
These are all the things
The 'Maniacs do ♪
Positive thoughts and positive deeds ♪
These are the things
That make you succeed ♪
Always be good
To your family and friends ♪
They're the only ones
That'll be there in the end ♪
I want to be a Hulkamaniac ♪
Have fun with my family and friends ♪
I want to be a Hulkamaniac ♪
Have fun with my family and friends ♪
When you're looking
For something cool to do ♪
Just pick good friends to be with you ♪
You better watch out where you are at ♪
You might be judged
Where you hang your hat ♪
Can you feel the music?
Can you feel the beat? ♪
You don't need drugs to move your feet ♪
When a dealer tried to push on you
Just tell him what you're going to do ♪
I want to be a Hulkamaniac ♪
Have fun with my family and friends ♪
I want to be a Hulkamaniac ♪
Have fun with my family and friends ♪
[music fades]
I gotta get my lighting and stuff set.
-Hi, Ter.
-Hey.
['80s easy listening music playing]
[Linda] I had been dating
Terry for a year.
And he really wanted to make it serious
with me and live together.
But he was getting so famous.
Number-one sports attraction
in the world today.
[Linda] And his lifestyle was just nuts.
Megastar.
And I said, "Well, I'm not going to move
and then have you get tired of me."
"And I'm left with nothing.
I'm sorry, but I can't do that."
And he didn't call me
for two weeks after that.
I was like, "God, I fucked up."
"I should've just…
I should've just lived with the guy."
"Darn it. Now I lost him.
Now he'll break up with me."
And the next thing you know, he called.
And he was kind of stiff on the phone.
Like, "Can you fly to Oakland?
I need to talk to you."
I'm thinking, "God, here comes the ax.
Gah! I'm gonna get it in a minute."
So we go straight to the hotel,
and he's sitting on the edge of the bed.
And he goes,
"Linda, I don't want to lose you."
"And I love you."
[Hulk Hogan] She was life on top of life.
She was vibrant.
And I was young and, you know,
had never met anybody like her.
And I realized
I didn't want to be without her.
And all of a sudden,
he's down on one knee.
And he says, "Will you marry me?"
"I want to marry you
and be with you for the rest of my life."
[crying] And I was like, "Oh my God."
It was, like, such a shock.
Like, I was like, "What?"
You know, I was like,
"You got to be kidding me."
I'm thinking,
"Oh my God, I gotta call my mom."
[heartfelt music playing]
He just took me by the arm
and pulled me into him.
He had a handlebar mustache.
I was like, "Yeah, I like that."
And he can't wait to, like,
you know… like a little wrestling match.
[announcer] Hulk!
Look out, here it comes! What a…
What an explosion!
[Hogan] It's more
than just a wrestling match, Mean Gene.
I've changed my ways
and walked the straight and narrow.
[priest] May then this love,
with which you join your minds
and hearts today, never fade.
[reporter] The incredible Hulk Hogan.
Now the news is out.
[Hogan] My life has changed completely.
I'm on one heck of a roll, man.
I feel like I've been winning in Vegas
for the last ten years.
There was no time for a honeymoon.
It was, "Hurry and pack up.
We have to be in New York."
I'm going for the gold.
[Linda] Madison Square Garden.
[reporter] The bombshell that is going
to knock this city on its ears.
This is what I strive for, work for,
train, and say my prayers for.
The diamond-and-gold-studded
WWE World Title belt.
-[keys jangling]
-[garage door unlocks]
[Hogan] Is my old chair still in here?
-Wow.
-[assistant] Ooh.
-[Hogan] History.
-[assistant] All kinds of gold in here.
Oh, I see what the jackpot is.
Right there, I already see it.
-Here it is, right here.
-[Hogan] Oh my God.
Holy smokes.
These are books I kept my schedule in.
Oh, wow. Minnesota.
Japan.
-Whoa, whoa. What's that right there?
-[assistant] Madison Square Garden.
[Hogan] Madison Square Garden.
January 23rd,1984. [huffs]
Wow.
[anticipatory music playing]
I was ready for that night
in Madison Square Garden.
I was Hulk Hogan,
and I had my gimmick down.
I knew exactly what I was doing.
[announcer] There he is.
Hulkamania.
[Hogan] And because
of the political landscape,
we knew going in
that this was a huge deal.
Anti-Iranian feelings
kept rising across this country today
over the hostage situation.
More than 200 students
burned an Iranian flag
and chanted, "Let our people go."
[Hogan] I wasn't into politics in '84.
But on the world stage, that was the news.
Iran had the American hostages.
[newsreader] Blindfolded hostages
visible in the grounds.
-[horn honking]
-[Hogan] I'd see this crazy tension.
We're tired of being kicked around.
I've had it. I'm furious.
[Hogan] You couldn't miss it.
[Dana Millikin] Children hung out of cars
telling the Iranians to go home.
It was like the perfect setup
for the all-American hero Hulk Hogan
to go against the Iron Sheik.
Hulk Hogan, the biggest American animal.
[Hogan] Back in the day, the Iron Sheik
was actually the Shah of Iran's bodyguard.
We're taking the belt back to Iran
where it rightfully belongs
and where it will stay.
Me being an American,
the storyline meant more than wrestling.
It's good guy versus bad guy.
The world of modern pro wrestling
draws definite lines
between good and evil,
with the fans providing the chorus.
Wrestling has always been a soap opera.
It's not supposed to be nuanced.
It's not supposed to have shades of gray.
America, ha! Bah!
[Costas] The Iron Sheik
would come in and demand
that the Iranian national anthem be played
along with "The Star-Spangled Banner."
[announcer] That's awful.
[Costas] The fans would go nuts.
They'd be booing, throwing stuff.
It was perfect in its own weird way.
And it would really raise
the ire of the American public.
The incredible Hulk Hogan
has been designated
to challenge the Sheik
for the World Championship.
I'm just glad it's finally here
this Monday night.
These Iranians, the 52 people,
the 444 days in captivity,
the oil embargoes, the cartels.
It'd be like putting a six-shooter
to your head
and holding up the United States.
It's all that together.
That's what's got the Hulkster spurred on.
It couldn't have been better timing.
[suspenseful music playing]
Madison Square Garden
is very intimidating.
The crowd reaction was so big.
[announcer] The Iron Sheik in the ring.
Madison Square Garden on its feet.
They have a lot of hate
in their hearts for this man.
I remember that morning.
Terry was out of body.
