Hulk Hogan Has Died(tmz.com)
tmz.com
Hulk Hogan Has Died
https://www.tmz.com/2025/07/24/hulk-hogan-dead/
153 comments
Seems like maybe he was good natured but susceptible to the influence of the environment he grew up/lived.
Kind of like those grandpas who were very kind to all people but for unknown reasons had prejudice against minorities.
I was hopeful that this kind of bad influence in good people would stop with society evolving, but in reality things seem to be cyclical...
Kind of like those grandpas who were very kind to all people but for unknown reasons had prejudice against minorities.
I was hopeful that this kind of bad influence in good people would stop with society evolving, but in reality things seem to be cyclical...
The visual I have of him in 1989 full Hulkamania Regalia holding a Publix shopping basket while reaching in for bologna will stay with me forever.
Bright yellow and red Hulkster with the green Publix basket, reaching down next to me to grab hotdogs or bologna or whatever it was and nodded 'hello'.
Bright yellow and red Hulkster with the green Publix basket, reaching down next to me to grab hotdogs or bologna or whatever it was and nodded 'hello'.
I saw him at a hotel/resort around the time his daughter turned 18, I was in the same restaurant as an argument that appeared on their reality tv show a few months later (not on camera)... You could tell that marriage was having issues.
That said, Hulk himself was completely warm and responsive to fans when I'd see him around signing pictures/merch and taking pictures with random fans over that week. I cannot imagine being "on" that well, he was a consummate celebrity at its finest example. I wish more celebrities could see, and execute even half as well.
That said, Hulk himself was completely warm and responsive to fans when I'd see him around signing pictures/merch and taking pictures with random fans over that week. I cannot imagine being "on" that well, he was a consummate celebrity at its finest example. I wish more celebrities could see, and execute even half as well.
sounds like a book/article i would want to read.
the world of wrestling and kayfabe is so interesting and has so many parallels with real life.
the world of wrestling and kayfabe is so interesting and has so many parallels with real life.
I strongly recommend "The Unreality of Pro Wrestling" by Super Eyepatch Wolf.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POsvxBJfTwg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POsvxBJfTwg
Also Dark Side of the Ring.
Mr. McMahon, a documentary on Netflix, is a great watch.
I unironically believe there are deep lessons about psychology and sociology contained beneath the ridiculousness.
Boy, tough week if you grew up in the 80s seeing all your heroes go away.
From watching TV with Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant as a kid, I am now a man who crossed well over half of my expected lifespan.
His demise is a strong reminder of our limited time here.
This is the guy Thiel used as a vehicle to kill Gawker. What a jerk.
https://www.vox.com/2016/5/25/11779910/peter-thiel-gawker-hu...
https://www.vox.com/2016/5/25/11779910/peter-thiel-gawker-hu...
Maybe Gawker shouldn’t have been digging into his private sex life including publishing a sex tape. It’s not like Thiel funded round after round of litigation until Gawker ran out of money - they lost on the merits.
It’s an everyone sucks here situation. Gawker was undeniably shitty for outing thiel and posting a sex tape of hogan and then refusing to take it down. But the impact of the lawsuit was basically that if a billionaire has a vendetta against your media org they can fund a lawsuit even if they are in no way involved. And it’s rumored that Thiel funded several suits, not just hogans, discreetly. Even with hogans he was challenged but was allowed to keep funneling cash to take gawker down
The end result of that is that media orgs are now far more cautious about posting “exposes” of powerful people. Gonzo journalism in America is basically dead except for a handful of independent outlets that have much less impact, funding, and reach. Now it’s substacks of people that used to work for the intercept and rolling stone because media with money is playing it safe posting articles about trumps latest antics and 12 vacation spots you have to check out before you die.
The end result of that is that media orgs are now far more cautious about posting “exposes” of powerful people. Gonzo journalism in America is basically dead except for a handful of independent outlets that have much less impact, funding, and reach. Now it’s substacks of people that used to work for the intercept and rolling stone because media with money is playing it safe posting articles about trumps latest antics and 12 vacation spots you have to check out before you die.
It's not an everyone sucks situation. A relatively powerful organization well known for playing bully finally picked on someone who happened to be stronger than they anticipated and got what was coming to them.
