Ringside Report

On his way to becoming an icon in professional wrestling and Hollywood, Hulk Hogan first had to pass an initiation test—giving a blowjob to homosexual wrestler and Montreal native Pat Patterson.
He refused the blowjob, but since he had 24-inch biceps and a massive amount of charisma, he still became one of the biggest household names in the 1980s.
In his latest autobiography, My Life Outside the Ring, Hogan along with writer Mark Dagostino retells the horror he lived everyday in his marriage. Hogan also mentions many key moments in his wrestling career—winning his first World Wrestling Federation championship despite Bob Backlund ratting him out for smoking pot is one of the many intriguing tales of Hogan’s rise to stardom.

Introduction
Hogan, born name Terry Gene Bollea, starts off his memoirs in 2007 where he contemplated shooting himself with a handgun he bought when he was drunk. To understand how he got to that state, he takes us back to the beginning of his life.

Part 1: Growing Up
Chapter 1: From the Beginning
Although by 18 years old, Hogan was already bald and 250 pounds, he was far from that when he was a kid. He had a fat head and was bullied by his peers. His parents were always there for him, but his brother Allan was always getting into trouble. This chapter shows a side of Hogan many have never heard of before.

Chapter 2: Finding Faith
Hogan telling kids to say their prayers was not completely for show as he did find God before Hulkamania starting running wild. This chapter ends off with Hogan watching wrestling for the first time and looking up to Dusty Rhodes, Superstar Billy Graham and many more in Florida Championship Wrestling.

Chapter 3: Working Out
No secrets on the Hogan work out regime, but he does admit he started slow and not on steroids right away. The gym was vital towards his dream of becoming a wrestler, although his music career at the time was also important.

Chapter 4: Fighting My Way In
Quitting his music career, Hogan tries to become a wrestler but ends up with a broken leg as wrestlers did not want him around. Nothing would stop Hogan though as he had his first wrestling match, although it was more real than most wrestling seen on TV today.

Chapter 5: Backing Away
Four months in to wrestling Hogan quit as he did not become a big star… yet. He decides to open up a gym and starts using steroids to gain his Greek God like-figure. Marijuana also becomes a permanent drug of choice for Hogan.

Part II: Wrestling Mania
Chapter 6: On the Road
With his new juiced up body, Hogan was able to wrestle all the time. The travel for $900 a week is not enough for him. Hogan brings on a friend to help, but that does not stop him from leaving wrestling again.

Chapter 7: Just When I Thought I Was Out…
Vince McMahon Sr. brings Hogan back into wrestling yet again. Hogan succeeds as a bad guy, while he fails at being in love. Hogan reveals the first time he bodyslammed Andre The Giant was not at WrestleMania III. In a gym, Hogan goes one-on-one with Sylvester Stallone in a real fight to prove that he should be in Rocky III.

Chapter 8: Hulking Up
Rocky III cost Hogan his job with McMahon, but McMahon’s son Vince Jr. brought him back to start Hulkamania. Hogan meets Linda Claridge for the first time. She is always happy and smiling. Her demeanour soon changes once they get married.

Chapter 9: Livin’ the High Life
Hogan is wrestling all the time, partying all the time, smoking pot and drinking all the time. Cocaine is introduced into his life for the first time. Linda can make all of Hogan’s coke disappear in one night. His brother’s death makes him stop doing coke, but not pot, beer and steroids.

Chapter 10: The Perfect Family
When their daughter Brooke was born they both stop doing drugs. Hogan even stopped doing steroids. However, for their son Nick, Hogan did not know Linda stopped using her birth control pills. “We were going to plan this so I wouldn’t take a shot of steroids. So I wouldn’t smoke a joint,” he told her. Her reply was “Oh, well, I thought we agreed.” This was the start of Linda breaking Hogan’s trust. Linda almost died giving birth to Nick.

Part III: Trials and Tribulations
Chapter 11: Pain
Hogan provides some of his best storytelling when explaining how he worked in a wrestling ring and how some of the injuries in his career still hurt him today. Hogan continues on how he gave Linda everything out of blind love as she continues to complain about everything—even the way the wind blows.

