From wars and rumors of war abroad, to the rise of anti-Christian, "woke" ideology here at home, it’s clear that Americans are living in perilous and unprecedented times. Some would even say that we’re witnessing biblical prophecy unfold in real time. Stakelbeck Tonight will make sense of these stunning developments through a bold and biblical lens.
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Stakelbeck Tonight | Erick Stakelbeck: Remembering Hulk Hogan: A Champion of Faith | Stakelbeck Tonight | July 25, 2025
- I just get tired of crashing and burning.
- 00:00:00.690 --> 00:00:03.293
- I know you're tired of making mistakes
- 00:00:03.293 --> 00:00:05.095
- And getting up and moving forward.
- 00:00:05.095 --> 00:00:06.529
- I get tired of getting so many scars on me.
- 00:00:06.529 --> 00:00:08.731
- And, you know, i got to a point in my life before i met
- 00:00:08.731 --> 00:00:12.735
- Scott, before i had the baptism where i'd had enough.
- 00:00:12.735 --> 00:00:16.673
- I was sick and tired of myself, you know?
- 00:00:16.673 --> 00:00:19.342
- I mean, just two people under my real self and the ego.
- 00:00:19.342 --> 00:00:23.213
- I was sick and tired of myself.
- 00:00:23.213 --> 00:00:32.956
- Welcome to a very special edition of stakelbeck tonight.
- 00:00:34.057 --> 00:00:37.093
- I'm erick stakelbeck
- 00:00:37.093 --> 00:00:38.194
- And tonight we're honoring the memory
- 00:00:38.194 --> 00:00:39.762
- Of a man who wasn't just a sports icon or a pop
- 00:00:39.762 --> 00:00:43.333
- Culture legend, but a committed follower of jesus.
- 00:00:43.333 --> 00:00:47.237
- Hulk hogan, real name terrible player, passed away on thursday
- 00:00:47.237 --> 00:00:51.174
- From cardiac arrest at the age of 71.
- 00:00:51.174 --> 00:00:54.177
- He was one of the most
- 00:00:54.177 --> 00:00:55.211
- Recognizable figures of the past half century.
- 00:00:55.211 --> 00:00:58.047
- He conquered the wrestling world,
- 00:00:58.047 --> 00:00:59.682
- Made his mark in hollywood,
- 00:00:59.682 --> 00:01:01.618
- And became a household name for generations.
- 00:01:01.618 --> 00:01:04.554
- But behind the championship belts, the fame
- 00:01:04.554 --> 00:01:07.557
- And the spotlight.
- 00:01:07.557 --> 00:01:08.758
- Hulk hogan was a man who knew there was something more,
- 00:01:08.758 --> 00:01:12.395
- Something greater
- 00:01:12.395 --> 00:01:13.596
- Than the roar of the crowd and the thrill of victory.
- 00:01:13.596 --> 00:01:16.966
- In december 2023, the wrestling icon made a powerful
- 00:01:16.966 --> 00:01:20.770
- And very public profession of faith in jesus.
- 00:01:20.770 --> 00:01:24.374
- At 70 years old, the hulkster was baptized.
- 00:01:24.374 --> 00:01:27.911
- Declaring publicly to the world that the ultimate victory
- 00:01:27.911 --> 00:01:31.681
- Wasn't in the ring,
- 00:01:31.681 --> 00:01:32.949
- But in surrendering to the one who gives eternal life.
- 00:01:32.949 --> 00:01:36.886
- And that's
- 00:01:36.886 --> 00:01:37.687
- What we want to focus on tonight,
- 00:01:37.687 --> 00:01:38.821
- Not just the legacy of hulkamania,
- 00:01:38.821 --> 00:01:41.057
- But the legacy of a man transformed by god's grace.
- 00:01:41.057 --> 00:01:45.562
- I had the chance to sit down
- 00:01:45.562 --> 00:01:46.729
- With my childhood hero, the legendary hulk hogan,
- 00:01:46.729 --> 00:01:50.099
- In florida last year, shortly after he was baptized.
- 00:01:50.099 --> 00:01:53.703
- To hear his incredible testimony of faith, family, and freedom.
- 00:01:53.703 --> 00:01:58.875
- Take a look.
- 00:01:59.209 --> 00:02:01.411
- June 1986.
- 00:02:01.711 --> 00:02:03.980
- The philadelphia spectrum.
- 00:02:03.980 --> 00:02:05.648
- I'm a young hulkamania like my dad.
- 00:02:05.648 --> 00:02:08.251
- We had no money, but my dad somehow
- 00:02:08.251 --> 00:02:09.986
- Scrounge up money to buy tickets.
- 00:02:09.986 --> 00:02:12.121
- And i see you lay out king kong bundy live.
- 00:02:12.121 --> 00:02:17.160
- This is 38 years ago. now.
- 00:02:17.160 --> 00:02:18.828
- I'm sitting here with you, one of my childhood heroes.
- 00:02:18.828 --> 00:02:21.664
- It's a blessing.
- 00:02:21.664 --> 00:02:22.799
- And even more so
- 00:02:22.799 --> 00:02:24.601
- Because of what god is doing in your life right now.
- 00:02:24.601 --> 00:02:26.970
- I was saved and i was 14 years old.
- 00:02:26.970 --> 00:02:28.705
- I accepted christ as my savior
- 00:02:28.705 --> 00:02:30.840
- With a youth group where i used to play guitar
- 00:02:30.840 --> 00:02:32.642
- So all the kids could sing.
- 00:02:32.642 --> 00:02:34.477
- That's how i was drug into the youth group.
- 00:02:34.477 --> 00:02:36.546
- They needed a guitar player and so i was saving.
- 00:02:36.546 --> 00:02:39.816
- I was 14, but i basically derailed.
- 00:02:39.816 --> 00:02:43.052
- You know, i really didn't understand.
- 00:02:43.052 --> 00:02:45.421
- The power, you know, and being a believer at that time.
- 00:02:46.489 --> 00:02:49.626
- So, you know,
- 00:02:49.626 --> 00:02:50.793
- I went through my teen years and then got in the crazy
- 00:02:50.793 --> 00:02:54.030
- Wrestling business, which derailed the even more.
- 00:02:54.030 --> 00:02:57.600
- And, finally, i just got tired of crashing and burning.
- 00:02:57.600 --> 00:03:02.205
- You know, i got tired of making mistakes
- 00:03:02.205 --> 00:03:04.040
- And getting up and moving forward.
- 00:03:04.040 --> 00:03:05.475
- I got tired of getting so many scars on me and moving forward.
- 00:03:05.475 --> 00:03:09.312
- And it was a situation.
- 00:03:09.312 --> 00:03:11.247
- I found myself deep in prayer.
- 00:03:11.247 --> 00:03:13.149
- And i got to the point where,
- 00:03:13.149 --> 00:03:16.185
- I was married a couple times and they were the wrong partners
- 00:03:16.185 --> 00:03:18.921
- Because they weren't true believers.
- 00:03:18.921 --> 00:03:20.323
- They weren't dialed in, you know?
- 00:03:20.323 --> 00:03:22.392
- And so when i met this sky, everything just felt right.
- 00:03:22.392 --> 00:03:25.995
- The chemistry and everything just felt right.
- 00:03:25.995 --> 00:03:28.031
- And she was baptized with you, bond.
- 00:03:28.031 --> 00:03:29.732
- Right? right. with our kids, too.
- 00:03:29.732 --> 00:03:32.402
- And so, you know, once i met this guy
- 00:03:32.402 --> 00:03:34.504
- And she started explaining to me
- 00:03:34.504 --> 00:03:36.172
- How the holy spirit took her over on this bridge.
- 00:03:36.172 --> 00:03:38.274
- And you can see out this window here, the clearwater bridge.
- 00:03:38.274 --> 00:03:41.311
- And the more we talked, the more i started getting it.
- 00:03:41.311 --> 00:03:44.914
- Like she actually calmed me down with this turbulence
- 00:03:44.914 --> 00:03:48.251
- That i had inside of me and made me feel more at peace.
- 00:03:48.251 --> 00:03:52.021
- Yeah.
- 00:03:52.255 --> 00:03:53.056
- You know, and so then after about
- 00:03:53.056 --> 00:03:54.223
- You know, a year of her and i being together,
- 00:03:54.223 --> 00:03:56.592
- It just didn't feel right calling her my girlfriend.
- 00:03:57.627 --> 00:04:00.029
- You know, somebody my age, you know.
- 00:04:00.029 --> 00:04:02.298
- Oh, this is my girlfriend.
- 00:04:02.298 --> 00:04:03.533
- It's just a i felt like i was in high school.
- 00:04:03.533 --> 00:04:05.601
- So, you know, the the only answer was to,
- 00:04:05.601 --> 00:04:10.206
- You know, have this union.
- 00:04:10.773 --> 00:04:12.075
- You know, we just decided to go ahead
- 00:04:12.075 --> 00:04:14.243
- And get baptized with the whole world,
- 00:04:14.243 --> 00:04:15.712
- Know the truth that we knew.
- 00:04:15.712 --> 00:04:18.081
- And we got really close with pastor aaron at, in, in roberts
- 00:04:18.081 --> 00:04:21.784
- Christian church.
- 00:04:21.784 --> 00:04:22.885
- We just got baptized, and it's been just a whole new
- 00:04:22.885 --> 00:04:26.789
- Deal ever since.
- 00:04:26.789 --> 00:04:28.124
- You got baptized recently. of course, at the age of 70.
- 00:04:28.124 --> 00:04:30.993
- But throughout your career, i would say
- 00:04:30.993 --> 00:04:33.429
- You were a witness for christ in the ring as a little kid.
- 00:04:33.429 --> 00:04:36.899
- I remember
- 00:04:36.899 --> 00:04:37.367
- And all through
- 00:04:37.367 --> 00:04:38.201
- My teen years, you would say on camera
- 00:04:38.201 --> 00:04:40.303
- To millions of people around the world, say your prayers
- 00:04:40.303 --> 00:04:44.173
- And eat your bat, eat your vitamins,
- 00:04:44.173 --> 00:04:45.708
- Train, say your prayers.
- 00:04:45.708 --> 00:04:47.043
- You would always thank god.
- 00:04:47.043 --> 00:04:48.678
- And let me tell you, as a young kid
- 00:04:48.678 --> 00:04:50.213
- That had a profound influence on me.
- 00:04:50.213 --> 00:04:52.315
- If hulk hogan is telling me to say
- 00:04:52.315 --> 00:04:53.983
- My prayers, i'm going to get on my knees
- 00:04:53.983 --> 00:04:55.651
- Every night at bedtime and say my prayers.
- 00:04:55.651 --> 00:04:57.820
- So i want you to know the difference
- 00:04:57.820 --> 00:04:58.955
- You made in my life and just kids around the world,
- 00:04:58.955 --> 00:05:01.557
- Even before getting baptized.
- 00:05:01.557 --> 00:05:02.925
- And this is so exciting. it's been awesome.
- 00:05:02.925 --> 00:05:05.027
- But the 40 year anniversary of the birth of hulkamania.
- 00:05:05.027 --> 00:05:08.831
- January 23rd, 1984.
- 00:05:09.298 --> 00:05:11.401
- You said earlier, iron sharpens iron.
- 00:05:11.401 --> 00:05:13.936
- Amen.
- 00:05:13.936 --> 00:05:15.004
- But the iron sheet was your opponent on that night.
- 00:05:15.004 --> 00:05:18.241
- You win the belt, and hulkamania begins 40 years ago.
- 00:05:18.241 --> 00:05:22.311
- As you look back, kind of looking back,
- 00:05:22.311 --> 00:05:24.447
- Kind of a career retrospective, almost.
- 00:05:24.447 --> 00:05:26.749
- And now you're at this moment.
- 00:05:26.749 --> 00:05:28.851
- Tell us how that feels 40 years on?
- 00:05:28.851 --> 00:05:31.187
- Well, i realized that was just a platform,
- 00:05:31.187 --> 00:05:33.890
- You know, to get me in the position
- 00:05:33.890 --> 00:05:35.525
- Where i could be
- 00:05:35.525 --> 00:05:36.426
- Used by my lord and savior
- 00:05:36.426 --> 00:05:37.860
- To tell the truth and spread the word.
- 00:05:37.860 --> 00:05:39.896
- So, you know, the hulkamania character of hulk hogan,
- 00:05:39.896 --> 00:05:44.400
- Was impeccable.
- 00:05:44.767 --> 00:05:45.735
- I mean, the training, prayers,
- 00:05:45.735 --> 00:05:46.903
- Vitamins, believe in yourself, brother.
- 00:05:46.903 --> 00:05:48.638
- The ford, the mammoths,
- 00:05:48.638 --> 00:05:50.473
- Was something that was real organic coming out of me.
- 00:05:50.473 --> 00:05:54.677
- And as i said it, the character was impeccable
- 00:05:54.677 --> 00:05:57.747
- And actually made me, terry, a better person.
- 00:05:57.747 --> 00:06:00.683
- As the years went along, it, attracted make-a-wish kids,
- 00:06:00.683 --> 00:06:04.587
- Which at first i didn't understand.
- 00:06:04.587 --> 00:06:06.022
- What is this role model thing? why is this happening?
- 00:06:06.022 --> 00:06:08.891
- But what were the most requested, by the way,
- 00:06:08.891 --> 00:06:10.460
- Make-a-wish in the 1980s especially,
- 00:06:10.460 --> 00:06:12.261
- You were the most requested from the make-a-wish kids.
- 00:06:12.261 --> 00:06:15.031
- They wanted you.
- 00:06:15.031 --> 00:06:16.265
- Well, that whole wwe platform is so huge and there's such a,
- 00:06:16.265 --> 00:06:19.602
- International swing arm.
- 00:06:20.136 --> 00:06:21.337
- It's such a huge following.
- 00:06:21.337 --> 00:06:22.472
- I mean, i could go to the uk
- 00:06:22.472 --> 00:06:23.673
- And there'd be eight kids waiting for me at the arena,
- 00:06:23.673 --> 00:06:26.342
- You know, not just one.
- 00:06:26.342 --> 00:06:27.343
- So, you know, there was a mickey mouse and mr.
- 00:06:27.343 --> 00:06:29.412
- T, and they wanted to see hulk hogan more than all the other,
- 00:06:29.412 --> 00:06:33.549
- Individuals. so
- 00:06:33.916 --> 00:06:35.751
- As all that went
- 00:06:36.152 --> 00:06:37.320
- Through, it brought me up to becoming a better person.
- 00:06:37.320 --> 00:06:40.189
- And, you know, now that we're at this point
- 00:06:40.189 --> 00:06:43.226
- In my life, i realized that it was just a set up
- 00:06:43.226 --> 00:06:47.296
- For what i need to do now.
- 00:06:47.296 --> 00:06:49.232
- And, it's
- 00:06:49.232 --> 00:06:50.366
- Just been such a great transition
- 00:06:50.366 --> 00:06:52.168
- Because god takes people out of your life.
- 00:06:52.168 --> 00:06:53.936
- The heart is supposed to be there,
- 00:06:53.936 --> 00:06:55.438
- And he brings the right one in, right people in.
- 00:06:55.438 --> 00:06:58.441
- And so at this point,
- 00:06:58.441 --> 00:07:01.177
- I was always a believer, but i didn't completely surrender.
- 00:07:01.177 --> 00:07:05.214
- I thought i could drive better than he could.
- 00:07:05.214 --> 00:07:07.116
- I thought i could make the decisions better than he could.
- 00:07:07.116 --> 00:07:09.886
- And, you know, he takes his hands off.
- 00:07:09.886 --> 00:07:11.921
- So we said, okay, thinking you'd do it.
- 00:07:11.921 --> 00:07:14.190
- Better go ahead and do it.
- 00:07:14.190 --> 00:07:15.324
- So, like i said, i get tired of crashing and burning.
- 00:07:15.324 --> 00:07:18.227
- And at this point, with a 40 year career behind me
- 00:07:18.227 --> 00:07:21.664
- In that whole platform, i understand now that was just
- 00:07:21.664 --> 00:07:24.767
- A temporary situation to set me up for this next run.
- 00:07:24.767 --> 00:07:29.171
- Yeah.
- 00:07:29.405 --> 00:07:30.439
- And so now i realize why i'm here and what why
- 00:07:30.439 --> 00:07:33.676
- All that happened?
- 00:07:33.676 --> 00:07:36.279
- He battled
- 00:07:36.579 --> 00:07:37.813
- Giants in the ring and shared the spotlight with legends.
- 00:07:37.813 --> 00:07:40.616
- But in his later years, hulk hogan
- 00:07:40.616 --> 00:07:42.985
- Began to see something more powerful unfolding
- 00:07:42.985 --> 00:07:45.955
- Behind the scenes a spiritual awakening coming
- 00:07:45.955 --> 00:07:49.725
- Up, the hulkster opens up
- 00:07:49.725 --> 00:07:51.193
- About the surprising number of pro wrestlers who found faith
- 00:07:51.193 --> 00:07:55.164
- And what that means for the future of the wrestling world.
- 00:07:55.164 --> 00:07:58.534
- Don't move.
- 00:07:58.868 --> 00:08:04.004
- Don't move.
- 00:08:04.004 --> 00:08:07.043
- Welcome back to stakelbeck tonight.
- 00:08:07.777 --> 00:08:09.512
- Hulk hogan knew the wrestling business better than anyone,
- 00:08:09.512 --> 00:08:12.682
- But behind the bright
- 00:08:12.682 --> 00:08:13.983
- Lights and big personalities, he saw something deeper.
- 00:08:13.983 --> 00:08:17.787
- In his later years, he began to witness
- 00:08:17.787 --> 00:08:19.555
- A spiritual shift as fellow wrestlers, many of them legends,
- 00:08:19.555 --> 00:08:23.693
- Found faith in christ.
- 00:08:23.693 --> 00:08:27.363
- The wrestling business and coming out
- 00:08:28.097 --> 00:08:30.299
- Now, you know, just publicly professing your faith.
- 00:08:30.299 --> 00:08:33.669
- It's not maybe a world where jesus is proclaimed,
- 00:08:33.669 --> 00:08:36.906
- At least publicly.
- 00:08:36.906 --> 00:08:38.007
- A lot,
- 00:08:38.007 --> 00:08:39.241
- Especially back in the 70s, 80s and 90s, was probably a bit
- 00:08:39.241 --> 00:08:41.744
- More grittier.
- 00:08:41.744 --> 00:08:42.878
- The lifestyle, partying, drinking, drugs on the road
- 00:08:42.878 --> 00:08:45.681
- And everything. you
- 00:08:45.681 --> 00:08:46.415
- Talk about that lifestyle, you were on the road.
- 00:08:47.350 --> 00:08:49.352
- How many days a year were you on the road at the peak?
- 00:08:49.352 --> 00:08:52.822
- Well, i wrestled almost 40 years,
- 00:08:52.822 --> 00:08:55.691
- Could took breaks every once in a while to do movies
- 00:08:55.691 --> 00:08:58.194
- Or different things like that along the way.
- 00:08:58.194 --> 00:09:00.830
- But when i was the world's
- 00:09:00.830 --> 00:09:01.897
- Champion, you know, we were flying 300 days a year
- 00:09:01.897 --> 00:09:05.301
- And there was no rock or no john
- 00:09:05.935 --> 00:09:08.304
- Cena or stone cold steve austin at the time.
- 00:09:08.304 --> 00:09:11.574
- So i was the guy.
- 00:09:11.574 --> 00:09:12.775
- So, you know, as i would fly 300 days a year,
- 00:09:12.775 --> 00:09:16.078
- Sometimes i'd wrestle 400 or 425
- 00:09:16.078 --> 00:09:18.881
- Times a year, twice on saturday, twice on sunday.
- 00:09:18.881 --> 00:09:22.118
- I hit the philadelphia spectrum at 1:00 in the afternoon.
- 00:09:22.118 --> 00:09:24.954
- Yeah.
- 00:09:24.954 --> 00:09:26.055
- And then that night i'd be in madison square garden.
- 00:09:26.055 --> 00:09:28.090
- Then the next day i'd be in the boston
- 00:09:28.090 --> 00:09:29.659
- Garden at one in the afternoon,
- 00:09:29.659 --> 00:09:30.826
- And then the le form that night.
- 00:09:30.826 --> 00:09:32.395
- So with like, andre
- 00:09:32.395 --> 00:09:33.796
- The giant following you and then big john stone,
- 00:09:33.796 --> 00:09:36.165
- Maybe that night. you got it big.
- 00:09:36.165 --> 00:09:38.668
- And by the way, the spectrum was a great building.
- 00:09:38.668 --> 00:09:40.836
- It was. we loved you like electricity in that place.
- 00:09:40.836 --> 00:09:42.972
- Yeah.
- 00:09:42.972 --> 00:09:44.073
- But yeah, it was it was a tough life, you know, and,
- 00:09:44.073 --> 00:09:46.475
- It was very taxing on the body.
- 00:09:47.109 --> 00:09:49.712
- A lot of the, the older wrestlers
- 00:09:49.712 --> 00:09:52.715
- That i talked with, like steve curran and brian
- 00:09:52.715 --> 00:09:55.251
- Blair, brian blair was a killer bees.
- 00:09:55.251 --> 00:09:57.687
- Steve curran was a character named skinner.
- 00:09:57.687 --> 00:09:59.722
- I don't know, i remember yeah, yeah, they live in the area.
- 00:09:59.722 --> 00:10:01.857
- They're, devout christians and we talk all the time.
- 00:10:01.857 --> 00:10:05.361
- And there's many, many former wrestlers
- 00:10:05.361 --> 00:10:07.630
- In this clearwater, tampa, tampa area.
- 00:10:07.630 --> 00:10:09.965
- Yeah.
- 00:10:09.965 --> 00:10:10.866
- The funny thing was,
- 00:10:10.866 --> 00:10:11.867
- Pastor aaron, before he married sky and myself,
- 00:10:11.867 --> 00:10:15.604
- He goes, well, since, you know, you guys have both been married
- 00:10:15.604 --> 00:10:18.874
- Before, there's this type of counseling we would like to,
- 00:10:18.874 --> 00:10:21.877
- You know, see if you're open for him.
- 00:10:21.877 --> 00:10:23.679
- And i said, sure, brothers, you know anything that'll help
- 00:10:23.679 --> 00:10:25.614
- Make us stronger together and make the bond more powerful.
- 00:10:25.614 --> 00:10:28.718
- He goes, well, you know, i reached out to another pastor
- 00:10:28.718 --> 00:10:31.187
- Friend of mine for recommendations,
- 00:10:31.187 --> 00:10:32.521
- And he's got two people, you know, in the church
- 00:10:32.521 --> 00:10:35.224
- That he would really like to to counsel you.
- 00:10:35.224 --> 00:10:37.626
- This guy was brian blair and steve kerr,
- 00:10:37.626 --> 00:10:40.162
- You know, my two friends.
- 00:10:40.162 --> 00:10:41.630
- So it was just really cool.
- 00:10:41.630 --> 00:10:43.532
- You know, about coming full circle.
- 00:10:43.532 --> 00:10:45.067
- Because as i was the main event guy,
- 00:10:45.067 --> 00:10:47.436
- They were always on the card with me
- 00:10:47.436 --> 00:10:49.105
- Underneath me a couple of couple matches down. sure.
- 00:10:49.105 --> 00:10:51.440
- And now all of a sudden, you know, they're the main event
- 00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:53.342
- Guy was talking to me.
- 00:10:53.342 --> 00:10:54.143
- So it was really, really cool.
- 00:10:54.143 --> 00:10:56.779
- That was awesome. yeah.
- 00:10:56.779 --> 00:10:58.214
- Wow. incredible.
- 00:10:58.214 --> 00:11:00.049
- Now you've made this big move, you know, getting baptized.
- 00:11:00.049 --> 00:11:02.585
- What do you want? the effect to be?
- 00:11:02.585 --> 00:11:06.122
- Do you want this to go far and wide?
- 00:11:06.889 --> 00:11:08.958
- And in making this move, do you want those positive,
- 00:11:08.958 --> 00:11:12.762
- You know, spiritual ripple effects,
- 00:11:12.762 --> 00:11:16.432
- To go around the country and around the world?
- 00:11:16.432 --> 00:11:19.635
- Well, you know, i was looking for global healing,
- 00:11:19.635 --> 00:11:23.305
- Not global domination or global genocide or global
- 00:11:23.305 --> 00:11:26.442
- Whatever the heck they're trying to do.
- 00:11:26.442 --> 00:11:28.544
- You know, i was looking for global healing
- 00:11:28.544 --> 00:11:30.246
- And basically show what the real truth is.
- 00:11:30.246 --> 00:11:34.817
- As far as, you know, spirituality
- 00:11:35.518 --> 00:11:38.154
- As far as our life
- 00:11:38.154 --> 00:11:39.355
- And as far as everything that we encounter on a daily basis,
- 00:11:39.355 --> 00:11:43.392
- You know, i just want everyone to calm down,
- 00:11:43.392 --> 00:11:47.630
- You know, and let's be, you know, more personable,
- 00:11:47.630 --> 00:11:51.367
- Less help each other. let's have a brotherhood.
- 00:11:51.367 --> 00:11:53.302
- And and i just think the only way to do
- 00:11:53.302 --> 00:11:55.805
- That is through our lord and savior. and,
- 00:11:55.805 --> 00:11:59.508
- When we come
- 00:11:59.842 --> 00:12:00.843
- Back, how did terry bollea become hulk hogan?
- 00:12:00.843 --> 00:12:04.647
- We talked with the icon himself about the birth of hulkamania
- 00:12:04.647 --> 00:12:08.184
- And some unforgettable moments from inside the ring.
- 00:12:08.184 --> 00:12:11.353
- You won't want to miss this.
- 00:12:11.353 --> 00:12:12.822
- Stick around.
- 00:12:12.822 --> 00:12:17.999
- Stick around.
- 00:12:17.999 --> 00:12:20.863
- Welcome back to stakelbeck
- 00:12:21.430 --> 00:12:22.832
- Tonight, before the red and yellow,
- 00:12:22.832 --> 00:12:25.034
- Before the crowds chanted his name.
- 00:12:25.034 --> 00:12:27.603
- He was just terrible.
- 00:12:27.603 --> 00:12:28.904
- A kid with a dream and a lot of muscle.
- 00:12:28.904 --> 00:12:31.941
- But how did that young man from florida
- 00:12:31.941 --> 00:12:33.709
- Become one
- 00:12:33.709 --> 00:12:34.910
- Of the most iconic figures in sports entertainment history?
- 00:12:34.910 --> 00:12:38.180
- Hulk hogan takes us back to the beginning to the moment
- 00:12:38.180 --> 00:12:41.917
- Hulkamania was born.
- 00:12:41.917 --> 00:12:45.487
- How did you become hulk hogan?
- 00:12:45.487 --> 00:12:47.089
- A lot of transitions, you know, started out
- 00:12:47.089 --> 00:12:49.225
- As a super destroyer with a mask on
- 00:12:49.225 --> 00:12:51.994
- Because they said, all of you, a big guy, you might be
- 00:12:51.994 --> 00:12:54.396
- Be something someday.
- 00:12:54.396 --> 00:12:55.497
- We don't want to beat you every night
- 00:12:55.497 --> 00:12:57.032
- And have him see your face.
- 00:12:57.032 --> 00:12:58.133
- Does your full curl be ruined before it even starts?
- 00:12:58.133 --> 00:13:00.970
- So started out as a super destroyer quit.
- 00:13:00.970 --> 00:13:04.240
- Quit after all that and went.
- 00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:05.441
- Paying your. dues.
- 00:13:05.441 --> 00:13:06.675
- Yeah, and that i became terry boulder for a while, and then,
- 00:13:06.675 --> 00:13:11.647
- Quit wrestling, and i
- 00:13:12.147 --> 00:13:14.250
- Opened the gym over in, cocoa beach.
- 00:13:14.250 --> 00:13:16.518
- And then when that went out of business, when president carter
- 00:13:16.518 --> 00:13:19.255
- Shut down the space shuttle, it turned into a ghost town.
- 00:13:19.255 --> 00:13:21.457
- So i went back to wrestling again,
- 00:13:21.457 --> 00:13:23.559
- Became terry the hulk boulder.
- 00:13:23.559 --> 00:13:25.561
- And that lasted for a little while.
- 00:13:25.561 --> 00:13:26.862
- Then i went to atlanta and the promoter there named me
- 00:13:26.862 --> 00:13:30.366
- Sterling golden, and that lasted for a short while.
- 00:13:30.366 --> 00:13:34.336
- I was wrestling 13
- 00:13:34.336 --> 00:13:35.537
- Or 14 times a week, and i think i was making $125 a week.
- 00:13:35.537 --> 00:13:39.341
- So i quit doing that and following when i came back home.
- 00:13:39.341 --> 00:13:43.112
- A couple real popular
- 00:13:43.612 --> 00:13:45.347
- Wrestlers are jack and jerry, brisco said.
- 00:13:45.347 --> 00:13:48.050
- There's this guy, vince mcmahon's calling you was,
- 00:13:48.050 --> 00:13:51.620
- I'm not a wrestler anymore, i quit.
- 00:13:51.620 --> 00:13:53.289
- I don't want anything to do with this.
- 00:13:53.289 --> 00:13:54.857
- They said, no.
- 00:13:54.857 --> 00:13:56.058
- New york, the new jersey area, which was the territory back
- 00:13:56.058 --> 00:14:00.129
- Then, it wasn't international.
- 00:14:00.129 --> 00:14:01.330
- They said this territory around new york,
- 00:14:01.330 --> 00:14:03.699
- Madison square garden is for all the big guys.
- 00:14:03.699 --> 00:14:06.535
- And i've been training with weights.
- 00:14:06.535 --> 00:14:07.770
- I was to 85 to 90, in really good shape.
- 00:14:07.770 --> 00:14:10.973
- And so i went up there and vince
- 00:14:10.973 --> 00:14:14.877
- Mcmahon senior had his glasses half way down on his nose.
- 00:14:14.877 --> 00:14:18.047
- He was he clicks quarters together when he talks to,
- 00:14:18.047 --> 00:14:20.416
- You know,
- 00:14:20.416 --> 00:14:21.850
- He goes, well, i've got pedro morales
- 00:14:21.850 --> 00:14:23.752
- For the puerto rican americans and i've got chief
- 00:14:23.752 --> 00:14:26.588
- Jay strongbow for the native american
- 00:14:26.588 --> 00:14:29.325
- Americans, you know, how do you say it?
- 00:14:29.325 --> 00:14:31.226
- And bruno sammartino for the italian americans,
- 00:14:31.226 --> 00:14:34.363
- I want you to be.
- 00:14:34.363 --> 00:14:35.597
- And so, terry, the whole boulder, i want you to be hulk.
- 00:14:35.597 --> 00:14:38.767
- Hogan. for the irish americans.
- 00:14:38.767 --> 00:14:41.070
- Here's two bottles of red dye to dye your hair red.
- 00:14:41.070 --> 00:14:43.973
- Oh, my god, i'm going bald headed as it is.
- 00:14:44.873 --> 00:14:48.243
- If i put this red dye my hair, the party's over.
- 00:14:48.243 --> 00:14:51.380
- So i told fred blassie. who?
- 00:14:51.380 --> 00:14:53.048
- They put him with me, that i couldn't do it.
- 00:14:53.048 --> 00:14:54.950
- I poured it down the toilet
- 00:14:54.950 --> 00:14:56.752
- And holiday on 40th and eighth in new york.
- 00:14:56.752 --> 00:14:59.955
- And for years i said, you're getting fired, you know?
- 00:14:59.955 --> 00:15:03.225
- So when i went back to see vince mcmahon for tv the next day,
- 00:15:03.225 --> 00:15:07.029
- My hair wasn't ready as,
- 00:15:07.029 --> 00:15:08.163
- Oh, don't worry about it, you're fine.
- 00:15:08.163 --> 00:15:09.999
- You just let it go. wow. this vince senior.
- 00:15:09.999 --> 00:15:12.368
- Not not the bouncer.
- 00:15:12.368 --> 00:15:13.769
- Yes. yes, father.
- 00:15:13.769 --> 00:15:15.204
- Yeah.
- 00:15:15.204 --> 00:15:16.205
- So that's kind of like how the whole transition
- 00:15:16.205 --> 00:15:17.573
- Went from growing up here,
- 00:15:17.573 --> 00:15:19.274
- Being a wrestling fan and how it morphed into this
- 00:15:19.274 --> 00:15:22.578
- Hulkamania thing.
- 00:15:22.578 --> 00:15:23.579
- One more quick, quick flashback.
- 00:15:23.579 --> 00:15:25.447
- Oh, 1982 rocky three.
- 00:15:25.447 --> 00:15:29.218
- Now, for me and for many, that was probably
- 00:15:29.218 --> 00:15:32.021
- Their first exposure to hulk hogan, who starred alongside,
- 00:15:32.021 --> 00:15:35.858
- Of course, sylvester stallone and mr.
- 00:15:35.858 --> 00:15:38.160
- T, and we talk about things coming full circle with
- 00:15:38.160 --> 00:15:40.963
- Some of your former colleagues
- 00:15:40.963 --> 00:15:42.398
- Here at your church counseling you.
- 00:15:42.398 --> 00:15:44.733
- Hey, your costars, sylvester stallone and mr.
- 00:15:44.733 --> 00:15:47.269
- T are both professing christians.
- 00:15:47.269 --> 00:15:50.506
- Pretty cool. yeah. it's amazing.
- 00:15:50.506 --> 00:15:53.409
- And they still are as we speak.
- 00:15:53.409 --> 00:15:55.544
- You know, mr. t is,
- 00:15:55.544 --> 00:15:56.979
- Probably one of the most outspoken christians.
- 00:15:57.880 --> 00:16:00.349
- He's a tbn regular. yeah.
- 00:16:00.349 --> 00:16:01.917
- And did you see i mean, this is 82.
- 00:16:01.917 --> 00:16:04.787
- Did you see a possibility at the time that these stallone
- 00:16:04.787 --> 00:16:07.956
- Look famous guy? mr.
- 00:16:07.956 --> 00:16:09.224
- T obviously very famous.
- 00:16:09.224 --> 00:16:11.026
- Who would have thought, i guess, that you'd all be here now
- 00:16:11.026 --> 00:16:14.229
- Publicly professing faith in jesus?
- 00:16:14.229 --> 00:16:16.432
- Yeah. it's amazing.
- 00:16:16.432 --> 00:16:17.499
- You know, the thing with t is he is what he is.
- 00:16:17.499 --> 00:16:20.335
- Mr. t is mr.
- 00:16:20.335 --> 00:16:21.336
- T, and you know, he plays it right out for you.
- 00:16:21.336 --> 00:16:23.739
- Yeah.
- 00:16:23.739 --> 00:16:24.973
- And just like stallone, sly's the same guy was back then.
- 00:16:24.973 --> 00:16:29.912
- He hasn't changed a bit.
- 00:16:29.912 --> 00:16:31.713
- You know, he has his faith and he has his will,
- 00:16:31.713 --> 00:16:35.050
- And he's the same exact guy.
- 00:16:35.050 --> 00:16:37.920
- And none of this got to him.
- 00:16:37.920 --> 00:16:39.021
- None of the success, none of the,
- 00:16:39.021 --> 00:16:42.424
- You know, stardom, none of it changed who he was.
- 00:16:42.424 --> 00:16:44.593
- So it's really cool to see these guys love it.
- 00:16:44.593 --> 00:16:46.662
- Look, there's there's obviously peaks and valleys in life.
- 00:16:46.662 --> 00:16:50.199
- You get some valleys there. of course.
- 00:16:50.199 --> 00:16:51.900
- Yeah.
- 00:16:51.900 --> 00:16:52.734
- Did you feel god's presence at all?
- 00:16:52.734 --> 00:16:54.503
- Did you feel distant at times?
- 00:16:54.503 --> 00:16:56.438
- Did you cry out and say, god, what's going on here?
- 00:16:56.438 --> 00:16:58.540
- What am i going to break through?
- 00:16:58.540 --> 00:16:59.441
- Were there moments like that for you?
- 00:16:59.441 --> 00:17:01.543
- Well, he was with me through all that stuff.
- 00:17:01.543 --> 00:17:04.113
- And i know that now because he turns
- 00:17:04.113 --> 00:17:07.683
- Turned setbacks into set ups for greatness for me.
- 00:17:07.683 --> 00:17:10.853
- Simply because i was in control
- 00:17:11.487 --> 00:17:13.422
- And i was driving the car once again, crashed and burned.
- 00:17:13.422 --> 00:17:16.892
- I made those mistakes.
- 00:17:16.892 --> 00:17:19.628
- You know you can blame situations, conditions.
- 00:17:19.628 --> 00:17:23.699
- You can have your rationale and
- 00:17:23.699 --> 00:17:26.268
- Have 100 reasons why things happen.
- 00:17:27.035 --> 00:17:28.904
- But at the end of the day, it's about choices.
- 00:17:28.904 --> 00:17:32.474
- And so once i decided to quit driving the car myself
- 00:17:32.474 --> 00:17:37.579
- And surrender, he took those mistakes i made.
- 00:17:37.579 --> 00:17:40.949
- I learned from him.
- 00:17:41.416 --> 00:17:42.284
- He taught me how to get up
- 00:17:42.284 --> 00:17:45.454
- With those monster hits that i just took
- 00:17:45.454 --> 00:17:48.290
- And be honest and truthful and move forward.
- 00:17:48.290 --> 00:17:51.460
- So all those things
- 00:17:51.927 --> 00:17:54.830
- In the past that happened to me, you know,
- 00:17:54.830 --> 00:17:56.698
- I tell sky, i'm like the old scarred up seal, you know,
- 00:17:56.698 --> 00:18:00.736
- There's been 20 million bottles and i've got scars all over me.
- 00:18:00.736 --> 00:18:04.339
- And i feel, you know, that i'm not a poser because, you know,
- 00:18:04.339 --> 00:18:08.977
- Knowing of jesus and knowing him are two different things.
- 00:18:08.977 --> 00:18:12.581
- That's true, you know?
- 00:18:12.581 --> 00:18:13.448
- And so at this point, knowing him
- 00:18:13.448 --> 00:18:16.118
- And being one with him, i think all these scars
- 00:18:16.118 --> 00:18:19.988
- And all these things i've been through,
- 00:18:19.988 --> 00:18:22.524
- I'm not that i'm leading by
- 00:18:23.125 --> 00:18:24.593
- Example, but i've been made an example of
- 00:18:24.593 --> 00:18:26.762
- For people that think i'm not correct or i don't have
- 00:18:26.762 --> 00:18:30.165
- My act cleaned up or i can't do this,
- 00:18:30.165 --> 00:18:33.202
- I think all those people that have all the excuses
- 00:18:33.202 --> 00:18:35.404
- For being in the wrong place at the wrong time,
- 00:18:35.404 --> 00:18:37.239
- Or not being good enough, you don't need to be cleaned up.
- 00:18:37.239 --> 00:18:40.209
- Come to him.
- 00:18:40.209 --> 00:18:40.876
- He'll clean you up.
- 00:18:40.876 --> 00:18:44.313
- In the final chapter of hulk hogan,
- 00:18:44.313 --> 00:18:46.415
- It wasn't the spotlight that mattered most.
- 00:18:46.415 --> 00:18:48.584
- It was his faith in jesus
- 00:18:48.584 --> 00:18:50.619
- And a burning passion to see revival in america.
- 00:18:50.619 --> 00:18:54.489
- More from the hulkster after the break.
- 00:18:54.489 --> 00:18:57.159
- Don't move.
- 00:18:57.159 --> 00:19:02.999
- Don't move.
- 00:19:02.999 --> 00:19:05.834
- Welcome back to stakelbeck tonight.
- 00:19:06.568 --> 00:19:08.437
- Before he ever stepped into the ring,
- 00:19:08.437 --> 00:19:10.372
- Hulk hogan was already larger than life.
- 00:19:10.372 --> 00:19:12.841
- But in his final chapter,
- 00:19:12.841 --> 00:19:14.776
- It wasn't a spot
- 00:19:14.776 --> 00:19:15.811
- Light or championship belts that mattered most.
- 00:19:15.811 --> 00:19:18.480
- It was his faith and a deep desire to see revival
- 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:22.117
- Sweep across this nation. take a look.
- 00:19:22.117 --> 00:19:26.355
- Talk about why this has been.
- 00:19:26.989 --> 00:19:28.624
- This nation, the united states of america,
- 00:19:28.624 --> 00:19:30.259
- Has been such a great place for you.
- 00:19:30.259 --> 00:19:31.893
- The opportunities you've had here
- 00:19:31.893 --> 00:19:33.528
- And why this is a nation worth saving.
- 00:19:33.528 --> 00:19:36.832
- Well, you know, it's the land of the free
- 00:19:36.832 --> 00:19:38.533
- And the home of the brave.
- 00:19:38.533 --> 00:19:39.534
- And i just really feel
- 00:19:39.534 --> 00:19:41.837
- That there have been so many things that have changed
- 00:19:41.837 --> 00:19:45.407
- Over the years.
- 00:19:45.407 --> 00:19:46.074
- Number one,
- 00:19:46.074 --> 00:19:47.909
- Pulling god out of the equation.
- 00:19:47.909 --> 00:19:49.911
- You know, there are so many civilizations
- 00:19:49.911 --> 00:19:52.981
- That have fallen
- 00:19:53.382 --> 00:19:54.449
- And had a demise simply because of several things.
- 00:19:54.449 --> 00:19:58.854
- You know,
- 00:19:58.854 --> 00:20:01.256
- Power ridden people,
- 00:20:01.256 --> 00:20:03.725
- The sexuality problems
- 00:20:03.725 --> 00:20:06.128
- Within, within that society.