If you tried to talk to him,
he was not, like, my husband anymore.
He was already, yep.
Shh. In another world.
[Hogan] My parents were there.
Yeah, because my dad was very in love
with this country and our president.
-[Linda] Number 1.
-[Peter Bollea] My old buddy.
[man] Dad likes that Reagan.
[laughter]
[Hogan] He'd never come
to any of my wrestling matches
because he equated wrestling
with a circus performer.
So when he came to Madison Square Garden,
it really meant something.
[noble music playing]
It was giddy up and go time.
It was destiny,
and I felt that fever pitch.
I felt that fever pitch,
and I came out tearing my shirt.
Looking and pointing.
And just pointing, "You, the Iron Sheik…"
And just looking at the crowd.
[announcer] The incredible Hulk Hogan!
As soon as I heard the response, I went…
[inhales and grunts]
And that's why I jumped the Sheik
before the bell started.
-He didn't know I was coming.
-[music continues]
That was not planned at all.
I just beat the crap out of him.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator] Hulk Hogan
now stands up with the Sheik
and rams him into the top turnbuckle.
I don't want to talk.
I want to watch the match.
[commentator 2] He's going up, Hulk Hogan,
and he drops the big leg on him.
He's down for the count,
hook the leg, one, two.
He got him!
[crowd cheering]
[bell ringing]
[announcer] The winner of this bout,
and new Heavyweight Champion,
the incredible Hulk Hogan!
[Hogan] That place
was so loud and so electric.
Just totally nuts for my mom and dad
to hear something like this
for the first time ever.
It's just overwhelming.
-[Okerlund] What about your son?
-[Peter] We're very proud of him.
He's very dedicated
and a real professional and…
-You gotta be proud of him, mom and dad.
-You know something, Mean Gene?
Pete and Ruth
are the people that trained me
from the day I could toddle, man.
They're the ones that fed me
and made these 24-inch pythons.
This is Pete's belt and Ruth's belt,
and we're gonna
stand behind it all the way, Daddy.
It's USA and Hulkamania running wild.
Oh, the party,
ladies and gentlemen, is going on.
There is your new Champion of the World,
the incredible Hulk Hogan,
kissing that coveted belt.
He never kind of got over…
the fact that I passed on a college degree
to become
the World's Heavyweight Champion.
But that night, he understood it.
[Linda] It was almost like a miracle,
because where he came from,
his poor upbringing,
to look at their son holding up
that championship belt,
just how famous he had gotten.
[Hogan] So I took them
out to dinner, you know.
They were very happy,
you know, my dad especially.
He told me he was proud of me,
said he loved me,
and that I made the right choice.
Tonight in Madison Square Garden,
the WWE Champion, Hulk Hogan.
You know something, Vicious Vince?
I am the WWE champion, and I knew that…
[Bruce Prichard]
For Hulk to beat the Iron Sheik from Iran,
that was a major deal
in the world of wrestling.
Hulk Hogan is about as big
as Prince in Purple Rain.
Hulk, what in the world
are you doing here?
It's time to train, Daddy, time to train.
Hulkamania, Gene-a-mania,
get psyched, man.
But professional wrestling
didn't have national television exposure,
so "pro wrestling" was a dirty word.
[Hogan] No carbs, no fat,
nothing but pure protein.
[Okerlund] No, Hulk.
[Hogan] There's not a better way to go.
Come on, Mean Gene.
It wasn't considered
legitimate sports or entertainment.
Come on. Come on, Gene-O.
[Prichard] When you look back
at moments that are pivotal,
moments of time that changed the industry,
you can look back to 1985.
That changed everything going forward.
It's ours, brother. It's ours.
In my crystal ball, I saw I was more
than just a wrestler, you know?
This was just a setup for what's next.
[announcer] WrestleMania,
what the world has come to.
Vince, being the businessman, says,
"Hey, man, we need a Super Bowl."
All the top talent
assembled under one roof.
The coliseum of wrestling,
Madison Square Garden.
[Prichard] In our industry, WrestleMania I
was the most important event
that has ever taken place.
[announcer] Locations coast-to-coast
in which you can see WrestleMania…
[Prichard] This was everywhere
on closed-circuit television.
I was a little reluctant
to do a wrestling story.
[newsreader] Why would a sophisticated
young audience buy into this stuff?
It was very simple.
They had a cavalcade of celebrities.
I'd like to talk a bit about Cyndi Lauper
for my main man, Mr. T!
["Theme from The A-Team"
by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter playing]
Mr. T! ♪
[Hogan] During the '80s, he was the guy.
Teamin' up with Mr. T! ♪
[Greenberg] He was the top television star
in the United States.
Oh, wow! Now, that'll start some scandals.
Nah! Uh-huh!
[Hogan] The original idea was a tag match.
Hulk Hogan and Mr.
versus Mr. Wonderful and Roddy Piper.
I thought to myself,
"What is he doing fighting me?"
Mr. T, the wonderful human being.
[Hogan] Good versus evil.
Plain and simple.
You could wind up looking like this.
I painted this myself,
with your arm in a cast.
[Greenberg] The hope was that fans
were not just watching for wrestling.
They were watching for the spectacle.
[heroic music playing]
That said, there was a lot of uncertainty
about whether WrestleMania
would really fly.
[McMahon] There was a lot of risk
because it was extremely expensive
to put on.
We bet the farm.
How's the audio sound on this?
What kind of audio do you have?
[Hogan] Vince's livelihood,
everything he owned.
He begged, borrowed, and stealed.
His house was on the line.
So much of it was built around me.
The showcase of this business
had to be a win-win situation.
-We've got all kinds of stuff to do.
-[director] Back up, please.
It was non-stop press, 24/7.
["25 Or 6 To 4" by Chicago playing]
Waiting for the break of day… ♪
[reporter] A wrestling veteran
teams up with a rookie of the ring.
-Ain't no telling what I might do.
-Street fighting, Chicago-style shuffling.
[McMahon] Mr. T and Hulk
will be in Los Angeles on the 19th.
Then from there,
we're gonna have to swing down to Phoenix
to do some PR for March 31st.
Just think about Piper and Orndorff.
Just think about that.
Just think.
Just think.
Just think.
["25 Or 6 To 4" continues]
[audience cheering]
You know, when you laugh,
your little things go bambi, bambi, bambi.
[Hogan] Wrestling's always been around,
but now the people are following it.
A lot of, like you said,
Wall Street people
or normal people
that may have been afraid to say,
"I was at matches
Friday and Saturday with my kids."