Chapter 12: Behind Closed Doors
An incident in a hotel room occurred between Hogan and Kate Kennedy, but due to signing confidentiality agreements no details are given on what really happened. Kennedy, who managed the merchandise at Hogan’s Pastamania restaurant, claims he sexual assaulted her. Regret is easily noticeable in Hogan’s writing, but Hogan many times states that he did not cheat on his wife… yet.

Chapter 13: Something New
The difference in parenting starts to play a factor in Hogan’s marriage as Linda has her own ideas for her kids. When she flips out on the guy who made N’Sync and the Backstreet Boys, Linda ends up hurting Brooke’s music career. She hurts both her kid’s futures by telling them they do not need school. Hogan actually believed at this point that a reality show on TV might keep his family together. Linda’s drinking was out of control leading to constant swearing—calling Brooke a “cunt” for no reason and almost every night telling Hogan “Fuck you Terry” and not in a good way.

Chapter 14: Season of Change
Hogan finally admits to an affair, this time with someone brought in to help Brooke with her music career. The Kennedy incident does not seem like it was sex due to Hogan’s honesty on his real affair. Linda was slowly packing up her stuff and moving away behind Hogan’s back. Linda disappeared and did not comeback for days. Every time Hogan saw her it was just swearing and divorce threats. Hogan lost the reality show because of Linda.

Part IV: The Unraveling
Chapter 15: Cruel Summer
Nick has his horrible car crash that puts his friend in a coma. Hogan grieves like never before. Nick’s friend actually was living with the Hogans. However, the boy’s family wanted to take advantage of the situation and get lots of money off of Hogan.

Chapter 16: The Vigil
Lots of detail on how Hogan was always around Nick’s friend. Gives the sense that Hogan is making himself look amazing before the huge lawsuit hits him. Hogan is destroyed when Linda files for divorce.

Chapter 17: The Downward Spiral
This is easily the darkest and most heartfelt chapter in the whole book. Hogan unleashes his feelings on how he was broken and his world was completely destroyed. The book is now caught up to his drunk moment with the gun. Eric Bischoff and calls for Laila Ali keep Hogan from pulling the trigger.

Part V: Turning The Page
Chapter 18: A Secret Revealed
Reading The Secret gives Hogan some new energy to live again. He finds a girlfriend that does not know he is one of the biggest entertainment stars of all-time. Her lack of knowledge on Hogan actually makes it easier as she accepts Hogan for the human being he is instead of the millions of dollars he can give her.

Chapter 19: Coincidence or Fate?
Nick goes to jail and Hogan ends up worried about his son 24/7 as Nick gets put in a mental ward. Hogan does everything he can to help Nick no matter the lack of food or sleep Hogan loses. Hogan clearly makes sure the reader knows his devotion to his son compared to his wife who upsets the whole family with going out with a 19-year-old. Hogan realizes his mouth gets him in trouble as police tapes reveal a dark side of the Hulkster. However, Hogan makes another mistake as he uses an O.J. Simpson reference when talking about his wife. With help from his new lifestyle choices, Hogan blocks out all the negative energy.

Chapter 20: Revelations
The book is building towards a horrible ending for Hogan, but he actually turns it around as he ends his dispute with his wife with a hilarious showdown with her boyfriend. Hogan says no to Vince Jr. about returning and ruining his legacy. Hogan ends up enjoying life with his son free from prison.

You do not need to be a wrestling fan to truly enjoy this great but short book. Hogan has lived an incredible life filled with gut-wrenching, unpredictable and outrageous moments in and out of the ring. The book is mainly about his failed marriage, but the wrestling world and entertainment world that Hogan lives in is too exciting to ignore. Hogan admits he is a bit of hypocrite since he did drugs when he told kids to take their vitamins, say their prays and drink their milk. Hogan’s honesty is what makes the book far more real over any propaganda book that World Wrestling Entertainment releases.

My Life Outside the Ring

By Hulk Hogan with Mark Dagostino

October, 2009

320 pp.

St. Martin’s Press

Available Thru Ringside Report