Even though his health had been failing and 300-pound professional wrestlers don’t have the longest life expectancies, I was still a little shocked when my brother sent me the RIP text for Hulk Hogan. Truth be told, the Hulkster played a role throughout my entire life from a pop culture perspective so, as corny as it sounds, it seemed like a little piece of me died as well.

As a kid, I was a major WWF geek. Man, I lived and breathed it. I had the action figures, the toy ring, and even the bedspread. And, of course, Hulk Hogan was the GOAT. Even though I was more of an Ultimate Warrior fan at the time, it wasn’t lost on me that Hogan was the most popular wrestler in the business.

There you have it, Hulk Hogan front and center on my bedspread.

I watched “Suburban Commando” on repeat with my friends, thought “Mr. Nanny” was pretty cool, and watched all the episodes of “Thunder In Paradise.”

Around that time, my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Randy did something really nice. They encountered Hulk Hogan at the Toronto Airport and got his autograph for me! Despite urging my parents to search their house from top to bottom to find the small notepad that contained the autograph, I can’t show you actual proof but hopefully you can trust me.

Hulk Hogan was a legend and I followed him closely.

After losing interest in professional wrestling (my parents were so happy), I became obsessed again as a 12-year-old (my parents were so disappointed) with the Monday Night Wars. Hogan single-handedly lit the match and poured gasoline on the WWF vs. WCW battle when he turned into a heel and became Hollywood Hogan. In large part due to Hogan, I saved up money and bought an NWO shirt.

Right around the time WWF turned into WWE, I grew out of professional wrestling. But that was hardly the end of my connection to Hogan. I became a huge “Rocky” fan which meant I saw the Hulk’s portrayal of Thunderlips more than a few times. But despite the many movies and shows I watched that Hogan starred in, nothing came close to the hours I devoted to “Hogan Knows Best.” My sister and I bonded over the show as we watched it the summer I left for college and that ensuing summer as well.

I read his autobiography (which used the word “brother” a lot 😂) and watched all the random appearances he would make on different shows. Over the past few years, I would stop scrolling on social media when a clip of Hogan telling old wrestling stories would pop up. He was very active on the interview/podcast circuit and when you combined that with his storytelling skills, you had some pretty addicting content for a nostalgic 38-year-old dude like myself.

May we pray for the repose of Terry Bollea’s soul. As I sign off on this post, I leave you with my all-time favorite clip of Hulk Hogan. If only all of us could be as passionate/outrageous. Don’t Blink.