On what would have been Hulk Hogan’s 72nd birthday, his son and business partner unveiled a banner Monday outside the under-construction Slam Sports Bar in Midtown, announcing plans to open the tribute venue Nov. 1.
The 9,000-square-foot, $7 million bar, located across from Madison Square Garden, was one of the wrestling icon’s final business ventures before his death last month from cardiac arrest at his Florida home.
“We’re hanging in there, we’re fighting through it,” Nick Hogan said of coming to terms with his father’s passing. “We’re doing exactly what we feel he would want us to do, and continuing to honor his legacy.”
Hogan visited the site in late April, reviewing plans and offering input on the venue’s design, which “he was so excited about,” Nick said.
“He was really invested in this,” Nick added beneath the banner, which was unveiled to mark the WWE Hall of Famer’s birthday. The banner features the April 29, 1985, Sports Illustrated cover photo taken shortly after Hogan’s first victory at Madison Square Garden.
“We’re happy to honor him this way, and we’re proud to continue the legacy and the plans that he had envisioned here, right across the street from Madison Square Garden,” the Hulkster’s son said.
Nick Hogan said the bar will follow his father’s original vision closely, with “a few special touches” to honor fans who travel from around the world to celebrate the “Hulkamania” spirit. The venue will also serve Real American Beer, the brand Hogan launched and promoted nationwide.
Nick said he had worked closely with his father on his many business ventures over the past few years and will remain “deeply woven into the fabric of all of those” moving forward.
NYC hospitality veteran Rich Rosen, who partnered with Hogan on the project through a licensing deal, called his business partner and friend’s sudden death “very surreal,” adding it will take time to come to terms with the loss.
“I was absolutely broken,” he said. “But there was never a chance this wasn’t going to be his spot, and even more now, with more significance than it was before.”
Inside, Rosen said guests can expect an immersive, “Las Vegas-style” experience featuring lighting, sound effects, videos, and memorabilia from Hogan’s personal collection, with possible contributions from WWE.
Plans also include a podcast studio overlooking MSG and a gift shop selling merchandise and memorabilia.
“We’ll have a lot of live podcasts in there,” Rosen said, noting Hogan had planned to launch his own podcast from the studio, which Rosen hopes will now become a broadcasting hotspot for every type of sport played at the Garden.
‘Call to the White House’
Following Hogan’s death, Slam’s design company, ICRAVE, was tasked with revising plans to turn the bar into a “Hulk Hogan Experience.”
“You’ll have lighting and sound effects and videos and things that will blow people’s minds in here,” Rosen said of the Nov. 1 opening. “We’ll have a design out for the public shortly, and then it’ll be a question of how fast that can be put together.”
The banner featuring the 1985 Sports Illustrated cover, unveiled Aug. 11, will remain in place until permanent LED screens are installed that will showcase Hogan’s previous matches.
Before Hogan’s death, Rosen told amNewYork that a federal plan to redesign Penn Station, possibly involving relocating Madison Square Garden, could negatively affect Slam, which features a ceiling design that pays tribute to the arena’s iconic roof.
There was hope that Hogan’s close ties to President Donald Trump might help keep the arena at its current site. Speaking Monday, Rosen expressed confidence that MSG will remain a neighbor to Slam but added, “If we have to make that call to the White House, it’ll be made.”
Regardless of what the future holds for the iconic arena, Nick Hogan said the location will always be home to Hulkamania and “always be special to us.”
“This area, this location, being here is so important,” Nick said. “Even if things move or change, this will always be the iconic location of where all this happened.”
“New York was so special to him. He loved it. This was his favorite city in the world, and he really enjoyed being here,” Nick added. “He would always say, ‘You know, every time I’m in New York, I still feel like I’m the champ,’ and in my eyes, he always is the champ.”
