NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
In his last WWE appearance, Hulk Hogan, arguably the greatest wrestler in the company’s history, was booed.
By the time January 6, 2025, his last appearance, Hogan had become outwardly supportive of President Donald Trump, which discouraged some of his supporters.
“But he never expressed regret. He stayed true to who he was,” Brian Storkel, the director of Netflix’s upcoming documentary about the late wrestler, said in a recent interview with PK Press Club Digital.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Businessman Donald Trump and world champion wrestler Hulk Hogan at the Wrestlemania Vl Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on March 29, 1987. (Jeffrey Asher/Getty Images)
Hogan had completed five days of interviews with Netflix, totaling 25 hours. However, he will not have the opportunity to see the final product as he died in July at the age of 71.
Long before becoming an outspoken supporter of Trump, Hogan had been involved in some controversies in the past. But from the start, Storkel wanted to “humanize him and really get to know Terry Bollea, the person.”
“With all the subjects in my documentaries, I don’t like to see people in black and white terms. Even if someone has done bad, I don’t see it as purely good or bad. People are more complex than that, and it’s in that nuance that the story becomes interesting,” Storkel said. “You need a subject willing to go there and think and be open – and Terry was.”
Hogan began expressing support for Trump more publicly after an assassination attempt in July 2024.
“He said he had quietly supported him for a long time but felt embarrassed wearing that hat. He mentioned that the assassination attempt was what prompted him to speak out. Shortly after, he spoke publicly and received backlash,” Storkel said.
Professional entertainer and wrestler Hulk Hogan speaks during the final day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum. The final day of the RNC featured a keynote speech from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. (IMAGNE Syndication: USA TODAY)
WWE STARS REVEAL WHAT MAKES WRESTLEMANIA SO SPECIAL: ‘IT’S THE SUPER BOWL OF PRO WRESTLING’
Ironically, the last time Storkel spoke with Hogan was right after an interview with Trump for the documentary.
“I was at the White House, just outside the West Wing, on a call with Hulk Hogan, which was the strangest thing. It was like one of those surreal moments that you imagine as a kid – a made-up story that you tell people. I had just spent time with Donald Trump, something that Hulk Hogan had set up so I could interview him, and then I was standing there telling Hogan about it. He was so excited that it happened,” Storkel recalled.
“At that point, he was already in and out of the hospital after surgery, so that ended up being the last call I had with him.”
Storkel admitted that the documentary following Hogan’s death wasn’t much different from his original plans, aside from some late tributes and more time with his son, Nick. Storkel was doing interviews for the documentary at WWE headquarters in Connecticut the day Hogan died.
“There’s also a moment in the film where I say we’ll come back in a few months for another interview. He agrees and walks out of frame, and that ends up being the last time. It becomes a powerful moment because you realize there’s never a follow-up,” Storkel said.
Regardless, Storkel felt a responsibility to tell the story of the greats.
Nick Hogan and Hulk Hogan during VH1 Big in 2005 – Backstage and audience at Sony Studios in Los Angeles, California. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
“For every project, I want to be fair and accurate. Of course, I want to make the people involved feel good, but I won’t change the truth to make that happen,” Storkel said. “With Hulk, getting to know him personally made it more important to honor him properly. Yes, he was flawed and polarizing, but he was also a caring person with a great personality.
“I didn’t want his legacy to be reduced to a single label or judged solely on politics or past mistakes. My goal was to show the whole human being. No matter how people feel when they walk in, I think they will leave with a deeper understanding of who he was. I really enjoyed getting to know him and I hope audiences have the same experience through the documentary.”
