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In his final appearance for WWE, Hulk Hogan, arguably the greatest wrestler in the history of the company, was touted.
Before January 6, 2025, his final appearance, had rolled around, Hogan was outwardly endorsed by President Donald Trump, which turned off some of his supporters.
“But he never expressed regret. He stood by who he was,” said Brian Storkel, the director of Netflix’s upcoming documentary about the late wrestler, in a recent interview with Pakinomist Digital.
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Businessman Donald Trump and World Champion Wrestler Hulk Hogan at the Wrestlemania Vl Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey March 29, 1987. (Jeffrey Asher/Getty Images)
Hogan had done five days of interviews with Netflix, totaling 25 hours. However, he did not get to see the final product, as he died in July at the age of 71.
Long before he became an outspoken Trump supporter, Hogan had previously been embroiled in some controversy. But from the jump, Storkel wanted to “humanize him and really get to know Terry Bollea, the person.”
“With all the subjects in my documentaries, I don’t like to see people in black and white terms. Even if someone has done wrong, I don’t see them as pure good or evil. People are more complex than that, and that’s the nuance where the story gets interesting,” Storkel said. “You need a subject who is willing to go there, reflect and be open – and that was Terry.”
Hogan became more public with his support for Trump following an assassination attempt in July 2024.
“He said he had quietly supported him for a long time, but felt embarrassed to wear the hat. He mentioned that the assassination attempt was what pushed him to speak out. Soon after, he spoke publicly and took some backlash for it,” Storkel said.
Hulk Hogan, professional entertainer and wrestler, speaks during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum. The final day of the RNC featured a keynote speech by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. (IMAGN syndication: USA TODAY)
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Ironically, the last time Storkel chatted with Hogan was right after an interview with Trump for the documentary.
“I was in the White House, right outside the West Wing, on a call with Hulk Hogan, which was the weirdest thing. It felt like one of those surreal moments you’d imagine as a kid — a made-up story you wanted to tell people. I’d just spent time with Donald Trump, something Hulk Hogan had set up so I could interview him, and then he was so happy Ho Storgan talked about it.” recalled.
“By that time he was already in and out of the hospital after surgery, so that ended up being the last call I had with him.”
Storkel admitted that not much was different about the documentary after Hogan’s death from his original plans, outside of some late tributes and more time with his son, Nick. Storkel was doing interviews for the documentary at WWE headquarters in Connecticut the day Hogan died.
“There’s also a moment in the film where I say we’ll come back in a few months for another interview. He agrees and walks out of the frame – and it ends up being the last time. It becomes a powerful moment because you realize that follow-up never happens,” Storkel said.
But regardless of the case, Storkel felt a responsibility to tell the story of the greatest.
Nick Hogan and Hulk Hogan during VH1 Big in ’05 – Backstage and audience at Sony Studios in Los Angeles, California. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
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“With every project, I want to be fair and accurate. Of course, I want the people involved to feel good about it, but I’m not going to change the truth to make that happen,” Storkel said. “With Hulk, getting to know him personally made it more important to honor him properly. Yes, he was flawed and polarizing, but he was also a caring person with a great personality.
“I didn’t want his legacy to be reduced to a single label or judged solely on politics or past mistakes. My goal was to show the full man. Regardless of how people feel going in, I think they’ll come away with a deeper understanding of who he was. I really appreciated getting to know him, and I hope audiences get the same experience through the documentary.”
