411’s TMZ Presents: The Real Hulk Hogan Report

-FOX aired a one hour special produced by TMZ looking at the life of Hulk Hogan. Early reports are that Vince McMahon and others were interviewed. I figured it was worth a recap. I wrote my own thoughts on Hogan’s passing and you can find that here.

-July 24, 2025: Los Angeles, CA: 8:00 AM: We see The TMZ crew working in their studio and someone informs the crew that “Hulk died.” Everyone is frantic as they try to verify and get the news out. They are told to post the news and the headline: Hulk Hogan Dead at 71.

-Vince McMahon says Hulk was a pioneer and there was nobody like him. Other talking heads in the opening: Stallone, Charlotte Flair, Goldberg, Mark Henry. Goldberg: “There is no Mount Rushmore. It’s Hogan.” Vince says he was angry that Hogan was booed in his final performance. “He deserved so much more.”

-Show opening!

-We start with Hogan highlights including the pin on Andre at Mania III. Then we see the hearse pull up with Hogan inside.

-Harvey Levin, of TMZ, is sitting in a chair and is interviewing various people on a screen. First is Vince McMahon, who was shocked when hearing of Hogan’s passing. We see a picture of Vince and Hogan shaking hands while wearing tuxedos. Vince says you don’t think of someone that close to you passing away. He notes Terry has always kicked out of numerous surgeries and this was a blow to his heart.

-Goldberg says nothing can prepare you for news like that and calls it debilitating. We see The SmackDown 10 Bell Salute.

-Sylvester Stallone says he really misses Hogan and if he dwells on it, he gets really sad. Jimmy Hart talks about Hogan’s health issues and how he would hide using the cane when in public. They tried to hide it as much as possible. Stallone says Hogan threw himself into his profession with such reckless abandon and sacrificed for his audience. He saw Hogan through all the operations and says it was an accumulation of everything that wore him down.

-Mick Foley is touched by all the people with fond memories and he is disappointed at people who have lashed out at some of their loved ones. We see other social media videos with one person noting Hogan was a racist and a union saboteur. He claims he is not mourning the death of Hulk Hogan. Another gentleman says he better not see black people mourning Hogan. Mick says it not unique to Hulk and it is part of our culture. He says people don’t realize what they say on social media can hurt people and that it is weighing him down so he can only imagine how it makes his family feel. Goldberg says nobody is perfect and there is not a human on the planet that has made a bigger indentation in their chosen profession than Terry Bollea did.

-We see more highlights from the mid 80s. Harvey asks Vince what made Hogan stand out from the other tall, muscular wrestlers. Vince says Terry Bollea was one of a kind and his charisma fit the bill perfectly. He puts over Hogan’s knowledge of the business, charisma, and work ethic and says “it worked big time.”

-Commercials!

-Back with Hogan posing in a ring with Elizabeth behind him. We have lost both of them! Bubba Ray Dudley: “Nobody put more asses in seats than Hulk Hogan.” Nattie calls Hogan a larger than life personality and Lyra Valkyria says people just loved him and gravitated to him. Jacob Fatu says Hogan is the reason they are all here tonight. Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez talk about the energy and charisma Hogan brought to the ring. Tommy Dreamer calls Hogan the Babe Ruth and he transcended the industry. Alexa Bliss talks about bringing Hogan out during Mania 35 and how they walked through what poses he would do, but when Hogan got out there he just felt the crowd and went a different way. “Oh, he is feeling it and is in the moment.”

-Mark Henry says Hogan was taylor made for wrestling. We get a Hogan interview with Levin from 2017 where he talks about being Terry Boulder and the long rumored story of being on a talk show next to Lou Ferigno and the host realizing Hogan was bigger than The Incredible Hulk. He was then Terry “The Hulk” Boulder and then Vince Sr. made him Hulk Hogan.

-Dave Meltzer is here (wrestling journalist and historian) and says Hogan was the face of wrestling when wrestling changed. The most pivotal year in wrestling was 1984 and Hogan was the face of wrestling then. He credits Vince for promoting and positioning Hogan with Mr. T and Lauper. Foley notes Hogan realized through his travels that a connection with the fans was more important than the moves. Stallone says Hogan was entertainment and Dave says you went to see Hogan cup his ear, tear the shirt, and come back after the bad guy pounded on him. “They knew the match before it started, but they wanted to see it live.”

