Hulk Hogan‘s son Nick Hogan paid tribute to the late WWE icon on the launch of his father’s wrestling promotion Actual American Freestyle.
Nick, 35, and Hulk’s spouse, Sky Every day, had been each in attendance on Saturday, August 30, on the Wolstein Heart in Cleveland, Ohio for RAF 01 — a Fox Nation wrestling particular that Hulk was producing earlier than his dying at age 71 in July. (Us Weekly reported in July that Hogan died from an acute myocardial infarction — generally referred to as a coronary heart assault — but additionally had a historical past of leukemia CLL. Hulk’s daughter, Brooke Hogan, has raised questions in regards to the official explanation for dying.)
Talking at RAF 01, Nick took a second to handle Hulk’s legacy as a father and his impression on the skilled wrestling trade.
“Hulk, to me, is an icon, a mentor, my father, and my finest buddy,” Nick informed viewers. “[He was] a power within the sports activities leisure trade that may dwell perpetually.”
Hulk and former World Championship Wrestling govt Eric Bischoff introduced in April that they had been forming knowledgeable freestyle wrestling league to advertise Olympic-style wrestling. Fox Nation got here on board to air Saturday’s launch particular, as effectively one other occasion to air later this yr.
The community confirmed earlier this week that RAF 01 was devoted to Hulk’s reminiscence and would characteristic members of his household making an look.
Nick and his spouse, Tana Lea, had been beforehand concerned when WWE — which isn’t affiliated with Actual American Freestyle — aired a number of tributes to Hulk at dwell occasions earlier in the summertime. WWE gathered a few of Hulk’s rivals and mates— together with Sgt. Slaughter, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart — for a number of ten-bell salutes in his honor within the week after his dying.
In August, Nick visited the positioning of the deliberate Hulk Hogan’s Slam Sports activities Bar in New York Metropolis to pose for some pictures with Hulk’s enterprise associate Wealthy Rosen. Rosen confirmed to PageSix that he was urgent ahead with development on the Slam Sports activities Bar and anticipated it to open later this yr.
Hulk Hogan in November 2024. Wesley Hitt/Getty Photographs
“Hulk Hogan wasn’t only a associate. He was an expensive buddy and a legend whose impression on sports activities and leisure is immeasurable. From the very starting, Hulk poured his coronary heart into this mission,” Rosen stated. “He formed the spirit of what Slam was meant to be, a spot the place followers from around the globe might collect on the very nook the place his legend started, to have a good time his legacy and the unforgettable moments that outlined his profession.”
Hulk Hogan’s Slam Sports activities Bar can be situated throughout the road from the famed Madison Sq. Backyard, the place Hulk received his first WWE World Heavyweight Championship from The Iron Sheik on January 23, 1984. Hulk would go on to turn out to be a 12-time World Champion in each WWE and its one-time competitor WCW. (WWE bought WCW in March 2001.)
A supply informed Us that between 800 and 1,000 individuals confirmed up for a 90-minute funeral service on the Indian Rocks Baptist Church in Largo, Florida on August 5. Hulk’s widow, Every day, and his ex-wife, Linda Hogan, had been each in attendance with Nick, although Brooke declined to attend. ‘
Every day later referred to the funeral as “some of the lovely and transferring days [she had] ever skilled.”
“In the identical church the place we had been married and baptized collectively, we gathered with household, mates, and family members to honor a life that touched thousands and thousands,” she wrote through Instagram on August 6. “The church was full of tales… some that introduced tears, others that made us snort by means of these tears… and with each reminiscence shared, you would really feel the love that surrounded him.”