We were browbeating ourselves to death.
We could leave no stone unturned.
-[Mr. T] Come on, Hulk.
-[Hogan] Get hungry.
-[Mr. T] That's what we do.
-Take that, New York City.
I was completely beat up.
[host] You gentlemen have
one million viewers paying a lot of money.
I think you should be nervous.
[Hogan] I was completely spent.
[music fades]
Five days before WrestleMania,
Vince goes, "Hey, you got
one more thing you gotta do tonight."
"Somebody booked you on a show called
Hot Properties with Richard Belzer."
"And there's like six or seven kids
waiting there in wheelchairs."
[tense music playing]
I said, "Okay, I'll go."
So we get to Hot Properties…
Show me one of the moves you use.
…there are no kids in wheelchairs.
That didn't sit well with T or me.
What's your famous move?
I'm gonna have
to stick to the basics with you.
The floor is hard.
I don't want you getting hurt.
-There's--
-I don't want you hurt, so be careful.
[Hogan] Belzer was condescending.
-Nice and easy if you bend over--
-[yells]
No, I'm sorry.
"Oh. Now look at this asshole."
Just tell me, brother,
when you want him to quit squealing.
All right. [laughs]
I'm sitting in the audience,
and Terry's like, "This guy's a wise guy."
He's popping off
about how fake this shit is.
Hey, fun and games.
Fake wrestling? Oh, really?
-How about it, T?
-[Mr. T] Keep him like that for a while.
[audience laughs]
-[body thuds]
-[audience gasps]
[Mr. T] He's all right.
He's just sleeping.
He's sleeping. Really.
That was a sleeper hold.
I don't think Terry intended to actually,
like, make him pass out to that point.
But he did,
because he's, like, skinny, you know.
Yeah, I knew I went too far.
-[Mr. T] He's waking up now.
-[Hogan] You all right, brother?
[audience murmuring]
[Hogan] See? It works.
All right, brother.
And now, we'll be right back
after this word from you-know-who.
I went backstage and collapsed,
and the ambulance took me to Cedars-Sinai,
where I have eight stitches
in the back of my head.
Belzer became a real pain in the ass.
You know, I'm in show business.
I don't have a show to get almost killed.
I assume he didn't apologize?
He didn't feel bad at all.
Somebody wants to, you know,
make fun of the business that he's in,
that he's worked so hard to be in,
kind of spit on it, in a way?
There's very little remorse,
unfortunately.
Sure enough, a couple days later,
here comes
the half-a-million-dollar lawsuit.
Financially,
there's going to be a big problem.
We lived on about $3,500 a month.
We were living in an apartment,
which was, like, in the hood of Stamford.
And I said,
"Terry, train, say your prayers."
[Hogan] Pray to God WrestleMania works,
and it's not the biggest flop
ever in the business.
[chuckling] "Okay." You know?
[atmospheric music playing]
[reporter] The wrestling extravaganza
of all time, WrestleMania.
-[man] What are you so excited about?
-This is WrestleMania.
-Body slam!
-Yeah! Yeah!
Tickets for Sunday's sold-out
tag team brawl at the Garden
have been going for as much as $100 a pop.
Next thing you know, they'll be hawking
Perrier and quiche at ringside.
This is where it's at.
Forget the Super Bowl, it's super boring.
This is exciting.
Never saw a wrestling match in my life.
-[reporter] You're about to.
-Yes, sir.
[crowd cheering]
Our main event.
Liberace.
There he is, the greatest, Muhammad Ali.
[commentator] Have you ever seen
such pandemonium?
It's just so exciting,
I just don't know what to say.
[triumphant music playing]
[inaudible]
-[bell rings]
-[commentator] There goes the bell!
Look at the bell by Liberace.
Oh, look at that bell, Jeff.
Oh, nice fireman's carry.
[commentator 2]
What's he gonna do with him?
A slam by Mr. T, as Piper goes down.
Whoa! Here comes the Hulk.
[commentator 3]
All four going at it in the corner.
[commentator 2]
And a four-way is going on.
[commentator 3]
Muhammad Ali is getting into the ring.
[commentator 1]
Ali stepped right in there.
Look at Ali, took a shot at Piper.
Ali won't take anything from anybody.
[commentator 2] A champion taking control.
[commentator 1] Look out, knocker.
Double whip now. Piper off the ropes.
Oh no!
We tore the house down
and accomplished the mission.
[rock music playing]
[commentator 2] Unbelievable,
pandemonium here in the Garden.
He tries to pin him.
[commentator 3] He got out.
[rock music continues to play]
[Hogan] Madison Square Garden,
WrestleMania, Hulk Hogan, Mr. T.
We reign supreme. Can you dig that?
[laughs evilly]
-I can dig it. Proving conclusively…
-I love it, man. Thank you.
The whole United States was watching,
and it… it changed.
It changed our lives, changed wrestling,
it changed everything from that night on.
It was never the same.
That's it, mainstream, overnight.
I'm a real wild one, wild one
Wild one, wild one ♪
["Real Wild Child (Wild One)"
by Iggy Pop playing]
[Joan Rivers] Ladies and gentlemen,
Heavyweight Champion of the World,
Mr. Hulk Hogan.
[Hogan] That was the beginning
of this global juggernaut.
And here he is,
in all his glory, Hulk Hogan.
[Hogan] It was just total insanity.
[reporter] Move over, Mr. T and Rambo.
It seems Hulk Hogan is now
the superhero America chooses.
I want your autograph.
You look famous. [laughs]
I just had to sit back
and shake my head and think, like…
"I cannot believe that this has happened."
That I've gotta be a wild one ♪
[Linda] Our bookkeeper called us,
and he goes, "Are you sitting down?"
[commentator] Oh, look at that!
You guys have a million dollars
in your bank account.
Baby, I'm a real wild child ♪
I was like, "Terry, we're millionaires."
[laughs]
We celebrated.
We just got it on, right?
[engine rumbles]
Well, Terry's new boat is finally here.
He's probably just jumping for joy.
These girls are gonna have a good time.
Yeah, let's party!
Professional wrestling.
It's always been popular,
but lately, it's been emerging
from second-rate arenas
to attract a whole new generation of fans.
[Hogan] Along with Vince McMahon,
we got the beer drinkers, cigar smokers,
and bloodthirsty people
out of the front row,
and the families showed up.
