Terry Bollea, the man the world knew as Hulk Hogan, didn't just leave behind a legacy of leg drops and "Real American" anthems. When he passed away on July 24, 2025, at the age of 71, he left a legal trail that was just as loud and complicated as his time in the ring. People expected a massive fortune to be up for grabs. Instead, what they found was a carefully sliced-up estate that left a lot of folks scratching their heads.
The Hulk Hogan will became public record in late 2025, and it didn't look like what the tabloids predicted.
The $5 Million Shock and Where the Money Went
If you grew up watching the Hulkster, you probably thought he was sitting on a hundred million bucks. Between the massive Gawker settlement and decades of merchandising, the math seemed simple. But when Nick Hogan filed the probate paperwork in Pinellas County, Florida, the "probate estate" was valued at just about $5 million.
Wait. Only five?
Actually, $4 million of that wasn't even cash in a bank. It was the valuation of his Right of Publicity. Basically, the value of the name "Hulk Hogan" and his likeness. The rest of the probate assets included roughly $200,000 in cryptocurrency and about $800,000 in personal property and intellectual assets.
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Honestly, the "real" money—like his $11 million Clearwater mansion and various business interests like Real American Beer—is almost certainly tucked away in private trusts or LLCs. That’s a classic celebrity move. It keeps the big numbers out of the public eye and keeps the tax man at bay. But what's in the actual will tells the real story of the Bollea family dynamics.
Why Brooke Hogan Was Left Out
The headline everyone jumped on was that Brooke Hogan, Hulk’s daughter and co-star of Hogan Knows Best, was nowhere to be found in the beneficiary list. It sounds cold. It sounds like a final act of wrestling-style betrayal.
But it’s more nuanced than that.
Brooke actually asked to be taken out. Sources close to the family, including her husband Steven Oleksy, have pointed out that the relationship had been "tumultuous" for a long time. Brooke spent years acting as her father's caregiver, coordinating surgeries and taking doctor’s notes. But she reportedly grew tired of the "inner circle" surrounding him. In 2023, she reached out to her dad’s financial team and requested to be removed from the Hulk Hogan will entirely.
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She wanted to avoid the "legal brawl" she saw coming. She didn't want the drama.
Hogan respected that wish in the final version of his will, signed in July 2023. While she isn't an heir to the estate assets, it’s been reported that Hulk did set up a life insurance trust for her. That way, she gets a payout without having to argue with lawyers or her brother over the "Hulk Hogan" brand.
Nick Hogan: The Sole Beneficiary
Nick Bollea emerged as the big winner. He’s the sole beneficiary of the probate estate. He also moved quickly to be named the co-personal representative of the estate alongside Terry McCoy, Hulk’s long-time financial advisor.
Why the rush? It wasn't just about the money.
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Nick needed legal standing to keep fighting old battles. Specifically, he’s been trying to block the release of his father’s infamous sex tape and other "unauthorized" footage held by Bubba the Love Sponge. By controlling the estate, Nick controls the copyrights. If you own the Hulk Hogan will assets, you own the right to sue anyone trying to tarnish the brand.
The Widow and the Malpractice Mystery
Then there’s Sky Daily, Hulk’s third wife. They were only married for about two years before he died. In the will, she is listed as the "surviving spouse," but not a primary beneficiary of the $5 million probate pot.
Under Florida law, a spouse usually has a right to 30% of the "elective estate," but Sky seems to be focusing on a different payday. In early 2026, the estate filed a petition to extend the statute of limitations for a medical malpractice lawsuit.
The family is looking into the care Hulk received at Tampa General and Morton Plant hospitals, specifically around a neck surgery he had in May 2025. They’re investigating whether that surgery led to the "acute myocardial infarction" (heart attack) that killed him.
Lessons From the Hulkster’s Final Bell
Estate planning for celebrities is a mess, but the Bollea situation offers some pretty grounding advice for the rest of us:
- Trusts are better than Wills: Most of Hogan's $25 million+ net worth isn't in his will. It’s in trusts. This kept his most valuable assets private and out of the hands of gossip columnists.
- The "Spousal Share" is real: In states like Florida, you can't just cut a spouse out unless there’s a ironclad prenup.
- Estrangement happens: Brooke's decision to walk away shows that sometimes, no amount of money is worth the family headache.
- Publicity is an asset: If you have a brand or a business, that "name" has a dollar value that needs to be managed after you’re gone.
If you’re looking to protect your own family, start by looking into revocable living trusts to keep your business out of the public probate courts. Also, make sure your beneficiary designations on life insurance and 401ks are updated—those often override whatever you write in a will anyway. Hogan updated his will four times in the last decade; staying current is the only way to make sure your final wishes actually happen.