Hulk Hogan: Real American is available to stream via Netflix subscription, and the docuseries pulls back the curtain (or ring apron) on the man who embodied that larger-than-life wrestler persona for so many years. While many of the big events covered from the Hulkster's life are already publicly known, the docuseries lets the late WWE superstar speak on all of it from a more recent headspace, including the regrets he has tied to his most iconic move, the leg drop.
While discussing the litany of surgeries and procedures he's had over the years, Hulk Hogan was asked if he would change anything he did in his career or do the same thing all over again. After a beat, I was surprised the wrestler said he would've chosen a different finisher than the leg drop, and discussed the origins of the move as well as how it slowly changed his life:
I would change one thing. I started dropping the leg when I was in Japan. My arms used to be huge, so why would you jump up and drop the leg on your tailbone for forty-plus years when you could use the sleeper hold and not take any bumps?
As far as finishing moves go, the leg drop hasn't ever really looked all that devastating for those who fall victim to it. But now it's quite clear that the real damage was done to Hogan himself. The long-term impact of landing on his tailbone with the full weight of his body for decades on end altered his spine to the point where he required a variety of surgeries and rehabs to try to alleviate the pain.
Article continues belowWrestling fans have heard a lot of rumors about Hulk Hogan's back and neck issues, with reports noting that he had zero feeling in his lower body following the more recent surgeries. It all goes back to the leg drop, and the wrestler opined about what his golden years might've been like had he not embraced the move long term:
I kind of, like, kept rolling, you know? But I wouldn't have been like this now. I would've been a normal 70-year-old guy where I could walk around and wouldn't be limping...You're supposed to get three epidurals a year. I was getting three a week.
I totally understand the health reasons Hulk wishes he could take it all back, and his vulnerability in admitting it surprised me. It felt like he was outwardly saying he made a huge mistake in making the leg drop his signature move, which may speak to how greatly his surgeries impacted his quality of life.
Those surgeries followed the wrestler up to his death, after it was revealed that the family was investigating a potential medical malpractice lawsuit. Fox13 reported the family said Hulk's phrenic nerve was severed during a recent surgery. Hogan's official cause of death was ruled to be a heart attack, which he suffered while in his home in Clearwater, Florida.
Though he remained a controversial figure in his last decade, Hulk Hogan's death was mourned by many. The WWE recently paid homage to him with a statue on display at WrestleMania 42, acknowledging the big business he did for the organization during his prime. One has to imagine how things might've been different, had he used a sleeper hold instead of a leg drop all those years ago.
Watch Hulk Hogan: Real American on Netflix, and WWE programming and PLEs as the 2026 TV schedule rolls on. After WrestleMania 42, it seems like the field is wide open for a lot of exciting things to happen, so let's see what the company cooks up.
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