On Wednesday, April 22, the brand new documentary “Hulk Hogan: Real American” hit Netflix.
Professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan — real name Terry Gene Bollea — sadly passed away on July 24, 2025, at the age of 71. His official cause of death was listed as acute myocardial infarction, otherwise known as a heart attack.
The new documentary takes a deep dive into the WWE legend’s life. Netflix describes the documentary as follows: “Before he was Hulk Hogan, he was Terry Bollea. Uncover the man behind the legend in this unfiltered documentary featuring his very last interview.”
That last interview revealed some extremely interesting information about Hogan. These are the top five takeaways we got from it.
Hulk Hogan Needed Help With Basic Tasks at the End of His Life
GettyWhile the documentary still shows Hogan working out regularly in his final months, it also shows him using a cane. However, walking wasn’t the only thing he struggled with before he passed.
During his final interview, Hogan referred to Nick Hogan, 35, saying, “I have my son take the tops off water bottles for me, because I can’t turn them.”
Hogan described that as “kind of embarrassing,” but also looked on the positive side and insisted it “keeps me humble.”
Hogan also revealed that the condition he was in resulted in him taking a shocking amount of fentanyl. He said, “I was taking 80-milligram fentanyls, two in the morning, stuffing them under my gums.”
He added, “I had two 300mg patches of fentanyl on my legs and they gave me six 1500mg fentanyl lollipops to eat. I went to the pharmacy, he goes, ‘You should be dead. We have never seen a human being take this much fentanyl.'”
Hogan’s Father Was Tough on Him
GettyThe interview saw Hogan discussing his childhood in Tampa, Florida, which he described as a difficult time in his life.
Hogan said his parents were “broke” and added, “They weren’t the kind of parents to tell you they love you. That would never happen.”
He also specified that his father was an “old school Italian” who was particularly “rough” on him, favoring his older brother Allan, whom he viewed as a tougher kid (in that regard, his father literally said to Hogan, “you’re not like your brother”).
Hogan Didn’t Initially Like His Stage Name
GettyThe then-head of WWE (which was then known as the WWWF), Vince McMahon Sr., gave Hogan his famous stage name. He made his in-ring debut using the name in 1979, defeating Harry Valdez on the November 17 episode of Championship Wrestling.
However, Hogan wasn’t initially sold on the name, and questioned McMahon over whether it would work for him.
In his final interview, Hogan says he spoke to McMahon and said, “I said, ‘what is Hulk Hogan?'” His big issue with the name was that he came from Italian heritage, but the name “Hogan” is Irish.
After McMahon told him that didn’t matter, Hulk replied to him, “Yeah okay, I’ll think about it.”
The rest, as they say, is history.
He Hoped ‘Hogan Knows Best’ Would Bring Him and Linda Hogan Closer
GettyBetween 2005 and 2007, four seasons and 43 episodes of “Hogan Knows Best” aired on VH1.
The reality series focused on the life of Hogan and his family, which, at the time, included his ex-wife Linda.
In his final interview, Hogan revealed that his marriage was “in shambles” when the show began, and he hoped filming it would, “bring Linda and I together… we could be excited about something, and move forward.”
Sadly, that didn’t happen. Having been married to him since 1983, Linda (née Claridge) filed for divorce from Hogan on November 20, 2007. The couple’s divorce was finalized on July 28, 2009.
He Once Attempted to Take His Own Life
GettyHogan also revealed that, following his split from Linda, he attempted to take his own life.
In the aftermath of the divorce, he did an ill-advised interview with Rolling Stone about how he understood OJ Simpson’s motives for allegedly killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson. Understandably, it was met with a quick and severe backlash.
It caused the attempt at taking his life. Hogan said, “I started drinking and started eating pills, and I just went down this rabbit hole for a couple days. Next thing I know, I’m sitting in front of my bathroom with a gun in my mouth not knowing what I was doing.”
While the documentary will undoubtedly bring new information to light for many of Hulk Hogan’s fans, most will continue to remember him fondly as one of the most recognizable professional wrestlers of all time. Hogan was, of course, a six-time WWF/WWE Champion and the pioneer behind the “Hulkamania” phenomena of the 1980s and 1990s.
In addition to working for the iconic wrestling promotion, Hogan also competed in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
May he continue to rest in eternal peace.
“Hulk Hogan: Real American” is available to watch on Netflix now.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, dial 988 to reach the toll-free Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week (dial 888-628-9454 for assistance in Spanish). You can also speak with a trained crisis counselor anytime by texting HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.
