Hulk Hogan has not really done much since he retired from profession wrestling because he has been suffering from numerous health problems, particularly with his back. In January 2023, Kurt Angle said that Hulk had lost all feeling in his lower body following a recent back surgery and needed a cane to walk around. However, Hogan’s rep told Entertainment Tonight that everything was fine with him.
In his over-four-decade long career, it’ll be accurate to think of Hulk Hogan as one of the most celebrated professional wrestlers in WWE history. Although a wrestler to the core, Hogan has parlayed his ring popularity and branched out his expertise into ventures such as acting, Tv appearances, entrepreneurship, and music.
Yes, music! Although his, professional wrestling career dates back to 1977, Hogan gained worldwide popularity after he signed for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) back in 1983. Thereafter, Hogan won the WWF Championship five times. But the question on the minds of many has been ‘what is Hulk Hogan Doing now?
Over the last four decades of his active career, Hogan has switched from music, wrestling and now acting. Beginning with his first role in the 1982 film Rocky III, the father of two has starred in no less than sixty-eight films, Tv shows and video games, including No Holds Barred, Suburban Commando, Mr. Nanny and Tv shows such as Thunder in Paradise, Hogan Knows Best and China, IL.
However, after a really public scandal that rocked his career, fans have been keen to know what Hulk Hogan is doing now since he stepped out of the ring for good. Let’s tell you more.
When and Why Did Hulk Hogan Retire from Professional Wrestling?
In the aftermath of what has become the biggest scandal to ever rock his forty-year career, Hulk Hogan saw his contract with WWE terminated on July 24, 2015. It’s been only days since evidence of Hogan’s anti-black rant got published by the National Enquirer and Radar Online. The wrestler had made the statements on a leaked sex tape with Heather Clem from 2012. In the disturbing tape, Hogan could be heard venting his aversion to the idea of his daughter dating any black man.
Hours before terminating their contract with Hogan, WWE had taken down almost all references to Hogan from their website. This didn’t preclude his listing as a judge for Tough Enough, his merchandise from WWE Shop, and most shocking of all, his entry from its WWE Hall of Fame page. More so, Hogan’s character was expunged from an upcoming WWE 2K16 game during its development.
Not long after the recordings went public, Hogan apologized for his racist remarks, which he tagged as offensive and inconsistent with his beliefs. Nevertheless, apologies weren’t enough to stop what was to follow. Hogan’s merchandise was reportedly removed from the online stores of Walmart, Toys “R” Us and Target. In the wake of the scandal, Hogan sued Gawker, who had made the tape public; for defamation, loss of privacy and emotional pain.
In March 2016, a Florida jury awarded Hulk Hogan $140 million in damages. In support of Hogan, Paypal billionaire Peter Thiel funded the invasion of privacy lawsuit as well as other cases brought against Gawker. The financial hemorrhage the media company had suffered was responsible for its bankruptcy in June of 2016. Since the sex-tape scandal, there are no stories of Hulk Hogan’s return to professional wrestling; as per his active participation in matches.
What Is Hulk Hogan Doing Now
Following the scandal, Hulk Hogan continued to make public appearances, most of which were in WWE events; although he no longer wrestled. A bulk of his efforts now focus on damage control from 2015. After the scandal, Hogan has reunited with WWE once again. In 2018, he made a guest appearance in WWE and by the following year; he’d been invited to step into the ring. More so, he was reinstated to WWE’s Hall of Fame four years after he was removed.
Asides wrestling, Hogan has also appeared on TV and other forms of media including his own reality TV show Hogan Knows Best with his family. He’s also into the food industry, albeit with little success. On December 31, 2012, he opened a beachfront restaurant called Hogan’s Beach, which was located in Tampa, Florida.
However, by October of 2015, in the heat of the scandal, the restaurant decided to drop Hogan’s name. Hogan would subsequently open Hogan’s Hangout in Clearwater Beach. As part of his legacies, Hulk Hogan would soon be immortalized in an upcoming Hollywood biopic film. In late 2019, it was announced that Chris Hemsworth would portray his character in the film; which may be titled after him. The film will be directed by Todd Phillips.
