Why Hulk Hogan Lives His Life In Character
The line between where a wrestling persona begins and a real person ends has been a blurry one for many top stars, perhaps no more so than for Hulk Hogan.
Hulk Hogan has had a career like no other wrestling star as he helped change the landscape of the industry in the 1980s as the figurehead of WWE. As the era of Hulkamania came to an end in the nineties, Hogan repeated the trick by turning to the dark side in WCW and helped form the hugely successful NWO.
For 40 years, Hogan has been known for his on-screen persona and it’s one that he has learned to live with wherever he goes as he admits the world doesn’t want Terry Bollea, they want Hulk Hogan.
Hulk Hogan Lives His Character – But Only In Public
Speaking to The 700 Club, Hulk Hogan explained how he separates himself from his public persona and admits that it’s something he only really can do at home as he doesn’t want to disappoint his fans:
The moment I come home the headband comes off the bald head and it’s just Terry, dad, father, husband and friend. I have no wrestling pictures in my house, no belts, just Terry. The problem is the moment I leave the house, the moment I walk out the front door, the world doesn’t want Terry.
[They say] ‘Hey Hulk.’ So instead of saying ‘Good morning sir’ I say ‘Hey brother, how are you doing!’ They expect it. There are a lot of tributaries that parlay off this Hulk Hogan character that I appreciate and value very much. It’s not just a job but I have learned to separate myself.
One of the most well-known aspects of Hogan’s bombastic persona is his ability to stretch the truth – sometimes to breaking point. Hulk Hogan recently claimed to have been the one to find The Undertaker for WWE.