It's not like they decided to fess up and play nice once they were caught red handed. They decided to double down and act even shittier in court thinking they were still the big bad bullies and finding out the hard way courts don't really like that sort of attitude.
Absolutely no one would be taking Gawkers side here if the victims happened to be more sympathetic. The facts of this case were pretty one sided, as shown by the win in a notoriously difficult to win sort of case. The behavior of Gawker in court was absurd on top of it all.
If this were a case of a SLAPP lawsuit or burying them in legal costs over a series of marginal cases I would agree. It was not. It was simply one of their victims finding the means to finally stand up to an organization that abused it power consistently and with malice. The bully found out the hard way they weren't the biggest bully on the block, and refused to back down.
Nothing of value was lost. Very little of what Gawker was doing was in the public interest. It was life-ruining clickbait at it's worst.
It's not like they decided to fess up and play nice once they were caught red handed. They decided to double down and act even shittier in court thinking they were still the big bad bullies and finding out the hard way courts don't really like that sort of attitude.
Absolutely no one would be taking Gawkers side here if the victims happened to be more sympathetic. The facts of this case were pretty one sided, as shown by the win in a notoriously difficult to win sort of case. The behavior of Gawker in court was absurd on top of it all.
If this were a case of a SLAPP lawsuit or burying them in legal costs over a series of marginal cases I would agree. It was not. It was simply one of their victims finding the means to finally stand up to an organization that abused it power consistently and with malice. The bully found out the hard way they weren't the biggest bully on the block, and refused to back down.
Nothing of value was lost. Very little of what Gawker was doing was in the public interest. It was life-ruining clickbait at it's worst.
> But the impact of the lawsuit was basically that if a billionaire has a vendetta against your media org they can fund a lawsuit even if they are in no way involved.
How is that different from what was before?
How is that different from what was before?
kotaKat(1)
[flagged]
Ok, but can you please not post snark and/or post unsubstantive comments to HN? We're trying for something else here.
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
This is an interesting thread from someone who worked on the case (on Hogan's side):
https://x.com/dilanesper/status/1948757550993998192
https://x.com/dilanesper/status/1948757550993998192
> Gawker published a link to the secretly recorded footage of Erin Andrews (now of Fox Sports) nude in her hotel room, shot through a keyhole. Nobody else in the "legitimate media" did that. Gawker did.
> Maybe Gawker shouldn’t have been digging into his private sex life including publishing a sex tape.
Even if one supports this revenge-based justification, it doesn't mitigate the societal harm done when a path is carved out for billionaires to shutter news orgs who print things they don't like.
The societal harm: Republicans weaponizing Gov power and billionaire resources against news outlets - which is happening at this moment.
ref: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44688663
Even if one supports this revenge-based justification, it doesn't mitigate the societal harm done when a path is carved out for billionaires to shutter news orgs who print things they don't like.
The societal harm: Republicans weaponizing Gov power and billionaire resources against news outlets - which is happening at this moment.
ref: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44688663
He also ratted out Jesse Ventura to McMahon for trying to set up a union for wrestlers in the 80s and McMahon came down hard. https://www.wrestlinginc.com/1062201/how-hulk-hogan-helped-p...
Gawker was a terrible website filled with terrible, hypocritical people who got what they deserved.
Gawker killed Gawker. You don’t get to sucker punch two strongmen (both literally and figuratively) and then whine and cry when they knock the shit out of you for the sucker punch.
They leaked a sex tape and refused to take it down.
"Leaked" by his best friend at the time (Bubba the Love Sponge, radio dj), who filmed it, and whose wife was the one Hogan was fucking, with his blessing. A very strange situation all around.
Gawker was a horrible blight, though.
No. What a hero. Gawker was absolutely vile trash and should have been nuked from orbit a thousand times over. Their conduct on many matters, but particularly, hogan was inexcusable in the extreme.
That was a good case. More individuals should be bankrolled so they can afford to use the legal system when they have been harmed by bigger parties.
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Man, that Hulk Hogan cartoon Rock ‘n Roll wrestling had one of the greatest musical intros of all time for a cartoon.
R.I.P. Mr. Bollea
R.I.P. Mr. Bollea
> the greatest musical intros of all time for a cartoon
Confirmed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ3lCUixbvE
Confirmed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ3lCUixbvE
I’m glad he can rest now, he must have been in a lot of pain. Literally his entire spine is fused, every single vertebrae. It must have been really painful to live like that. Im glad he can have some rest now.
