Hulk Hogan set the pro-wrestling business alight with his electrifying presence in the 80s and 90s. Much before Dwayne The Rock Johnson found fame in Hollywood, The Hulkster experienced it, albeit in a limited quantity. While he has enjoyed tremendous highs, Hogan’s life hasn’t been devoid of some devastating lows.

One such incident took place in 2007, which almost took his son Nick from him. In his memoir, Hulk Hogan recalled the incident and noted down his initial thoughts.

Hulk Hogan brushed aside his panic to save his son, Nick

On 26th August 2007, Hulk Hogan’s then 17-year-old son Nick crashed his father’s yellow Toyota Supra after losing control of the vehicle. While the crash had little effect on Hogan’s son, it left co-passenger, 22-year-old John Graziano, critical. Hogan, who rushed to the spot, later recalled the incident in his book, My Life Outside the Ring, detailing the scene.

Nick Hogan was a professional drifter and had a Formula D competition license. He had even competed in one of their competitions in 2007.  This driving urge however didn’t transfer well to the streets. Nick Hogan already had several speeding tickets against his name before the 2007 crash. According to reports, his co-passenger wasn’t wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.

““Nick!” I yelled. I could see he was alive. He turned his head, he stuck his hand out, and gave me a thumbs-up. For a second I was relieved,” Hogan wrote in his memoir.

He said that the fear and panic overcame not just him, but even the responders. The scene of the accident brimmed with anxiety as they tried to remove Nick Hogan from the badly damaged vehicle. “The firefighters started cutting the side of the car open to try to get Nick out, and I’m still standing right there when I hear my boy screaming, “No, no, no, stop! Stop! You’re gonna cut my legs off. Dad! Just unbuckle the seatbelt. I can get out!” So I reach in and I push the button on his seat belt, and Nick just crawls right out,” he wrote.

According to Hogan, Nick had suffered severe injuries in his wrist and ribs due to the crash. He said while his son was going to be okay; it was Nick’s co-passenger for whom Hogan carried major concern. Still, in a state of panic, Hogan was able to make the right move that helped his son from suffering further injuries.

Nick eventually ended up in jail as he faced several violations for the accident. The son of the legendary wrestler earned his release from prison after accruing “good time” credit. He was released from felony probation in 2012.

Read More: Hulk Hogan Once Revealed Hilarious Idea Involving Vince McMahon and His Son to Punish Former WWE Head Writer Who Made Him Walk Out of WCW

This is not the first time that The Hulkster went above and beyond for his son. Even though Nick didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps in pro wrestling, he was partly responsible for the formation of one of pro wrestling’s most legendary stables. 

Hulk Hogan came out of his wrestling retirement for Nick Hogan

No discussion about Hulk Hogan is ever complete without mentioning the New World Order (nWo). Yet, if it wasn’t for his son, Hogan wouldn’t have been a part of- alongside Kevin Nash and Scott Hall in the legendary stable.

Hogan had retired from pro wrestling in the early 90s and was acting in ‘Thunder in Paradise’, a TV series. The WWE Hall of Famer played the role of former US Navy Seal Randolph J. “Hurricane” Spencer.

When asked why he came back from retirement, The Hulkster told popular talk show host Jay Leno that his son played a crucial part.

“…that’s one good reason,” he had mentioned. Truly it was, as it allowed the 2x WWE Hall of Famer to rediscover himself in wrestling. Hogan also went on to wrestle for many years until his retirement in 2012. The WWE icon’s affinity and love for his son become evident in the actions and decisions he has made in his life. To lose a child is not something that a parent has to go through and Hogan would have been relieved to not experience the feeling after dealing with his son’s incident firsthand.

What do you make of Hogan’s harrowing experience while dealing with his son’s incident? Let us know in the comments section below.

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