Hulk Hogan revealed in the new Netflix documentary that if he could go back and rewrite the ending of his career, he would have walked away from professional wrestling after his WrestleMania 18 match with The Rock in 2002.
The admission came during a broader reflection on Hogan’s career, his reality show, and the years of drama that followed the WrestleMania 18 moment. Hogan, who died on July 24, 2025 at age 71, gave the interviews in the months before his death.
“I Would Change Everything To End At WrestleMania 18”
Hogan was direct about what he would do differently.
“If I could reset it now that I know how exactly how it ended, I would change everything to end at WrestleMania 18.”
The statement came during a segment in which Hogan discussed the reality TV years, the divorce from Linda, the tabloid period, the Gawker lawsuit, and the other chapters of his post-WrestleMania 18 life that he said he would undo if given the chance.
Why WrestleMania 18 Meant What It Did
WrestleMania 18 in 2002 at the SkyDome in Toronto featured Hogan vs. The Rock in the most famous “icon vs. icon” matchup in WrestleMania history. Hogan was supposed to be the heel in the match as Hollywood Hogan, but the Toronto crowd spent the entire bout cheering him over The Rock, forcing both men to adjust on the fly.
Hogan addressed what that night felt like on camera.
“I realized that cheering me instead of him,” Hogan said of the crowd reaction.
The Rock won the match, but the moment effectively put Hogan back on top of wrestling and led to one more run as WWE Champion in the months that followed.
“I felt like I just slammed the giant and won the belt at Madison Square Garden,” Hogan said of the feeling coming out of the match.
Cody Rhodes, one of several people featured in the documentary, called it the greatest match of all time.
“WrestleMania 18, I will go on record. It’s the greatest WrestleMania match of all time. It’s the greatest match of all time. It’s simple. It’s the story of the old lion, the young lion.”
The Rock himself reportedly told Hogan backstage it was the greatest match he had ever had.
What Hogan Said He Should Have Done
Hogan acknowledged that he probably should have left the industry earlier than WrestleMania 18 even, but he framed the WrestleMania 18 moment as the specific point where his legacy peaked.
“I actually should have quit back about ’90,” Hogan said. “I could have really ramped up the movie stuff and the TV stuff, but instead, I kept going back again.”
Hogan said he was aware throughout his later career that the business had moved past him physically but that the pull of the work never fully left him.
“And you know, they know I’m a step slower. They know I’m on bonus time here, and I love it, and they respect that. I’m the last of a breed. If I die, I hope I die out there.”
The documentary pairs that admission with Hogan’s comments on the physical toll his finisher took on him and the regret he expressed over using the leg drop for more than 40 years when a less demanding move could have extended his career.
WrestleMania 18 took place on March 17, 2002. Hogan’s post-WM18 years included a second run with WWE after WCW folded, the move to TNA, the reality show Hogan Knows Best, the Linda Bollea divorce, the Gawker sex tape lawsuit, the racial slur controversy that got him removed from WWE, his reinstatement, and his later political appearances. The documentary is streaming now on Netflix.
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