FEAR NO STATUE
Hulk Hogan a garage-sale relic turned Dixie icon
Ruby Bell wasn’t expecting to meet Hulk Hogan when she applied for a job.
“I interviewed with him,” said Bell, who runs the customer service desk at Gonz Auto Collision Center on Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. “He was in the room.”
Yes, there he was, standing in the corner: flexing, grimacing, in yellow tights and lace-up boots, an orange do-rag holding back his hair, his shirt torn open to display an imposing physique.
“I said, ‘This place is going to be different,’” Bell recalled.
OK, you’ve probably guessed by now that we’re not talking about the real Hulk Hogan. The controversial Clearwater wrestling legend is familiar with bodywork, but he’s never been to Robert Gonzalez’s body shop and adjacent Auto Expertz tire and service center.
But every day, a larger-than-life statue of Hogan greets drivers at the businesses on 1401 N. Dixie Highway. He’s usually chained to a pole — not to keep him from throwing customers to the mat, but to prevent him from toppling in a stiff wind.
He’s such a popular roadside attraction that people stop to have their picture taken with him.
“Anything to put a smile on people’s faces, that’s what we’re all about,” said Gonzalez.
Hulk also serves as an old-school GPS. “We use it for directions,” said Bell. “We tell people, ‘When you see Hulk Hogan, turn, we’re right there.’”
This isn’t Hulk’s first stint on Dixie. He used to be a little farther north at the former Nothin’ Fancy barber shop near Fordham Avenue. Back in 2009, barber Alex Seeley found the statue at a garage sale and placed it outside his business. Why?
“When you drive by looking for a barbershop, Hulk does make it memorable,” he told The Post in 2013. “Nobody misses a 7-foottall Hulk Hogan.”
When the barbershop closed a couple of years ago, Hulk disappeared from his familiar perch. And so did a quirky piece of Dixie Highway character.
But like those pets that are removed to other towns or states and amazingly find their way back home, Hulk Hogan was destined to dwell on Dixie.
Enter Gonzalez. About two years ago, he’s driving through Lake Clarke Shores.
“And there it is on the edge of the street, at a garage sale.”
Why is Hulk always at a garage sale? Anyway, Gonzalez brought him to the shop and added him to the family.
When ex-owner Seeley saw Hulk back on the highway, he stopped by and gave Gonzalez another piece of memorabilia: A Hulk Hogan mug. Gonzalez usually keeps a pile of auto keys in it.
With the recent rainy weather, Hulk’s been camping out under an awning. After all, he’s getting old in statue years. There’s a chip on his nose and some cracks in his bulging neck.
Gonzalez had one of his technicians fix the wheels on the statue’s base. (Another enduring mystery: Why does Hulk look like he’s riding a skateboard?)
So, has Hulk gone under the knife for any cosmetic surgery?
“No, he needs it, though,” said Gonzalez. laughing. “On a serious note, we’re going to have to do some bodywork.”
In the meantime, he’s helping keep Dixie’s kitschy atmosphere alive. Gonzalez loves that Hulk brings people a little smile.
“That makes my day,” he said.