What Else Can We Learn From Hulk Hogan?

The wrestling legend, Hulk Hogan, died in July of 2025, leaving behind a $5M Florida probate proceeding with his son as his only heir. Not surprisingly, Hogan’s daughter, Brooke, was not listed as a beneficiary of his estate as they were famously estranged. It’s alleged that Brooke made an extraordinary decision in 2023 and asked to be excluded from her father’s will entirely because she did not want to deal with the conflict she saw coming after his passing. (Brooke did not attend Hogan’s wedding to his third wife). 

So, what can we learn from the Hogan estate battle royale?

We can talk all about Florida’s rules regarding a disclaimer of inheritance.

Yes, Florida allows folks (the “disclaimants”) to refuse a portion or all of their inheritance by providing a signed and notarized document called a “disclaimer” to the personal representative of the estate. When an inheritance is disclaimed, it is treated as though the disclaimant predeceased the decedent and the inheritance passes to the next eligible heir.

Unfortunately, the disclaimant cannot designate the person that will get the inheritance, it passes to the decedent’s next of kin (per FL intestacy statute) or the next beneficiary listed in the last will. As you can imagine, this sometimes significantly alters the distribution of the estate and may impact other beneficiaries.

Now, you may be asking yourself, “why would anyone NOT want an inheritance?” and that’s a good question. Sometimes folks are (1) running a risk of losing eligibility to qualify for a government benefit or (2) incurring an estate tax (not all states are as cool as FL with no estate tax) or (3) avoiding conflict in the family or (4) protecting themselves from creditors or (5) ensuring a fair distribution to others. I know it sounds weird, but there are many reasons folks would rather NOT get an inheritance, and a disclaimer of inheritance is a fairly common document in the probate world. You heard it here first!

Of course, rejecting an inheritance via a disclaimer has several important consequences so you’ll want good legal advice before you start disclaiming your interests in things willy nilly.

So, there you have it, we learn that you don’t have to take what’s given to you and once again, the Florida rules help us out of a pickle….or figure four leglock.