BIZARRE claims that WWE icon Hulk Hogan had died have been sweeping the internet.
But the former American wrestling superstar seems to have been the victim of an elaborate online hoax and is in fact alive and well.
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Who is Hulk Hogan?
Terry Gene Bollea, who goes by his ring name of Hulk Hogan was born on August 11, 1953.
He is a former American wrestling superstar, who became a WWE hero throughout the 1980s and onwards.
Hogan quickly became an icon in his own right and a household name.
He won six WWE Championships, created a legion of admiring fans that called themselves Hulkamaniacs and starred in numerous films and TV shows.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Hogan amassed a fortune at an estimated amount of $25 million.
Instead of being “dead”, Hogan has been busy promoting his autograph signings and various ventures across his social media pages throughout May.
He is been busy planning bikini contests at his bar in Clearwater, Florida aptly named Hogan’s Hangout.
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Why is Hulk Hogan dead trending?
Rumors have been flying in odd corners of the internet that Hulk Hogan is “dead”.
It didn’t help the hoax that that fellow WWE Hall of Famer Billy Graham died on May 17, 2023.
Graham’s family confirmed that he died after being taken off life support at the age of 79 with his wife and daughter beside him.
His career served as an inspiration to several wrestlers, many who he trained including Hulk Hogan.
Their relationship and similar icon status in the sport may have served to confuse netzines over which WWE superstar died.
Otherwise, the strange hoax may have been provoked by since discredited claims that Hogan has no feeling in the lower half of his body.
Fellow pro wrestler Kurt Angle claimed in January, 2023 that Hogan told him he has lost all feelings in his legs after undergoing back surgery recently.
Speaking on his self-titled program The Kurt Angle Show, he said: “Hogan had his back surgery again.
“He had the nerves cut from his lower body. He can’t feel his lower body. So [he] uses his cane to walk around.
“I thought he was using the cane because he had pain in his back. He doesn’t have any pain. He has nothing at all. He can’t feel anything.
“So now he can’t feel his legs. So he has to walk with a cane which is, you know, that’s pretty serious, man.
“I mean, I really feel for Hogan. He put his heart and soul into the business and [it] ate him up.”
Hulk Hogan was then pictured in February, 2023 out and about with a walking stick, which added fuel to the fire.
But the 12-time world champion’s camp insisted afterwards that the Immortal one was “doing well and is not paralysed”.
Hogan’s rep told Entertainment Tonight: “Everything is OK with him. Hulk is someone with a lot of humour.”
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When did the trend start?
It’s not clear where or how the hoax began but the rumors started swirling on social media in May, 2023 that Hulk Hogan could be “dead”.
He is not the first celebrity to be targeted by these strange internet ruse as “Taylor Swift dead” was trending also in May, 2023 just as the global superstar was busy performing on her world stadium Eras Tour.
In March 2023, other famous celebrities were randomly and falsely reported as death leading to pandemonium on the internet.
“Jennifer Aniston dead” was trending after a post circulated online claimed that she died on March 13, 2023.
That same month, fake online reports also claimed that popular rapper Jay Z had died and YouTube star MrBeast had died.
Reality TV star Les Gold was also forced to put to bed rumors that he passed away by showing a TikTok of him alive and well.
Hogan last wrestled in 2011, when he appeared in a match for TNA Wrestling.
Les said in the clip: “As you can see, I’m not dead.
“But I do appreciate all the comments being made of how concerned they were that I did die.”
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