Gonna tell them all I'm a wild one ♪
Ooh, yeah, I'm a wild one ♪
Every city, every arena, I dominated.
[Cyndi Lauper] What do you think, Mom?
[Dolly Parton] Now, I love Hulk Hogan.
My daddy's crazy about him.
[fans screaming]
["Real Wild Child" continues]
[reporter] It's showbiz, pure and simple,
and America is eating it up.
I'm a wild one ♪
[Hogan] So it changed
the dynamics of the business
from a territorial status
to stadiums and big arenas.
And then the groundwork was laid
for a lot of the other wrestlers
to jump on that train,
cutting these guys better deals.
So now, at the end of the year,
instead of bringing home
half a million bucks to wife and kids,
you're probably gonna bring
three or four million dollars home.
[crowd cheering]
[Jake Roberts] He was the golden goose.
You knew if he was on the card,
the building was sold out.
[announcer] Jake "The Snake" Roberts!
[commentator] Look at that snake!
He's wrapping it all around his throat!
You wanted to wrestle Hogan.
That's where the money was at.
A lot of people want a piece of you,
and they all want this right here.
Hogan meant money.
That meant you were the main event.
That meant you got the bigger check.
Not as big as his.
But let's give the credit where it's due.
Everybody in the dressing room
was praying and crossing their fingers.
When they handed out the booking sheets,
you'd look and see
if you were on the same shows
that Hulk was on.
Look at all the guys
that are lining up behind this guy.
They want this guy!
You get a better check
when it was sold out.
[laughs] This is easy money, baby.
Oh my God, a different level.
Are you kidding me?
Here you're with a guy
that's making the whole company money.
Hulkamania elevated wrestling to a place
that nobody ever thought it would go.
This mega business.
They say money is the root of all evil.
Well, I'm here to tell you that it's not.
Not that money means everything,
and it doesn't.
Only thing it does
is make things a little easier.
[Linda] We have a 12-foot surfboard here.
Turn around, Terry,
let me see your face with it.
The Hulkster board.
-Yeah.
-[Linda] Matches the motorcycle.
When he'd give gifts,
he wasn't a cheap miser.
He really rolled the dice on things,
you know?
["Over the Top"
by Graham Preskett playing]
[Hogan] Linda and I used
to go out on the boat every day.
It was just raising holy hell,
Wild Wild West, winging it, you know?
[Linda] It was like constant good times.
Nothing really got us down.
[woman] Hey, Tony, what's happening, mama?
[Linda] The success and the money
turned into a lifestyle of partying.
Good, good. How are you doing?
-[waiter] Your menu for this evening.
-[Linda] Okay! You have to hand them out.
[Hogan] We were running pretty hard
doing the drug stuff.
[Linda] Party's beginning!
[laughter]
Coke? Yeah, we did a little bit of it.
And we have Hulkamania himself,
with a buzz on. [chuckles]
We were going 90 miles an hour,
and, uh, whatever you think about,
we did it.
[woman] Yes, we do!
[Roberts] It was all there for the taking.
[Linda] The boat's on the way back.
Okay, so what shall we have?
[laughter]
Sure, I'll take a little bit of that.
Uppers, downers, sideways.
[laughing]
I had diet pills from my mom's doctor.
What we have got to face every night,
each and every night, it is a nightmare.
I mean, you needed it.
You've got a 13 or 15-hour day
ahead of you.
But, Hulk, they all want you!
They all want you!
When you're on one hour of sleep,
you've gotta figure out how to do it.
[Hogan] Scratching, clawing, fighting.
Working longer, working harder,
to achieve a goal of greatness.
[Linda] He was kind of like "the guy."
You don't want anything to mess that up.
[Hogan] And something happened
that kind of, like,
knocked me off my pedestal.
[music fades]
We were at Gold's Gym
on, uh, Sherman Way in the Valley.
There was a Gold's Gym there
years ago, and…
I went back out to the car to go
get water or something, or my towel.
As I go out there,
there's this big biker guy
just standing around our car.
[tense music playing]
Then I looked at him,
like, "It looks just like Terry."
The same face, the same nose.
They were twins.
And Linda, she came back in,
her eyes were huge.
She goes, "There's this monster
sitting on the hood of your car."
"He says he's your brother."
It was my brother, Allan.
We weren't that close.
He rode off the reservation early.
Grew up really fast.
By the time he was 17,
he was riding with a bunch of bikers.
He got in some trouble here in Florida.
And he ended up in Oakland, California.
So when I used to wrestle
at the Oakland Coliseum or the Cow Palace,
he'd always show up
with like ten Hell's Angels.
So we talked and stuff,
and he goes, "I just got out of rehab."
He just had a problem with drugs.
You know, hard drinking, hard living.
You know, so Terry kind of put
the straight line on him, you know.
[Hogan] I said, "Look, I'm gonna wrestle.
We'll be out there about 9:30.
We'll jump on a plane. Come with me."
I was trying to help him out
as much as I could.
But he goes, "Oh, no, no, man.
I gotta pay my rent."
"I need you to lend me some money."
So I gave him some money,
and I didn't take him with me.
And I went to wrestle.
And when I came out of the ring,
I got a… a number.
And it was like, uh, an emergency, so…
I called the number, and they said,
"Your brother overdosed and passed away."
So I should have taken him with me,
um, instead of giving him the money.
So that was the last time I saw him.
It was a…
That was a hard one to get over.
[somber music playing]
[interviewer] Was there a funeral?
[Hogan] I tried to go,
but I had to leave right away.
I couldn't handle it.
-[interviewer] And your parents?
-No.
[interviewer] Did you talk to them
about his death? Or have any grieving?
No. Bro, I… We have to stop.
You have to stop.
You're digging way too much for me.
I was running pretty hard,
partying and drinking, and the drug stuff.
I was completely done after that.
[poignant music playing]
You know, the problem with me at the time
was that "Hulk Hogan" was just a business.
I just didn't realize the responsibility
that came along with it,
as Hulk Hogan, the role model.
-[children exclaiming]
-[Hogan] Yeah.
Excuse me, I'm gonna step right here.
Any questions or anything anybody
would like to ask? How about it?
Would you show your muscles?
-[Hogan] You guys wanna see my muscles?
-[children] Yeah!
[yelling]
[Hogan] When I saw the respect
the fans had for Hulk Hogan,
I quit being cynical about it, you know.
I started thinking,
"Wow, this is really cool."
Before, it was all "work,"
and it really didn't matter.
But it really did matter
what the people thought, you know.
