Earlier today, as reported by TMZ, Terry Gene Bollea, aka the famous WWE wrestler Hulk Hogan, died in his home due to cardiac arrest. The wrestler had reportedly been on his deathbed for weeks. He was 71 years old. As you might expect, someone as famous and controversial as Hogan dying so suddenly has led to a lot of online reactions.
Many people online are joking about or celebrating his death due to his alleged history of racist comments, anti-union behavior, and spreading of lies. Others are trying to balance how to remember someone who was both arguably one of the most famous wrestlers in history and also, in the eyes of many, a terrible human being who caused a lot of pain, suffering, and trauma. For some, it’s easy to forget his in-ring accomplishments and focus solely on his bad behavior. For others, it’s hard not to remember his iconic look and status as the ultimate American hero during his run in the WWE. Hulkamania was real and powerful in the ‘80s.
Outside the ring, Hulk Hogan was best known for appearing in Rocky II and the reality TV show Hogan Knows Best—co-created by former Kotaku EIC Stephen Totilo—and for a controversy in which a covertly recorded tape of Hogan having sex was shared by Gawker, leading to an infamous legal battle funded by Peter Thiel that began in 2013 and concluded three years later with the total bankruptcy of Kotaku’s original parent company, Gawker Media.
This tarnished legacy has led to a strange mix of dark humor, silly jokes, and tightrope walking online as his fans, haters, and everyone in between try to share their thoughts on the larger-than-life superstar, his antics, and his scandals, like the revelation of that one time he repeatedly used the N-word on a phone call.
Regardless of how you feel about Hulk Hogan, nobody will forget him anytime soon, for better or for worse. That’s for sure.
.