Hulk Hogan’s Funeral Drama: Does Brooke Hogan Want Hulk to Be Buried in Spandex?

Hulk Hogan’s funeral plans spark family conflict: Brooke favors tradition; Nick wants spandex. Inside Brooke’s final words with her father.

left image by daysofthundr46, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, Center Image by Anna Hanks, Right image by Luigi Novi, licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

As tributes pour in, Hulk Hogan’s family is grappling with a far more personal and divisive decision: should the WWE icon be laid to rest in a traditional suit, or in his iconic spandex? Terry Bollea, known globally as Hulk Hogan, died of cardiac arrest at his Clearwater Beach, Florida, home on the morning of July 24.

 “There’s no world where Terry would have chosen to wear a boring suit into the afterlife,” said one close family friend (via Radar Online). Brooke Hogan, 36, reportedly supports a formal ceremony. Nick Hogan, 34, however, believes the opposite:

Brooke leans toward a more formal ceremony, the kind of dignity you give a national figure. But Nick thinks his dad would want to go out in his ring gear, just like he came in.

The question now? Who gets to decide how to dress an icon for eternity?

Brooke Hogan Broke Silence on Family Rift Before Hulk Hogan’s Death

Hulk Hogan during his appearance at WrestleMania XIX | Credits: WWE
In March 2025, Brooke Hogan finally addressed the longstanding fracture within her family. After her mother, Linda, posted an emotional video accusing the family of dysfunction, Brooke responded publicly, pinpointing issues rooted in years of emotional turmoil. She wrote on Instagram (via E!News):

I have been EXTREMELY verbally and mentally abused since childhood… Sadly, it would frequently turn physical.

Brooke explained that her decision to go no contact with both Hulk (Terry Bollea) and Linda stemmed from separate reasons. “No contact with my Mom has nothing to do with my Dad,” she clarified, adding:

And no contact with my Father has nothing to do with my Mother.

Brooke disclosed that she had tried repeatedly to repair ties, only to be met with manipulation and disrespect.

I longed for a normal family, but it never came to fruition.

She stressed that her motive now is peace:

Life is so precious. I want so much to be able to enjoy what’s important…my children and my life I have worked so hard to create and protect-and I hope everyone can give me the chance to do that without injecting any more poison into it.

Despite the rift, she said, she still loves both parents and is working through trauma in therapy.

Inside Hulk Hogan and His Daughter’s Last Conversation Before His Death

Hulk Hogan with family in reality show, Hogan Knows Best [Credit: VH1]
Brooke Hogan and her late father shared one final emotional exchange that reportedly took place two weeks before her wedding in September 2023. TMZ reports that she told her father she loved him, urged him to slow down due to health concerns, and expressed deep care. While Hulk didn’t take her advice, he did respond with an apology.

A source close to the Hogan family told Page Six:

He was very proud of her—she was his little girl. We still can’t believe he is gone.

The estrangement reportedly began when Brooke rejected attending Hulk’s wedding to Sky Daily, citing personal reasons. Despite her efforts, some through her husband, Steve Olesky, to mend fences, Hulk appeared interested in a relationship only on his terms.

Brooke later told insiders she feels at peace, grateful that she told her father “I love you,” and confident she did what she could. She learned of her father’s death from her brother Nick, who first texted her husband. Hogan had recently undergone intense spinal surgery, Daily confirmed, and he had been recovering in and out of the hospital before his sudden passing.

As readers, we must ask ourselves: Which path truly honors Terry Bollea: formal elegance or the full spandex spectacle?