Hulk Hogan Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What Is Hulk Hogan’s Net Worth and Salary?

An American actor, wrestler, and reality television star, Hulk Hogan has a net worth estimated at $25 million. This estimate includes his settlement with Gawker.com, which started at $140 million but was eventually lowered to $31 million before taxes. Additionally, the figure reflects the substantial financial losses Hulk Hogan experienced due to his divorce from Linda Hogan, his ex-wife.

During the highly publicized divorce from Linda, it was revealed that Hogan’s net worth stood at $30 million in 2007. Ultimately, he was compelled to surrender 70% of the couple’s liquid assets, pay $3 million in cash for property settlements, and relinquish a 40% stake in various business ventures. More information about their divorce settlement will follow in the section below. Hogan has also publicly acknowledged that he spent “hundreds of millions” on a lavish lifestyle at the height of his success in the 1990s.

Hogan played a pivotal role in transforming professional wrestling from a regional spectacle into the global “sports entertainment” phenomenon it is recognized as today. In the 1980s and 90s, during his prime at Vince McMahon’s WWF (where he earned up to $1 million for appearances at Wrestlemanias V and VI) and later at Ted Turner’s competing WCW organization, he emerged as one of the most recognized personalities worldwide, successfully branching out into television and films.

Gawker Lawsuit

In 2012, Hulk Hogan engaged in consensual relations with the spouse of radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge. Unknown to Hulk, Bubba had set up a hidden camera to record the encounter. Later that year, Gawker.com obtained the recording, and an editor decided to publish a two-minute edited version on their homepage. After the video was released, Hogan requested its removal, but when Gawker declined, he filed a lawsuit alleging invasion of privacy. Hogan asserted that the unauthorized posting of the video resulted in “long lasting humiliation.”

Initially, Hulk sought $100 million in damages through his lawsuit. On March 18, 2016, a Florida jury ruled in favor of Hulk. They awarded him a judgment of $115 million against Gawker, which was later increased by $25 million to total $140 million. Gawker’s appeal against the judgment was unsuccessful, leading to the company’s forced sale.

Nick Denton, the CEO of Gawker, along with the editor responsible for publishing the article, were deemed PERSONALLY accountable for $115 million of the $140 million total judgment. In 2013, Nick Denton controversially claimed that “invasion of privacy has incredibly positive effects on society.” Gawker also attempted to argue that the sex tape was newsworthy, given Hogan’s status as a public figure who had previously discussed his sexual life on his reality television show.and thus falls within the realm of fair use. However, the jury had a differing perspective.

When determining the judgment, the jury considered two significant facts presented by Gawker’s attorneys:

• 1) In the previous year, Gawker reported around $50 million in revenue and had an estimated value of no less than $80 million.
• 2) Nick Denton, founder and CEO of Gawker, had a reported net worth of $120 million, primarily reflecting Gawker’s valuation.

On August 1, 2016, Nick Denton declared personal bankruptcy, listing only his 30% ownership share in Gawker and his New York City apartment as assets. He appraised their total value at $50 million, although they might be worth considerably less. His liabilities were reported to be as high as $150 million. In November 2016, Gawker reached a settlement with Hogan amounting to $31 million.

A few months following the original judgment, it came to light that Hulk’s lawsuit had received $10 million in funding from Peter Thiel, a billionaire associated with PayPal and Facebook. Thiel had a longstanding resentment toward Gawker and Nick Denton due to Gawker’s disclosure of his sexual orientation. In 2007, Gawker published an article titled, “Peter Thiel is totally gay, people.” Thiel claimed that this article and several others concerning his acquaintances “ruined people’s lives for no reason.” In a 2009 interview, he characterized the writers at Gawker as terrorists. With encouragement from a friend, Thiel decided to leverage his resources to assist other victims of Gawker’s reporting in defending themselves against the website’s attacks.

“It’s less about revenge and more about specific deterrence. I observed Gawker create a uniquely harmful approach to gaining attention by intimidating individuals without any legitimate public interest.”

Early Life

Born Terry Gene Bollea on August 11, 1953, in Augusta, Georgia, Hulk Hogan’s family moved to Tampa, Florida, while he was still an infant, a place he has called home since. As a young boy, he gravitated towards baseball, reportedly drawing attention from professional big league scouts during his time in Little League. However, like many aspiring wrestlers, he suffered an injury that curtailed his pursuits in traditional sports. At the age of 16, he discovered the world of professional wrestling, setting him on a path that would not only transform his life but also the landscape of wrestling as a whole.