- 00:20:06.128 --> 00:20:09.464
- And usually when, when the sexuality stuff
- 00:20:09.464 --> 00:20:12.267
- Gets confusing, it's towards the demise of that,
- 00:20:12.267 --> 00:20:16.471
- Society.
- 00:20:16.738 --> 00:20:17.906
- But i know one thing that taking god out of the equation
- 00:20:17.906 --> 00:20:21.610
- Is something that we will not survive without, you know?
- 00:20:21.610 --> 00:20:25.113
- So i really feel, you know,
- 00:20:25.113 --> 00:20:26.882
- Everything from the men that wrote the constitution
- 00:20:26.882 --> 00:20:30.819
- To the lord's prayer and school to,
- 00:20:30.819 --> 00:20:34.089
- You know, being have the religious freedom
- 00:20:34.089 --> 00:20:36.658
- To be able to worship in the church of your choice,
- 00:20:36.658 --> 00:20:39.094
- All that stuff that they were trying to take away from us.
- 00:20:39.094 --> 00:20:42.097
- It needs to be instilled back in this country, and
- 00:20:42.097 --> 00:20:46.935
- We're the world's leader.
- 00:20:47.502 --> 00:20:48.603
- I mean, everybody looks up to us as an example,
- 00:20:48.603 --> 00:20:51.840
- And i think it's time that we understand who we are
- 00:20:51.840 --> 00:20:55.277
- And take our position back in this world, and we start
- 00:20:55.277 --> 00:20:59.915
- By putting god first.
- 00:21:00.415 --> 00:21:02.217
- Everything else is just temporary, you know, everything.
- 00:21:02.217 --> 00:21:04.586
- Same the money, the ego, the physical.
- 00:21:04.586 --> 00:21:08.357
- Well, everything is just temporary.
- 00:21:08.357 --> 00:21:09.758
- And once you get that and you realize that it's
- 00:21:09.758 --> 00:21:13.528
- So important that you make other people
- 00:21:13.528 --> 00:21:15.897
- Understand that that's the only truth there is.
- 00:21:15.897 --> 00:21:17.933
- So moving forward, that's the first foremost thought on
- 00:21:17.933 --> 00:21:21.103
- My mind is to be a messenger for my lord and savior.
- 00:21:21.103 --> 00:21:25.006
- Well, okay.
- 00:21:25.340 --> 00:21:25.741
- As we close,
- 00:21:25.741 --> 00:21:27.743
- As we've been discussing throughout this time together,
- 00:21:27.743 --> 00:21:30.178
- Your profession of faith, being baptized so publicly with sky,
- 00:21:30.178 --> 00:21:34.049
- If you don't mind, we would love if the immortal hulk hogan
- 00:21:34.049 --> 00:21:37.986
- Could pray for us right now.
- 00:21:37.986 --> 00:21:39.421
- And look, you've got that john 316 shirt on you wear proudly.
- 00:21:39.421 --> 00:21:43.091
- Could you invite someone watching right now?
- 00:21:43.091 --> 00:21:45.227
- Might have been flipping through and saying on tbn
- 00:21:45.227 --> 00:21:47.362
- Christian tv, wait a minute, that's hulk hogan.
- 00:21:47.362 --> 00:21:49.097
- What's he doing there?
- 00:21:49.097 --> 00:21:50.365
- Could you right now
- 00:21:50.832 --> 00:21:51.767
- Maybe share your heart, maybe pray for us?
- 00:21:51.767 --> 00:21:54.669
- And i'd love to. that'd be great.
- 00:21:54.669 --> 00:21:56.972
- In jesus name, i pray for all the viewers out there
- 00:21:56.972 --> 00:22:00.342
- Who are health maniacs and who don't know me.
- 00:22:00.342 --> 00:22:03.545
- I hope this talk today brings everyone
- 00:22:03.545 --> 00:22:06.715
- Closer to our lord and savior and brings everyone home.
- 00:22:06.715 --> 00:22:10.285
- That is the truth.
- 00:22:10.719 --> 00:22:11.787
- That is the light.
- 00:22:11.787 --> 00:22:12.821
- That is the only way to our heavenly father.
- 00:22:12.821 --> 00:22:16.091
- Thank you god for this beautiful,
- 00:22:16.091 --> 00:22:17.926
- Beautiful day, for this beautiful talk.
- 00:22:17.926 --> 00:22:20.529
- And i pray that everyone walks in the light
- 00:22:20.529 --> 00:22:24.566
- And becomes saved by jesus christ, our lord and savior.
- 00:22:24.566 --> 00:22:28.036
- In jesus name i pray all as well, even now.
- 00:22:28.036 --> 00:22:32.340
- Amen.
- 00:22:32.340 --> 00:22:35.310
- Amazing folks.
- 00:22:35.310 --> 00:22:36.378
- Hulk hogan was a fighter to the end,
- 00:22:36.378 --> 00:22:38.480
- But his greatest victory wasn't in the ring.
- 00:22:38.480 --> 00:22:41.483
- It was how he finished his life.
- 00:22:41.483 --> 00:22:43.552
- Clear eyed, grounded, and unapologetically focused
- 00:22:43.552 --> 00:22:47.489
- On jesus.
- 00:22:47.489 --> 00:22:48.890
- In the end, he wasn't chasing titles.
- 00:22:48.890 --> 00:22:51.460
- He was pointing people to the truth of god's word.
- 00:22:51.460 --> 00:22:55.030
- He left this world with strength, with purpose,
- 00:22:55.030 --> 00:22:58.700
- And with the peace that only jesus can bring.
- 00:22:58.700 --> 00:23:01.937
- That's finishing well.
- 00:23:01.937 --> 00:23:03.638
- Speaking as one of many millions of hulkamania
- 00:23:03.638 --> 00:23:06.408
- Around the world, he will be missed.
- 00:23:06.408 --> 00:23:08.777
- May his memory be a blessing.
- 00:23:08.777 --> 00:23:11.646
- Thanks for watching god bless you and we'll see you soon.
- 00:23:11.646 --> 00:23:11.646