Hulk Hogan hits 70 - His body-slamming facts, sex tape, roids shame and net worth

WWE and wrestling legend Hulk Hogan will hit the milestone age of 70 after dedicated his life to the squared circle and a handful of movie appearances, but do you really know the Hulkster?

James Moore

20:36, 05 Aug 2023

2014: Hulk Hogan makes his return to the WWE

Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan is 70 this week!

And the grappling great shows no signs of slowing down hes just got engaged to 45-year-old yoga instructor Sky Daily and sealed the deal with a huge diamond ring.

But how much do you know about the star as he hits his milestone?

Here James Moore reveals 15 body-slamming facts

1/ Hulk was born Terry Gene Bollea in Augusta, Georgia, on August 11, 1953, the son of construction worker Peter, of Italian descent, and dance teacher Ruth, who had Scottish and French heritage.

[Hulk Hogan ]

Hulk Hogan has been runnin' wild for years(Image: Corbis via Getty Images)

2/ A budding baseball pitcher as a kid in Florida, he was scouted by top teams before a broken arm ended his hopes of a career in the sport.

3/ The Hulk also played bass guitar in a band called Ruckus while studying finance at uni before dropping out.

4/ He had always loved watching wrestling, and after meeting some wrestlers and a promoter at one of the groups gigs, the 6ft 7in man mountain agreed to give it a go himself.

[Superhero Hulk Lou Ferrigno]

Superhero Hulk Lou Ferrigno is to thank for Hogan's name(Image: CBS via Getty Images)

5/ Despite breaking his leg on the first day of training, he soon turned pro and was performing well in matches under names like Terry Boulder and Super Destroyer.

6/ The Hulk moniker came after he met Lou Ferrigno, star of TVs Incredible Hulk on a talk show. It emerged that at, 300lbs with 24inch biceps Terry was actually bigger. The Hogan part came when he was asked to take on an Irish-American personality.

[Hogan and Jennifer McDaniel ]

Hogan with now ex-wife Jennifer McDaniel (Image: WireImage)

7/ He rose to fame as the face of the World Wrestling Federation, later the WWE, in the 1980s, sparking the boom in the sports popularity and headlining Wrestlemania.

8/ Hogan was briefly fired after starring in the 1982 movie Rocky III as Thunderlips. It was then considered taboo for wrestlers to star in films so as not to destroy the mystique around their bouts in the ring.

[Hogan and Rocky]

Hogan has been in many films, including Rocky III(Image: United Artists/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

9/Winning his first WWE world title in 1984, Hulk scooped five more, plus six World Championship Wrestling titles over a 30-year career.

10/ Hulks match with Andre the Giant in 1988 attracted a record wrestling TV audience of 33million.

11/ He was fired by WWE in 2015 over offensive comments he made in a sex tape, for which he later apologised. The Hulk has also admitted having used steroids to gain size and weight.

[Hulk and Andre]

On of the most iconic matches in wrestling history as Hulk Hogan fought Andre the giant(Image: Getty Images)

12/ Hes starred in movies like No Holds Barred and Mr Nanny, adverts for deodorant, video games and TV series like American Gladiators and reality show Hogan Knows Best.

13/ Once WWEs highest paid athlete, with an estimated 19million fortune, he lost millions thanks to a lavish lifestyle and a bitter divorce from Linda, his wife of 26 years.

14/ Their marriage ended in 2009, after an alleged affair with a pal of their singer daughter Brooke, now 35, which Hogan denied. Their son Nick, 33, was jailed for reckless driving in 2008.

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15/ From 2010 to 2021 the Hulk was married to Jennifer McDaniel. He has now found love again, quit booze, and despite suffering multiple injuries over the years says: I feel like Im 39.

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