Hulk Hogan's Biggest Scandals & Controversies Explained

While Hulk Hogan was lauded as an icon who entertained millions, it’s no big secret that Terry Bollea’s life and career was often mired in controversy. 

For all the plaudits Hogan received for his look, charisma and ability to control a crowd, he was also castigated for his backstage politicking, personal beliefs and actions.

These are the biggest Hulk Hogan scandals and controversies explained.

Denigrating The WWE Championship

Winning and holding onto the WWE Title was, arguably, what launched Hulk Hogan into the stratosphere. 

The Hulkster held the WWE Title for four years after beating The Iron Sheik at Madison Square Garden on January 23, 1984 to launch Hulkamania, and Hogan became synonymous with the promotion’s main prize for well into the early 1990s as the company’s undisputed top star. 

While he primarily competed for WWE (then the World Wrestling Federation), Hogan worked around 300 matches for New Japan Pro-Wrestling from 1980 until the summer of 1985, and he would return to NJPW in 1993 for a showdown with the Great Muta on May 3, 1993 at Wrestling Dontaku. 

At the time, Hogan was the reigning WWE Champion, having infamously won the belt from Yokozuna in seconds to close out WrestleMania IX. In interviews and press conferences both before and after the match, Hulk claimed that the WWE Title was, essentially, meaningless, likening it to a “trinket on a Christmas tree” while branding it a “stepping stone" to the IWGP Heavyweight Title. 

Word of his comments, which were videotaped, reached the United States and Vince McMahon wasn’t particularly pleased. Despite claiming to WWE officials that he was mistranslated - he gave the interviews in plain English - the evidence was crystal clear and it increased tensions in the Hogan/McMahon relationship ahead of Hogan giving his notice and leaving WWE a couple of months later.

Blocking A Pro Wrestling Union

Despite being a multi-billion dollar industry, professional wrestling still doesn’t have a union and, unlike athletes in other sports or entertainers like actors, WWE stars are still classed as independent contractors and are expected to pay for some of their expenses, such as rental cars and hotel rooms, while they are forbidden from working anywhere else.

Things could have been different, however, had Jesse "The Body" Ventura managed to successfully rally the troops prior to WrestleMania 2. Ventura, who had enjoyed success in Hollywood, wanted the locker room to unionise so that they could get fairer pay and other benefits, such as health insurance and a pension. 

When Hogan found out about Jesse’s union plans, however, he went straight to Vince McMahon, which prompted a call to “The Body” the next day from McMahon. 

Ventura reflected on Hogan’s actions in an August 2024 interview with MSNBC, saying: "As far as Hogan goes, it doesn't surprise me because when I was in wrestling in the 80's, I tried to unionise wrestling, and it was Hulk Hogan who cut my legs out from under me. Hulk Hogan went to Vince McMahon, ratted me out, and subsequently, later on, cost me my job. So it doesn't surprise me to see Hogan with the Republicans because Hogan is as anti-union as you can get. There still is not a union in professional wrestling. The reason I tried to do it. I was in an elevator and ran into Gene Upshaw, the great tackle guard from the Oakland Ravens. And big Gene raised his finger up and looked at me and says, 'You guys, you boys, need to form a union.' I tried to do it, and it was Hulk Hogan who ratted me out to Vince McMahon, and subsequently I was fired and lost my job."

Ventura never forgave Hogan for his actions, and many wrestlers have lamented what they perceive to be Terry Bollea’s selfish actions stopping something that could have been beneficial to both them and the wider wrestling industry. 

Walking Out Of WWE In The Early 2000s

Hulk Hogan’s return to WWE in 2002, after nine years away from the company, proved to be a tremendous success for the red-and-yellow icon, at least initially. After Hogan stole the show with The Rock at WrestleMania 18, Vince McMahon decided to change the company’s plans and he booked Hogan to win the Undisputed Title from Triple H at Backlash one month later in a fun nostalgia moment. 

With Hogan on top, though, WWE began to lose viewers and McMahon booked Hogan to drop the Undisputed Championship to The Undertaker after only a month as champion. From there, Hogan moved away from the top of the card into a supporting role as he put over the current crop of WWE wrestlers in Edge, Kurt Angle, and Brock Lesnar. 

After being told he would be losing to Brock Lesnar in a rematch at Survivor Series 2002, however, Hogan walked out. He’d walk back in a few months later for another match with The Rock and a WrestleMania XIX showdown with Mr. McMahon, but he quit once more not long after due to dissatisfaction with his creative direction as Mr. America, as well as his shrinking pay-per-view payoffs.

Bret Hart And WrestleMania IX

After almost a year away, Hulk Hogan returned to WWE in February of 1993, setting up a WrestleMania IX match between the so-called Mega Maniacs and WWE Tag Team Champions Money Inc. 

Hogan and Brutus Beefcase didn’t win the titles at the Showcase of the Immortals, but Hulk famously walked away from Caesars Palace with another piece of gold. After Bret Hart had dropped the WWE Title to Yokozuna in the show’s main event, Hogan came to check on The Hitman and, lo and behold, ended up easily beating Yokozuna himself to win the title in a short impromptu match. 

