Linda Hogan - Wrestling the Hulk: My Life Against the Ropes

Wrestling the Hulk

M Y L IFE A GAINST THE R OPES

LINDA HOGAN

Contents

I AM DIGGING. T HE GROUND IS HARD. T HE DIRT IS heavy. I keep pushing forward with my shovel, digging deeper and deeper and deeper. But this is nothing new to me. Ive been digging myself out of holes my entire life, and Ive played many roles while doing it. Linda Hogan, wife of the wrestling icon Hulk Hogan. Linda Hogan, mother to Brooke and Nick Hogan. Linda Hogan, television personality. And now Linda Hogan, farmer ?

Yes, sir. I am standing in a ditch at my avocado farm in California, Sunny Girl Avocados. My newest role is a reminder of my freedom. When you endure the public and private battles I have and survive, youre lucky to be the one holding the shovel! And its not a coincidence that I am growing avocados. They have one of the thickest skins of any fruit, and early on I learned the importance of having a thick skin.

Since the divorce became final two years ago, people have often asked me when I was going to tell my side of the story. Friends, family, colleagues, and even strangers on the street would come up to me and ask what really happened. I was married to an icon, and I was fiercely loyal to him and to my children. Then, after the two decades we spent building an empire together, that empire crumbled. The family that was my life force for so long seemed to be taken away in a flash. My husband was gone. My son was in jail. My daughter lived in Miami. The ensuing divorce battle has now become Hollywood folklore.

It took a long time for me to realize that I needed to leave. Or maybe he just wanted me to leave. Either way, I knew that I had to make a decision and probably face the battle of my life.

Sure, I had access to the media to tell my story as the divorce was unfolding, but I never took advantage of it. I was dealing with Hulk Hogan, somebody with a huge ego. Somebody who doesnt like losing at anything. He shot back at me in the media when I wasnt even shooting in the first place. If you let the fire smolder, it will eventually go out , I thought. I knew that there would come a time when it would need to be discussed publicly. That time has come. That time is now.

Its the end of the day. The sun begins to set with deep gold and orange tones across the mountains. I put down my shovel and sit on a rock after an honest days work. Honest is an interesting choice of words. My husband wasnt being honest in our marriage, and it was time for me to be honest with myself. This is my story, an honest account of my life that I hope will offer others inspiration to move on in their own lives in a more positive way. I was forced to learn these lessons the hard way, but as the saying goes, Without the lows, the highs wouldnt be so incredible. Now that Ive had my hardships, I am much more grateful for the new doors God has opened for me.

I hope this book will help you learn from my mistakes and find all the joys I found once I summoned the courage to take the first step toward happiness.

Chapter One
California Dreams

T ERRY G ENE B OLLEA, AKA WRESTLER H ULK Hoganborn in Tampa, Florida, Thunderlips in Rocky III this was the guy I would end up spending my life with, I thought. After a stormy divorce from Terry that for two years served as a platform of entertainment and drama for the tabloids, our marriage was over. Ive seen myself through a lot of things, but this was something that I thought I would never have to face. In retrospect, the reality of this happening was the hardest thing I have ever had to go through in my life personally and publicly. Starting over again at fifty has been life-changing, an uphill climb, and a test of endurance. It was my choice to move on, ditch the drama, and start living again.

I needed to start my whole life over and I needed to be with my family on the West Coast for a while. California has always been my real home, but I ended up staying in Florida full-time until the divorce was settled. Another arrow in my heart. While distance from Terry wouldve been nice, I stayed strong during the two years when my divorce was tried. And when it was all over, I was finally able to spend some time in the place I loved.

California, here I come. Surfs up, bitches!

As Ive spent more time here again, I feel like the old Linda. Actually, I feel like a young Lindathe one who doesnt just live life, but lives to live life. Family has always been such an important thing to me, and my parents have set a solid example. They have stayed together through thick and thin and just celebrated their fifty-second wedding anniversary.

I N 1957, MY MOTHER, G AIL, MET MY FATHER, J OE, IN THE GRANDSTANDS of Hollywood High. My mom was in tenth grade and my dad was a senior. There was an immediate attraction between the young couple. My mom said my dad looked like James Dean. And he proved to be a rebel with a cause: to offer my mom a better life.

Dad came from a big, warm family with an older brother and a younger sister. His father was a police officer and his mother, a nurse. My paternal grandfather was German and English, and my grandmother was a full-blooded Swede. My fathers side of the family were all blonds, so obviously I look like them, but I definitely get my energetic personality from my Italian mom.

My mothers grandparents came from Italy to the United States for a better life. After my grandfather sold his share in an Italian market he owned with his brother in Michigan, they settled right in the heart of Hollywood, California, on Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue. Since my grandfather (whom I never knew) understood the grocery business well, he got a job working at Ralphs, which would eventually become a popular chain of supermarkets on the West Coast.

Just as infidelity would eventually take its toll on my marriage to Terry, it also affected my family several generations prior. My grandfather ended up having an affair with a woman who was a cashier at Ralphs. My grandmother was not only devastated but also torn. While Hollywood marriages come and go, back then if you were Catholic, it was almost unheard of to get a divorce. However, the faith that my grandmother had in my grandfather had been destroyed. It was impossible for her to save the marriage.

My grandmother got divorced and eventually landed a job at Bank of America to support her two young children. Often, my great-grandmother would watch the children during the day while my grandmother was at work. My great-grandmother was used to the old country in Italy where children had more freedom to run and play. However, this was Hollywooda whole different world. One afternoon, tragedy struck. My great-grandmother was watching my moms four-year-old sister, Linda (whom I was named after). She was playing in an alleyway where the delivery trucks would go. A delivery truck was parked nearby, and Linda played in a planter by its back bumper. The driver got in and never saw Linda. He put the truck into reverse, and accidentally ran over Linda and killed her.

This horrific accident sent the family and my mother into an even more difficult phase of their lives. My mom became a latchkey kid and attended nine schools in twelve years. When she met my father, his normal upbringing and solid family unit were a breath of fresh air. She was longing for a stable family life and was strongly drawn to him.

My mom married my dad when she was seventeen and he was nineteen, which was not unusual for that era. Almost immediately after they got married, my mom got pregnant. I was their first child, and I was born on August 24, 1959. My dad went off to serve in the army and was stationed in Texas. During the first two years of my childhood, I didnt see much of him. My parents were devoted to each other and to their new little family. They had so little financially, yet they had so much dedication in their marriage.