Hulk Hogan, or Terry Gene Bollea, was born on August 11th, 1953, in Augusta, Georgia. Hogan began his wrestling career early as a wrestler in high school at the age of 16. Hogan was also notably a musician, playing the bass guitar in several bands while in Florida. Hogan admired professional wrestlers from an early age, and watched several of them while performing in bars in Tampa, Florida. Hogan dropped out of the University of South Florida and began training in local gyms.

Hogan was noticed for his size by several wrestlers, with Mike Graham introducing Hogan to one of the most revered trainers in the industry. Hiro Matsuda has been known as one of the toughest trainers in the industry, and after a year, Matsuda had Hogan ready to face the ring. Terry Bollea earned the nickname of the Hulk after appearing with Lou Ferrigno on a talk show, in which the host commented that Bollea actually towered over the “Hulk.”

Hulk Hogan gained his first fame in May of 1979 when he defeated the renowned holder of the title, Ox Baker. The Hulk received “Hogan” after joining the WWF, the title given to him by Vincent J. McMahon. Hulk Hogan enjoyed one of the longest wrestling careers in history, holding several championship titles for many years at a time. The Hulk is currently the host of his own reality TV show, “Hogan Knows Best.”