The pastor of the church attended by the late professional wrestler Hulk Hogan is remembering his late congregant as “a humble, joyful, Jesus-loving man who lived out his faith every day” and shared the Gospel with others.
Aaron Filippone, the pastor of Indian Rocks Baptist Church in Largo, Florida, reflected on the sudden death of congregant Terry Bollea (better known by his ring names Hulk or Hollywood Hogan) in an X post published Saturday.
The message featured several pictures of the two men together, including one taken at Bollea’s baptism and another showing the late wrestler wearing a shirt that advertised the Bible verse John 3:16.
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The message acknowledged Hogan’s legal name and referred to him as such, beginning by stating that Bollea “went to heaven” and recognizing him as “a member of our church and a personal friend.”
“Over the past two years, we had the opportunity to pray together, study God’s Word, challenge one another, and grow in our faith. It’s always a highlight to see believers taking spiritual steps, but I will always remember baptizing Terry and Sky and officiating their wedding ceremony,” the pastor wrote.
“Though we miss him deeply, we know he is in the presence of the Lord–fully healed, fully free, and worshiping the Savior he loved with all his heart. Terry is more alive now than he has ever been,” Filippone added.
While Filippone acknowledged Bollea’s status in the world as the “legend” of Hulk Hogan, the pastor said that “to us at Indian Rocks Church, he was simply Terry: a humble, joyful, Jesus-loving man who lived out his faith every day.”
Filippone recalled how Bollea “worshipped faithfully with his wife, Sky — not behind the scenes, but shoulder to shoulder with the people he loved.”
“He didn’t want the spotlight or the green room. He wanted to be where God was moving,” Filippone wrote. “Those of us who had the joy of worshiping alongside Terry knew him not as a celebrity, but as a brother in Christ. He loved God, loved people, and loved his neighbors right here in Pinellas County.”
The pastor said that on most Sundays, Bollea wore his John 3:16 shirt and was accompanied by friends he invited “because he wanted them to experience the same hope and love he found in Jesus Christ.”
Filippone praised Bollea as someone who “always made time for people: handshakes, hugs, and conversations that pointed hearts to Christ.”
“Terry wasn’t a perfect man — he never claimed to be. He had a past, and he made mistakes. But Terry was a Jesus man, and that’s the beauty of the Gospel,” Filippone stressed. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Terry didn’t just talk about his faith — he lived it. He walked in grace, and he made sure everyone around him knew that grace was available for them too.”
Filippone said Romans 10:9 was a “simple truth” Bollea “believed with all his heart.” That verse reads: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” He said that was “the kind of faith Terry had,” which made the pastor certain that he would “see him again one day.”
“If you’re reading this today, know that you can have the same kind of faith Terry had. Jesus offers hope, forgiveness, and eternal life to anyone who believes. We invite you to visit a local, Bible-believing church — just like Terry did — and discover God’s design for your life,” Filippone concluded. He also thanked the late wrestler for “showing us how to live boldly for Jesus and finish strong.”
Bollea died of cardiac arrest on Thursday at the age of 71. The wrestler’s sudden death comes less than two years after he announced his baptism on social media in December 2023. He outlined how he found himself experiencing “no worries, no hate, no judgment … only love” in the X post informing his followers of his baptism.
As the pastor mentioned, Bollea has a checkered past, having faced much scrutiny despite his fame in the 1980s and ’90s as a wrestling legend and pop culture icon. In 2015, Bollea drew public outrage after a sex tape featuring him with the wife of another man was leaked to the press, showing him using racist language.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