I wanted to be closer
to who the character was.
[woman] Your 8th International
Summer Special Olympic Games.
[Hogan] I never really prepared for it.
It just started happening.
The Make-A-Wish kids started showing up.
They wanted to meet me.
[gentle music playing]
Instead of seeing Mr. T or Mickey Mouse,
they wanted to come see me.
I started seeing one at a time,
then two at a time.
Sometimes it was five or six,
ten at a time.
[reporter] Here at Madison Square Garden,
there are well over
18,000 special children.
-Do you know who Hulk Hogan is?
-[kid] Yeah.
[reporter] Yeah, he's gonna be here today.
-[kid] He is?
-Hulk Hogan's gonna be here.
[Hogan] They're survivors, hanging in.
All happy with smiles on their faces.
And it hurts a little bit.
I wish I could give these kids
what I have, a healthy body.
It gave them something to believe in,
an "I, too, can live like a Hulkamaniac."
-Hey, big guy. How you doing?
-Fine.
Oh, boy. You look like
a Hulkamaniac to me.
[Linda] He was amazing
with the Make-the-Wish kids.
He would always put them first.
I'm glad to meet you. Don't break my arm.
I gotta go to work in a little while.
-All right.
-I'm glad to meet you.
I'm worried.
-Worried about what?
-Well, tomorrow.
-Oh, yeah.
-What do you think I ought to do?
Well, I don't know.
Just do your best.
That's good advice, isn't it?
To have these kids as fans
is such a huge responsibility.
Hulk Hogan was able
to capture their imagination.
Whether it was the size…
[Hogan] God bless you, all right?
I love you. Don't get in any trouble,
or I'll have to come and body slam you.
…or the fact that he was able to be booked
against these big monsters and overcome.
-[Hogan] What's up, big man?
-Hey.
[Hogan] Everything good?
[man] When I was six years old,
my dad took us to WrestleMania III.
I was like, "Oh my God!"
I remember that day. I was a little kid.
WrestleMania III
meant something very different
in the evolution of Hulkamania.
WrestleMania III will be your last lesson.
[Hogan] Talk about heroes.
I'd looked up to André,
you know… my whole life.
Oh! Oh!
[Hogan] He was my mentor.
I'm really proud of you,
and you are a good wrestler.
You're the reason
I got into professional wrestling.
You were like a god to me, a role model!
And wrestling fans had been waiting
to see me fight him for the belt.
What are you doing, man?
You can't leave like this, man.
Used to respect the guy a lot.
André was viewed
as someone who couldn't be beaten.
He was called
the eighth wonder of the world.
[reporter] The most
extraordinary athlete of all time.
They weighed him at the Detroit airport
on the baggage scale,
he was like 600 pounds or something crazy.
In later years,
every time Hulk told the story,
André gained 100 pounds.
For those who believe,
it's like when St. Paul had his epiphany
on the road to Damascus.
The whole earth is gonna shake!
[Greenberg] When Jesus rose from the dead.
What are they gonna think
when the giant hits the ground?
[Okerlund] This is
the main event of the evening.
The people,
they were right there with all of it.
[commentator] He ripped the shirt
off the champion as well as the crucifix.
Seven-foot-five.
[Hogan] First time I've been in the ring
not knowing what was gonna happen.
[commentator] Look
at the size of the giant.
What's Hogan saying to him?
What could Hogan
possibly be saying to him?
[Hogan] "I love you to death, brother."
"Thank you so much, man,
for helping me out all these years."
That was the conversation.
And he looked pissed.
He looked like a rabid great white shark
that was gonna tear me apart.
[commentator] Big right hand
blocked by the champion.
And the Hulkster unloading,
going for a slam. He almost got him.
The storyline is
no one had body slammed André the Giant.
[commentator] With ease! That's right!
[Greenberg] It's impossible.
[commentator] André telling the champion,
"Get up, get up."
[Hogan] I said, "Well, I'm dead
because you're gonna kill me."
[commentator] Oh, the bear hug!
We could get a submission on this.
[intense music playing]
He's facing a man
who has never been beaten in 15 years.
He's taking the air away from Hogan.
Hogan is not being allowed
to get a full breath of oxygen in there.
When you talk about who's the greatest,
the greatest is, was, or ever will be,
or greatest in the world,
I challenge anybody in this business…
[commentator] The referee
checking the arm. Look.
…to do one move better than mine.
[commentator] One more time.
If that arm drops, it's over.
Which, as etched in time,
would be a piece of history.
Do whatever sidekick you want to do,
whatever suplex you want to do,
whatever twirly twisty thing
off the top rope.
What I did will live forever.
[commentator] Oh, look at that.
It's up there.
-[crowd cheering]
-Listen to these fans.
[intense music continues]
Right on the side of the ear.
And another one, and another one!
-[commentator 2] He dropped him!
-[commentator 1] He dropped the big guy!
He's Hulking up.
That adrenaline can do wonders.
We're seeing
what this guy is really made of.
What he is.
The greatest professional athlete
in the world today.
Look at this!
-[commentator 2] He slammed him!
-[commentator 1] He's out!
[commentator 2] I don't believe it!
-I don't believe it!
-[commentator 1] Hulk dropping a big one!
Over from the jumper.
It's over!
-[commentator 2] Unbelievable!
-[commentator 1] It's all over!
[music fades]
[Hart] After that, I told him,
"You're never gonna be
Terry Bollea again, Hulk."
"When you walk out there
with that headband on,
it's not Terry Bollea, it's Hulk Hogan.
And that's the way the people see you."
[Brian Blair] He became
the legend, the myth.
Hulk Hogan, the immortal one.
[commentator 1] He's thanking
the guy upstairs, Jess. As he always does.
[Greenberg] The power of Hulkamania
made us push everything else aside
and escape into this marvelous movie.
[Hogan] Hulk Hogan
turned out to be more real
than any… anyone ever
thought it would be.
It turned out to be who I really am.
[assistant] Here you go.
[Hogan] Whoa.
I was hoping
these had André's blood on them.
I used to order 12 pair at a time.
Every time I'd order 12 pair, I'd swear,
"Once I'm done
with these 12 pair of boots,
I'm quitting. I'll never wrestle again."
Then I'd order 12 more. Then 12 more.
Then 12 more.
WrestleMania III etched in stone
that I wasn't going anywhere.
[propulsive music playing]
I was 700 feet tall in the public's eyes.
Whoo!