Hogan later admitted that he had planted the idea for the scenario in McMahon’s mind so that he could have one last run as champ before dropping it back to Yokozuna and leaving the company to pursue acting. 

Bret, on the other hand, claims he had been promised to beat Hogan for the title at SummerSlam, but that Hulk baulked at the suggestion he do that due to Hart’s smaller size and Hogan’s perception of him as a long-time tag team wrestler who hadn’t yet gotten to the main event level. The situation caused long-standing heat between Bret and Hulk that never truly dissipated.

This was entirely evident in the Hulk Hogan: Real American docuseries on Netflix when Hart and Hogan shared their recollections of WrestleMania 9. Hart noted that issues began when Hogan refused to shake his hand, but Hogan didn't even remember it.

"I can't imagine doing that intentionally. Maybe I had an off day. Maybe I was drunk, maybe I was high. I don't know. I don't know what to tell you, but it wouldn't have been intentional," Hogan said.

On Hogan winning at WrestleMania IX, Bret Hart added: "That day I remember thinking what a step backwards. It was a whole different audience, and they were liking me, not Hulk Hogan….I said it's going to backfire and it's going to be really bad…F*ck you. Hulk came up with such a phoney, bullsh*t match. The kind of match Hogan would dream up...He was a good guy once upon a time, but in the end he was a backstabbing, knife-wielding piece of sh*t."

Campaigning For Donald Trump

The relationship between Hulk Hogan and Donald Trump stretched back decades to when WWE used Trump Plaza as the location for back-to-back WrestleManias. 

The Hulkster and the future president of the United States continued to be friends after and Hogan was, in fact, the first choice to represent Trump in the Battle of the Billionaires at WrestleMania 23, before it fell apart and Bobby Lashley got the nod instead. 

Having once endorsed Barack Obama, Hogan threw the full weight of his support behind Trump when he announced his intention to run for the presidency in 2016 and he even put out that he wanted to be Trump’s running mate. 

Hulk – who previously announced his own intention to run for the highest position in US politics for a publicity stunt in 1998 – went full MAGA in the run-up to Trump’s second stint as president, cutting promos at the Republic National Convention and at Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden. 

Given that Trump himself is a lightning rod for controversy, a mere association with the president would be controversial, but Hogan threw himself into the role, earning criticism from some circles. 

Hogan addressed his support of Donald Trump on the Hulk Hogan: Real American docuseries.

"I met Donald Trump back in the days in the '80s. He's my friend. A lot of people would say I'm completely crazy but I know the person. I know him very well. I'm not saying I agree with everything he does but at least hes honest about who he is," Hogan said.

"In 2016, I was one of these cowards that voted for Trump and I wouldn’t wear the red hat. 2020 I voted for Trump but I was still the coward. I was gonna vote for him this next time and I want to keep a low profile, but they tried to kill Trump. I was done. I was p*ssed. I told my wife, ‘This might be a dealbreaker. It's something I have to do.' Knowing that if I spoke up it could jeopardise everything from my businesses to my life."

Trump, who appeared in the docuseries, then bizarrely claimed he is less controversial now.

"Hulk was always very controversial. And that's okay. I'm fairly controversial, I think I've become less controversial over the years, but I'm fairly controversial too. But I don’t think Hulk cares about that and I don’t care about that either," Trump stated.

WCW Bash At The Beach 2000

Heading into the 2000 WCW Bash at the Beach pay-per-view, there was an issue over the finish to the planned World Heavyweight Title match between Jeff Jarrett and Hulk Hogan. 

Hogan wanted to win the match and the title, while head writer Vince Russo wanted Jarrett to retain the title and then lose it to Booker T later in the evening. 

As a compromise, a worked shoot was devised which would see Double J simply lay down for The Hulkster, who would ‘win’ the match and walk away after cutting a promo on Russo ahead of a return months later for a rematch with Jarrett. 

This all happened as planned, but then Russo came out after Hogan had left the building and cut a scathing shoot promo on the new champion. When Hogan found out about it, he was livid. Not only because the shoot promo was a damning takedown of his character, but also because he retained a full creative control clause in his contract, meaning he had final say over the direction of his character. 

Bash at the Beach 2000 would be the last appearance by Hogan in a WCW ring and he later filed a defamation of character lawsuit against Russo and WCW parent company AOL/Time Warner. 

Richard Belzer Vs. Terry Bollea

WWE - particularly Hulk Hogan and his tag team partner at the event in Mr. T - did a tonne of promotion in the run-up to the inaugural WrestleMania in 1985.

Four days before the event, the headline duo showed up on the TV show Hot Properties, where host Richard Belzer asked The Hulkster to demonstrate a wrestling move on him. Hogan duly put him in a front facelock, which caused Belzer to pass out, slip from Hogan’s grasp and crack his head on the hard studio floor. 

