From Publishers Weekly
If the career of any single individual could serve as a microcosm of the changes in the "sport" of wrestling over the past 40 years, it would have to be that of Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea in real life). His autobiography is an honest, albeit incomplete, look at the many phases in Hogan's career that will be fascinating only to Hogan's many fans. Hogan covers all the key moments in his long career: his early incarnation in the late 1970s as "Super Destroyer"; the birth of the good-guy Hulk Hogan persona; joining forces with Vince McMahon Jr. in the hugely popular WrestleMania events of the 1980s; his admission in the early 1990s of his steroid use; and his current reincarnation as a good guy with McMahon's sleeker World Wrestling Entertainment. To their credit, Hogan and co-writer Friedman do provide some glimpses of the often seedy world of "professional" wrestling (fights are staged and scripted; wrestlers often cut themselves to produce bloody wounds), but it isn't anything that everyone doesn't already know. While Hogan has come out against what he calls "Jerry Springer tits-and-ass style wrestling," he never explains why he has spent the last few years reviving his career with the man who invented, and continues to actively promote, that very same style-Vince McMahon Jr. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
It's the plain truth, brother--Hollywood Hulk Hogan went from a fat, wrestling-obsessed schoolboy to a wealthy, wrestling-obsessed grown man. And it's as plain as back surgery after a body slam that Hulkamania has made its mark on wrestling history. Hulk and his producers seem to have had younger listeners in mind in this breathless telling of Terry Bollea's life as truly foul language and explicit details of violence are skimmed over. Hogan does cop to the entertainment aspect of the matches, after learning the hard, bone-breaking way of the tough gyms. But brother, if you've ever wanted to hear a fun, sanitized view of the wrestling world, give the Hulkster a listen. D.J.B. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Book Description
You think you know Hollywood Hulk Hogan™? Brother, you don't know squat about me. Yeah, I'm the towering red-and-yellow warrior who revolutionized the wrestling business, the larger-than-life superhero who transformed an entire country into a horde of Hulkamaniacs. I'm the guy who spit blood and breathed fire to help create an empire called World Wrestling Entertainment™. But it wasn't always like that. Once I was a fat kid named Terry Bollea watching legends like Dusty Rhodes and Superstar Billy Graham, never dreaming I'd be a professional wrestler myself one day. Run with me on the streets of Tampa, where a bass guitar became my salvation. Fight alongside me in the wrestling arenas of Japan, where opponents try to bite your fingers off to make a name for themselves. Slide into the ring with me against 700-pound Andre the Giant, who only became my best friend after he found out he couldn't beat me down. Then cruise L.A. with me and Sylvester Stallone on the heels of Rocky III. Learn why Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura hates my guts. Go head-to-head with Dennis Rodman in a hard-liquor drinking contest, and share a dressing room with Liberace. Find out what makes me cry like a baby, what makes my blood boil, what I think of Jesus Christ, and what scares the living hell out of me. Then tell me you know the man called Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Join the Babe Ruth of wrestling on a gritty, no-holds-barred odyssey from his start in the barbaric wrestling arenas of the seventies through the heartbreak of potentially career-ending surgery to the achievement of his greatest triumph yet. Along the way, lock up with the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Andy Kaufman, Dolly Parton, Mr. T, Ted Turner, George Foreman, Jay Leno, Undertaker, Triple H, The Rock...and of course, Vince McMahon, head of World Wrestling Entertainment™. They're all in here, waiting to show you what they've got. Hollywood Hulk Hogan™. It's the real deal, brother.


Download Description
"You think you know Hollywood Hulk Hogan (TM)? Brother, you don't know squat about me. Yeah, I'm the towering red-and-yellow warrior who revolutionized the wrestling business, the larger-than-life superhero who transformed an entire country into a horde of Hulkamaniacs. I'm the guy who spit blood and breathed fire to help create an empire called World Wrestling EntertainmentT. But it wasn't always like that. Once I was a fat kid named Terry Bollea watching legends like Dusty Rhodes and Superstar Billy Graham, never dreaming I'd be a professional wrestler myself one day. Run with me on the streets of Tampa, where a bass guitar became my salvation. Fight alongside me in the wrestling arenas of Japan, where opponents try to bite your fingers off to make a name for themselves. Slide into the ring with me against 700-pound Andre the Giant, who only became my best friend after he found out he couldn't beat me down. Then cruise L.A. with me and Sylvester Stallone on the heels of Rocky III. Learn why Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura hates my guts. Go head-to-head with Dennis Rodman in a hard-liquor drinking contest, and share a dressing room with Liberace. Find out what makes me cry like a baby, what makes my blood boil, what I think of Jesus Christ, and what scares the living hell out of me. Then tell me you know the man called Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Join the Babe Ruth of wrestling on a gritty, no-holds-barred odyssey from his start in the barbaric wrestling arenas of the seventies through the heartbreak of potentially career-ending surgery to the achievement of his greatest triumph yet. Along the way, lock up with the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Andy Kaufman, Dolly Parton, Mr. T, Ted Turner, George Foreman, Jay Leno, Undertaker, Triple H, The Rock...and of course, Vince McMahon, head of World Wrestling Entertainment (TM). They're all in here, waiting to show you what they've got. Hollywood Hulk Hogan (TM). It's the real deal, brother. "


About the Author
Michael Jan Friedman is a New York Times bestselling author who has also written for television, radio and comic books. He lives on Long Island with his wife and two sons. This is his fiftieth book.

FROM OUR EDITORS

In the rough-and-tumble world of wrestling, superstars come and go, but Hollywood Hulk Hogan has been a fan favorite ever since his 1978 World Wrestling Federation debut. Good guy or villain, the Hulkster has captured the imagination of audiences from Boise to Beirut for more than two decades. This biography/tribute to the big-muscled battler includes an eight-page color insert.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Hollywood Hulk Hogan has achieved the unthinkable; icon status in a league full of superstars. Hogan debuted in the World Wrestling Federation in 1978. A little over half a decade later, Hulkamania was born and Hogan became a household name. Now listeners can learn the details behind his early days in wrestling and his triumphant return to the Federation in 2002. The star of the early Wrestlemanias and a seasoned actor featured in such hits as Gremlins II, Hogan has won seven Federation World titles. His return to the ring has sent fans clamoring to hear his story in his own words—and now they can.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

If the career of any single individual could serve as a microcosm of the changes in the "sport" of wrestling over the past 40 years, it would have to be that of Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea in real life). His autobiography is an honest, albeit incomplete, look at the many phases in Hogan's career that will be fascinating only to Hogan's many fans. Hogan covers all the key moments in his long career: his early incarnation in the late 1970s as "Super Destroyer"; the birth of the good-guy Hulk Hogan persona; joining forces with Vince McMahon Jr. in the hugely popular WrestleMania events of the 1980s; his admission in the early 1990s of his steroid use; and his current reincarnation as a good guy with McMahon's sleeker World Wrestling Entertainment. To their credit, Hogan and co-writer Friedman do provide some glimpses of the often seedy world of "professional" wrestling (fights are staged and scripted; wrestlers often cut themselves to produce bloody wounds), but it isn't anything that everyone doesn't already know. While Hogan has come out against what he calls "Jerry Springer tits-and-ass style wrestling," he never explains why he has spent the last few years reviving his career with the man who invented, and continues to actively promote, that very same style-Vince McMahon Jr. (Nov.) Forecast: This will be an appealing read for Hogan's still-sizable fan base, and sales should be helped by promotion on the publisher's popular cable TV wrestling shows.

AudioFile