After a week that saw the passing of other iconic 80s and 90s figures, Ozzy Osbourne and Malcolm-Jamal Warner, we were given the gut punch of losing Hulk Hogan, too. Everyone was affected differently by these celebrity deaths, but, for me, the loss of Hogan was a suckerpunch.
More often than not, when a celebrity dies, I barely give it a second thought. I'm sorry to admit that the cynical New Yorker in me will even occasionally roll my eyes when other people say they are affected by the loss of a celebrity. "You didn't even know them!" I think to myself as I scroll past tribute after tribute to people's chosen favorite.
Until Hulk died.
I actually felt the loss.
The loss was not as significant as if he were a loved one, of course, but it still hurt. As I type this, two or three days after his passing, I'm still feeling "something" about it. To be honest, I'm not sure how to describe my feelings.
Glum?
I hesitate to call it "mourning" since I didn't know him personally, but it's definitely a feeling of sadness.
I haven't been moved to tears or anything as if I lost a relative or anything, but there's this nagging feeling of being "off."
Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, the Hulkster was a household name. I read somewhere on X that he passed the "Grandma test," in that even your Grandma knew who Hulk Hogan was, whether she watched wrestling or not. Hogan was seemingly "always there" in life, not just in wrestling, but also in other shows and events. This was highlighted by a strange coincidence just last week, when I posted my article about Hulk Hogan's Thunder in Paradise and his effect on pro wrestling in 1994.
Despite the rumors over the past few weeks of poor health following a neck/spinal surgery, at the relatively young age of 71, his death came as a shock.
This tribute video by WWE is worth watching:
Take a look back at the career of WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan, narrated by Triple H. pic.twitter.com/YyxNaMzdSU
— WWE (@WWE) July 26, 2025
My family was sitting around the kitchen having lunch when I saw a notification on my phone that he had passed. I was floored. My wife, a fan of his reality show "Hogan Knows Best," was saddened, but nowhere as much as I.
I've been out flying since then, and typically, that's when I get my best thinking in, as I usually sit silently watching the plane do its thing or eat dinner on the bed of my hotel room. I've been wondering why losing Hulk has affected me more than any other celebrity,
John at Nostalgia Nation (and I'm paraphrasing the following few paragraphs) said it best, and this is what I've thought about the most.
We didn't just watch Hogan (and other celebrities gone before him) on television. We grew up with them intertwined in so many memories from our past. As John put it, living in a time when computer algorithms shape our modern pop culture and trends for us, these celebrities WERE the pop culture.
When we lose one of them, it's not just some random celebrity that died; it's a piece of our childhood, memories of a time that was safe, exciting, and when we still had our whole lives ahead of us.
I think he said that quite well.
I'm not sad that Hogan died only because he was famous, and I liked cheering for him on television.
I'm sad he's passed because he was so FAMILIAR to me. From wrestling, movies, his reality show, and his countless appearances here or there, Hogan was a large part of my younger self.
Despite all he did, he was, first and foremost, a professional wrestler.
During my formative years, pro wrestling evolved from being a fun show that young kids enjoyed with silly gimmicks, such as an evil dentist or a garbage man, into a pop culture phenomenon as I entered the thick of my teenage years.
Hogan was not just part of the change... he CAUSED it!
When he transitioned from the All-American icon who told us to say our prayers and take our vitamins to the biggest villain in 1996 as "Hollywood Hogan," he altered American pop culture for several years of the 1990s, helping to launch the New World Order and the Monday Night War. If you didn't live through it, you wouldn't believe how big wrestling was.
His involvement changed wrestling forever, and if it weren't for him, there wouldn't be a billion-dollar company in 2025 that A-list celebrities continue to trip over themselves just to be seen in the crowd.
I've been a wrestling fan since 1989 or 1990, which would have made me 5 or 6. I always preferred WCW, but growing up in New York, most people preferred the WWF. I found WCW on TBS first, and that is what I stuck with.
I'd watch WWF on Saturday mornings and occasionally Monday nights, and I always enjoyed watching the bright yellow-clad man, with a dark tan and glistening muscles, waving the American flag. He'd easily run roughshod over any villain put in his way.
