Hulk Hogan may have died last July, but Hulkamania will certainly live forever.
In the heart of New York City, right outside of Madison Square Garden, Nick Hogan and his project partner Rich Rosen are preparing to write the next chapter of Hulkamania’s legacy with Hulk Hogan’s SLAM Sports Bar to help honor pro wrestling history and the legends that shaped the industry. The bar is set to open soon.
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“The location is so special and it’s right next door to Madison Square Garden, right at the entrance to the Garden and Penn Station,” Nick Hogan told OutKick in a recent interview. “It’s like a really central hub spot for New York City. So, we’re thrilled to bring this concept to New York City, but also to the birthplace and the spiritual home of Hulkamania.
A rendering of Hulk Hogan’s SLAM Sports Bar. (ICRAVE)
“So, with those renders being what they are, when this place comes to life and we’re all lit up and it’s grand opening week, there’s going to be magic in the air. We’re going to have so many of our friends and family there and the experience that the fans will get is going to be unique and unlike anything they’ll be able to get anywhere else in the world. I mean just the connection alone to Hulkamania and the unique ability that we’re going to have to give people that magic again is going to be amazing. So, we’re thrilled about it.”
Rosen, a lifelong New Yorker, said he’s been going to Madison Square Garden since the 1970s and has seen larger-than-life athletes come into the building – from Hulk Hogan and Bruno Sammartino to Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan. He dreamt of bringing Hogan’s brand to New York City and making it his own and bringing in big-time players like ICRAVE to help design the bar.
He said he hoped Hulk Hogan’s SLAM Sports Bar will be a throwback to a simpler time for future patrons.
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A rendering of Hulk Hogan’s SLAM Sports Bar outside of Madison Square Garden. (ICRAVE)
“What we’re really hoping in Slam, besides all the future and incredible effects that ICRAVE is bringing into this — sound effects and lighting effects — what you really want is you want actually a throwback,” Rosen explained. “You want people to be able to step back in time when Hulkamania took over New York City in the 1980s, and ‘90s, and when things were a lot more fun than they are now, so to speak. I think everybody could admit to that.
“Now, you’re giving people a chance to go to Madison Square Garden and see the world champs play and then go across the street and go back in time. And as they watch the future games and the Super Bowls and the NBA championships, they’ll also be able to reflect back in time when they enjoyed themselves and when New York was at the top of its peak. It really is going to be a gift to New York City above everything else. It’s finally going to have a worthy spot next to Madison Square Garden with its most famous performer.”
Nick Hogan has since carried the torch to honor and preserve his father’s legacy inside and outside the ring.
For him, Hulkamania is now something that bridges the gap between all generations of sports fans.
“It means everything to me, and like Rich just mentioned, is that this is spanning past, present, and future,” Hogan said. “And it’s like looking at his legacy in terms of what he left behind and all of the iconic moments that he had. It’s almost like a point of reflection for me where my perspective has changed, and his legacy is not just the past, but it’s the future as well. And it’s what he inspires others to do and how he touched other people’s lives. And what he’s inspired us to do is to carry that legacy forward in a way that he could and his spirit could, and what the Hulkamania mantra is.
“So, that’s what we’re so thrilled about is, like Rich said, this bridges the gap between past, present, and future. As you’re sitting in Slam Sports Bar in our main room, the Slam room, and you’re reflecting, you’re looking around, you see the old wrestling matches on TV, but right next to it, you see tonight’s game. And then, you just might have left the concert at the Garden, and then you’re getting thrilled to come back in a few days for the Knicks game or something. It gives people a place to go and reflect and take in all of those iconic moments and celebratory moments and also get excited for the ones that are coming in the future. So, that’s a really cool concept for us to be able to do that. And also, that’s kind of the spirit of the Hulkamania — that Hulkamania will live forever. And my dad always said that Hulkamania will outlive the man. He definitely wasn’t wrong about that. So, it’s extremely important to me to carry the legacy forward in the same way that he had intended and through Slam Sports Bar, we’re able to do that.”
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Hulk Hogan was still beloved by many through his death last year.
Though he heard the boo birds in his last appearance on WWE TV, Nick Hogan made clear that his father is the “most important figure in professional wrestling entertainment.”
“Truthfully, I think what matters the most is that I think that he single-handedly is the most important figure in professional wrestling entertainment, and bar none,” he told OutKick. “I think that there’s a lot of Mount Rushmore guys. There’s a lot of guys that really are incredible that were fantastic at moving the needle and everything else, but I think that he above all else is by far the most responsible for bringing it to the masses and for giving it the wild popularity that it’s got today.
Nick Hogan and Hulk Hogan attend the Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff held at Sony Pictures Studios on Aug. 1, 2010, in Culver City, Calif. (FilmMagic)
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“And there’s a lot of other guys that can be credited for that as well. I just think that my dad moved the needle more than anyone else.”