Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the dedication of the Hulk Hogan Trail, a portion of Clearwater's popular recreational path, in honor of the late Wrestling icon who called the area home before he tragically passed away in July.
Hulk Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was a star with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the 1980s. The 6-foot-7 Hogan quickly established himself as a favorite with wrestling fans, leading to his "Hulkamania" persona throughout the decade.
The 2-mile trail, located between Oak Avenue and Coronado Drive, will fittingly feature workout stations depicting Hogan's red and yellow attire. The Hulkamania t-shirt was often ripped off in the ring during his career.
"Hulkamania is going to live forever," DeSantis said outside of Hogan's Hangout, a bar and restaurant owned by Bollea. "I don't think you're going to ever find somebody that's going to be able to eclipse him in terms of the star power that he brought to professional wrestling."
Hogan also ripped off a shirt during the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in support of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.
In the wrestling ring, Hogan famously squared off against Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III in one of the most important matches in professional wrestling history. The match is best known for Hogan's bodyslam of Andre to retain the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, personifying his Hulkamania image.
Nick Hogan, the son of Hulk Hogan, thanked Gov. Ron DeSantis for the honor.
"This is something that my dad would be so, so proud of, because Clearwater was always home for him, no matter how far he traveled around the world or where his career took him," Hogan said. "He always was grounded here, and he loved this community and he loved the people here, so to know that a piece of the Clearwater trail has been dedicated in his honor is something that he would be so, so proud of and so happy about.
Gov. DeSantis and Nick Hogan were also joined by Jimmy Hart, who became visibly emotional talking about his former friend. Hart was a wrestling personality during Hogan's rise to fame with the WWF.
"I know the Hulkster is up in heaven right now. He's looking down here on this little beach bar, and he's with Andre the Giant. And of course, he's with Macho Man Randy Savage, Rowdy Roddy Piper, the list goes on and on," Hart expressed. And they're saying, Look, man, you got a State Trail named after you."