-WrestleMania III: Levin says as a wrestling fan, that has to be the biggest moment in wrestling. Foley says it was more than a match. Hogan says it etched wrestling and the WWE in history and mentions 94,000 people. Foley says the moment people took was Hogan slamming Andre! We see The Body Slam Heard Round The World! Vince says everyone called Andre, The Boss. Hogan said “thanks boss,” after and Vince starts to get emotional as he notes Andre said back, “no, you’re the boss.” Hogan says that moment changed his whole career as it put him on a different level. Goldberg says it gave Hogan the ability to have a 90 year old woman who has never seen wrestling, look up and say, “you’re Hulk Hogan.”

-We see the leg drop to reveal the third man in WCW. I love it so much! Foley says he never saw that coming and believes Hogan realized the reward was going to be good for him. Hogan then cuts the greatest promo of his life. He crushed it! Hogan says people were still cheering him and he became bigger than ever again. Dave says it was a risk as you wondered if people would still buy the merchandise, but they sold more thanks to all the nWo shirts. Yes, I got one for Christmas in 1996! Thanks Mom and Jeff!

-We jump forward to Rock/Hogan in 2002. Vince is asked about pairing Hogan with The Rock. Vince says you always want to do what the fans want. He had two iconic characters and people wanted to see what happens. Vince mentions the way the crowd turned in Toronto and Hogan was again the biggest babyface on the planet. That stare down still gives me goosebumps. I gave the match 5 stars and it deserves every single one of them. Just listen to that crowd and tell me they didn’t get everything they wanted from this match. It’s why I never worried that Hogan/Austin would disappoint had it happened. Vince: “He was a pioneer and there was no one like him.”

-Commercials!

-THUNDER LIPS! Stallone says Hogan was never moody. We get some cool behind the scenes footage of Hogan and Stallone rehearsing their Rocky III battle. That’s awesome! I want all of that. Stallone says there are certain people that have a glow and have it. Hogan talks about Vince Sr. firing him because he went to do the movie. Stallone says Hogan was still kind of raw and what we saw in Rocky III was a really young Hulk Hogan. He talks about doing a few weeks of Hogan throwing him around. “People say wrestling is not real, but gravity is real.” He says people don’t see that Hogan was hurting himself to keep from hurting him.

-Mark Henry is asked about Rocky III and says it was incredible for the business. He doesn’t know anyone that didn’t see Rocky III. Vince says Hogan set the pace and showed people the opportunity they could have.

-Jimmy Hart talks about Thunder in Paradise, Mr. Nanny, Suburban Commando. Dave says wrestlers never got MTV, Saturday Night Live, or the cover of Sports Illustrated. Those were huge things back in 1984. Nobody got those chances before Hogan. Mark Henry talks about the Saturday morning cartoon. Goldberg is asked how much credit Hogan deserves for opening the door for people like The Rock, John Cena, and even himself in movies. Goldberg says Hogan busted the door down and calls Hogan “Captain America.” Stallone says Hogan was fearless in that he didn’t care if he failed. He says Hogan was going to become an icon and role model for children. “There will never be another guy like him. Hulk will be in a class of his own.”

-Commercials!

-We see photos of Hogan at home with his children. Jimmy says Hogan was down to Earth and was his best friend. Vince says they were brothers to a certain extent as they spent so much time together. They would have their issues, but always turned out good between them. Goldberg calls Hogan a family man and mentioned he loved the water and being with people. “He was a people person.”

-They discuss Make-A-Wish and next to Mickey Mouse, Hogan was at one time the most requested celebrity. Jimmy talks about how great Hogan was with the kids and then he would cry like a baby when they got to the back as he realized those kids might not be there in a year. Charlotte always goes back to Hogan being the first guy to check up on Ric in the hospital when he nearly passed away.

-Mick shares the story of Hogan taking shots at him on TSN many years ago. Mick says it did sting because “he’s Hulk Hogan.” Mick considered it water under the bridge, but Hogan went out of his way to apologize to him both on and off camera. He says that may have been the last interaction he had with him.

-Stallone says the last time he spoke with Hogan was when his daughters ran into Hogan. He yelled over to them as he knew they were Sly’s daughters. He says Hogan had time for his daughters even though he knows he was in pain. Goldberg mentions that as you get older you start to realize you are not invincible. He says Terry was more than a friend and more like an older brother. “For that I am forever grateful.”

-Commercials!

-We jump to Hogan being fired after his racist remarks on the sex tape. Old Linda Hogan footage as she says she didn’t know about the sex tape until it was on the news and she starts crying, “I gave him everything I had.” We see the destroyed car from Nick’s accident that left his friend permanently disabled. We hear recent footage from TMZ of Brooke declining to go to the funeral. She says her and her dad have been through a lot and people can google the hurt throughout the years.

-Back to Vince as he is asked about the racist remarks and they are repeated with things bleeped out. They bring up the racist comments he made to Nick, while he was in jail. Vince says what he said was unforgivable and that’s not like him, so he wonders what was going on. They mention that Hogan said on the tape he is racist, and Mark Henry says why would he defend someone that tells you who they were. Mark says it hurt. He grew up watching Hogan and loved him. He wanted to be like him.

-We cut to Hogan saying it was the worst mistake he has ever made. Mark told Hogan and Vince he knew how to fix it and they should tour black colleges across the country and be honest with your apology. Hogan told Mark he was advised not to talk about it anymore and Mark told him it was bad advice. Mark admits he was disappointed in what Hogan said and how he handled it after. They go back to Hogan doing an interview with TMZ where he swears he is not a racist and not that guy. Vince brings up how the company got rid of him and took him out of the Hall of Fame. We see Hogan on The View trying to explain things.

-Jimmy says Hogan was devastated and it’s something he has never seen from Hogan. He isn’t excusing things but knows it was a bad time for Hogan with the divorce and drinking more. He didn’t even believe Hogan said it until he heard it on the tape. He brings up the story of Hogan calling Vince and demanding Kamala get a bigger pay out of their run on top against each other. The next week Kamala was paid double.

-Vince says he knew Hogan was not a racist, but says he paid for saying racist things. He thinks everyone saw the real Terry Bollea and he doesn’t act like a racist. “We all make mistakes and that was a big one. He was not a racist.”

-July 2024: Hulk Hogan does his spiel at the Republican National Convention in support of Donald Trump. He says he didn’t come as Hulk Hogan, but had to give a little taste. Mark says he saw a man being embraced by people and eating it up. “Someone still loves me. Someone still cares about me.”

-We go to RAW on Netflix where Hogan was booed in his final wrestling appearance. Jimmy: “The more boos we got, the more I waved that flag.” Everyone agrees that it hurt Hogan immensely as those were his fans. Goldberg says he was appalled by it. Vince says it was not set up properly and he is sure Hogan was crushed. Vince says he was angry as he and Hogan have known each other for a life-time. He says you don’t let Hogan just walk out there as he deserved more. “I was angry because that is not the way I would have done it and he deserved more.”

-Mick says it is not fare to judge anyone on their worst moment. He knows the words were harsh, but he doesn’t think that is who he was. He weighs the good he provided and takes the joy over the pain he caused.

-Commercials!

-Vince says Hogan’s legacy is simple as nobody in entertainment has transcended on a global level. Stallone: “He is wrestling.” Mick says for some people the legacy begins and ends with the racist remarks, but for those with an open mind he changed wrestling and brought it to the mainstream.

-We got back to the 10 Bell Salute and Vince not being there. Vince notes it struck him that he was not there to be part of it. Jimmy says he will always love Hogan and never forget him. He knows Hogan is happy now as there is no more suffering and he will have his mother and father in the front row as Hogan is back with Piper, The Fink, Savage, Dusty, Rocky Johnson, and Andre. Those are all the people he loved and he will have an interview with Mean Gene.

-Mark Henry says wrestling would not be what it is today without Hulk Hogan. Regardless of his short comings it didn’t make him less of a wrestler or entertainer. It will never take away from his greatness. Vince gets the last word and says Hulk-a-mania will live forever.

-The credits plays over some Hogan highlights and the last image is the SmackDown where he soaked in the cheers from the crowd in Montreal.

-I didn’t offer too much as far as commentary while watching. I wrote what I needed in my piece after he passed. People have their minds made up about Hogan and I assume this hour long show change it one way or the other. The interesting stuff is the comments from Vince. This came off as a WWE endorsed Dark Side of The Ring. This was just in a better time slot and on FOX vs. a smaller channel like Vice, so it will have more eyeballs on it. I was curious how many current WWE stars would appear and there were more than expected. I assumed TKO/WWE signed off on everything. The interesting part about Vince is you can tell he really wants to be back in wrestling and he even took a little shot at how he perceived those in WWE set up Hogan for failure at the Netflix premiere. I can also already see the people sharpening their knives to go after Goldberg and Mick Foley. Goldberg is probably used to it and doesn’t care, but Mick is an interesting one as he noted the stuff on social media gets to him. Overall, I thought this was fairly balanced as they didn’t shy away from the racial remarks and touched on his political stance. At the end of the day though everyone has their opinion and I won’t try to tell anyone how to feel but I agree with Mick in that there is no need to attack someone for not feeling a way you want them to. Thanks for reading!