Terry Gene Bollea better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide, the most popular wrestler of the 1980s, one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, and according to a 2022 survey, still the most often cited professional wrestler by the general public.

Hogan was born in Augusta, Georgia, on August 11, 1953, the son of construction foreman Pietro "Peter" Bollea (December 6, 1913 – December 18, 2001) of Italian descent and homemaker and dance teacher Ruth V. (née Moody; 1922 – January 1, 2011). He had an older brother named Allan (1947–1986) who died at the age of 38 from a drug overdose. Bollea is of Panamanian, Scottish, and French descent. When he was one and a half years old, his family moved to Port Tampa, Florida. As a boy, he was a pitcher in Little League Baseball. Hogan attended Robinson High School. He began watching professional wrestling at 16 years old. While in high school, he revered Dusty Rhodes, and he regularly attended cards at the Tampa Sportatorium. It was at one of those wrestling cards where he first noticed Superstar Billy Graham and began looking to him for inspiration; since he first saw Graham on TV, Hogan wanted to match his "inhuman" look.