Wrestling Career

Hulk Hogan is best known for his role as a professional wrestler with the WWF (now WWE). His fame reached its zenith in the late ’80s and ’90s, attracting up to 30 million viewers for WWF pay-per-view events such as WrestleMania. Nevertheless, his entry into wrestling was far less glamorous; he began his career wrestling for the CWF promotion in Fort Myers, Florida, in 1977, initially taking on a masked persona known as “The Super Destroyer.” A local television host’s comparison of Hogan to Lou Ferrigno from “The Incredible Hulk” helped shape the “Hulkster” character that would propel him to stardom. His name changed to “Hogan” after he allied with Vince McMahon Sr. in 1979, and the following year, he began wrestling in Japan while still associated with the WWF.after taking on the role of Thunderlips in “Rocky III” (which brought him a handsome $15,000 while also introducing him to a new audience that may not have previously engaged with professional wrestling), he parted ways with the WWF for the first time without McMahon’s consent. He made his return in 1983 after McMahon’s son took control of the company, aiming for broader mainstream success for wrestling, with plans for Hogan to be the company’s leading figure.

It was successful, and soon enough, “Hulkamania” became a global pop culture sensation that endured in various forms well into the 21st century.

Acting

Capitalizing on his fame, Hogan ventured into acting. His initial film appearance was as Thunderlips in 1982’s “Rocky III.” Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Hulk pursued several mainstream projects in his quest to become a prominent Hollywood action star, starring in films such as “No Holds Barred,” “Suburban Commando,” and “Mr. Nanny.” From 1993 to 1995, he featured in the TV show “Thunder in Paradise.” About ten years later, he embraced the celebrity reality television trend with the VH1 series “Hogan Knows Best,” which highlighted him and his family. In 2019, he made a cameo in ABC’s “The Goldbergs.”

Other Endeavors

Always a shrewd merchandiser and marketer, Hogan has ventured into various business endeavors. In 1995, he opened his own pasta restaurant, Pastamania, located in the Mall of America, Minnesota, but it shut down after just one year.

Hulk has stated that he was the initial choice to endorse what became known as the George Foreman Grill but opted instead to promote a meatball maker, a decision that ultimately cost him $200 million:

In 2006, he introduced his energy drink, Hogan Energy, followed shortly by a line of frozen cheeseburgers called “Hulkster Burgers,” which began hitting store shelves. In 2012, he opened Hogan’s Beach, a restaurant in Tampa, and after that business relationship ended, he launched Hogan’s Hangout in Clearwater Beach.

As reported by the Wrestling Figure Checklist, Hogan has had a total of 171 distinct action figures produced by various manufacturers and promotions from the 1980s until the 2010s.

Personal Life

In December 1983, Hulk married Linda Claridge, and together they welcomed two children: daughter Brooke Hogan and son Nick Hogan. Following rumors of Hulk’s unfaithfulness, Linda filed for divorce in 2007. At that time, court documents indicated Hulk Hogan’s net worth stood at $30 million, akin to having a net worth of $45 million today. They also revealed that Hulk had allocated his money into various businesses and real estate across Florida, with Hogan continuing to profit from merchandise sales and residuals associated with his Hulk Hogan brand.

In December 2010, Hulk tied the knot with Jennifer.

After over two years of dating, McDaniel and Hogan parted ways. In February 2022, Hogan took to Twitter to announce their divorce. Subsequently, on September 22, 2023, he married his third wife, Sky Daily, a yoga instructor.

Divorce Settlement

Upon finalizing Hulk and Linda Hogan’s divorce, he was required to pay her 70% of their liquid assets, along with $3 million in cash for real estate settlements, in addition to an ongoing 40% stake in his various business ventures. In a 2011 radio interview, Hulk revealed that the divorce had nearly driven him to bankruptcy. While Linda did not receive alimony, she obtained $7.44 million out of their total of $10.41 million in bank and investment accounts. Furthermore, she retained ownership of a Mercedes-Benz, a Corvette, and a Cadillac Escalade.

Since then, Hulk has been able to achieve some financial recovery. In February 2014, he returned to WWE for the first time in more than five years and took on the role of host for WrestleMania. However, in July 2015, Hogan was dismissed from WWE when a series of his racist remarks were made public. He was reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018. On January 23, 2023, Hogan appeared alongside Jimmy Hart to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Raw at WWE Raw is XXX.

Real Estate

In 1992, Hulk acquired a waterfront property in Belleair, Florida for $2 million. He swiftly demolished the existing house and dedicated several years to constructing an extravagant mansion, which ultimately spanned over 17,000 square feet. The construction was completed in 1996. This was the residence featured on the reality show “Hogan Knows Best” from 2005 to 2007.

In 2006, likely anticipating their forthcoming separation, Linda and Hulk put the home on the market for an astonishing $26 million. However, two years later, the financial crisis and real estate downturn set in, and by this time, the couple had separated and aimed to liquidate their assets to move forward. In August 2009, they reduced the asking price to $13.9 million. The price continued to drop until Hulk ultimately accepted $6.2 million in April 2012, which amounted to $19 million less than the original listing price.

In 2014, Hulk purchased a home in nearby Clearwater, Florida for $3 million. He followed this by buying the adjacent property for $1.6 million in 2016.