It’s the kind of twist that hits harder than a chair shot in the ring. WWE legend Hulk Hogan passed away on July 24 in Florida, and while fans around the world mourned the end of an era, one of the most heartbreaking details emerged quietly. The Hulkster never met his daughter Brooke’s twins before his death.
Despite being a household name for decades and having a larger-than-life personality, Hulk Hogan left this world without ever meeting his grandchildren, Oliver Andrew and Molly Gene. According to Brooke’s husband, former NHL player Steven Oleksy, the relationship between Brooke and her famous father had been rocky for quite some time, and it never healed in time.
In an interview with People, Oleksy didn’t sugarcoat the reality. After the twins were born in January, he said he made an effort to reach out to Hulk “about a month and a half” later, but got no real interest in return. “I sent text messages once again to kind of gauge where he was at, but there was no interest,” he shared.
Hulk Hogan Never Met His Grandchildren
And while Hogan’s son Nick apparently said there was a plan to swing by with their dad to meet the babies, that never actually happened. Whether it was about timing, tension, or something deeper, the end result is the same: two grandbabies who will never get to meet their iconic grandfather.
Brooke and Steven had moved to Florida, Hogan’s stomping grounds, after Steven retired from the NHL. Their goal was to be closer to her dad, especially as he aged and dealt with multiple surgeries. And Brooke wasn’t just in the background, she was front and center for his care. According to Steven, she “flew down on her own dime” and was present for all his procedures, even taking detailed notes from doctors to understand his medical needs better than anyone else. However, somewhere along the way, things fell apart.
In a heartfelt Instagram post shared five days after Hogan’s passing, Brooke broke her silence. She didn’t give fans the juicy, dramatic story they might’ve expected. Instead, she made it clear that their estrangement wasn’t about one explosive fight; it was a slow, emotional unraveling. “It was a series of private phone calls no one will ever hear, know, or understand,” she wrote.
According to Brooke, she tried. She tried. “I told him he had my support. I begged him to rest, to take care of himself.” But ultimately, she had to protect her own heart and step away.
Brooke Hogan Did All She Could
Steven, acting as a bridge between the two, kept in contact with Hulk and other family members during this time, walking the fine line between mending fences and protecting his wife’s peace. After Hulk’s death, Brooke read through some of those messages. “Some answered, some ignored… but all of them broke my heart,” she admitted.
Despite everything, Brooke says she’s at peace. “I know in my heart I did everything I could,” she wrote. “He knew I would run through a burning building for him. And in many ways, along the path of life, I did.”
Now, Brooke Hogan and Steven are continuing to build their life in Florida, the same state where Hulk Hogan lived and died. And while the family story might not have had the reunion so many fans hoped for, there’s a quiet strength in how Brooke is choosing to move forward. It’s not always about the fairytale ending, sometimes it’s about knowing you gave your all, even if things didn’t turn out like you imagined.
Kenna Raye 
Nina Franklin 
