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Wrestler Hogan's Wife Wants Out Of Marriage

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By RAY REYES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 24, 2007

CLEARWATER - The wife of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan has filed for divorce, the latest chapter in a year of turmoil for the family.

Linda Marie Bollea, 46, filed divorce papers Tuesday in a Pinellas County civil claims court, records show. She has been married to Terry Gene Bollea, 53, more famously known as Hulk Hogan, for 24 years. The couple have two children, Brooke, 19, and Nick, 17.

Family members could not be reached for comment Friday night.

Rumors of the Bolleas' marital meltdown have kept bloggers buzzing for months. The New York Post's gossip column, Page Six, ran a story in April about the couple's relationship, under the headline, "Rough Round for the Hogans."

Linda Bollea's divorce filing comes two weeks after son Nick was arrested by authorities and charged with reckless driving involving serious bodily injury and cited for using a motor vehicle in the commission of a felony, driving with illegal window tint and driving as a minor with a breath-alcohol level of 0.02 or higher.

Nick Bollea's 1998 Toyota Supra hit a curb, crossed two traffic lanes and struck a palm tree in Clearwater on Aug. 28. Several witnesses said Bollea was street racing a friend who was driving a Dodge Viper owned by Hulk Hogan, according to authorities.

John Graziano, 22, was riding with Bollea and was critically injured in the wreck. Graziano, a Marine veteran of the Iraq war, was left with "minimal brain wave activity," according to court documents.

Bollea was taken to the Pinellas County Jail on Nov. 7, where he was released within hours after posting $10,000 bail. If convicted of the reckless driving charge, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

With no criminal record, the maximum penalty is unlikely. The remaining charges are infractions that could result in a fine and loss of license.

Since 1992, the Bolleas have lived in a 17,000-square-foot home in Bellaire.

The family's lives have been taped for reality television show "Hogan Knows Best," which is in its fourth season.
HULK HOGAN BIO

•Born Terrence Gene Bollea in 1953 in Augusta, Ga., but raised in Tampa

•Attended the University of South Florida, but spent most of his time in the gym

•Was introduced to renown wrestling trainer Hiro Matsuda in 1976

•Became so famous as a wrestler that he won a role in the 1982 movie "Rocky III." His appearance in the film sparked a decade of what became known as "Hulkamania."

•Hit low point of his career as a professional wrestler in the mid-1990s when he testified about using steroids early in his career and the use of them by other wrestlers at the time

•Married his wife Linda in 1983; they have two children, Brooke, 19 and Nick, 17

Sources: Tribune archives, public records and "Hollywood Hulk Hogan" by Hulk Hogan (Simon & Schuster, 2002).

Tribune researcher Michael Messano contributed to this report. Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 865-4433 or rreyes@tampatrib.com.

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