There was no corner in the earth
where they didn't know about Hulk Hogan
or what was going on with me.
[Hart] It was like John Lennon
and Paul McCartney at their heyday.
The people just come out of the woodwork.
[Hogan] It was a who's who
of who would show up at these matches
to meet and talk with me.
[commentator 1] Unreal,
Donald Trump, one of the Hulkamaniacs.
[commentator 2] There he is right there.
A Hulkamaniac, you really think so?
[commentator 1] Absolutely.
It's an honor.
I'll tell you what, it's an honor.
Everybody in the country
wanted this event.
Get on up here.
Come on. Do you believe this?
I'm 6'2".
I want the world to know that I'm 6'2".
And look what I look like.
[Hogan] It was just amazing
to watch this guy work.
I'd heard a lot about him,
but this was the first time
I ever saw him in action in person.
-[Trump] Nice to see you.
-[interviewer] Sit right in here.
So you go ahead, if you're ready.
I have a big Russia meeting going on, so…
Somehow, I became friendly
with Hulk over there, the Hulkster.
He's a good man. He's just a nice guy.
He asked, "Would you do this interview?"
I said, "Why not?"
Here we are in the White House, right?
Get ready, ladies and gentlemen,
for WrestleMania IV,
which will be held
at the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino.
'88, WrestleMania at Trump Plaza
in Atlantic City.
[commentator]
Oh, there he is, Donald Trump.
[Hogan] Yeah, he's my main man.
He's sitting in my box.
[Trump] Yeah, he was in there
wrestling his heart out.
[commentator] Hulk Hogan
miraculously on his feet!
Obviously, you need the physical ability.
If he walked in and he was not,
didn't look like that,
I don't care how good an actor you are,
it's not going to work.
Thank God Donald Trump's a Hulkamaniac!
But he's also a showman.
And that would be a good word for him.
Thank you, Hulk Hogan!
Let's get back to action.
I've seen him numerous times.
I've watched him wrestle numerous times.
Trump Plaza is dedicated
to getting the greatest sporting events.
We're really delighted
to land WrestleMania V.
But we… we sort of had
a good relationship early on.
It was a good chemistry.
-[Hogan] Trump. How you doing?
-The big man. Come here.
Come in and shut the door.
-How are the kids?
-They're great. They send their regards.
They gonna be ringside?
[Trump] He's just a big, strong guy
who's got a good heart.
He's a very loyal person.
If you want to be in Hulk's corner,
that's all right.
-I'll take care of you outside the ring.
-Sounds good.
Yes. I'll take care of everyone.
[commentator] Hogan!
[Trump] Wrestling is a mimicking of life.
There's a winner and a loser.
[commentator] Here we go.
-[Trump] Hulk was at the top of the game.
-[commentator] Hulkster's out of there!
[Trump] You'll think he was beat…
[commentator] Nobody's ever
come back from that elbow!
[Trump] …and then you'll see
the finger moving.
[crowd cheering]
The finger going like this,
and all of a sudden--
[interviewer] Can you show me?
What does he do?
[chuckling] No,
I've given you enough there.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator] And a leg-drop!
One, two! Yeah!
[crowd cheering]
[Hogan] Business-wise,
his work ethic rubbed off on me.
How he recreated
the whole New York skyline.
[Trump] Hulk has a great brand.
He's had a lot of success.
Yeah!
He was the biggest ever
in this world of wrestling.
And it's a pretty big world.
[fans cheering]
[Ventura] He was the first one
that had merchandising.
Hulk was great that way.
That's Hulk Hogan!
[announcer] Wrestling buddies
are looking for action.
[Roberts] The amount of money
that is made off a product…
[children] Dropkick!
[Roberts] …that's where it's all at.
Not by putting asses in seats.
[reporter] The marketing
of professional wrestling
has turned
into a multi-million dollar business.
[Hogan] Hulkster rules, brother!
When I say, you know, Hulk Hogan
was the greatest wrestler in the world,
it's because I was the guy
who generates the most revenue.
You need to be able to walk in a room
where you're talking
to 4,000 buyers from Walmart.
I'm so thrilled, so happy about the new
Hulk Hogan rock wrestling cartoon.
There's a lot of responsibility
with being a businessman
outside the "normal" wrestler
that was driving down the ring,
chugging some beers before the match.
You need to know merchandise,
licensing, ancillary, talk their language.
[man] Hogan's the only number one.
[woman] There is no one better.
You also need to be able to hold your own
with 30 women, be able to relate to them.
Hulk Hogan is sexy.
-He's a wonder.
-Good build, good body.
Best looking wrestler in the business.
Good for the kids!
I'm approving ten or 15
new products every week.
Underwear, bedsheets, potty seats for kids
to learn how to go to the bathroom.
[announcer] 16-inch high.
[Hogan] A Hulk Hogan
vibrating action figure.
And that… that had
to get knocked off right away.
-[interviewer] Why is that?
-I have no idea. [clears throat]
Hulk Hogan turned
into a licensing merchandising monster.
[Linda] There's Hulk.
It's a beautiful day on the beach here.
Strange in those clothes,
I'm not used to seeing him all dressed up.
His career became all-consuming.
He would have a promo,
a commercial, a photo shoot.
Then he had a wrestling match at night.
He would live, sleep, eat, and breathe it.
The 900 number might be
the quickest and easiest thing.
[Linda] I got to a point where I was like,
"You know something, Terry?"
"Ever since we got married,
we've just been on the run."
Like Bonnie and Clyde, you know,
it's never been a situated situation.
And I'm like,
"I need a situated situation right now."
"And I think maybe it'd be
a good time now if we had a kid."
I want to have a baby.
Nine months later, Brooke came.
[gentle music playing]
This big man's holding this little baby
in a pink blanket.
I mean, it was like, he couldn't believe
that he had a baby.
[music turns upbeat]
[Hogan] Oh no, ice-cold water on Daddy.
[Linda chuckling]
My whole reason for living
changed instantly.
-Come on, give Dad a kiss.
-[kisses]
-[Brooke] No! Daddy!
-[Hogan grunts]
He became more of a family man,
and he liked doing family things.
[Hogan] I had no idea
my whole focus would change
to try to protect this human being.
[Linda] And what to my wandering eyes
should appear but a huge Hulkamania.
[Hogan] Lindoochay, what do you have
to say for yourself on this sunny day?
[giggles]
[Hogan] We already did that.
That's why we're in this predicament.
Ba-boom. Holy shit.
