Ric Flair Breaks Down the Pain of Losing Hulk Hogan
Ric Flair is feeling it hard today. The wrestling legend was hit with the news that his longtime buddy, Hulk Hogan, passed away at 71. Flair’s heart was heavy, and he wasn’t holding back his emotions.
Talking with TMZ Sports, Flair admitted, “Rick, first of all, I am so, so sorry. This must hit you profoundly,” adding, “More than you’ll ever know,” as he fought back tears. He recalled, “People always wanted to paint us as enemies, but we were actually very, very close friends. And we kept it up with each other on a regular basis. I just talked to Jimmy Hart yesterday and he was fine. To have this happen is just horrible,” his voice cracking as tears began to fall.
Flair said he got the news from “everybody” and admitted, “My phone won’t stop. We had magic. I mean, it wasn’t like me and Steamboat, but we had, we just had a chemistry that was, I felt like, equal to me and Steamboat, but in a different way. He was so over. I mean I went when I went there in the 90s I had never seen anything like it my life. The music started and he came down the hallway. I mean I would get him down for two minutes and we’d have it’s just unbelievable relationship.”
Flair isn’t new to the spotlight. He started out in WCW long before his WWE days in the early ’90s. Over the years, Hogan and Flair clashed in one-on-one bouts and teamed up in tag matches—most memorably at Bash at the Beach 1994. They even had plans to face off at WrestleMania VIII, though that matchup never happened.
Reflecting on the fun they shared, Flair added, “I mean and I’ll give you an idea of how much fun we had working together. If we were doing a dark match after TV, we would go and he’d say, room service, and throw me in, give me the boot, and drop the big leg on me. And we got back in the hotel for room service. I mean, that’s how much fun we had working together,” he recalled with a mix of nostalgia and sorrow.
Outside the ring, Hogan’s life took a dramatic turn when he suffered a cardiac arrest at his Clearwater, Florida home. Eyewitnesses reported seeing police and ambulances rushing to the scene, a stark reminder that even legends are not invincible.
The impact of Hogan’s life was felt far beyond the wrestling world. The larger-than-life Terry Gene Bollea was a true icon. Just last July, he energized crowds at the Republican National Convention with a rowdy, unforgettable speech in support of President Donald Trump. The president himself paid tribute on Truth Social, writing, “We lost a great friend today, the ‘Hulkster.’ Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way — Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart.” He continued, “He gave an absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention, that was one of the highlights of the entire week. He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive. To his wife, Sky, and family, we give our warmest best wishes and love. Hulk Hogan will be greatly missed!”
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