12 Wrestlers Who DESTROYED Their Bodies For The Business
5. Hulk Hogan
Ask a sample size of wrestling fans to say something sympathetic about Hulk Hogan in 2025 and you might be met with some funny looks. The Hulkster is far from a popular figure these days. Some detest comments he's made away from the ring, whilst others are just plain sick of seeing the guy on their TV screens and so boo him relentlessly if he dares show up on WWE TV. The phrase: 'Hulkamania will live forever' is ringing true for those who want it least.
Like with many, the photo above was chosen deliberately. Look at how stooped and twisted Hogan is when reaching for a handshake with similarly-broken Ric Flair. That isn't abnormal for him. Hulk has suffered through a fair number of back, knee and hip surgeries since retiring from the ring in 2012. He's kinda retired before that, but couldn't resist working a few more bouts for TNA before calling time.
Many years of landing right on his backside during the immortal leg drop spot contributed to spinal compression, hip problems and more. These issues locked the Hulkster up, which is even visible in his performances if you go back and watch some old WCW matches right at the start of the 2000s. He was not moving freely at all, and that'd only worsen over time.
Despite being his iconic finishing move, the leg drop mauled Hulk's body. He took way more bumps and bruises in his prime than some detractors might want to admit too, and that didn't help either. Hogan didn't avoid years and years of working a brutal schedule. His itinerary (sometimes multiple matches on the same day in the 1980s) and the leg drop caught up with him.