Hulk Hogan’s tribute to open WWE SmackDown on Friday night was nothing short of a tear-jerker. The event in Cleveland was opened with loud applause and the crowd chanting “Hogan” in unison to honor the late wrestler who died at 71 years old on Thursday. Fellow wrestler Triple H led the tribute for Hogan.

The late Hulk Hogan’s son, Nick Hogan, was choked up as WWE paid tribute to the “larger than life” wrestler at SummerSlam 2025. Nick, 35, and his wife, Tana Lea, were shown in the crowd at the WWE’s flagship summer event at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford,

Hogan, whose real name was Terry Gene Bollea, died July 24 of acute myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, according to a copy of Hogan's cremation report obtained by ABC News through the Pinellas County Forensic Science Center.