Whatcha Gonna Do? A Media Autopsy of Hulk Hogan

This week, the wrestling ring lost its biggest icon. Hulk Hogan has passed away, but the media-created superhero he embodied will live forever—and it's time to put that creation under the microscope. In this special episode, I'm not just eulogizing a legend; I'm conducting a media autopsy on the entire phenomenon.We'll deconstruct the 1980s "Hulkamania" as a pro-American propaganda machine, analyze his 90s "Hollywood Hogan" heel turn as a genius act of creative destruction, and explore his later life as a reality TV ghost. This is a look at the man who was a brand, the myth that was a product, and the complicated legacy of a cartoon character who became all too human.