First Ozzy, and now Hulk Hogan. RIP.
There will never be anything like either of these generational entertainers in this century. Not even AI can replicate their personalities.
Mourning for both of them.
There will never be anything like either of these generational entertainers in this century. Not even AI can replicate their personalities.
Mourning for both of them.
I agree with you on Ozzy, but Hulk made a hard right turn into politics the last few years. It was sad to see him do that but his contributions to wrestling stand on their own.
Why is that problematic? It’s okay to be a conservative.
he was suspended from the wrestling federation for racisim and bigotry
and if steronoidal guys dressesd up in costumes and tights play acting as "warriors" is conservative, then sure, thats ok
MAGA is far right, not conservative.
Being conservative is okay. But in 2025, right means radical populist reactionary and conservative means democrat.
How are the Democrats conservative?
Stability and gradual measured change, the rule of law, belief in American institutions (both government and private), American leadership as a force for good in the world, fiscal and monetary responsibility. Heck the Democrats are even coming out ahead on economic freedom compared with the tariff taxes that change by the month.
Really? To me being conservative means more or less agreeing with the thinking of people like Edmund Burke, Benjamin Disraeli, Michael Oakeshott, Roger Scruton, and so on. None of those would have supported the Democrats in their current state, but nor would they have supported Trumpian populism.
Please reference the specific values you're invoking to make a coherent argument. Referencing people is a setup for a Motte and Bailey and talking past one another. This especially applies when the first two people on that list lived over a century ago, making it so that views that could appropriately be called conservative during their lifetimes are likely reactionary/revanchist in the modern day.
I invite you to read them yourself — or their equivalents from your own country. Conservatives are by nature culturally specific. I'm not trying to persuade anyone of anything. Just giving a counter example to the claim that conservative is synonymous with radical reactionary populism. It is not. Donald Trump is no conservative.
It seems like we're mostly agreeing in a roundabout way. The original context was using the label "hard right" in 2025 and the comment I was responding to equated that with conservative. But if you're "hard right" in 2025 America but still continuing to call yourself a conservative, you're basically abusing the label as a dishonest cover for a radical agenda.
I most certainly understand and respect there are political views that don't map well to the two party system. So with that context the last bit of my original comment is more like if you are actually conservative and trying to express yourself within our current two party system, you're voting Democrat. The whole party most certainly isn't conservative, but there is a large moderating establishment that makes its overall results align much more closely with conservatism than what's currently being offered by the Republicans.
I most certainly understand and respect there are political views that don't map well to the two party system. So with that context the last bit of my original comment is more like if you are actually conservative and trying to express yourself within our current two party system, you're voting Democrat. The whole party most certainly isn't conservative, but there is a large moderating establishment that makes its overall results align much more closely with conservatism than what's currently being offered by the Republicans.
I’m personally a huge fan of Thomas Sowell. To me, he perfectly articulates conservative ideas.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Sowell
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Sowell
A hard right turn into politics would benefit quite a lot of HN readers...
The anti-capitalism movement is completely misguided. Capitalism has improved the human condition immeasurably! Every other system tried recently has failed miserably.
Is capitalism perfect? No, so let's work on improving it, in the face of robotics and AI!
The future is bright, if we go energy-intensive and break out into the larger Solar System! Otherwise, we face stagnation and decline...and likely a global catastrophe.
The anti-capitalism movement is completely misguided. Capitalism has improved the human condition immeasurably! Every other system tried recently has failed miserably.
Is capitalism perfect? No, so let's work on improving it, in the face of robotics and AI!
The future is bright, if we go energy-intensive and break out into the larger Solar System! Otherwise, we face stagnation and decline...and likely a global catastrophe.
I'm a capitalist but I am not a billionaire sympathizer. Capitalism needs curbs just like every human concept ever invented. It's not a panacea.
This 'improvement' is what tech sold us these last two decades. What we got was struggle gig work and tech bro's pushing eachother out of the way to be first to endorse Project 2025. And NFTs, man that sure improved things.
Also 'we have to keep what we're doing because if we don't the earth will be destroyed because of what I want us to keep doing' isn't the best selling point.
