Rest Easy, Hulk Hogan. Thanks For Giving This Hulkamaniac So Many Fun Memories Growing Up

I remember sitting in the Mobile Civic Center with my mom waiting for Hulk Hogan to make his entrance into the arena as part of a WCW house show that had fans going bonkers when his music hit over the speakers. 

There are some things that are hard to describe, with mixed emotions and today is one of those times with the passing of Hulk Hogan. Someone that changed professional wrestling, long after he was running wild all over the NWA WWF, WCW and the TNA. 

The passing of Hulk Hogan certainly brings back a lot of memories from my childhood, where a figurine was lying in my bedroom every single night as I went to sleep. Memories of him body-slamming Andre The Giant, or facing Sergeant Slaughter at Wrestlemania are running through my brain as I type this out. 

The day he changed professional wrestling by hitting his signature leg-drop on the Macho Man at ‘Bash At The Beach’ will be a moment I'll never forget, along with the rest of the world. For many, he was this larger-than-life figure that was a steady part of each one of our childhoods. 

I remember seeing my eighth grade history teacher on a VHS tape from an event that was filmed in my hometown, and then showing it to the rest of my class in front of that same teacher, as she stood there stunned that she was actually caught on tape wearing the red & yellow gear that was Hogan's trademark design. 

If we're honest, he was an enormous part of our lives, even if you weren't a pro-wrestling fan. You knew the name. Maybe it was because of his scene in Rocky III where he threw Sylvestor Stallone out of the ring, under the name of ‘Thunder-Lips’. 

And while it's hard to separate what he was seen on video doing years ago, with his controversial comments that pushed him to the back burner, it's still a weird feeling knowing he has passed away. 

Hulkamania Was Running Wild During My Childhood. 

As I write this, our family group-text is sending me messages about my childhood fascination with his character, which is a normal thing when something in the wrestling business occurs that turns into national headlines. 

If it weren't for ‘Hollywood Hogan’, we wouldn't have the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, or even the crazy guys from Degeneration-X. Hell, who knows what the professional wrestling business would look like today. 

Crazy enough, just a few weeks ago, I was traversing the Pigeon Forge area on a random Saturday and noticed that a ‘Hulk Hogan Shop’ had opened. So, obviously, I stopped in to get a glance at all the memorabilia that filled the new store. 

The Hulk Hogan shop in Pigeon Forge just opened  recently. I took a visit. Via: Trey Wallace

The Hulk Hogan shop in Pigeon Forge just opened  recently. I took a visit. Via: Trey Wallace

It was almost as if I was transported back to my childhood days, as I took pictures of all the title belts that were for sale, or the pictures that hung on the wall of his iconic matches that spanned multiple companies. 

Heck, I remember racking up a massive phone bill at my grandmother's house as a child for calling a 900-number to get the latest information on Hulk Hogan during his WCW days. Unfortunately, my grandmother received the $200 bill just a few weeks later, and I certainly caught a whooping after I tried to explain why I was calling that crazy hotline. 

Timing is a very weird thing, clearly. 

 I can't help but think of all the moments he delivered to a young ‘Hulkamaniac’ that was in awe of what I was witnessing on television, or even in-person at different shows. 

I ate my vitamins and said my prayers growing up. So for that, I appreciate Hulk Hogan for bringing so many crazy memories that involved myself and friends. 

Rest easy, Hulkster.