Hulk Hogan Biography

Terrence Gene Bollea (born August 11, 1953 in Augusta, Georgia), best known as Hulk Hogan (and occasionally Hollywood Hogan), is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently the star of the VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best and also makes occasional appearances for World Wrestling Entertainment on the RAW brand.

During his 1980s heyday wrestling for the World Wrestling Federation as the wholesome babyface character 'Hulk Hogan', Terry Bollea became one of the highest-drawing, most popular wrestlers in the history of the business.
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After flagging popularity, a steroid scandal, "retirements" and lawsuits damaged his momentum in the 1990s, he signed with WWF rival, World Championship Wrestling.

He later turned heel in July 1996, re-energizing and redefining his career as the greedy and manipulative villain Hollywood Hogan as part of the nWo before returning to face status and WWE. During his long career, he appeared and starred in several movies and TV shows and now makes occasional World Wrestling Entertainment appearances and manages of the music career of his daughter, Brooke Hogan.

Hogan is now officially recognized as a fourteen-time world heavyweight champion, since his two American Wrestling Association title reigns were validated in April 2005. His loyal fans are referred to as "Hulkamaniacs." Hulk Hogan was also the spokesperson for the Legends of Wrestling video game.

Hogan was born to Italian-American Pete Bollea and Ruth Bollea, who is of French, Italian and Panamanian descent. Early in life, Terry Bollea was a standout in minor league baseball and also spent ten years playing bass guitar in several Florida-based rock bands, including Ruckus and Infinity's End. Many of the wrestlers who competed in the Florida territory at that time would visit the bars in which Bollea was performing. Bollea's impressive physical stature soon caught the attention of former top-drawing wrestler Jack Brisco and his brother Jerry, both of whom convinced Bollea to give wrestling a try. Bollea had been a wrestling fan since childhood and was eager to give it a chance. He trained for nearly two years under the watchful eye of legendary wrestler Hiro Matsuda, a hard-nosed taskmaster who casually (and to instill respect, purposefully) broke Bollea's leg during their first training session.

Terry Bollea wrestled his first professional match in Tallahassee, Florida on August 19, 1977 as The Super Destroyer, wrestling B. Brian Blair to a draw. Terry also used other ring names early in his career, including Terry 'The Hulk' Boulder, and Sterling Golden. In those formative years, Bollea would go on to win his first wrestling championships, the National Wrestling Alliance Southeastern Heavyweight Championships recognized in Alabama and Tennessee, respectively. Bollea even had an early shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship - its holder generally recognized as the industry's #1 draw - in January 1979, facing NWA kingpin Harley Race.

Profile:

Ring name(s) The Super Destroyer
Terry "The Hulk" Boulder
Sterling Golden
Hulk Hogan
Hulk Machine
Hollywood Hogan
Hollywood Hulk Hogan
Mr. America
Height 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) [peak]
6 ft 4 in (193 cm) [current]
Weight 330 lbs (150 kg) [peak]
280 lbs (127 kg) [current]
Born August 11, 1953
Resides Tampa, Florida
Billed from Venice Beach, California
Hollywood, California
Trained by Hiro Matsuda
Debut August 19, 1977

HULK HOGAN PICTURES

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HULK HOGAN BIOGRAPHY