Why Hulk Hogan remained a controversial figure in wrestling before his death at the age of 71

Hulk Hogan, who died at 71, remained a controversial figure in wrestling due to several public disputes.

Hulk Hogan remained a central yet controversial figure in wrestling prior to his death at the age of 71 in July 2025.

Hogan, born Terry Gene Bollea, faced public scrutiny in 2015 after leaked footage from an unauthorised tape captured him using a racial slur, stating he was “racist, to a point”.

He later apologised during an interview with ABC News, saying, “Please forgive me. Please forgive me. I think if you look at the whole picture of who Hulk Hogan is, you can see over all the years that there’s not a racist bone in my body.”

WWE ended its contract with Hogan following the leak but reinstated him to its Hall of Fame in 2018 after multiple public apologies. Reactions within the wrestling community varied, with Kofi Kingston stating the New Day tag team felt “indifferent” to the reinstatement.

Hogan also acknowledged in 2024 that he opposed attempts by Jesse Ventura to form a wrestlers’ union in the 1980s, saying, “I was making crazy money... Jesse wanted to have a union where everybody got paid the same.”

Other wrestlers, including Bret Hart and the Undertaker, have criticised Hogan for alleged backstage politics. Hart claimed Hogan refused to lose the WWE Championship to him, while the Undertaker recounted an incident where Hogan claimed an injury during their match, later shown not to have occurred on footage.

Despite his influence on the industry, these disputes continued to shape Hogan’s legacy in professional wrestling before his passing.