Hulk Hogan contemplated suicide after his split from ex-wife Linda Hogan.
In the late athlete’s final interview before his death last year, which appeared in Netflix’s “Hulk Hogan: Real American” documentary Wednesday, he detailed his post-divorce “rock bottom.”
The professional wrestler, who died of a heart attack at 71, said he became “broke” after giving his former spouse “70 percent” of his money to “get rid of her.”
When the “Hogan Knows Best” alum was left with “no money,” he made a viral quip to Rolling Stone about “taking the high road” and not “do[ing] the O.J. Simpson thing,” referencing the NFL player allegedly killing wife Nicole Brown Simpson.
Following backlash from the headline-making statement, Hulk remembered, “I went home and I started drinking and, you know, started eating pills. I just went down this rabbit hole for a couple days.
“The next thing I know, I’m sitting in front of my bathroom with a gun in my mouth and not knowing what I was doing,” Hulk continued.
He went on to call the breakup “very tough” and credited TNA (Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) with “saving” him financially.
His friend Eric Bischoff characterized this period as the “darkest, most devastating” part of Hulk’s life.
“He was down, and he was hurting,” Hulk’s fellow WWE Hall of Famer, 70, said.
Linda, 66, also appeared in the documentary and opened up to viewers about how much she “still care[s]” about her ex-husband despite their falling out.
“It doesn’t go away,” she said of her feelings for Hulk. “I wish things would’ve turned out differently for us. But then when he got sick [with leukemia], I realized that my love never faded for him.”
She insisted, “I still had love for him. I really do. I still love him.”
Elsewhere in the doc, Linda shared a raunchy story about her and Hulk’s first date, claiming he went into the bathroom in his apartment for “the longest time” before emerging “completely naked.”
The former couple was married from 1983 to 2009, welcoming daughter Brooke, 37, and son Nick, 35, during their time together.
Brooke is currently estranged from her family members and did not participate in the project.
Her brother, however, appeared in the doc as he helped care for his dad at the end of his life.
The project also covered Hulk’s staggering fentanyl use, his WWE firing, his “rough” childhood and more.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
