Buff Bagwell "devastated" after Hulk Hogan passes away aged 71

Hulk Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida, on July 24. In a video on his YouTube channel, former WCW star Buff Bagwell admitted the news left him "devastated."

Bagwell worked for WCW from 1991 to 2001. In 1994, Hogan joined the company as a babyface before turning heel in 1996. While the two wrestlers never went one-on-one, they crossed paths in several multi-man matches.

Paying a heartfelt tribute to his former co-worker, Bagwell told viewers that Hogan had a huge impact on the entire wrestling industry:

"I'm devastated on this. It really is a big deal, man. Anybody that didn't like pro wrestling, anybody that didn't like Hulk Hogan, if they had to pick a Mount Rushmore for pro wrestling, then Hulk Hogan would a hundred percent be one on everybody's Mount Rushmores, so that's incredible." [0:17 – 0:44]

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Hogan is widely viewed as one of the greatest wrestlers ever. The two-time WWE Hall of Famer headlined eight of the first nine WrestleMania events. He also held the WCW and WWE Championships six times each.

Buff Bagwell on Hulk Hogan's behind-the-scenes behavior

While many wrestlers had real-life issues with Hulk Hogan, Buff Bagwell only shared positive memories of his interactions with the former WCW star.

Bagwell added that Hogan often spent time with other roster members backstage before shows:

"He just always hung out with us. He did catering with us. He was always a special, close friend. He just died way too young, man. 71 is just way, way too young. I threw that 71 out. I think it's correct, but I don't care if it's 70 or 72 or 73. It's too young. My father passed away at 79, and that was almost too young nowadays, man. If you don't see 80, I think it's too young." [7:33 – 8:08]

Several wrestling legends reacted to Hogan's death, including Mick Foley. The WWE Hall of Famer gave his honest thoughts on how The Hulkster should be remembered.

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

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart