Hulk Hogan has opened up about his long-hidden struggles with substance use in a new Netflix documentary released this week.
The four-part series, titled “Hulk Hogan: Real American,” features candid reflections from the wrestling icon recorded just months before his death in July 2025 at age 71. In the documentary, Hogan acknowledges that the disciplined athlete image he projected for years did not reflect his private reality.
“Over the years, I have used drugs, alcohol, and anabolic steroids,” Hogan said in the film, contradicting his past public denials. The revelation comes amid growing scrutiny of performance-enhancing drug use in professional wrestling during the 1980s and 1990s.
One particularly striking moment highlighted in the documentary is a 1991 appearance on the Arsenio Hall talk show, where Hogan firmly denied ever taking steroids. “The newspapers have written the untruth. I have always been strong. I have never taken steroids. Millions of children believe in me, and it makes me sad that now a dark cloud hangs over everything I believe in,” he stated at the time.
Looking back, Hogan admitted in the documentary: “Of course I lied to them. It was all a lie.”
The documentary draws from approximately 25 hours of interviews conducted over five days by director Bryan Storkel. It presents a nuanced portrait of Terry Bollea, the man behind the Hulk Hogan persona, exploring not only his substance use but also his health challenges, political connections, and personal controversies.
Footage in the series shows Hogan’s physical decline in later years, including clips where his son Nick assists him with basic tasks like opening water bottles due to weakened hand strength. “Keeps me humble, keeps me very grateful,” Hogan remarked in one clip reflecting on his condition.
Released globally on April 22, 2026, “Hulk Hogan: Real American” is now available exclusively to Netflix subscribers. The series arrives as part of a broader cultural reckoning with the legacy of wrestling’s biggest stars and the personal costs behind their public fame.
