Figures from across the worlds of wrestling, entertainment, and politics have shared heartfelt messages, honoring Hulk Hogan’s legacy.
Among those paying tribute was Vice President JD Vance, who shared a personal message on social media. He wrote,
“Hulk Hogan was a great American icon. One of the first people I ever truly admired as a kid.
The last time I saw him, we promised we’d get beers together the next time we met.
The next time will have to be on the other side, my friend. Rest in peace.”
WWE legend and pro wrestling icon “Stone Cold” Steve Austin also honored Hulk Hogan.
Austin shared a photo of himself with Hogan on Instagram (seen below), along with the following caption:
“Hulk Hogan was born to be a Professional Wrestler. Larger than life. Charisma for days. He was in a stratosphere all on his own. His contributions are immense. His influence will be forever. Hulkamania lives on. My condolences to his family and loved ones.”
During a recent appearance on the “Busted Open Radio” podcast, TJ Wilson commented on producing a match for Chad Gable several years ago, which he says he was told ruined the WWE star’s career. He said,
“I have produced a Chad Gable match and I was told I ruined his career six years ago. He’s doing just fine… To sit and watch his growth and know that I’ve had nothing to do with it. I’ve been able to just sit and watch it as a spectator.”
He continued, “It’s been such a great thing to watch and to see and I mean, you’re right, I do envision what the matches with Gable that I could’ve had with him, what they would look like and how they would play out in my mind. We have a lot of incredible talent. He’s just one of the really exceptional talent that I would — in terms of someone I never got a chance to wrestle with — I got to wrestle a lot of great, great people.”
Gable is currently out of action after undergoing surgery for an injury he suffered last month.
In a heartfelt interview with TMZ, Ric Flair became emotional while reflecting on the loss of his longtime friend, Hulk Hogan. Flair emphasized that he and Hogan were never enemies in real life. He said,
“People tried to portray us as enemies, but we were actually very close friends. We kept up with each other on a regular basis. I just talked to Jimmy Hart yesterday, and he was fine. To have this happen is just horrible. We were always friends. I’d probably be remiss to say that I was jealous of him, because he was making so much more money than me, it had nothing to do with him. But I never had beef with him, never, I loved him. Everywhere we went, we drew money. We had a connection and ever since then, … I’ve kept up with him, I’ve been out to his bar to do karaoke. Everyone wants to take a shot at Hulk, but he doesn’t deserve it, everyone makes mistakes.”
In a video shared on Twitter, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase Sr. paid tribute to his former WWE rival Hulk Hogan. He said,
“Today the wrestling world lost an icon, but Ted Dibiase lost a very good friend. Hulk Hogan was the man. Way back when Vince McMahon Sr. gave the ship over to Vince McMahon Jr., his first big star was Hulk Hogan. The last match I had, the first time I went through New York territory was in Madison Square Garden against this new guy called Hulk Hogan. Vince McMahon Sr. came to me and said, ‘Ted, we got high hopes for this guy. We’d like you to really get him over.’ And I did.
Well let’s fast forward several years after that match. Hulk Hogan came to me and he said, ‘Thank you so much, buddy.’ And he said, ‘I owe you one.’ So fast forward, now Hulk has become the man. I mean, you know, it’s like the first action figures and all that stuff…it was Hulk Hogan. He was the guy. He was the superstar of wrestling. And when I went back to New York, when it was now much bigger all over the country. The first time, he walked up to me in the dressing room, shook my hand, looked at me and winked. And he said, ‘It’s payback time. Buddy, it’s payback time.’
And after that, oh my gosh, I wrestled in main events with Hulk Hogan. I tag teamed with Andre the Giant. Not only was he a good wrestler, he was a great guy and a man of his word. The thing that I remember most about Hulk today is this: there came a time in his life, just like in my life, where he understood that without Jesus Christ in his life, he had nothing. And he became a Christian. Just like Hulkster, I have become a Christian as well. I just would say this: Hulk, I know you’re with the big man upstairs and one day we will meet again. I love you, man. And I miss you.”
I’ll see you again, Hulkster . . . pic.twitter.com/LCGfufVcsb
— Ted DiBiase (@MDMTedDiBiase) July 24, 2025
Earl Hebner reflected on officiating the iconic WrestleMania III match between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant during a recent appearance on the “Off the Ropes with Jonathan Coachman” podcast for SiriusXM. During the interview, Hebner looked back on the historic bout, which featured Hogan defending the WWF Championship against Andre in front of a record-setting crowd.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On Hulk Hogan working with Andre and being uncertain if Andre would let him hit the bodyslam: “Andre was a great guy, and he worked the program, most of the programs with everybody that he worked with, so it was kind of done that way for entertainment.”
On Hogan’s popularity at the time: “Once the music hit [for Hogan], the fans went crazy. He was over like no tomorrow. He could entertain him. He could wrestle, and he just brought light to the earth. I mean, he was like God almost, not quite as God, but he was the next thing to it. He was like the Pope of Rome. When they saw him, they went crazy.”
Paul Heyman appears in the Showcase Mode of WWE 2K25, and he says he took the opportunity very seriously. In a recent interview with Metro to promote the game’s new “Fearless” DLC pack, Heyman spoke about his mindset going into the project. He said,
“I approached it with the respect for the history of the entire industry and for that family that anyone that understands or has studied the history should have. I approached it with great reverence. There are so many gamers now that are going to get a real education through a video game.”
He added, “Imagine that! If you want to go to a wrestling college or WWE University, your professor’s name is Paul Heyman.”
The “Fearless” DLC, which launched earlier this week, features new playable characters including New Jack, PENTA, Jordynne Grace, and others.
(h/t – Fightful)
