EXCLUSIVE: Hulk Hogan Drug Addiction Shock — Late Wrestling Icon Was Hooked on Enough Mind-Bending Substances to Kill Him at End of Ring Career
Hulk Hogan opened up about his drug use while alive.
April 23 2026, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
In a shocking new revelation, legendary wrestler Hulk Hogan admitted he was addicted to enough fentanyl to kill him towards the end of his wrestling career.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the late 71-year-old grappler, who died in July 2025 after suffering a heart attack, opened up about his dependence on the powerful opioid during his time with Total Nonstop Action TNA Wrestling.
From Icon to Rock Bottom
Hogan confessed to a lethal fentanyl addiction during his time with TNA Wrestling.
Hogan's revelation comes in a new Netflix documentary, Hulk Hogan: Real American, which details the painful reality behind his struggle with addiction and his decline during the final years of his career.
Hogan, whose real name was Terry Gene Bollea, had signed on with TNA at the age of 58 after enduring the fallout from a devastating personal life crisis, including his 2009 divorce from first wife Linda Hogan.
At that point, Hogan said he had "hit rock bottom" financially and emotionally, needing the money to recover from the breakup.
But his return to the ring proved physically overwhelming, prompting him to rely on fentanyl to manage the pain that came with years of punishing physical demands.
The Lethal Prescription Cycle
Hogan claimed a medical expert was stunned he survived such high doses of the opioid.
"I was taking 80-milligram fentanyls, two in the morning, stuffing them under my gums here... I had two 300mg patches of fentanyl on my legs, and they gave me six 1500mg fentanyl lollipops to eat," Hogan revealed in his final interview.
Hogan also shared how his pharmacist was stunned by the amount of fentanyl he was consuming.
"'You should be dead. We have never seen a human being take this much fentanyl,'" Hogan recalled the expert telling him, adding the pain he was experiencing made even the simplest movements unbearable.
He added: "If I just twitched my finger like that, my whole back would spasm and torque."
The legendary wrestler's addiction became so severe he had to sleep in a chair due to excruciating discomfort.
Behind the 'TNA' Scenes
Eric Bischoff recalled Hogan’s struggle to get through daily shoots while heavily medicated.
Hogan's devastating physical condition was exacerbated by the personal turmoil he was facing.
Former TNA executive Eric Bischoff, who helped facilitate Hogan's contract with the organization, spoke candidly about the dark times Hogan was enduring.
"Hulk was reluctant to go, but he needed the money… your wife's divorcing you, your doctors are giving you fistfuls of pills that would kill a horse, and you're chasing it down with a quart of vodka a day," Bischoff explained in the documentary.
He admitted it was difficult to watch Hogan struggle with addiction while also fulfilling the demanding commitments of his TNA contract.
"There were times I felt really s----- about myself for making him do that," Bischoff added. "I would literally have to go to his hotel and help him get out of bed and get into the shower to get ready to go to the shoot."
Wrestling Fans React to Tragedy
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Wrestling experts noted the revelation highlights the brutal physical toll of the sport.
The revelation of Hogan's addiction to fentanyl has left many fans stunned.
One wrestling expert said, "I think people are going to be in shock. Hulk was the face of wrestling for so long, and this really opens a window into how much he was suffering behind the scenes. We never knew how much he was battling."
Fans who grew up watching Hogan in the 1980s and '90s are likely to be shaken by this new layer of the wrestling icon's legacy.
Another wrestling source added: "Hogan's struggles are a tragic reminder of the physical toll professional wrestling takes on its athletes and the dark side of fame.
"His openness about the pain he endured – and the addiction that followed – should also offer a painful but important perspective on the realities of celebrity and mental health."
