WWE Legend Hulk Hogan Dies Aged 71 (WWE News)

WWE legend and pro wrestling industry icon Hulk Hogan has passed away aged 71 at his Florida home. WWE sent out special tributes via social media, and other messages have been flooding in from all corners of the wrestling map. This is clearly one of the biggest and saddest news stories in wrestling - to many people, Hogan is wrestling, and that will never change.

TMZ Sports is reporting that medics rushed to Hulk's home on Thursday morning amidst news of a cardiac arrest. Sadly, the legend then passed away at some point shortly thereafter. Some news write ups include harrowing footage that appears to show paramedics giving chest compressions to him, so please be warned when browsing online. Most will be respectful, but it's important to give people a heads up.

6-time WWF/WWE World Champion and 2-time Hall Of Famer Hogan burst onto the scene as part of Vince McMahon's national then global expansion in the 1980s. His Hulkamania branding remains one of the strongest in wrestling history, and he was the WWF/WWE's chief poster boy well into the 1990s.

A jump to rivals WCW in 1994 yielded yet more success. Hulk turned heel to form the popular nWo faction, and he'd go on to hold WCW's World Title a whopping 6 times too. Then, in 2002, Hogan returned to the WWF and eventually re-donned his trademark red and yellow look to turn back the clock and ride a wave of nostalgia.

Away from the ring, several controversial moments threatened to destroy the man's reputation and legacy for good, but it's important to remember the impact he had on WWE and the wider entertainment industry as a whole.

Hogan's Last Appearance Was On WWE Raw's Netflix Debut

Regrettably, Hulk's final WWE appearance in January will be remembered as a largely negative one. He showed up alongside longtime manager Jimmy Hart to promote his new beer brand during WWE flagship show Raw's debut episode on Netflix, but was booed out of the building by fans in attendance.

In truth, booing had followed Hogan for years due to racist comments that surfaced in 2015. He'd apologised for those, but many believed the apology was half-hearted and weak. Some weren't willing to forgive and forget.

Despite that, WWE will remember the imprint that Hulk left on business. He was a pop culture icon in his pomp, and was often the first name on lips when people were asked to name a pro wrestler. That really speaks volumes to the impact he had on multiple generations from the 80s boom right through to a WWE Network/Netflix-led renaissance in retro fan interest.

All here at WhatCulture extend our condolences to Hulk's friends and families at this incredibly sad time.