Hulk Hogan’s Wrestling Shop Reopens After Hogan’s Death

Hulk Hogan is gone but the show goes on

A row of flowers – mostly red and yellow – lined the walkway in an out of the way strip mall in Pigeon Forge Sunday. Above the flowers were windows filled larger than life photos of a larger-than-life man. Or maybe it was the larger-than-life man’s alter ego on display.

Hulk Hogan’s Wrestling Shop opened in Pigeon Forge not very long ago stuck between a Dollar Tree and something called Hot Tubs Etc. It shares strip mall space with museums devoted to – separately the Bible and the Dukes of Hazard. And also, a tribute to Red Skelton. 

A small but steady crowd filed through. Visitors were looking at the handful of signed memorabilia, the collection of T-shirts featuring Hogan, Trump or Andre the Giant. They perused the collection of coffee mugs, shot glasses and other bric-a-brac carrying Hogan’s visage, slogans or other luminaries from his circle. 

The walls were populated with autographed pictures or championship belts. An empty wrestling ring took up the most space. For a fee, you could climb in and get your picture, an announcer welcoming you into the ring. In one corner, a red and yellow feather boa waited. You can also pose with a faux championship belt. 

The tribute after Hogan’s death

In the days after Hogan’s death, it all seemed too small. The location. And the tribute outside. The collection of merchandise struggling to fill the large retail space, which somehow felt too big and yet not nearly enough at the same time.

However, in fairness, it appears the shop had soft launched and was building toward a grand opening event in late August. An event Hulk himself was rumored to attend. But less than 72 hours after his death, it felt like the store had its legs cut out from under it. Or suffered a massive leg drop to use a wrestling analogy – before it really had a chance to stand. 

I haven’t been a fan of Hogan’s since shortly after he rocketed to international fame. Like every 10-year-old boy I knew, my dalliance with professional wrestling began when Hogan went supernova in the culture in the middle 80s. Some stayed fans for life. I moved on to other things.

Over the next four decades I was aware of the broadest strokes of Hogan’s career, his presence. The times he managed to make an appearance in the larger culture. In the early 90s, it was “wait, Hulk Hogan is a bad guy?” And later “oh my gosh Hulk Hogan really is a bad guy.” 

But when I heard a shop full of Hogan merch and memorabilia was coming to the Smokies, I assumed it would be a massive success. Sure, I was aware of the damage Hogan did to his reputation. I was aware he’d been heavily booed at a WWE Raw event in California. But I figured in Pigeon Forge there were lesser stars like Paula Deen or Cooter from the Dukes of Hazard who found, apparently, everlasting success. And so, the weight of Hogan’s stardom would overcome the populace’s personal dislike. 

The rise of Hulkamania

I was 10 years old when Hulk transformed professional wrestling from a disjointed collection of regional territories to a national phenomenon. Suddenly, the WWF featuring Hogan as the main star was everywhere. There was a Saturday morning cartoon and an album of rock and roll covers.

Yes, I defended the WWF cover of “Land of 1,000 Dances” in public. And under our family Christmas tree, Santa left a collection of 12-inch wrestling figures. You haven’t really celebrated the birth of our Lord until you’ve used Jimmy Superfly Snuka and Big John Stud to help the Hulkster take down Nikolai Volkoff and Rowdy Roddy Piper in a living room rumble.

It is impossible to imagine if you didn’t live it just how big Hogan became. For three or four years, he was a supernova. He was everywhere … until he wasn’t. I had moved on from wrestling by the time Hogan’s star cooled. My passion for the sport waned once I learned about the kayfabe, the scripts that built the drama. The scripted nature of the sport left me feeling manipulated.

But while I lost interest, Hogan remained a superstar among the legion of fans he’d created. He was massive even after a behind the scenes power struggle led to Hogan’s departure from the WWF in 1993.

Hogan had taken the sport from regional curiosity to international acclaim. Wrestling was all the better for Hogan having elevated it. It remained a significant national presence even after the fervor had calmed from the mid-80s clamor. 

The fall of Hogan

We’re going to do this as this is part of the story. But I want to acknowledge that attitudes are changing. It seems more and more people get bristly when you talk about the recently departed in less than glowing light. This section is not meant as disrespect to the man’s memory. But rather the best way I can explain what happened. And also to come to grips with a moment that one of the biggest stars in the world is sharing real estate space in a run-down strip mall that features Cooter’s Dukes of Hazard Museum that actually outshines’ Hogan’s store.

Hogan left WWF and joined the rival WCW. In 1996, in maybe the most famous moment in wrestling history, Hogan “turned heel” and revealed himself to be the previously unknown third man in the New World Order aka the NWO. It was a shattering turn that few expected.

