"To me, that's his legacy" – Mick Foley reacts to Hulk Hogan passing away

Hulk Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, passed away at the age of 71 on July 24 after suffering a cardiac arrest. In an interview shortly after Hogan's death, Mick Foley addressed how he thinks the WWE icon should be remembered.

Hogan was the biggest star in the wrestling business in the 1980s and 1990s. However, The Hulkster divided opinion among fans after audio emerged in 2015 of him using racist language. He also came under scrutiny for publicly endorsing Donald Trump's 2024 United States presidential campaign.

Foley told North Carolina news outlet WRAL that one of his friends in WWE worked closely with Hogan behind the scenes. The three-time WWE Champion understands why the Hall of Famer is a polarizing figure, but he believes his former co-worker's generosity should not be ignored.

"My friend said those kids from Make-A-Wish and other wish organizations, they'd go in there and they'd just be beaming, and you can't feign the type of joy that Hulk brought to those kids," Foley said. "That was real in his heart, which is why it seemed so effortless. He was great at it. He made a lot of people happy. Above and beyond what he did in the ring and for wrestling in general, he was great to those children. To me, that's his legacy. Begins there and ends there." [1:41 – 2:13]

Foley and Hogan crossed paths in TNA, WCW, and WWE, but never faced each other in a one-on-one match.

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Mick Foley's initial thoughts on Hulk Hogan's death

In the month leading up to Hulk Hogan's passing, several conflicting reports emerged about the legendary wrestler's health status.

Earlier in the interview, Mick Foley admitted he was taken aback when he heard the news about Hogan:

"Well, it was almost shock because he was one of those guys who was larger than life, and he didn't appear to age, so you never thought that the last time you saw Hulk Hogan would be the final time that you saw Hulk Hogan." [0:04 – 0:20]

Dozens of wrestlers reacted to Hogan's death, including Brutus Beefcake. The former WCW and WWE star expressed his regret that they never mended their "broken friendship."

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Please credit WRAL and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

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Edited by Danny Hart