Also 'we have to keep what we're doing because if we don't the earth will be destroyed because of what I want us to keep doing' isn't the best selling point.
i disagree, profoundly.
500 years of nation-state politics can be boiled down to "can we come up with a fair system for self-rule, or shall we have more kings"
the right wing answer is always another king.
hell, lenin was the czar who killed the czar before him and got popular support by pretending to be populist.
what is communist about him and his buddies eating caviar while the peasants starved?
fix the system, don't rig the system, and "fuck the system" and anti gubment anti UN nonsense just plays into the monarchists hands.
right is and will always be WRONG. LEFT is just a wishlist, utopian general vector of where to go, but never achieved.
there, i fixed your brain, now wake up and spread the word.
fix the system, don't rig the system, and "fuck the system" and anti gubment anti UN nonsense just plays into the monarchists hands.
right is and will always be WRONG. LEFT is just a wishlist, utopian general vector of where to go, but never achieved.
there, i fixed your brain, now wake up and spread the word.
Fascism will not settle in without some serious mass violence. I’m not sure even the most conservative HN readers are prepared for that.
One will be missed for who he was, the other for a fictional character he once played.
Union-buster. Notorious spreader of racism, misogyny, and xenophobia. He will not be missed.
A good portion of that is covered by Behind the Bastards'coverage of Vince Mcmann: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JLdaMY9n_Oc&pp=0gcJCfwAo7VqN5t...
blah blah blah. Speak for yourself. I'll miss him, probably along with many others, as a cultural piece of my childhood, adolescence and for years still there as a curious part of a changing adult world. If we judged every human being in history by these nebulously stupid standards, there'd be nobody left to like.
> nebulously stupid standards
You should listen to the racist recording. It wasn't nebulous, it was clearly and explicitly racist. Most people think he went way too far. This isn’t a case of subtle racism where people might be overreaching; what he said was awful.
Sorry you can't outgrow your childhood, but you should come to terms that the man you idolized was a shitty person.
You should listen to the racist recording. It wasn't nebulous, it was clearly and explicitly racist. Most people think he went way too far. This isn’t a case of subtle racism where people might be overreaching; what he said was awful.
Sorry you can't outgrow your childhood, but you should come to terms that the man you idolized was a shitty person.
> nebulously stupid standards
Here's the quote, talking about his daughter: “I mean, I’d rather if she was going to fck some ngger, I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall ngger worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player! I guess we’re all a little racist. Fcking n*gger.”
Feels fucking gross to even read this out loud.
Here's the quote, talking about his daughter: “I mean, I’d rather if she was going to fck some ngger, I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall ngger worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player! I guess we’re all a little racist. Fcking n*gger.”
Feels fucking gross to even read this out loud.
Meh. Shitty words, sure, but I've read and heard worse from all kinds of people, enough not to completely dismiss the possible better, and more interesting aspects of someone because they didn't speak nicely or intelligently in every context.
There are plenty of people left to like who aren't racist and misogynist. It's okay to update your worldview of your heroes when they behave badly.
And there are plenty of people who can still be liked, or appreciated at least, who also were racist and misogynist, or whatever other moral defect you like. It's okay to show affection for someone who didn't perfectly fit the strictures of what a specific type of virtue signalling labels as correct.
Look at this user's comments in other threads. They won't update their worldview.
On the contrary. My worldview has been and still is shaped by an ever changing learning curve of the world's nature. That includes being flexible enough to show some affection even for that which doesn't fit rigorous dogmas of conduct. Can you say the same about your labels?
he was known as a master politician
i think it's a bit unfair to judge him on some things he said privately to a friend.
i've said a lot of things privately in my life that i would disown.
but yeah he did a lot of bad things to a lot of people over the years according to some books i read.
i think it's a bit unfair to judge him on some things he said privately to a friend.
i've said a lot of things privately in my life that i would disown.
but yeah he did a lot of bad things to a lot of people over the years according to some books i read.
>i think it's a bit unfair to judge him on some things he said privately to a friend.
I think it must be nice to think private racist thoughts expressed so regularly are just fine. Usually this kind of thinking is because the person can't ever imagine being affected by racism.
I wonder how many people throughout his career he refused to work with, didn't hire, went after, because of their skin color. People aren't famously racist without ever expressing it.
I think it must be nice to think private racist thoughts expressed so regularly are just fine. Usually this kind of thinking is because the person can't ever imagine being affected by racism.
I wonder how many people throughout his career he refused to work with, didn't hire, went after, because of their skin color. People aren't famously racist without ever expressing it.
> I wonder how many people throughout his career he refused to work with...
No, he was a business partner of Mr. T for years.
No, he was a business partner of Mr. T for years.
I think it’s absolutely fair to judge a person as a whole. It’s part of who they were.
I heard Keanu Reeves anonymously donated millions to cancer charities. It’s private. Should we not include this in our assessment of his character?
Or are we just excusing disgusting racism/sexism because Hogan did it with an inside voice?
I heard Keanu Reeves anonymously donated millions to cancer charities. It’s private. Should we not include this in our assessment of his character?
Or are we just excusing disgusting racism/sexism because Hogan did it with an inside voice?
If it is private, how do you know about it? It certainly is not private anymore, if it was any real to begin with.
[deleted]
Also millions of lies. Don't forget the lies. If Hulk Hogan is talking, he's lying.
He was iconic. But also he was a terrible human.
gosub100(2)
One of those characters who used to be an idol for many when they were kids and who realized that this was a big mistake when they became adults.
I mostly remember regularly watching him in a show called Thunder in Paradise. Think baywatch with guns and a knight rider like boat.
PS. Ozzy and now this.-
These things usually come in threes. Who's next? (Reply to doom someone!)
It’s a perception thing because you start noticing once you notice one. Malcolm Jamaal-Warner died as well for example but not as many people noticed as Ozzy to be the “first of three”.
A man in Des Moines visits a news stand every day, buys a copy of the Chicago Tribune, glances at the front cover, swears, and throws it in the trash. One day the seller asks "I've seen you do this every day for months, what exactly are you hoping to see?" The man replies "an obituary." The seller exclaims "but those are on page 9 and you don't even look inside" The man replies "the obituary I am looking for will be on the front page."
Eyes-staring-knowingly-until-you-understand.gif
Paul Hogan.
[deleted]
ghislaine maxwell
Blond Chinese man hair, skin of a hot dog.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjLzbGFgyvU
Rest in power, brother. Say hi to the Macho Man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjLzbGFgyvU
Rest in power, brother. Say hi to the Macho Man.
I remember watching wrestling and thunder in paradise. He was the man for this. Peace.
His in ring performance will always give me goosebumps, every time. I’ve seen him start puffing his cheeks, shaking his head, no-selling punches, and finger pointing a million and every…single…time it gets me excited and pumped. And all for a silly leg drop at the end. Goes to show that the story can communicate so much more than the moves.
What a an amazing talent and performer.
What a an amazing talent and performer.
Shawn Michaels. Chris Jericho. Mick Foley. The Undertaker. Rey Mysterio. Steve Austin. Shinsuke Nakamura. Kenny Omega. Booker T. John Cena. CM Punk. All better wrestling talents and performers than Hulk Hogan. The list could probably be even longer, because Hulk Hogan was at best a passable wrestler and a terrible performer. Finger-wagging and no-selling spots isn't impressive and doesn't take skill or talent.
He also sabotaged the careers of other, better wrestlers and tried to prevent Jesse Ventura from unionizing. Fuck him. Fuck his racist ass, I hope Vince joins him in Hell soon.
He also sabotaged the careers of other, better wrestlers and tried to prevent Jesse Ventura from unionizing. Fuck him. Fuck his racist ass, I hope Vince joins him in Hell soon.
The afterlife just keeps looking better and better...
All them steds messes with your hart!
[deleted]
Coming soon another public WC.
tastyface(1)
WarOnPrivacy(1)
tastyface(1)
He was an odd character but was truly a character - he was Hulk Hogan as you know him (bandana, the mustache, the yellow muscle shirt) from the moment he got up to the moment he went to bed; unlike some stars who had a life outside of their character, his character became his life which was really something interesting to behold up close.
I've been getting a lot of calls and talking to friends today; and again - while Hogan was not exactly a "good person" in all regards - he was a friend and brought a lot of joy to a lot of people and he will be missed.