‘Trumpmania’: Hulk Hogan Rips Off His Shirt, and Republicans Go Wild

Hulk Hogan, the theatrical former professional wrestler, teed up former President Donald J. Trump on Thursday at the Republican National Convention with a rousing speech in which he ripped off his suit jacket and shirt, revealing a red Trump-Vance tank top to raucous cheers.

Hogan, whose real name is Terry G. Bollea, called Mr. Trump his “hero” and said that the former president would bring “America back together, one real American at a time.”

“As an entertainer, I try to stay out of politics,” said Mr. Bollea, who wore a red bandanna and had a pair of dark sunglasses propped above his head. “But after everything that’s happened to our country over the past four years, and everything that happened last weekend, I can no longer stay silent.”

Just last month, he said that he had not yet decided whom he would support in this year’s election.

“I just don’t know,” Mr. Bollea said in an interview with NewsNation. He added, “I just want the best man to win.”

That changed after the assassination attempt on Mr. Trump on Saturday.

“When I saw him stand up with that fist in the air and the blood on his face — as a warrior, as a leader — I realized that’s what America needs,” Mr. Bollea said on Fox News on Thursday night before his speech.

He was rewarded with a prime-time spot on the final night of the Republican convention, serving as one of the last handful of speakers before Mr. Trump.