World Wresting Entertainment (WWE) hall-of-famer Hulk Hogan—whose real name was Terry Gene Bollea—died Thursday (July 24) at his home in Clearwater, Florida. Initial reports indicate that the entertainer, age 71, suffered a cardiac event. Police said they will share more details about Hogan’s death shortly.
As ChurchLeaders has reported, Hogan became a Christian at age 14 but “didn’t completely surrender” his life to Jesus until later in life. In December 2023, the retired wrestler and actor shared video of him and some family members getting baptized. “Greatest day of my life,” he wrote in the caption.
RELATED: Done With the ‘Empty, Back-to-Zero Space’—Hulk Hogan Speaks of His ‘Big God’ and Faith
A few months later, Hogan said his new top priority in life was to tell people about God’s truth. “I was always a believer, but I didn’t completely surrender,” he said in March 2024 about his faith life.
In an interview with Trinity Broadcasting Network, Hogan admitted, “I thought I could drive better than [God] could. I thought I could make the decisions better than he could.”
Hulk Hogan Proclaimed God’s Faithfulness
During his career, Hulk Hogan dealt with numerous injuries and major surgeries, and he faced scandals involving steroids and a leaked sex tape. The wrestling environment made it tough to make “good choices,” according to the WrestleMania star. But Hogan later said God “was with me through all that stuff, and I know that now because he turns setbacks into setups for greatness for me.”
After surrendering his life to Jesus, Hogan said, God “took those mistakes I made…and taught me how to get up, with those monster hits that I just took, and be honest and truthful and move forward.”
Later in life, Hogan also reconciled with some foes he had made in the wrestling ring. Before “Rowdy” Roddy Piper died in 2015, Hogan said the pair “were on the phone every day talking about Scripture, and he wanted to understand about accepting Christ as a Savior.”
Two days after Piper died, Hogan said, he received a text-to-voice message from Piper that read, “I’m just loving you, my brother. I’m just walking with Jesus. Walking with Jesus and loving you, my brother.”
After news of Hogan’s death broke, the WWE released a statement. “One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s,” the organization wrote. “WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans.”
 hall-of-famer Hulk Hogan, whose real name was Terry Gene Bollea, died Thursday (July 24) at his home in Clearwater, Florida.){kind=link}