Hulk Hogan’s latest spotlight isn’t just about the roar of Hulkamania; it’s about the shadows that followed him out of the ring.
Netflix Hulk Hogan: true American Pulls back the curtain on the extraordinary rise and turbulent fall of Hogan, born Terry Gene Bollea, capturing the contradictions of a man who built an empire on charisma but battled demons behind the scenes.
The four-part series follows Hogan’s journey from masked rookie “Super Destroyer” to worldwide WWE Hall of Famer, and then into scandal.
In candid interviews filmed before his death in 2025, Hogan admits to using years of steroids, a secret he once denied on national television.
“Of course I lied,” he admits, calling it a mistake he would never repeat.
The docuseries revisits his bitter divorce from Linda, the interview with Rolling Stone in which he infamously compared his jealousy to OJ Simpson’s rage, and the spiral that led him to contemplate suicide.
He also recounts his court triumph over Gawker, where a jury awarded him $140 million after the site published a sex tape.
The victory was tempered by fallout: transcripts revealed that Hogan used a racial slur, costing him his WWE career and tarnishing his reputation.
Hogan’s legacy remains complicated.
Fellow wrestlers Bret Hart and Jesse Ventura praise his showmanship, while Hogan himself admits, “Terry Bollea wasn’t the greatest person ever. The character was impeccable, even though I wasn’t.”
The series also features Hogan’s unlikely political turn.
A longtime friend of Donald Trump, he endorsed him at the 2024 Republican National Convention with a theatrical flourish, ripping off his shirt to reveal a Trump/Vance T-shirt.
“He’s my friend,” Hogan explains. “I know the person… I’m not saying I agree with everything he does, but at least he’s honest about who he is.”
Hogan died in July 2025 at age 71, following complications from neck surgery.
