Dwayne Johnson pays moving tribute to 'childhood hero' Hulk Hogan
- By Web Desk -
- Jul 25, 2025
Hollywood star Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson penned a heartfelt tribute to his ‘childhood hero’, wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, after his death on Thursday.
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Hours after reports confirmed that WWE legend Hulk Hogan, 71, has died of cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida, fellow wrestler and actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson turned to his Instagram handle on Friday morning, with a throwback video of the U.S. wrestling icon from their time in the ring, alongside an emotional caption.
With the clip from the memorable ‘icon versus icon’ match at WWE’s ‘WrestleMania X8′ in 2002, the ‘Fast & Furious’ actor wrote, “Rest in Peace, Terry Bollea aka The Immortal Hulk Hogan.”
“To millions of little kids, you were a childhood hero – myself included,” he continued. “In 1984, I gave you your ‘HULKSTER’ headband back, in the locker room in Madison Square Garden. 17 years later, and still a kid at the age of 29 years old – I’m standing in the middle of the ring and facing you – one of my wrestling heroes in the main event of WRESTLEMANIA.”
“The match was to decide who would go down in history as The Greatest of All Time. You may have ‘passed the torch’ to me that night, but you, my friend… you ‘drew the house’, meaning you sold out every arena and stadium across the country in your prime as Hulk Hogan, on your way, of becoming the greatest of all time,” the emotional Rock noted. “Thank you for the house, brother… Thank you, for the house.”