Hulk Hogan’s NYC Slam Bar Will Play His Final Footage and Ring Relics at Madison Square Garden

Kai Montgomery here, reluctantly doing my civic duty: apparently the world needed another celebrity-branded restaurant, and Hulk Hogan’s Slam Sports Bar is set to be the sentimental behemoth shoved into the shadow of Madison Square Garden. Yeah, cue the nostalgia and the life-size statues. Try to contain your excitement, folks.

Let’s not waste time pretending this is subtle. Rich Rosen, President and CEO of American Sports Bar Entertainment, told TMZ that the 9,000-square-foot multi-level restaurant in New York City will feature never-before-seen footage of Hulk Hogan walking the space and reflecting on his storied career. That footage was filmed while Hogan was still actively involved with the project, and Rosen says one particularly touching moment shows Hogan staring across the street at Madison Square Garden and saying, “When I’m in New York, I still feel like I’m the champ.” TMZ captured Rosen describing that scene, and yes, it’s being turned into one of the bar’s emotional centerpieces.

Details matter because this isn’t just a neon sign and a burger joint. Opening night — and likely the bar’s first week — will run around-the-clock Hogan highlights, playing his biggest matches on rotation. Rosen told TMZ those clips are intended to honor the man in the ring before the venue segues to live sports programming. There will also be life-size, hyper-real statues of Hogan that, Rosen says, were personally selected with Hogan’s input. Memorabilia from Hogan and some of his top rivals will be on display, too, so expect a shrine-like feel with a side of nachos.

The Slam Sports Bar is aiming to be more than a static museum. It will include a podcast studio that looks out over Madison Square Garden and is built to host celebrities and athletes. Rosen even name-checked interest from wrestling names like Ric Flair and Lex Luger about appearing at opening events, and he confirmed Hulk’s son Nick is deeply involved in the build-out. Rosen told TMZ he could see that Nick was carrying his father’s vision forward and that there’s no doubt Nick will be present for opening night. So yes, family approval is in place.

If you’re the sort who needs big-brand credibility, Rosen also said the project will bring in a Michelin-star chef to handle the menu and that part of the restaurant’s design involves the company responsible for the Sphere in Las Vegas. Ambitious? Absolutely. Over-the-top? Check. Rosen added expansion plans were part of Hogan’s original blueprint, with hopes for Slam Sports Bar locations beyond New York, potentially in Las Vegas, Florida, Japan or even Dubai. Whether those outposts actually happen will depend on how the New York flagship fares.

This is a sentimental play meant to cement Hogan’s legacy in visual and culinary form, right across from the arena where he made his name. Rosen hopes to open in late fall, and the plan is to let fans feel like they’re stepping into Hogan’s memories the moment they walk through the door. For one week at least, the whole venue will be a Hogan retrospective, then everyday sports will resume.

So there you go: giant statues, exclusive footage, a pod studio with a view, a Michelin chef and a family stamp of approval. It’s theatrical, sincere, and a touch theatrical again — exactly what a wrestling legend’s restaurant should be. Whether it becomes a cultural landmark or a tourist oddity remains to be seen. But if you believe in permanence, this places Hogan’s image literally across the street from Madison Square Garden.

Closing thought: don’t be surprised if a Slam Sports Bar pops up somewhere else soon. Or do be surprised. I honestly don’t care which — I’m just reporting it.

Did anyone expect something boring? No? Thought so.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and TMZ, American Sports Bar Entertainment (Rich Rosen statements)
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed