Hollywood Hulk Hogan Reviews

• Hogan certainly can tell some Tall Tales!

  
  By A2GBBDNZLYC4A9 on 2002-12-03
  The book starts out with a truly emotional story of a chubby Terry Bollea (Hogan), then it gets truly ridiculous. I do not mean to insult this book or the man Hulk Hogan himself, but this book has so many untrue stories and things that never happened - even a casual fan of wrestling can know that some of these things never happened. It is a definite must read for any fan of wrestling (love him or hate him), simply to chuckle at Hogan's tall tales, such as Hogan meeting a "Make a Wish" kid before he was to wrestle at Summer Slam 1992. Hogan wrestled his match, but was unable to find the kid sitting in the crowd. When he returned backstage he discovered the child had died before seeing Hogan's match; Hogan was so touched, he wrote a song about it and released it on the Hulk Rules album. Too bad the entire story is false (Hogan never even wrestled at SS92). In the book Hogan talks about steroid usage, his feud with Andre the Giant (10 years before WM3), how he got the role in Rocky 3, his match with the Rock at WMX8, beating up Ricky Choshu in Japan, the end of his WCW career, why he became a villain and much more. It is extremely enjoyable to read because of the tall tales and you can indeed finish the book in a matter of hours with the book's huge pictures and large text. The entire book should be filed under fiction or comedy.
  
  

• Maybe more stuff should have been covered, but not bad

  
  By A5IT4RLTF2WV4 on 2002-11-22
  Terry Bollea, known to most of the rest of the world as Hollywood Hulk Hogan, has had quite a 25 year career in the world of professional wrestling. Having finished his new book in one day, I know there are parts of his career he hasn't spoken of here, but most of it was not that important anyway.

  In this, he tells of how he dreamed of becoming a rock star (one of the things people don't know about Hogan is he's quite a good bass guitarist) as a boy, but changed his mind gradually as he started meeting wrestlers in the 70's, from his humble beginnings in Memphis, home to the legendary Jerry "The King" Lawler--a particularly interesting story there was how he was in Chicago on a card where Lawler and comedian Andy Kaufman were wrestling, he passed Kaufman in the hallway and said a quick hello just to be friendly. One look at the young bohemeth next to him and the extremely shy Kaufman acted like he was ready to wet himself--to his Japanese exploits where he'd became friendly with his idol, the late great Andre the Giant (known for having a large heart he called everyone boss), to his rocky roads with promoters Vince McMahon, Sr., whom he'd upset by going to do Rocky III for Sylvester Stallone, and Verne Gagne, who seemingly did everything he could to try to control Terry's career, to his road to superstardom in the WWF in the mid-1980's.

  He has some particularly interesting stories about Richard Beltzer, Mr. T, Cyndi Lauper, Christopher Lloyd, Sylvester Stallone, and of course WWF head Vince McMahon, Jr., whom he's had a rocky relationship with over the years but has finally buried the hatchet.

  But surprisingly, everyone who ever thought that Terry Bollea the person was nothing like Hulk Hogan the character should read this book, because he provides a valid explanation for just about everything I've ever heard about him that makes him seem so bad. For instance, I'd heard he wrote a song about a little boy who died of cancer in 1992 that was not about the boy but about how the boy was a Hulkamaniac who died. He provides an explanation that while the album might have seemed like an egofest (and from what I've heard of it, it certainly did from where I sat), the profits from it went to the boy's family, who were having trouble paying his medical bills. I don't know how true this is, but unless I get solid evidence that it isn't, it's good enough for me.

  One final thought: I had thought Hogan had reached his lowest in 1997 and 1998 when WCW had made him team with NBA star Dennis Rodman. He explains here that he did not actually want to, but he thought it would be good for the company. Rodman, in turn, was always late to shows and was drunk as a skunk when he finally did show up 75% of the time (if you watch Bash at the Beach 1998, that much is painfully obvious), and besides that his ring skills were not worth what they were paying him. He said he vowed never to work with Rodman again, but was forced to a year later when they made them team up again. They brought Rodman in again a year later, but Hogan (wisely) refused to work with him a third time. According to him, he hasn't heard from him since.

  Good read for wrestling fans.
  
  

• A historical review

  
  By A8S4R3CP7P9XL on 2002-11-23
  I am one of the few who disputes that it was Hogan alone who revitalized this sport. Without Vince McMahon's machine behind him, Hogan could not have acheived what he has, although McMahon's many attemtps to re-create the magic have all failed, proving that Hogan DID play SOME part in all of this. For those who follow wrestling closely and from a historical point of view (ie, research your facts, etc.) Hogan's bio leaves a lot to be desired. While much of the book was censored by the WWE, he doesn't really tell us anything insightful, and Hogan historically has a bad habit of making himself look good at the expense of others. This book is no different, with Hogan telling "little white lies" about himself and others in order to make him look better. The best book on wrestling thus far is STILL Mick "Mankind" Foley's. Unedited, uncensored, and honest in all regards of the sport, telling off those whom he doesn't like, and even bashing his boss at times. Hogan's book would be better classified as fiction, since most everything that comes out of Hogan's mouth is fiction. Unfortunately, to be published by the WWE, everything has to meet their standards, meaning if it's WWE (F), it's GOOD, and everything else is garbage. Sad, but true. Not recommended.
  
