Hulk Hogan has spoken out about his health transformation since quitting alcohol six months ago.
The WWE Hall of Famer, who will turn 70 next month, admits to drinking ‘three Miller Lites and two Tylenols’ before his matches and ‘probably 12 Miller Lites’ afterward.
‘I don’t drink alcohol at all,’ he told Men’s Health in a recent Gym & Fridge video, noting he hasn’t had an alcoholic drink in six months.
He added: ‘It got to be a way to numb me a little bit, because I had a bunch of crazy business problems and personal stuff going on.
‘And I caught myself after I would train, getting too aggressive with alcohol. So I just had to stop it.’
After his wrestling career harmed his long-term health, the former world champion is determined to keep working out and reducing weight.
‘About 15 years ago my body kinda shut down on me. I had several knee surgeries, and then after wrestling 40 years almost, my body shut down on me,’ he explained.
‘So it changed the game on me. It made everything different for me. And I changed my whole lifestyle because at the time, being in so much pain and getting older and older I couldn’t carry that much weight.
‘When you are sedentary and not wrestling or moving every night, it’s easy to put weight on. So, I decided to drop weight and get down to about 265. Actually, the last time I weighed 265 was in ninth grade.’
Hogan, whose actual name is Terry Bollea, now adheres to water and organic foods, saying that he was never ‘educated in terms of food quality’ earlier in life.
He added: ‘Without all the other extra stuff, you actually feel alive, because a little bit of pain makes you know you are alive.’
Hogan, 69, has been candid about his various ailments over the years, and he recently stated that he would want an official retirement match after his in-ring career ended 11 years ago at an untelevised TNA Wrestling live event.
In a May appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, he recalls Shane McMahon attempting to entice him back during April’s WrestleMania doubleheader in Hollywood.
He said: ‘You know what’s so funny, Shane McMahon called me. He goes, “Hey, you got one more in you, old man?” I said, “Take it easy with the old man stuff, brother.”
‘I said, “What do you want to do?” He goes, “All you gotta do is stand in the middle of the ring, and I’ll come do it.” I said, “Right now, my back needs a little more work, but that’s something we can talk about next year.” I’ve always wanted to have a retirement match.’
