Just over a year before his death, wrestling icon Hulk Hogan experienced a moment that he would later call “the greatest day of my life.” But it wasn’t about a wrestling title or a career milestone—it was the day he got baptized.
“Total surrender and dedication to Jesus is the greatest day of my life. No worries, no hate, no judgment… only love!”
In December 2023, Hogan shared the news publicly. He posted on social media.
Along with the post, he included a video of the baptism, which showed him being fully immersed in water and rising up with a wide smile—still wearing his signature bandana. His wife, Sky Daily, stood right beside him. She was baptized that same day too.
The ceremony took place at Indian Rocks Church in Largo, Florida. The couple bowed their heads in prayer afterward, surrounded by others from the church community. The church itself shared the moment on Instagram, writing, “God is doing amazing things at Indian Rocks.”
This baptism wasn’t just a one-time event for Hogan. He had long been open about his faith.
“I accepted Christ as my savior at 14 years old… but now that I am one with God, the main event theme of surrender, service and love makes me the Real Main Event.”
Back in April 2023, he tweeted.
Even in a 2009 interview with TMZ, Hogan talked about how religion helped him get through tough times—like his divorce from his first wife, Linda. “I could have gone the wrong way. I could have self-destructed,” he said, “but I took the high road.”
His baptism came just a few months after another major life event—his marriage to Sky Daily. They tied the knot in September 2023 in an intimate, faith-focused ceremony attended by a small group of friends and family. They had only been dating for about a year before getting engaged in July of that year.
Less than two years later, Hogan—born Terry Bollea—was gone. On July 24, 2025, emergency responders were called to his home on Clearwater Beach, Florida. The call came in around 9:51 a.m. for cardiac arrest. He was taken to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:17 a.m.
“Unfortunately we must confirm that Terry Bollea, aka Hulk Hogan, passed away this morning. We are heartbroken. He was such a great human being and friend.”
Police confirmed there were no signs of foul play. His representative, Linda Bose, said.
Hogan had struggled with health issues in recent years. On Jake Paul’s IMPAULSIVE podcast, he revealed that he had undergone 25 surgeries in the last decade—10 of them for his back. He’d also had both knees and hips replaced, as well as surgeries on his shoulders. Just weeks before his death, he had a major surgery on his neck—a four-level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion, which is known for its intense recovery process. Sky Daily, responding to rumors that he was in a coma, posted that while the surgery had been difficult, his heart was strong and there had been no brain damage.
Hogan is survived by Sky, his children Brooke (37) and Nick (34) from his first marriage, and two grandchildren. He was married three times in total—first to Linda Claridge, then to Jennifer McDaniel, and finally to Sky Daily.
Though fans around the world mourn his death, many are revisiting that baptism video—watching the man known for slamming giants, wear a white T-shirt and a bandana, stepping into the water with peace in his heart and a smile on his face.
It wasn’t just a new chapter—it was, as he put it, the “Real Main Event.”