  

• Big Hogan Fan - But This Book Has Too Many Holes In It.

  
  By A1QDAARGFUOV5U on 2002-12-08
  Firstly, I like to say that Hogan is the most charismatic wrestler who has ever laced up a pair of wrestling boots. Hogan could return to wresling at 100 years old and I would purchase the pay-per-view to cheer him on (although Hogan does have a tendency to tell "tall tales".)

  Hogan's book is not bad, but it's not too good either. It talks about Hogan having an overweight problem as a child (I thought it was funny when Hogan mentioned how big his head was compared to the rest of his body), his early wrestling career, and the Hogan we all know today. I wanted to know more about Hogan's relationship with Eric Bischoff during his WCW years. Although he touched on his time with WCW, he did not give alot of details about that time in his career. I was under the impression that Hogan and Bischoff were pretty good friends. I realize the WWE & Vince McMahon are in support of this book, so it's certainly no secret why the details of Hogan's WCW years are 'watered down.' Hogan's WCW years were just as important to his career as his WWE years.

  I wished to have read an autobiography by Hogan that had no backing by the WWE or Vince McMahon, which would have revealed the 'real story' behind Hogan's relationship with both Vince McMahon and Eric Bischof.

  Maybe Terry Bollea instead of the Hogan character will write the 'true' autobiography of his career as Hulk Hogan. I hope so. Your fans deserve it!!!
  
  

• Hollywoods a Bust

  
  By on 2002-12-21
  I've read most of the wrestling books out there and this rates right at the bottom. This book wasn't written by Hogan, it was written by Hogans publicist. Hogan takes credit for creating entrance music, discovering Paul Wight (the Giant/Big Show) , and for creating the idea of merchandising T-shirts. He also takes credit for creating the NWO and bringing them to the WWE. He seems to take credit for everything good that happened in wrestling and blames others for all the negative things. He defends his use of steroids by saying "everyone did them" and "the doctor prescribed them so I thought they were good for me". He claims the doctor told him taking a glass of sugar water was more harmful than steroids. Gee, how could injecting yourself in the butt with a chemical for 10 years be bad for you? He justifies his lack of wrestling skill, basically 3 punches, boot to the head, and a leg drop on a knee injury he suffered playing high school football. Hogan lives in a different reality. He believes "No Holds Barred" was a good movie and he actually had a shot at becomming president if he didn't pull out for fear of what the reporters would do to his family. This guy wrestled everyone, but mentions maybe only 1/2 dozen wrestlers in his book. His biggest revelation is wrestlers use razor blades to cut themselves. He glosses over the hatred other wrestlers feel for him, barely mentioning jesse ventura. If you like 2 page chapters, buy this book. If you think Hulk Hogan can do no wrong and the universe revolves around him, buy this book. If your a fan of wrestling, do NOT waste your time with this narcasistic bunch of drivel.
  
  
• Not the Hulkamania you grew up with, brother!
  By A1XOT7ZIQLMZPK on 2003-03-14
  Growing up in the '80's, I loved to watch Hulk Hogan wrestle. So I was eager to read this autobiography. While it was an enjoyable read, it was not at all what I expected. The Terry Bollea who wrote this book is not at all like the "Hulk Hogan" image that became a role model for children years ago. Other amazon reviewers have already questioned how factual some of the content is, and also pointed out how Hogan presents himself in such an overly-positive light. I was disappointed with how many *negative* things he had to say about other media stars or their actions (e.g., Mr. T, Dennis Rodman, Sylvester Stallone), especially when Hogan himself was involved in some of the escapades he disapproves about with them. There are also several admissions throughout the book about how important the money of professional wrestling was to him -- and this was while he was already pulling in a six-figure annual income, and did not need to worry about finances.

  Perhaps most disturbing was the profanity in the book. Hogan laces practically every page (not an exaggeration) with four-letter words and curses, almost none of which serve any literary purpose. I don't know if previous wrestling autobiographies have been written this way (e.g., by Bill Goldberg or Mick Foley), whether Hogan wrote this way in an attempt to sound "tough," or whether he really speaks this way in real life. But the effect was to disract and demean the quality of the book, and also my impression of Hulk Hogan as a person. The *real* Hulk Hogan (away from the cameras) comes off as a swearing, cursing, money-loving, beer-drinking strong-man who alternately takes credit for most of what makes wrestling popular today and dismissing critics by saying he only did what his bosses told him to do.

  Despite these shortcomings, the book was still interesting. It gives some insight into Hulk Hogan's childhood and early career that is not often talked about. He admits that the last thing he ever expected to happen to his career was to become a role model for children, but he took that public perception seriously when it developed. Also, it's interesting to hear his take on some of his own greatest matches (e.g., against Andre the Giant, Randy Savage, and The Rock in WM III, IV, X8), as well as some other events in the recent history of wrestling. (One chapter describes the infamous John Stossel 20/20 interview, in which another wrestler -- not Hogan -- beat up the interviewer on camera. Another chapter talks about the death in the ring of Owen Hart.) It was also mildly entertaining to see Hogan address the reader (and practically anyone else who appears more than 2 times in the book) as "brother."

  All in all, this is an interesting look into the life of the most popular wrestler in history. (He wasn't the most talented, but he definitely put professional wrestling on the map, and his longevity has been incredible.) However, reader be warned: the real Hulk Hogan bears very little resemblance to the public image of the '80's.
  
  

• Awesome Bio � Brother
  By A2ASEBCEN9ZWTZ on 2004-05-27
  "Hollywood Hulk Hogan" is the autobiography or wrestling icon Hulk Hogan. The distinguishing trait I find that separates this bio from a lot of the other wrestler biographies of recent years is that it is the most "biographical" of the other bios, meaning that you not only get Hogan's wrestling career in review but also his real life story in review.

  THE BOOK

  The book will definitely appeal to wrestling fans as well as fans of Hulk Hogan. Hogan tells a very comprehensive story of his career and his life, both in wrestling and in Hollywood. Among the things you learn about are:

  - His trauma's growing up as a fat kid

  - His family background

  - How he met his wife

  - His lifelong love affair with wrestling (Dusty Rhodes was his idol)

  - His careers as a musician, dock worker and gym/bar owner

  - His time spent as a wrestling groupie

  - His breaking into the business in Florida and throughout the South

  - His friendship with Andre the Giant

  - His time in the AWA

  - Making Rocky III

  - Leading the way for the WWF in the 80's including his status as the
  most requested Make A Wish celebrity

  - The lowdown on Mr. T, John Stossel, Richard Belzer, Dennis Rodman and Jay Leno

  - His feuds with Savage and the Warrior

  - The steroid trials and his opinion on steroid use

  - Making of No Holds Barred, Mr. Nanny, Suburban Commando,
  Thunder in Paradise and his other B Movies

  - His boating accident with Ed Leslie

  - Signing with WCW

  - His problems with the New World Order

  - The story of his problems with Vince Russo

  - His knee problems

  - His rebuttal to his critiques

  - His return to the WWE

  THE COOL STUFF

  Overall, Hogan writes a very comprehensive story leaving almost no stone unturned. Not only is this a great history of the wrestling business for the past 20 years or so but it's just a fascinating story to read. Hogan comes across as a person who's just very surprised at his own success. It's pretty inspiring to see how a former fat kid who got teased growing up grew up into one of the most famous athletes in wrestling history and how someone of "limited wrestling ability" became the person who put wrestling on the pop culture map. In all if you're a wrestling fan you'll love a lot of the road stories Hogan has to share including his tales of Andre the Giant and the time of WWF's expansion in the 80's. You'll also love the stories of his work with the other celebrities like Mr. T, Dennis Rodman and Jay Leno as you'll find things weren't as chummy as they seemed on-screen. For wrestling fans you get the benefit of seeing the industry through Hogan's eyes. This is important because Hogan, for the better part of 15 years, was at the top of the industry and his a unique viewpoint of it. His thoughts on the major promoters, wrestlers and angles are just fascinating to read if you're a wrestling fan. Overall, his is just fascinating story.

  THE VERDICT

  Love him or hate him, you can't deny Hogan's influence on wrestling and pop culture and you cannot say that he's had a boring life. "Hollywood Hulk Hogan" is a fascinating memoir of one man's life in the entertainment industry and man does he have some stories to share.

  Total Pages: 343
  Total Read Time: 8 hours over three nights

  Highest Recommendation
  
  

• A Self-serving Cliff's Notes of Hogan's career
  By A21P8800ZGRGIP on 2005-03-29
  This is a huge disappointment. Being a huge fan of Hogan growing up, then realizing how out of control his ego was and watching his career more objectively, I figured that a REAL autobiography of mr. Terry Bollea would be fascinating. The man rejuvinated wrestling and, while no Ric Flair, he dominated the "sport". As you continue to read this, keep in mind I like Hogan, and wanted to like this book.
  
  It's a shame. This book was written by either Hogan's ego or a ghostwriter, not a quiet honest Terry Gene Bollea. Someone else here wrote a description of the book explaining that it was very comprehensive and left no stone unturned. With no disrespect intended, I have to scoff at this assertion. He must've been reading a different book, since the book I read was an encapsulated ego trip that I've already heard out of Hogan's mouth a hundred times before. Wanna know what this book is like? Look at the excerpt Amazon gives. It starts with something akin to "Yeah, I was the best. I did it all and gave the WWF life. Brother." Apparently Hogan the god is always on, and I hope you'll allow me to explain why this book suffers greatly from this.
  
  Filled with colloquialisms like "Lemme tell you brother", it's obvious that this book is for the more mark-ish wrestling fan who just wants to hear a little bit more of Hogan's offscreen life. And being that this book is so short, it's sinfully disappointing and banal.
  
  For example, Hogan's clean loss to the Ultimate Warrior (Jim Hellwig) in 1990 was a turning point in both their careers, and a well-planned and political decision by the WWF braintrust. Anyone who watched remembers how shocking and major this win was. It's an example of this book's trivialization and quick glossing of the facts (or maybe the author's own ego) that such an event was summarized, literally, with a statement of (and I paraphrase from memory) "So the Warrior won the title and nobody really cared. He went nowhere and was forgotten". Such an insult to the other wrestler's fans, as well as the intelligence of anyone who cared about this sport and these events, is just a single example of the literary shrugging that fills these pages. In another instance he comes of with an accusatory tale of how Bret Hart tried to edge him out of the championship bout of Wrestlemania 9, when in fact it was pretty obvious (and well-documented in any other wrestling book I've ever read) that in fact the opposite happened. Sad.
  
  Similarly to the officially licensed "Hulk Still Rules" dvd, this effort is a sad distortion of facts and inobjective love of its subject. In both, Hogan freely takes credit for not only the creation of Randy Poffo's character "The Macho Man" (which was a very successful gimmick) but also the NWO, which as anyone knows revitalized late 90's wrestling. Hogan is quick to point out how wise he was to leave the group just before it overstayed its welcome, and it's things like this that make me so upset at what an honest book this could have been. I expected to turn a page and read how Hogan invented wrestling itself.
  
  You will hear some very late and fluffy offerings of apology for his deception of using steroids, as well as some lighthearted banter about getting busted by his wife on a few things. But really, this book does little for the reader besides humanize Hulk Hogan the superhero into Hulk Hogan the nice, perfect guy.
  
  Mick Foley, who is a remarkably kind and intelligent man, has been in the wrestling business for half of the time Hogan has yet he's written two fascinating and humorous books on the subject that total more than a thousand pages. Hogan has been champion a dozen times, wrestled in all the big promotions, had feuds and friendships with the biggest names the business has ever seen, and he's been at this for around 30 years. It's a shame then that this biography, which really should have been a tome of industry legends, secrets, dirt on everyone you've ever heard of, and accounts of the most famous and numerous matches of the era, has become merely a self-serving fluff piece. This should have been the bible of wrestling information. Instead it became the only wrestling book I ever returned.
  
  I'll admit that Hogan's stories of charity work and visiting hospitalized kids was charming and not as self-serving as much of the rest of the book. And yes, you do hear some funny stories about Andre the Giant and lesser-known stuff like Hogan's days in a band. But overall, if you want the same general Hogan story then just seek out the A&E biography or buy the dvd and you'll at least get some decent Hogan classics to watch once it's all finished. Or, buy one of the more honest and less egotistical wrestler bios out there. Mick Foley's is a grand place to start.
  
  
• Say What?
  By A2SXUDYTBIM89A on 2005-08-20
  One legendary event that the Hulkster surprisingly left out of his book was when he discovered a miracle cure for cancer. Additionally, he left out the story of him walking side-by-side Jesus Christ in ancient Jerusalem. Seriously, I am a big wrestling fan and a guy who was essentially raised on Hulk Hogan during his childhood. I really wanted to like this book, but what a huge disappointment. I knew Hogan had a big ego, but after reading this book, I think his ego is bigger than the 24-inch pythons brother! If you took Hogan's words literally, you might think he was a bigger star in Rocky III than Sylvester Stallone. You were in the movie for about 10 minutes Hulkster!
  
  Unfortunately, there were dozens of inaccuracies that a casual wrestling fan could have spotted and corrected. If there was ever a wrestling personality who could potentially write the most entertaining (and non-fiction) wrestling tales in history, it would be Hulk, Ric Flair (which he thankfully did), Vince McMahon, and a few others. Hogan did an injustice to his legendary career and to his fans with this poor excuse for literature. We're not morons Hulk, open up next time and tell the truth.
  
  Mr. Nanny was a moneymaker? Get outta here!!!
  
  
• Gimme a Break!
  By A1FL8Y6QAIN6ES on 2003-01-13
  Being a longtime fan of wrestling and Hulk Hogan, I opened the cover really wanting to love this book. I didn't. This book insults the intelligence of a true wrestling fan (or any reader for that matter). At points there seems to be some honesty or sincerity but those points soon get turned into long tales. Hulk Hogan appears to try to take credit for everything from the idea of selling merchandise, to carrying wrestling on his shoulders alone, to being responsible for the purchase of WCW. The Hulkster doesn't need his fans to sing his praises... He does that himself!
  
  
• Hogan is a flogan!(A bogus Hogan).
  By on 2005-10-07
  I started reading half of this crap before falling asleep.Hogan has way too many lies in his story and his description of the book is only his version.The dude is a cocky,overbearing,tall,jacked up fruitcake who is too too old to wrestle.If youre looking for a book with accurate truths look to Bret Harts book.You might not get tired for the first 5 minutes.
  
  
• Good Light Reading But Some Half Truths Indeed
  By A2HWD9PTM7RBXN on 2003-02-01
  The bio of wrestler Hulk Hogan was undoubtedly a good easy read. The Hulkster definitely presents himself in an overly positive light where he could do no wrong and revolutionized the industry from many aspects. I doubt that it was totally Hulk's idea to form the NWO as well as that he brought the Undertaker into the WWE. Nonetheless, the stories about Andre The Giant were indeed both heartfelt and amusing. Andre never weighed more than 500 lbs. Certainly not the 700 Hogan exaggerates.

  The book is fairly well-balanced between Hulk's appearances in movies, wrestling, childhood stories, wife stories, intimate details about some wrestlers, and publicity stunts. He admits his own vulnerability with helecopters and his general wrestling abilities. His charisma certainly overshadowed his general ability to perform high risk maneuvers in the ring.

  In conclusion, its good to get Hulk Hogan's perspective on the wrestling scene. He undoubtedly was a major force in revolutionizing this form of sports entertainment and his views are duly noted. However there are numerous anecdotes where Hogan runs off at the mouth too much. However, its all worth an amusing chuckle especially when the reader can distinguish between fact and fiction.
  
  

• Hulkamania's running sorta wild, but not really....
  By A2B0RF7VAFDOFY on 2003-06-26
  This was an entertaining book, sure, but it really doesn't tell the reader all that much about Hulk Hogan or the Wrestling industry that you couldn't find elsewhere. Hogan seems to tell a great anecdote, but skimps on details. Rowdy Roddy Piper is only mentioned once, although the Hogan-Piper feud was HUGE back in the day. Macho Man Randy Savage is written off as a "Horse's bum," but never does "the Hulkster" explain why he felt that way. Other wrestling icons who helped get Hogan over with the people don't even get mentioned. The book is random, unfocused, and short changes all the people who helped make Hulk Hogan into the legendary performer he is today. It's like a bunch of unconnected incidents put into Hulkalogical order and printed with BIG pictures.
  
  
• Hulk Hogan re-writes history, brother.
  By AXAV495VGHXG1 on 2006-04-02
  What a life Hulk Hogan has had and you can read all about it in this book. The book starts off with Hulk Hogan body slamming all the dinosaurs in the world into extinction. Hulk Hogan then created fire and invented the wheel on the same day. Hogan then went on to save Jesus Christ's life and defeated the roman invaders single handidly.
  
  Hogan then went on to discover the United States of America and became their first and greatest president. He was then recruited for the First World War and won it single handidly. Hogan then went to the Berlin Olympics in Nazi Germany and won every single medal in both the male and female events. He then defeated Hitler in a no holds barred match in Berlin to win the Second World War.
  
  Hogan then started a pop band named the Beatles with his good pal John Lennon. Hogan quit the band because he thought he was carrying the other members. Hogan then defeated George Foreman in the rumble in the jungle to win his 99th world heavyweight boxing championship. Hogan then took up acting and won 10 Oscars for his various roles in the godfather, raging bull and Mr. Nanny.
  
  Hogan then decided to settle down with his wife (Marilyn Monroe) and have 26 kids. WHOA, what a book and I didn't even mention his wrestling career.
  
  
  
• Hogan haters...EAT YOUR HEART OUT
  By on 2002-11-30
  Being a Hulk-a-maniac for a long time, I instantly made my way to the book store the day this book came out. It took me two days to complete it, and I must say I could not put it down.

  I love how Hogan explains the tricks to wrestling (as if we already did not know), the story of how he "paid his dues", and his coming to being THE BABE RUTH OF WRESTLING.

  There were a lot of things that I did not know, after reading this, like that Hogan had been married for such a long time, that he was the first wrestler to have music in his entrances, and that he was the one who brought Mark Callaway (THE UNDERTAKER) to the WWF/WWE. Interesting.

  I am glad Hogan put some of the rumors aside about him being an "ego-maniac". Hogan is a reveals also in this book that he is a businessman. And a good one too. He also reveals the true story about the slimeball Vince Russo, who's writing talents belong in the pages of white trash material such as Jerry Springer, instead of high class wrestling that involves the Immortal Hulk Hogan.

  This is a great read. Of course the people who are whiners, who have always been jealous of Hogan and have always bashed him WILL think for hours of how to spit up a reason to bash him in this book, even after he tells of how some of the rumors about him are false.

  After this book, you will find yourself almost typing a letter to Hogan, wanting a second book, it is that good.

  Go get this, now.
  
  

• Best Original Screenplay
  By on 2002-12-20
  While Hulk Hogan's new book was an interesting read, his view of history is in yellow and red glasses. A few examples:

  - Andre once again is 700 lbs. when he powerslams him.

  - A downside to WCW was when Hall & Nash bring in their friends in 1999. No mention is made of Savage, Nasty Boys, Beefcake & Tenta is involved. I really wanted to hear his view on the Hogan-Beefcake main event from Starrcade 94.

  - The chapter on him holding down Booker T was a little odd, especially why he would address it if it were just an internet rumor.

  - Someone else already mentioned his make-a-wish deal at Wembley Stadium for SummerSlam 92. Who'd you wrestle Hulk?

  - No mention of bringing the Warrior in for a run in WCW in 98.

  - After Bret Hart's concussion in 99, how Bret would only work with Hogan, while Bret wrestled Goldberg and Hogan did not wrestle for around 3 months.

  - The best one to me was Hulk Hogan, industry insider calling Vinny Mac and telling him what a great idea it would be to purchase WCW.

  Overall, the book had a real easy flow, and is interesting, but unless you've lived in a shell, the stories Hogan tells will compell you to read more just to hear how over the top they are.
  
  

• Hogan is full of himself, but this was very interesting
  By A2FEGRJQNU51P9 on 2003-02-11
  After reading several reviews on this book by former wrestlers and by people in the know of the events described in this book, I was skeptical. The reviews state that Hogan embellished and flat out made up some events described in the book. While Hulk Hogan has indeed been in the forefront of the biggest movements in professional wrestling, he also takes credit for nearly every major idea that has come out of those movements (the concept of merchandising, Hulkamania, the NWO, building up certain wrestlers, etc). Just about the only thing Hogan didn't take credit for was the invention of the internet, and that's probably because Al Gore already grabbed that one.

  While there are embellishments in the autobiography, I think that it does give a pretty good picture of who Terry Bollea is. We know the impact that Hulk Hogan had on the wrestling world. He, with Vince McMahon Jr, helped bring wrestling to the mainstream of popular culture. There is not much detail in Hogan's book, but we get to see a nice overview of his life, especially when he was first starting out in the business. I knew that Brutus the Barber Beefcake was Hogan's friend, but I didn't know how far back they went. Hogan addresses controversies surrounding his career and he has a fairly interesting take on much of his life. The format of the book is short chapters on various subjects. Not too much detail, perhaps some inaccuracy, but highly entertaining.
  
  

• Just as entertaining as Hulk Hogan in the ring
  By A1DIFL0333QPEB on 2003-07-02
  I picked this book up in an airport waiting for my flight to board. I figured it was worth the $... price tag if I could kill the two hours, reading about my favorite wrestler. The larger than life superhero I knew growing up.

  As I dove into the book, I couldn't put it down. I read about 160 pages before I boarded the plane, and I just had to keep on reading until it was done. I was excited to really see what went on behind the scenes. Like the real reason he left the WWF.

  Behind all the glitz and the glamour, Hulk Hogan has a very inspirational story to tell. At one point, he had to move back in with his parents while trying to become a wrestler. After that, he was living out of a van, and spent his days lying on the beach because he didn't have a place to live. It kinds of makes you think. Most self made millionaires have a similar kind of story. They had their backs to the wall, but they pulled through and made a name for themselves. Nothing was going to stand in their way.

  Excellent book.
  
  

• HOGAN FANTASY
  By A24AWE8DGWLBFS on 2004-04-12
  This book is total Hulk Hogan fantasy land. Any Wrestling fan who saw the wwf in the 1980s will know full well that most of Hogan`s tales are fabrications and out and out lies. If there was ever any doubt about Hulk Hogan`s obsessive ego and self indulgence then this book settles it. It is nothing more than a big joke from cover to cover. Dont bother read Bobby Heenan`s instead.
  
  
• What an Ego
  By A2WM2BKNJIL1U0 on 2004-11-08
  Pro-wrestlers should really do themselves a favour and stop writing autobiographies. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy reading them and will probably keep buying them, but these guys just aren't painting a healthy picture of themselves or the wrestling profession. Hogan's book really wasn't too much of a surprise in that it is an effort in self-indulgence and major butt-kissing of a certain WWE owner. This was Hogan's opportunity to address so many of his critics and put a number of rumors to rest. But he tends to gloss-over so many events and controversies that the reader is left with no sense of insight.
  
  For instance he makes an almost casual reference to his heat with fellow NWO members Scott Hall and Kevin Nash but does not
  address what caused the heat or how they came to resolve it: "We (Hall and Nash) had been at each other's throats back in WCW, but that was water under the bridge." Vince Russo once accused Hogan of being racist toward Booker T and blames him for holding Booker T back. Hogan devotes a couple of pages refuting this but the reader is never told why he was accused of racism in the first place or how he allegedly held Booker T back. Roddy Piper and Ric Flair (two of the greatest opponents associated with Hogan's success) are barely mentioned. Nor is it mentioned the time he gave a scathing view of Billy Kidman's ability to draw (something about not being able to draw a crowd at a flea-market). Yet he writes about how he was a team player and put Kidman over. My understanding of the incident was that he drew so much heat from the young WCW talent that he HAD to put Kidman over to smooth things over. Hogan also falls short of giving any sort of meaningful account of steroid use in the locker room even though he admits to lying on national television (The Arsenio Hall Show) about his own steroid abuse.
  
  Probably the most interesting part of the book is what went on behind the scenes with regards to Mr T before Wrestlemania I.
  In a profession of overblown egos, it seems Mr. T fit in quite nicely-- and was lucky to walk away with his life. Also, the account of his work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation is a good read.
  
  Hogan makes numerous references to how every one of his movies made money, yet fails to mention that they were all crap. And
  only Hogan could get away with using the word "brother" fifty times in written form.
  
  Don't even get me started about Hogan's belief that he had a shot at being President of the United States. His good buddy Ted Turner polled 15,000 people in three states asking if they'd vote for Bill Clinton (who was ineligible to run), Hulk Hogan or Ross Perot. 70% answered Hogan so based on this he believed he could pull it off. But he gave up on the idea when it occurred to him that "I was going to have to read the paper every day so I could at least know a little bit about everything the way Jesse (Ventura) did, and that was too much work for me."
  
  Pro-wrestlers should really do themselves a favour and stop writing autobiographies.
  
  
  
• Unfortunate Fluff
  By A3I1HQNMBA1M1U on 2006-04-26
  I am a HUGE Hulk Hogan mark. He is without a doubt the "Babe Ruth of Wrestling." A couple Halloweeens ago I went to Vegas in a Hulk Hogan outfit and EVERYBODY knew who I was. The costume got a great response. No other wrestler has that recognizability.
  
  When I saw his book for $5 in the discount bin, I grabbed it.
  
  Sadly, it's pure crap. I don't know if the stories are lies or not, but it is nothing but a quick skim of his career. 90% of the stuff was common knowledge. I wanted some real insight into the business and the people he interacted with. The Andre section was great. But, the WCW years are skimmed over painfully slow. The decline years of the WWF are also skimmed over. THOSE are the interesting parts!!
  
  I wanted to hear his take on all the wrestlers he went up against, and there was nothing.
  
  Sadly, this book is a poor piece of self-promotion that was scribbled out quickly to capitalize on his great match against the Rock.
  
  
• Hulk's literary debut rules!
  By AD0ZVKP61CN44 on 2002-11-19
  Probably the most famous professional Athlete in the world today,and my childhood hero, Hulk Hogan shows us what we never knew about him or the sport of wrestling.

  It is a hard book to put down. Once the story unfolds, it gets very interesting (and wild at times!) and makes for an interesting story that begins at his childhood and ends with his match at Wrestlemania X8 with The Rock.

  But this book may only be something that wrestling fans would really enjoy- some people might find it boring, but I found it informative.

  Here's hoping Hulk decides to pen another novel within the next couple of years!
  
  

• Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea's autobiography
  By A1BHK6FFUZNKSN on 2002-12-14
  This is a great autobiograpy! Hulk tells his story and tells it so well I couldn't put the book down. If you were a fan in your childhood, it's quite an experience to relive some of those moments though the eyes of your once immortal hero, who know seems... normal. Hulk holds little back as he descibes what it took to get Wrestling to the point it is today. Getting his perspective on his greatist matches and what really went on when the cameras are off makes a convincing case that it's not all fake and the politics that never surface sometimes aren't too far fetched from the fabricated storylines they sell to the public.
  
  Although wrestling isn't a form of entertainment I can say I've enjoyed in years, I did want to find out a bit about this guy who was important to me as a kid, and this book did a great job with that.
  
  
• The Babe Ruth of Wrestleing
  By A3K929H15ZNW05 on 2003-01-04
  This is definately a book that you wont be able to put down.
  It is candid, funny and all in all a very interesting book.
  He takes you through the ins and outs of wrestling, the highs and lows of his career, the good the bad and the ugly of the sport, and the business side of wrestling.

  A definate must own!

  Hulk Hogan is definately the "Babe Ruth of Wrestling"!

  I recommend this book to all the hulkamaniacs both young and old.
  Cheers to you Hulk Hogan on a job well done.
  
  

• How much truth is in there?
  By A2BQWZJWZDMOUD on 2003-01-13
  Hulk clearly has a limited ability to think back on history and tell stories from an objective perspective. I constantly was asking myself while reading it whether I was being led up the garden path. Some of this book is interesting as a wrestling fan, but it is no Mick Foley book. The 2 or 3 page chapters are a tad annoying, it reads like a kids book.
  Hulk has difficulty in seeing beyond the mania and sees himself as the virtual creator of wrestling as we know it.
  The most disappointing aspect for me was that it did not make me like Hulk at all, his attitude towards everything is just money, money, money. It is sad that a guy earning millions for many years still acts like that. It shows the mentality of the guy and why he stiffed all the Australian fans recently by not touring over his greed for money.

  His coverage of the steriod issue was paltry, only 2 pages about why he took them, yet we get 6 page fall by fall descriptions of some of his matches.

  There are some interesting views on some of the Wrestlemania 1 personalities but it would have been good to hear more about some of the other wrestlers and less about all his dodgy tv shows and movies. He honestly thinks he is a good actor who made some great shows - come off it!

  Lastly he cannot admit to hogging the limelight and not being able to let it go, and the constant need to steal the thunder in losing title matches due to the need to "pass the torch".

  He doesn't seem much like a genuine likable person.
  
  

• The most entertaining bad book I've ever read
  By A23SFMGUM63E68 on 2003-10-06
  Simultaneously this book is both one of the most poorly told story I've ever read, and yet one of the most entertaining as well. Really, don't read this as Hogan's life story. Yeah, it is, but it reads much much better as a collection of wrestling stories that Hogan relates as if you were sitting next to him for a lazy Sunday.

  The Andre stories are priceless, and some of the AWA stuff is very interesting, and even though there's the "Hogan retelling of the truth" rumours abounding about this book, its still very readable.

  Be forwarned though, even with chapters of less than 2 pages at times, Hogan still manages to blow it and give away the punchline halfway through. You'll be shaking your head at it in amazement I'm sure, but still laugh out loud now and then as well.

  Wrestling fans will get a real kick out of the book regardless, and non fans might even enjoy it as well, but that's pretty iffy.

  Bottom line, recommended, especially for the random stories. It never seems bad in that sense of the word, even if it really is.
  
  

• Egomania runs wild
  By A200N9Y14SM4LI on 2004-02-09
  This is quite possibly the worst autobiography ever written. Hulk Hogan was great at dodging all of his perils in life and coming up with a nice Walt Disney version of his life. This book is the absolute biggest joke of a wrestling book ever written. So many of these books out there help give some credibility to professional wrestling. The wrestling business deserves respect, it deserves coverage in all the major papers despite what the elitist reporters may think and has deserved better treatment for years and years. This book urinates on that concept and discredits professional wrestling. Hulk Hogan may have been a big name in wrestling, but he is a terrible in ring worker and also the man who always most embarrasses wrestling and carries the least credibility of a wrestler.

  If you want to read a great professional wrestling autobiography read Roddy Piper's book, Dynamite Kid's sensational piece, Foley's first book, Missy Hyatt's book, Bobby Heenan's book, Lou Thesz's masterpiece, or Jesse Ventura's book. These individuals told their story and didn't sugarcoat or patronize the reader. These books are a credit to the industry. It is a shame that Hulk Hogan is Mr. Politician in no matter what he does. He was at least able to protect his enormous ego in this book which is my guess was the purpose of the book. This was just another ego tool of Mr. Terry Bollea. It worked ten fold!
  
  

• Good chronology but very white-washed...
  By A1OCFZYPNN1K4Q on 2005-04-27
  I've always been a big fan of Hogan's but this book I would only give 3 stars. The stories are great to read but the accuracy is questionable. The one thing about this book that was plainly covered up was the TRUE relationship between Hogan and Vince McMahon. Hogan blows off any "bad-blood" rumors in the book by stating that him and Vince worked out there problems but I would have to take a venture and say that Hogan came back begging Vince for his job when WCW came crashing down. Also, the steroid case was detailed all wrong. If you remember when it happened, Hogan and McMahon were at each other's throats. Hogan portrays the 2 us as best buddies during the whole ordeal. I think Hogan would have told the truth if he cut all ties to the WWE but since he is still connected and the book itself is published by WWE (like we couldn't put 2 and 2 together on that one) you can expect Hogan to white wash any events that involved the organization. Good book but would have liked an independent to step in and produce the book to provide more actual events. I haven't read Rick Flair's book but I'm sure it's more of the same.
  
  
• Best read with a pinch of salt.
  By A14KGV44YCK7T5 on 2006-05-24
  According to the patrons of this site Mr. Hogan is either the greatest thing in the world of grappling, or an overrated, self congratulating fibber. Now firstly let's establish that I am not a Hogan fan. Yes he was a massive draw in the eighties and very early nineties, however like Bruno Sammartino, Ultimate Warrior and Bill Goldberg he was extremely limited in terms of actual wrestling ability.
  Now, as for the book it is actually quite a pleasant read. It doesn't appear that Hogan settled down to this in order to whine about those in the business he has a grudge with (read Ric Flair's book if that is your preferred style). Indeed Hogan talks about his early days in the business very clearly and his anecdotes are fun to read. Hogan certainly seems to have a substantial knowledge of the business and this is illustrated throughout the book.
  The negatives to be found include firstly Hogan's endless usage of the words "brother" and "dude". If this is an attempt by the ghost writer to convey the real Hulk then he has failed, as it sounds silly and contrived. Secondly Hogan's takes on various events ranges from small truth liberties to outright whoppers. Hogan clearly is of the view that his forays into the world of cinema are the biggest draws since Star Wars IV. Of course statistical and critical views show otherwise. Hogan also sings the praises of his celebrity friends in WCW, if you believed our follically-challenged author, you would believe that Jay Leno and Dennis Rodman are on a par with Kurt Angle or Chris Benoit. This is contradicted by the hostile fan reception to the celebrities and your own eyes. Whilst on the subject of WCW, I feel Hogan could have gone into greater detail over his time in the company. He could also have answered back to claims that he played Eric Bischoff and WCW management like a fiddle.
  On the whole though this book is reasonably entertaining, the tall tales actually become amusing. The inside view of pre T.V wrestling is enlightening. Hogan's view of Vince McMahon is interesting as Hogan, whilst avoiding outright criticsism, does not present it in the sickly-sweet way, almost worshipy way that other wrestlers scribblings have done.
  So if you can find a way around the untruths you will find this book a sufficient,if not overly demanding, time filler.
  
  
• Hogan Still Rules!!!
  By AY1HP5B24WKIL on 2002-11-20
  Hulk totally revolutionized the sport of pro wrestling w/ his undieing charisma and tumultuious attitude. He single handedly carved his own legend in the fabric of time. Anyone interested in this man's historic career would have a great read w/ this book.
  
  

• The Stone Cold Truth (WWE)
• Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks
• Ric Flair: To Be the Man (WWE)
• Foley is Good: And the Real World is Faker Than Wrestling
• Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story