What is wrong with WWE legend Hulk Hogan?

Everything comes at a cost, and wrestling is no exception to this. Injuries wrestlers incur over their careers are bound to create trouble for them later in their lives. The health update of WWE's Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has once again raised this issue. Terry Gene Bollea, better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is said to have been facing severe health issues these days and it has almost left him paralyzed.

The discussion over this started when former wrestler Kurt Angle in his podcast "The Kurt Angle Show" mentioned the health scare of the 69-year-old WWE star, saying that Hogan is left paralyzed after going through repetitive back surgeries because of the injuries he suffered while he was wrestling in the WWE.

What Angle said: Speaking on his podcast, Angle said: "Hogan had his surgery again. He had the nerves cut from his body. He uses a cane to walk around. I thought he was using a cane because he has pain in his back. He doesn't have any pain, he has nothing at all. He can't feel anything. So now he can't feel his legs anymore so he has to walk with a cane."

The former wrestler said that he met Hogan on the backstage of WWE's Monday Night Raw's 30th anniversary, which was aired on January 23. Hogan had made an appearance at the event, where in his usual style, he addressed the crowd. Angle said that "Hogan has to walk with a cane, which is, you know that's serious man." He went on," I really feel for Hogan. He put his heart and soul into the business and ate him up."

Is it true? While the comments of Angle on Hogan's health created an uproar among the fans, Hogan's representative in a recent update has denied the health crisis of the star. According to a report by New York Post, a Hogan's representative said that the star is "on the mend".

• He also dismissed Angle's claim saying the former Hall of Famer is "doing well and is not paralyzed" following back surgery.

Was it all a hoax? The response from Hogan's rep indicates that what Kurt Angle said was not entirely true. To assume this would also be not correct as Hogan himself has mentioned about his back in the past and the surgeries he had to go through.

The Leg Drop: Hogan's finisher "The Leg Drop" became a big worry in his career. In a career that stretched to over three decades, Hogan's popular finishing move, 'The Leg Drop', where he would run towards the rope, come back and drop his right leg onto his opponent's face/neck, has exerted undue pressure on his back. 

• Though 'The Leg Drop', pulled the crowd like nothing else, over the years, his Leg Drops started affecting his spine. In a 2019 interview with Los Angeles Times, Hogan said that the state of his back was because of the Leg Drops he delivered "over 300 times a year."
• In fact, he went on to even say in the interview that he would have "never used the Leg Drop" if he had known what it would do to him. "All the back surgeries I've had are because of that (expletive) Leg Drop. Dropping that leg for 35 years did me in," Hogan said.
• So, this does mean that there was some merit in Kurt Angle's statement when he spoke on Hogan's back even though Hogan's personal team is keeping it a secret.

Hogan a face of WWE: Ever since he made his debut in pro-wrestling, Hogan has been an household name. Much before the likes of Triple H, The Rock and Stone Cold had entered the industry, Hogan had established the platform with its creator Vince McMahon. 

• Hogan and McMahon together went on to establish World Wrestling Federation (WWF) now known as WWE, much ahead of other American wrestling promotions. Popularly known for tearing away his vest in style and throwing it away to the crowd, Hogan is deeply connected with the WWE culture. And the company knows this.
• With the recent health update of Hulk Hogan, questions are bound to be raised on WWE's health policy and measures it has adopted for the well being of the wrestlers.