Even as a fan of the "competition," I knew this man was special. He was featured in all the merchandise, all the advertisements, and even appeared in other TV shows and movies.
One of the most pivotal moments in my wrestling fandom involved Hulk Hogan. When he joined WCW with a ticker tape parade at Disney World (that I've written about several times before), it was a moment that caught my interest like no other. And when the "Hulkamaniacs" went through Hulk's boot camp to prepare for the "War Games" against the Dungeon of Doom for WCW's Fall Brawl 1995, I went from a casual observer to a lifelong, passionate fan.
Not just of wrestling, but Hogan's too.
Love it or hate it, pro wrestling is a large part of American culture. From the little old ladies who liked to scream at Gorgeous George back in the 1940s and '50s to the 1980s era of MTV and "Rock and Wrestling," featuring celebrities like Cindi Lauper and Mr. T, wrestling has always had a wide reach and a broad fan base. Showmanship, attitude, conflict, and more are all there to entertain us.
Hulk is the prime reason why. Without Hogan, there is no wrestling today.
I wish I could write something about his life worthy of Hulk, but this was supposed to be my week "off" from writing. Perhaps someday I'll put it into words, but this will have to do for now.
If you'd like, please look through the following links to read about the stories I've written that contain bits about The Hulkster.
Rest In Peace, Brother.
.png)
Comments
Hey Jeff.
ReplyDeleteI had a feeling this week’s article would about the Hulkster (your Thunder in Paradise article was the first thing I thought about when I belatedly got the news of his passing - that was a weird/unfortunate coincidence). I wasn’t a “huge” wrestling fan, but I did follow it a little as I was growing up. And what you said about the grandma test and everyone (even non-wrestling fans) knowing who he was… that’s pretty spot on.
I’m in a state of mourning too right now, but for a completely different reason (today is my last day of summer break - we report to work tomorrow and the kids come back later next week). I totally get what you are saying about “feeling the loss” of Hogan, even though it’s different than if you lost someone you actually knew. I think you and John summed it up very well. Yes, it’s not the same as a family member, but it does hurt because he was a huge part of your life as a kid. And with his passing, that’s one more piece of your childhood that is no longer around in the world (aside from in your memories).
I hope you’re able to get a little rest from writing this week, but I’m guessing next Monday’s post will be your monthly reminder of how old/ancient I am… so probably not. But I do hope this week goes better for you than last week. Take care, Jeff.
Hey, hope the flooding from that tsunami the news was hyping wasn't too bad and that it was just that... hype! I also hope your first days back to work this week went well! We have another month here in New England before school starts, most places open up for the students again on September 3rd.
ReplyDeleteYes, next week will be the Month in History, but don't feel bad about feeling old when you read it... ALL of my articles remind me of how much time has passed! I think you'll like what is coming the second week of August... three posts! One on the 11th, 13th, and 15th!
Everything is okay here, thanks for asking. The waves weren’t as big as they were fearing, so that was welcome news. It’s been a LONG time since we’ve had one that was really destructive, but unfortunately it’s going to happen eventually. We just gotta take whatever precautions we can and hope for the best.
DeleteAs for work… I can’t complain. I had a whole summer off (I actually stopped the “brick and mortar shops” thing after a week, because I ended up buying a motorcycle and spent all summer learning to ride it and jumping through all the hoops to get a license). I wasn’t always a teacher, so I know what it’s like not to have that. Ironically, “back in the day” (since this is a “retro” site…) we used to also start in September. I don’t know when they changed it, but sometime in the decade and a half between when I graduated HS and when I became a teacher, they chopped a month off of summer. When I found out, I was like… wtf.
And speaking of wtf… THREE articles are coming in a couple weeks??? You couldn’t do that during (my) summer, when I actually had lots of spare time - you just HAD to do it right when everything gets busy at the beginning part of the year!
Well, thanks for the heads up, at least. Between your warning and the follow.it notices, I should be able to catch them all (your posts, not Pokémon). In the mean time, looking forward to next week’s YesterYear History post for August.
Thank heavens the tsunami warning wasn't as bad as they said.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget the three articles in two weeks is still in the middle of MY summer :)