Let me get back, my lenses are fogged up.
At the time, Nini, Linda's grandmother,
was living with us.
I came downstairs for coffee.
She goes, "I want to let you know,
congratulations, Linda's pregnant."
I went, "What?"
[exhales] Thanks, Nini,
with your big mouth.
[Hogan] I said, "How'd you get pregnant?"
She goes, "I quit taking birth control.
I decided not to tell you." I went…
Cool.
That's okay. He got over it.
[Hogan] My son Nick came along,
and I had a baby boy. I was ecstatic.
[Linda] I'd like to lose some.
My life is in shambles.
-[Hogan] No.
-[Linda] Shut up.
[Hogan] It was something
that was printed in my brain,
that I didn't want to live
the way I grew up.
Not that my parents didn't love me.
It wasn't a verbal or a physical thing.
There's people I love, man.
I'm not afraid to tell people.
He was always affectionate with the kids.
Never forgot to say "I love you."
Oh, there she goes.
One, two, kicks out. She's up.
She's staring me down.
I thought you were a fighter,
I'm supposed to punch you.
-You're on my side?
-[Baby Nick squeals]
[Hogan] Aah!
-[grunts]
-[Hogan] Let them hang.
Yes, sir, buddy.
That's that come to Jesus set.
There you go.
[Baby Nick coos]
[Hogan] We're not done.
-Whoo-ee!
-[Nick grunts]
-Stick with it. Good.
-[grunts]
[pants]
The person that's been around the longest
and has stuck with me through everything
is my son, Nick.
That breeze coming off the ocean.
Oh my God, that feels good.
Oh, man.
[Hogan] When Nick is around,
I hang like this.
You guys see me do that?
It's hard to walk straight.
I'm off balance.
You know, it's kind of embarrassing.
Ego-wise, you know.
Dad, you do more weight than I do.
You're still stronger than me.
He was just this, you know,
action figure that was my dad, you know.
So I still see him like that.
I don't remember Hulkamania.
I was so young at the time.
So I never really understood
what Hulk Hogan, what wrestling was,
what any of that really meant.
My friends, they'd come over and be like,
"Am I gonna meet your dad?"
"Is your dad gonna be there?"
[Neidhart] The first time I met Hogan
was at one of his birthday parties
that he threw on his yacht.
[Linda] These girls are gonna have
a good time on this cruise.
My dad was a part
of that very special era.
[woman] This is the nasty guy.
He's The Anvil.
No, we're… we're not nasty.
Like, I was in awe. Wow.
He just kind of exuded that, like, star.
You see him,
and he's got this presence, this aura.
He was the guy.
I've never met a top person in wrestling
that has had an easy, smooth road.
Woo-hoo!
Even my dad wasn't a top star,
but my dad was gone 300 days a year.
[commentator] Jim Neidhart,
in the ring, hammering down.
[Neidhart] I saw my dad
more on TV than in real life.
Just like Hogan with his kids.
Tell them, Brooke. Who's here?
Brooke and Nicholas and Daddy.
[Linda] Yay!
[Hart] Brooke and Nick had to share him
with everybody else.
I love Hulk Hogan!
[Hogan] There you go, Hulkamania.
[epic music playing]
They had to share him
with the other boys and girls.
[Hogan] Look at this big one.
He couldn't be a real father
because he was Hulk Hogan.
He was not Terry Bollea.
Trading a real life for a wrestling life,
it's a choice that can destroy a family.
-[Linda] Come here.
-[phone ringing]
Come here.
Hello?
Hi. We're just playing in the kitchen.
[cooing excitedly]
[Hogan] Yo, Nick, this is Dad.
[Hart] Hulk loved his family.
He loved his wife.
He'd be on the road,
"I'm just gonna keep my family happy."
"Whatever Linda wants,
that's what we'll do."
[Linda] Are you done? Okay.
Everything this man did,
you were to have the best life possible.
But what good is a good life
if you don't have your husband with you?
[Linda] I get to have
such a nice Mother's Day.
Terry just sent three dozen
long-stemmed red roses.
He was gone for 12 days
and then only home for two sometimes.
[Hogan] Hey, Brooke, come over here.
No, turn, turn, turn.
Then, boom, we're gone again.
[Linda] Leaving for England.
I don't want him to.
I don't either.
My kids were starting to freak out
when I'd leave.
-[Linda] Crying.
-[Hogan] Oh no.
[Linda] Come on. Why were you crying now?
It took him a long time
to get out the front door.
And it probably affected him
until he finally got, you know,
vodka and tonic
on the plane and got going.
But, honestly, I know
it must have been hard for him.
Oh, my gosh.
Ugh. It was killing me.
And I told Linda
that I'm gonna gracefully approach Vince
and start winding this down
to a part-time schedule.
It made it really hard for him.
We didn't have anybody else at that time
that could draw the thousands
and thousands of people.
You have to give them what they want.
And it was just me.
As he's opening his book, and he goes,
"Okay, how am I gonna book Cincinnati?"
"How am I gonna book Boston?"
"How am I gonna book New York
when I can't put your name on the book?"
"How am I gonna do this, Terry?"
I said, "Well, we need another star."
[intense music playing]
[Hogan] The Ultimate Warrior came along.
[Jim Hellwig] Warrior had a look.
Warrior had ungodly charisma.
Ultimate Warrior was just custom-made.
Something that guys would want to be,
and something girls would want to be with.
[Greenberg] He has this belligerent body.
He has the face paint.
[Hogan] And Vince has put
all the neon colors on him.
Much brighter than the red and yellow.
[yelling]
[Rhodes] I was someone
who bought into the Ultimate Warrior.
I really liked the Ultimate Warrior.
I was so excited.
And you could feel that energy.
Now, Hulk Hogan,
I come to take what you believe in
further than you ever could!
[Greenberg] The building blocks
all made sense.
If it worked for Hulk Hogan,
why can't you do it for him?
I am the chosen one.
[Hogan] And Vince goes, "I'm gonna give
the Ultimate Warrior a big push."
[snarls] Something's
going to happen, Warriors.
I can feel it!
[Hogan] Turned out to be
probably one of the worst ideas
in the history of professional wrestling.
The Ultimate Shit. You got to know
what the hell you're doing.
[hisses]
[man] Remember
what's going on in the ring.
[McMahon] What was supposed
to happen, more or less,
was sort of a changing of the guard.
Ultimate Warrior was supposed
to lead the company and the brand
into the next century.
