Hulk Hogan has shrunk over the past few years as fans may not even recognise the iconic Hulk Hogan out on the street anymore.
“The Immortal” Hulk Hogan is one of the most recognisable professional wrestlers of all time. His iconic look of the red and yellow bandana, bright blonde moustache and towering figure has become the definition of “wrestling” for so many fans over the year. Standing at 6 feet 7 and weighing at 300 lbs, few have the incredible height and weight that Hulk Hogan possess.
Towering over the vast majority of pro-wrestlers, Hulk Hogan is one of the most impressive look wrestlers ever. His height was a big reason that he got so far in the business during his incredible career, being a larger-than-life character inside the body of a Greek God. He was also literally larger-than-life, being taller than 99% of the world and with his 24 inch pythons that nobody could compete with.
However, over the course of his career Hulk Hogan has shrunk. When he wrestled his first match with the WWE he was 6’7″ and was one of the tallest men on the roster. Now, he has shrunk at least 3 inches (if not more) and stands at a paltry (yet still impressive compared to the non-wrestling world) 6’4″.
When appearing on HDNet’s The Voice Versus, Hulk Hogan revealed that his mother would measure him regularly throughout his life, even deep into his wrestling career. She had somewhat an obsession with heights and it was something that The Hulkster let her indulge in during his life. He recalled that when Hulk Hogan started wrestling, she measured him at 6 foot 7 but by the time his father had passed away, he was 6 foot 4 inches.
One thing that my mother used to love to do was measure people…. when I first started wrestling, and when I started working out with Hiro Matsuda, she measured me on the wall barefooted and I was six foot seven.”
Hulk Hogan Shrunk Three Inches Due To Injuries
Hulk Hogan shrank due to a lifetime of wrestling compressing his spine and causing various injuries, as well as natural shrinkage during old age that occurs with many people. His finishing move for the bulk of his peak run was the Atomic Leg Drop, a move in which he bounced off the ropes, jumped as high in the air as he could and dropped his legs across the chest of his opponent as he lay in the ring.
Years of the leg drop, sometimes wrestling 8 times a week (twice on Sunday) led to a compression of his spine which caused untold problems, as well as a host of other injuries that are commonplace in professional wrestling. He has since admitted to regretting using the leg drop in the WWE, wishing he’d kept his Axe Bomber finisher that he got over as a finisher in Japan.
In the years since his last match and retirement, Hulk Hogan’s health has gone downhill fast and he has undergone a multitude of surgeries. He has had at least 10 back surgeries, and could even be more, caused by his years of using the leg drop with him shrinking being just one symptom of his issues. The WWE Hall of Famer claimed in that he had 23 surgeries altogether, including back, hips, knees and more.
Appearing on the Two Man Power Trip podcast, Hulk Hogan said when asked about wrestling one more match;
“No, no, no, no, no. In the last 10 years, I’ve had 23 surgeries, 10 back surgeries, both hips, both knees—forget it. If I was healthy, shoot—yeah, man, all day long.”
The former WWE Champion has been seen over the last year walking with a cane, showing how much he is struggling with his various ailments. However, some days are better than others as he was seen to walk fine when appearing on the Raw XXX episode in 2023, indicating that his various surgeries are going some way to making Hulk Hogan’s quality of life better as he enters the latter stage of his life.
Hulk Hogan’s Height Will Never Be The Same
You could always see just how tall Hulk Hogan was in the ring. While many wrestlers lie about their height to seem larger-than-life, The Hulkster never needed that. He was larger than life.
With the colourful clothes, bandana and bleach blond moustache he stood out in any crown and Hulk Hogan’s height added to the noteworthy look. You could tell how giant he was standing next to Andre The Giant in their Wrestlemania 3 match.
In that match it was not just the height but also the height that became important. Andre was said to be over 400lb at the time, being held in a 7 foot tall frame. Hogan was almost as tall as the giant at the time but significantly smaller weight wise.
He had to conjure up all his strength to life Andre in the main event of Wrestlemania. Hulk Hogan managed to slam the Frenchman but tore multiple muscles in his back along the way, although that is disputed as one of Hulk Hogan’s many lies.
How Tall Is Hulk Hogan?
Hulk Hogan is six foot four inches tall. He once stood at six foot seven inches but lost at least three inches in height due to the injuries suffered on his back and spine from years of pro-wrestling.
The former WWE Champion has had many back issues over the years due to his use of the leg drop. He has said many times that he wishes he’d kept the Axe Bomber as his finisher, even though the immense success that the leg drop bought him was more than anybody could ever imagine.
You can see when he stands next to other wrestlers how much of his height he has lost. At Wrestlemania XXX, Hulk Hogan stood next to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin inside the ring. Austin has been reported to be six feet and one inch in height. While Hogan is taller than him, he does look to be around three inches taller, making Hulk Hogan’s height around six foot four as previously reported.