A disoriented, bleeding Belzer then woke up and cut to commercial. When the show came back, Hogan basically gave his version of the 'Don’t try this at home, brother' speech.

Years later in 1990, Belzer, who suffered a laceration to his head which required a short hospital stay, sued Hogan for $5 million. 

Before the case went to trial, however, they reached a settlement, which Belzer later suggested was close to $400,000. He would use the money to buy himself and his wife a home in a seaside commune on the French riviera, cheekily naming the property ‘Chez Hogan’.

Hulk Hogan Sued By The Graziano Family

On August 26, 2007, Hulk Hogan’s then-17-year-old son Nick was involved in a car crash in Clearwater, Florida while street racing with friends in another car. 

John Graziano, the passenger in Nick’s car – a Toyota Supra – sustained serious brain damage when the vehicle fishtailed and collided with a median strip and a palm tree. The 22-year-old US Marine would require around-the-clock care for the rest of his life.

While Nick ultimately served time in prison for the incident, his father would also be sued by the Graziano family. They claimed he was at least partly liable as both the car Graziano was in, as well as the other automobile involved in the street racing incident, a silver Dodge Viper, were owned by Terry Bollea. 

Hulk had also purchased beer for Nick’s friends (all of whom were over the age of 21) earlier in the day, while Nick’s own blood alcohol level was over the limit, besides the fact he was under the legal drinking age, anyway. 

The lawsuit was ultimately settled in February of 2010, with the terms remaining confidential.

Hulk Hogan's Steroid Use

In the 1980s and early 1990s, it was known that The Hulkster trained hard, but his comic-book physique was achieved thanks to some pharmaceutical help. 

Hogan was a veteran steroid user, as was the vast majority of the WWE roster during this time period. When a steroid scandal engulfed the promotion, it was claimed that Doctor George Zahorian had personally sold the muscle-building drugs to Terry Bollea. 

When asked about the accusations on The Arsenio Hall Show, Hogan denied using the performance enhancers. Those within the wrestling industry, as well as outside commentators, couldn’t believe that he had the temerity to blatantly lie about his usage in the way he had. 

Later in the 1990s, when called to testify in Vince McMahon’s trial against the federal government, Hogan admitted to having used steroids dating back to 1976, though he denied that McMahon had ever given him the drugs personally or told him to take them. 

It was plainly obvious that Hogan was a heavy steroid user, but his deceit when it came to the subject made things a lot worse than if he had just admitted to what everyone could see. He would step away from the World Wrestling Federation in 1992, before a noticeably slimmer Hogan made his comeback in early 1993.

Hogan addressed lying about his steroid use on Netflix's Hulk Hogan: Real American, admitting he wouldn't have lied if he could relive the moment.

"Of course I lied to them….It would be something that would be classified in the mistake category. If I could relive it, I wouldn't do it again. I was getting major heat from the investigation, so it all just made sense to move away from wrestling. I didn't really have a choice," Hogan stated.

Hulk Hogan's Racism Scandal

In 2007, Hogan had a consensual, intimate encounter with Heather Clem, the wife of his close friend Bubba The Love Sponge, which was videotaped without Hogan’s knowledge.

In 2015, an audio recording from that tape of Hogan repeatedly using a racial slur, while bemoaning his daughter Brooke’s choice to date a Black man, surfaced. The rant also featured Hogan admitting that he was, "racist, to a point."

The contents of the tape were, for many fans, the end of their Hogan fandom, while a number of wrestlers were outspoken in their shock and disappointment at what they had heard their colleague and friend say. 

Hogan was apologetic in the immediate aftermath of the scandal erupting, but WWE chose to cut ties, terminating his contract and removing him from their Hall of Fame, while scrubbing mention of Hogan from their website. 

Days later, it was reported that Hogan had used racist language while visiting his then-imprisoned son Nick in 2008, where he said he hoped they would not be reincarnated as Black men. 

After three years away, he was welcomed back into the WWE fold, but some people, whether fans or wrestlers, never forgot or forgave, and the scandal was a dark cloud that hung over Hogan during his final years in the spotlight.

Hogan addressed the scandal of the 2026 Netflix docuseries, saying:

"I'm a person that got very mad about a personal situation. I used a word. Yeah, I regret it because even under that heavy, crazy fire I should have remained still and kept my mouth shut. But what I said resonates and has an echo effect and keeps vibrating for years. 

"I've driven the car. I keep hitting the wall, crashing and burning, saying stupid stuff and messing up. Whenever I say I have regrets it’s because I didn’t man up when I said it."

The racism scandal and Hulk Hogan's public support of Donald Trump were believed to be contributing factors to Hogan being booed out of the building during his final WWE appearance at the Monday Night Raw premiere on Netflix in January 2025.

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque said on Hulk Hogan: Real American about The Hulkster being booed:

"Did I think he was going to get booed out of the building? Probably. Especially in LA. There's a different vibe there and a different mentality there....He's made a lot of mistakes. For some people, he hasn't necessarily always atoned for those mistakes, or even the apologies were seen as hollow."