["Va pensiero sull'ali dorate"
by Giuseppe Verdi plays]
[Greenberg] What no one
really seemed to stop and consider
is what do we do with this guy
after he wins?
When you step in the Sky Dome,
when you feel the energy
that'll run wild throughout the arena,
those are my people.
That's my energy, brother.
The muscles on my skeleton
are of a different texture.
Do it again.
[Linda] He doesn't have the walk,
he doesn't have the talk.
When you send him out to Toys "R" Us
or to a convention…
[Hogan] He was deader than Kelsey's nuts.
-Can you look up for a second?
-Yes. There you go.
Thank you.
All the freaks are out today.
I remember thinking,
"Warrior's not the guy."
-"Warrior's not gonna carry it."
-He had nothing on the bone.
For the life… Oh, fuck.
The Ultimate Warrior
was not well-liked at all.
Fuck. Go again.
[Roberts] He knew everything.
He didn't give a shit.
"Listen to me,"
is basically what he'd tell you.
And if you don't like it,
shut the fuck up.
[Hart] If anything, we were kind of
clinging to Hulk going, "You're the guy."
You know, it also seems
as though you've been chosen, man.
Just like I was,
to lead the masses to higher ground.
[snarls]
Wow.
[music fades]
It was decided, "Okay, well,
put the title on the Ultimate Warrior
and let Hulk endorse him
and see what he can do."
[commentator]
What a match-up this is going to be!
This is what has brought 68,000 strong
here to the Sky Dome!
Look at the intensity!
[Hart] Hulk was like, "I'll put him over
just the way you want."
"And he'll be your new star."
[Hogan] If you put someone over,
that means you're letting them win.
And actually putting them over means
making them look good in the match too.
[Dibiase] He… He couldn't wrestle.
He was horrible.
Unless he had somebody
actually leading him step-by-step,
you know, he was horrible.
[intense music playing]
[Hogan] Probably about three-minute mark,
he wanted to end the match.
"Let's go home."
I said, "No, we're not going home."
I said, "No, bro."
-[commentator] This is a winner here.
-[Hogan] If you're gonna beat me, earn it.
Walked him around the ring for another
15, 20 minutes, maybe 15 minutes.
That had to be like pulling damn teeth.
-[commentator 1] He's going for a slam!
-[commentator 2] I don't believe it!
[commentator 1] He got him up!
[Hogan] He was totally out of gas.
He couldn't walk or breathe.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator] Look out, the big splash!
One, two, and it's over!
[Greenberg] Rather than letting
the Ultimate Warrior exalt in his triumph,
Hulk Hogan pondered the belt,
and he shook his head.
It felt like the story was Hogan losing.
And I, even at a young age, thought,
"How cool do you have to be
that it's still your story?"
You losing is more of the tale
than someone new being anointed.
Answering to the power
of the Ultimate Warrior.
I think a lot of people resented
the Ultimate Warrior as champion,
and the audience…
I don't wanna say they saw through it,
but the audience said
he was no Hulk Hogan.
[atmospheric music playing]
The Ultimate Warrior didn't work out.
He was immediately shut down.
[Okerlund] New World Wrestling
Entertainment Champion!
Vince McMahon, when he can't draw
the crowd that he wants,
he goes back to the familiar.
The Ultimate Slime, Hulk Hogan.
Sergeant Slaughter essentially
would turn into the Iron Sheik,
wrestling Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VII.
Iraq invaded Kuwait.
Shut your mouth, you pig!
[Greenberg] From an Iranian
to the next big villain.
And he's literally
doing the same identical match.
[commentator] It's not over yet!
[Hogan] They should have found somebody
to take my place in the '90s, but didn't.
-[commentator] The cover!
-[crowd] …two, one!
[commentator] He got him!
-[Hogan] They couldn't replace Hogan.
-[commentator] What a comeback!
[Hogan] So they had
to put the belt back on me again.
[music fading gradually]
You know, my run was a lot longer
than Vince expected it to be.
I ran with it as hard as I could
and as long as I could.
Most guys' careers don't generate
that type of interest for that long.
-Jesus.
-[assistant] Anything good here?
I've looked through there, see?
Looks like there's contracts
and all kind of crap in there.
Who knows? Could be anything.
I want you to understand
that Hulkamania is never gonna die.
It's something that is going to go down
in the history books as an era.
You talk about the Roaring '20s still.
Hulkamania era is going to be
talked about like that.
You know, you talk about World War I,
World War II, the Wild Wild West.
Hulkamania will be talked about like that.
It was a part of our society.
It was a part
of the international climate.
Write Hulk-a-Missile.
[reflective music playing]
[Hogan] There was a period of years there
where the life was so clear and clean.
Where did that life go?
How did it go away so fast?
[reporter] Most of us think of Hulk Hogan
as the King of the Ring.
But was there a sinister side
to his success?
[man] I think he's the scum of the earth
for the lies
that he's perpetrated on children.
[Hogan] People read
the paper to be informed.
Sometimes you read the paper
and you get misinformed.
[man] It's the lie
that gets you in the end.
Like Nixon. You're a liar.
[reporter] He's taken steroids
through the whole decade of the '80s.
Congress ought to investigate.
[interviewer]
What's going to happen to Hulkamania?
It's gonna die.
["I Want to Be a Hulkamaniac"
by Hulk Hogan playing]
I want to be a Hulkamaniac ♪
Have fun with my family and friends ♪
I want to be a Hulkamaniac ♪
Have fun with my family and friends ♪
If you want to be a Hulkamaniac
I can sure tell you how to stay on track ♪
You got to train, say your prayers
Eat your vitamins too ♪
These are all the things
The 'Maniacs do ♪
Positive thoughts and positive deeds ♪
These are the things
That make you succeed ♪
Always be good
To your family and friends ♪
They're the only ones
That'll be there in the end ♪
I want to be a Hulkamaniac ♪
Have fun with my family and friends ♪
I want to be a Hulkamaniac ♪
Have fun with my family and friends ♪
When you're looking
For something cool to do ♪
Just pick good friends to be with you ♪
You better watch out where you are at ♪
You might be judged
Where you hang your hat ♪
Can you feel the music?
Can you feel the beat? ♪
You don't need drugs to move your feet ♪
When a dealer tried to push on you
Just tell him what you're going to do ♪
I want to be a Hulkamaniac ♪
Have fun with my family and friends ♪
I want to be a Hulkamaniac ♪
Have fun with my family and friends ♪
[music fades]