Hogan kept his trademark blonde handlebar mustache but added a dark five o’clock shadow beard underneath. Gone were the bright red and yellow colors, replaced by the NWO’s black. It was really just about the last time Hogan was monumentally relevant in the ring. He’d never been a great technician. His signature move was dropping one of his massive legs onto an opponent prone on the mat. But he’d gotten by on charisma and star power. The NWO move was shocking and impactful for the sport. But importantly, it robbed Hogan of some of what made him the greatest figure in the history of the sport. 

The reality show and other controversies

Eventually, Hogan’s old WWF won the power struggle, buying out the WCW and forming the WWE – which is still the predominant wrestling association in the world. Hogan made subsequent appearances with the WWE but never regained his impossibly high level of stardom again. 

Along the way there was a bad reality TV show – mimicking “The Osbournes” somewhat ironically since Ozzy died a day or two before Hulk. There was also a tape on which Hogan was caught saying incredibly racist things. Another tape was leaked in which he was in a delicate position with his best friend’s wife – apparently with the friend having given his blessing. 

Couple that with other stories of Hogan treating people badly and the Hulk’s reputation was at an all time low. But it’s hard for us on the outside to ever really have a full picture of the man.

I spoke to my friend Tim Horner – a retired professional wrestler who went by the name of White Lightning, among others – about his brief time in the WWF, which coincided with the end of Hogan’s supernova period.

“He put wrestling on the map,” Horner said, adding he’d always gotten along with Hogan who treated him well. Horner was glad Hogan had accepted Christ last year and had planned to reach out when Hogan made an appearance at the store.

Will the wrestling shop survive?

Had it been more established, I would confidently say yes. But Hogan’s death came so quickly after it opened that I’m not sure.

Can they attract shoppers without Hogan coming in to give his blessing? Can they build something more substantial? I think if it’s going to survive long term, it is going to have to become something like he was, larger than life. Hogan in his heyday was a Paul Bunyon-esque figure. He was nearly a superhero. 

When they announced a shop coming to the mountains, I thought for sure he’d warrant prime placement in one of the region’s top-notch retail developments like the Island. Or somewhere on the strip in Gatlinburg. I never imagined it would be on the undercard in a strip mall to the Tennessee Bible Museum and Ben Jones who played Cooter the mechanic, who kept the Duke’s famous orange Charger running.

The shop closed rightfully as word of Hogan’s death spread and reopened a couple of days later.

What happens now?

I don’t have a feel for it. The Red Skelton Tribune a couple of doors down is a testament to how long a famous person’s legacy can last. I’m old enough to remember when Skelton was famous. Old enough to remember – vaguely – some of his performances. But I wonder if anyone even five or 10 years younger than I remembers. So, why can’t Hogan’s whose fame remains much more at the forefront – for good and bad – of the nation. 

Can they sell enough merch or enough T-Shirts, shot glasses, coffee mugs and toys and wrestling belts – to keep the place going? I imagine that at a certain point the autographs will run out. But it’s unclear how much of that stuff was located just behind the curtains in the back, out of view of the public. 

As it sits now, of all the celebrity driven ventures in the mountains – and there are quite a few – Hogan’s shop is the most underwhelming. Some of that can be chalked up to the cruel blow of losing the star so soon after soft opening opening. I can only imagine there were appearances planned and maybe a larger merch rollout. Then it would have made the space equal to the task of shouldering his legacy. 

Maybe there were chapters to the story that will remain unwritten.

Should you go?

While I lost any obsession I had with Hogan before he left the WWF, there are some of his formerly young fans who formed an attachment 4Life, if you’ll forgive an NWO reference. We all have to grapple with who our heroes were behind the scenes or who they became. I can’t make that choice for you. If you are a Hogan fan, then I think the shop is worth your time.

There’s a life-sized – or close to it – Hogan mannequin and the ring might be fun for pictures at another time. With his death so fresh, it didn’t seem like the right time to climb in and strike a pose. I wish there was more memorabilia that could be shared with his public. A few autographs and an NWO chopper motorcycle aren’t quite enough. It needs more things that touched his life in some substantial way. A feather boa he wore for an appearance. A pair of his boots in a glass case away from the public. The things that will give the shop heft and depth and make it more than a place where you can buy a T-shirt. But maybe those things were planned. Maybe they still are. 

Hulk’s story – again for good and bad – has been written. What becomes of his legacy? That remains to be seen.

Do you plan to visit the Hulk Hogan wrestling shop? Let us know in the comments!