PLOT: Terry Bollea became Hulk Hogan. This unfiltered documentary reveals the man behind the legend through his final interview.
REVIEW: For decades, there was no name more synonymous with Pro Wrestling than Hulk Hogan. He’s arguably the most popular wrestler of all time and is a household name. So it’s no surprise to see a Netflix documentary covering his life. What makes this unique is that it was the last thing he participated in before passing away in July of 2025. So, featuring unique interviews with the Hulkster himself and those close to him, Hulk Hogan: Real American aims to honor the late wrestler by taking a look at his entire life.
I’m a big wrestling fan, and if you are too, then you’re unlikely to learn anything new in this doc. It’s all pretty basic and mostly for casual fans or people who just want to watch a new Netflix documentary. The first episode covers Hulk’s early life and career as he tries to get into the wrestling business. There are interesting elements like how a trainer purposely broke his leg to deter him and how he powered through it all. And it’s great to see all the old footage of the wrestler before he became the character Hulk Hogan.
It’s impressive how many people appear during the interview segments with Bret Hart, Triple H, Cody Rhodes, Jake the Snake, and many more making an appearance. Hell, even Werner Herzog shows up, really putting a highlight on just how much of an impact Hogan had on pop culture, and the difference between the Hulkster and Terry Bollea.
Linda Hogan shot a ton of home videos, so there’s a lot of unique footage that has never been seen before. It’s mostly just Hulk hanging out with his family, but it’s cool to see that kind of insight. Linda is also absurdly candid, getting into intimate details we probably didn’t need. But at least she brings a bit of truth to the proceedings. Oddly enough, Hogan’s second wife gets hardly any mention, despite being with her for over a decade. It highlights the “pick and choose” aspect of the doc.
Damn near every aspect of Real American feels very surface-level and more fluff than anything. Hogan’s drug use is mentioned, but it’s mostly glossed over in a sentence or two. Episode 4 gets into some of the uglier aspects of his life, but never really veers off from publicly available information. It’s easily the meatiest aspect of the Limited Series, but also devolves into shameless propaganda. I was thankful, though, that some of the interview subjects acknowledged that Hulk’s past apologies have rung a bit hollow with his actions.
I was most excited for the section on Hogan’s Hollywood career, as I have a soft spot for films like No Holds Barred, Mr. Nanny, and Suburban Commando. They present his period in a film a bit strange, acting like he did the films while on hiatus from wrestling when he was actually still actively in the squared circle during most of the films. Though I did appreciate that we got a brief moment with Christopher Lloyd. Though it’s a shame how glossed over No Holds Barred ended up being, as it’s the best of the bad.
Hogan is famous for overindulging when he recounts past events, and nothing is more egregious than his wrestling stories. I’m sure part of it has to do with him protecting the business and speaking in kayfabe for so many years, but it’s hard not to roll your eyes when he talks about Wrestlemania 3 against Andre the Giant. Hulk always treats it like he had no idea what would happen in that ring, yet reality shows that Andre was all business and was ready to put Hogan over. This doc leans into that and treats anything Hogan says as the absolute truth, and it’s hard not to be skeptical.
Like wrestling itself, Hulk Hogan: Real American certainly has elements of truth, but it’s really just a story for entertainment purposes. Sure, there are real elements, but it’s all done through the lens of Hogan himself, who is a rather unreliable narrator. Hogan’s death has obviously changed the lens through which anyone would watch this series. Who’s to say if it would have been less of a puff piece had he still been living, but if the Mr. McMahon doc is any indication, that’s just not Netflix’s MO. I’m still a wrestling fan at heart, so I like any sort of behind-the-scenes of the business, and I’m sure others will too. Just don’t expect much more than that.
Hulk Hogan: Real American is streaming on Netflix now.