Terry Gene Bollea, known to his millions of fans as Hulk Hogan, represented the zeitgeist of an era: pure, unabashed self-confidence and red-blooded American patriotism. He stood on the line that demarcated the older, more pure spirit of National devotion from its modern variety, with its hesitant second-guessing and its liberal concern for third parties and irrelevant externalities. To Hulk, life was simple. God, family, and country were plain truths that should be celebrated and damn anyone who wouldn’t go along with these facts. He fought his opponents not with the “facts and logic” of the insipid modern podcaster, but with a more ancient, deadly force.
To many Americans, Hulk Hogan’s testosterone-fueled love of Country symbolized the idea that a Fox News appearance is not the correct solution to every problem. When Americans solve problems through the lens of modern liberalism, they ignore our own National Interest to benefit other parties, which harms our national wellbeing. Yes, there is a time and place for a win-win solution. But when America is taken advantage of, we must advance our own interests and let the consequences be damned. When Hulk took the political arena by storm in the last few years, Hulkamania became as much of a political philosophy as it was a wrestling fandom.
The tremendous applause and roaring audiences that met Hulk’s appearances on the 2024 campaign trail reflect the mass appeal for America First thinking. With endless legal and illegal immigration, futile foreign wars, and an exponential national debt, Hulkamanian politics means discarding liberalism as a viable solution to America’s woes. When Hulk tore off his shirt at the 2024 Republican National Convention and screamed, “enough was enough – let Trumpamania run wild, brother!” it was more than a political slogan. That moment was a national call for a primal patriotism that rejects the consequences of the failed liberal order. Hulkamania, after all, may solve America’s problems.
The New York Young Republican Club sends our condolences to the family of Hulk Hogan, his millions of fans, and all Real Americans mourning his loss. RIP, brother.