As I type this, I’m still processing the passing of Ozzy Osbourne (December 3, 1948-July 22, 2025).

Two days after Ozzy’s passing, my favorite wrestler ever, Hulk Hogan, passed away too.

I had heard for about a month that his health was not well, but I honestly did not believe it.

In the last several years, Hulk Hogan has become someone everyone loves to hate, and fair enough.

I’ve not loved everything he’s done and said by any means.

Having said that, I became a fan of his when I was six or seven years old and he was the reason why I became a wrestling fan.

From 1989-1992, when I first watched wrestling (I sadly went away from it for many years but did get back into it and will forever be a wrestling fan.), Hulk Hogan was everything to me.

I bought into his whole character and he was one of my biggest heroes.

Even when I went away from watching wrestling, I never stopped being a Hogan fan.

And even when I got back into wrestling years later, he was the reason.

Many will forever argue who the “greatest wrestler of all time is”.  I have many favorites, but for me, it’s Hulk Hogan.

He was the biggest star, sold sooooooooo much merchandise, and really put his name out there and professional wrestling out there too.

Wrestling was popular wayyyyy before he came along, but when he got really popular, wrestling definitely kicked into a new gear of popularity.

He wasn’t the only reason, but the biggest reason why because again, he put his name out there and put professional wrestling even more into the mainstream.

From 1984-1992 or 93, Hulk Hogan was IT!!

He went into a slight slump in the mid 90s, but when he teamed with Scott Hall (RIP) and Kevin Nash and formed the bad guy wrestling faction New World Order (NWO), Hogan’s popularity soared again.

In 2002, when the NWO attempted to make a comeback, the fans really wanted Hogan to be a good guy again, and that’s what he did.

His popularity, even in 2002, was off the charts.

Some years later, family/domestic issues became forever tabloid news, even to this day.

Like all of us, he was flawed and made mistakes, but for me, the good he did still outweighs the bad.

If you don’t agree, fair enough.

But no matter what, Hulk Hogan, for me, will always be my favorite wrestler and I will be forever grateful and thankful to him.

I sadly never got to see him wrestle in person or meet him (although I did get his autograph a few times via online and at a wrestling show), but I did get to see him at a wrestling pay-per-view in 2011 in Cincinnati.

I’m glad I at least got to see him.

I feel like I need to say so much more, but I’m at a loss.

All I can say is I’ll always be a Hulkamaniac and again, I’ll always love him for all the good that he brought to my life, and especially childhood.

I love you Hulkster!!!!

Rest In Peace and all the best to your family, friends, and fans all over the world.

Hulkamania/NWO 4 Life!!!

All the pictures I’ve included in this post are from my collection of magazines, books, DVDs, toys, and pics of the show I saw him at.

I have pictures that I took from the show, but I can’t find them.  If I do, I’ll post them too.  But until then, I included pics from the DVD of the show I was at.

This is not everything that I have of Hogan, but you get the idea that I’m a Hulkamaniac.

Again, I love you Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea)!!!!!

Thank you for making my childhood and life in general better.