Sylvester Stallone Finally Reveals Why WWE Wrestlers Hate Hulk Hogan

Sylvester Stallone Breaks His Silence: The Brutal Truth About Hulk Hogan’s Legacy

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Sylvester Stallone is finally breaking his silence following the death of Hulk Hogan, and what he’s saying is changing the way fans see wrestling’s most controversial icon.

Just hours after Hogan’s passing on July 24th, 2025, Stallone sat across from Harvey Levin, the weight of four decades of friendship heavy on his shoulders. His voice trembled with emotion as he reflected not just on their shared history, but on the complicated legacy Hogan left behind.

“I had the pleasure of meeting this brilliant personality and showman when he was 26 years old,” Stallone wrote on Instagram, sharing that iconic photo from Rocky III, where a young Terry Bollea—soon to become Hulk Hogan—stepped into the spotlight as Thunderlips. But beneath the nostalgia, Stallone’s words revealed a man who had watched his friend’s empire crumble from the inside.

Stallone remembered their first meeting in the early 1980s. Hogan, then a 315-pound mountain of muscle, was hungry, eager to prove himself, and unlike anyone Stallone had ever worked with. “He just came in and you knew that this guy had a glow about him. He was a force to be reckoned with.” Despite initial resistance from the Rocky III production team—who thought Hogan was too big and intimidating—Stallone fought for him, insisting that was the whole point. “It’s like David and Goliath. The bigger the better.”

But Stallone’s loyalty to Hogan would define their relationship for the next four decades, even as Hogan’s actions began alienating others. Stallone shared anecdotes about Hogan’s physicality and professionalism on set, but also about his intelligence and his knack for self-preservation. “People judge a book by its cover. I know what that feels like. They did the same with him. But he was very smart.”

Yet, as Stallone admitted, the cracks in Hogan’s armor began to show. The real turning point came in 2015, when leaked audio from a 2007 sex tape revealed Hogan using racist language. WWE responded by terminating his contract and erasing him from their Hall of Fame—on July 24th, 2015, exactly ten years before his death. The symmetry was cruel, and the fallout was swift. Merchandise disappeared from stores, and the wrestling community split along generational and racial lines.

The New Day—Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E—became vocal critics, demanding Hogan show real growth before they would consider forgiveness. Titus O’Neil called WWE’s decision to reinstate Hogan “a slap in the face” to Black wrestlers and fans. Even Mark Henry, who initially advocated for redemption, later admitted Hogan’s remorse seemed hollow and performative.

The truth, Stallone acknowledged, was that Hogan’s behavior had poisoned wrestling’s backstage culture for decades. Jesse “The Body” Ventura never forgave Hogan for allegedly sabotaging a unionization effort in the 1980s. The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and other legends all had stories of Hogan’s political maneuvering and self-preservation at the expense of others.

Hogan’s personal life fared no better. His daughter Brooke’s public image was damaged by her father’s comments, and she ultimately removed herself from his will. His son Nick’s legal troubles added further strain. The family, once a reality TV fixture, became a cautionary tale about fame, control, and dysfunction.

Even in his final years, Hogan’s attempts at redemption rang hollow for many. He embraced Christianity, participated in charity work, and promoted new ventures like Real American Freestyle wrestling and his beer brand. But his political alignment with Donald Trump and continued controversies only deepened the divide with fans who once idolized him.

Stallone’s tribute was heartfelt but carefully worded, balancing friendship with honesty. He compared Hogan’s passing to that of Carl Weathers, another Rocky co-star, calling Hogan irreplaceable—but the silence from those Hogan had wronged spoke volumes. As wrestling moves toward greater accountability and diversity, Hogan’s legacy remains a complex, cautionary tale.

In the end, Stallone’s words captured the contradiction at the heart of Hulk Hogan’s story: a man who changed the face of wrestling, but whose greatest battles were not in the ring, but with his own demons. The final bell has rung, but the echoes of Hulk Hogan’s controversies—and the debate over his legacy—will reverberate through wrestling history for years to come.

If you found this story compelling, click the card on the screen for more in-depth looks at wrestling’s biggest legends and the truths behind the myths.