Hulk Hogan passed away on Thursday, July 24, following a heart attack. He had been dealing with ongoing health complications after undergoing a four-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.
In The Real Hulk Hogan documentary that aired on FOX on Tuesday night, McMahon reflected on his relationship with the wrestling legend when asked about their shared history.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On his relationship with Hulk Hogan: “He was part of my life, a big part of my life. We were brothers to a certain extent. Every now and then we would get into a verbal scrap or something, but it always turned out for the best. We were so close and enjoyed each other’s company so much.”
On his reaction to Hogan’s passing: “Shock. You just don’t think about someone, a family member or someone that close to you, you don’t think about them passing away. Terry had kicked out, so to speak, of so many surgeries. He had to get like 20 surgeries on his back, plus others on his knees and hip or something. He overcame all that. It was a tremendous shot. It was a blow to my heart. One thing he said in character, which is ‘Hulkamania will live forever.’ Indeed, it is.”
On the Hulk Hogan sex tape leaking: “It was unforgivable and I was a …. gasp, ‘What happened?’ When those things occurred, that’s not like him. ‘What in God’s name is going on?’ As soon as it happened, obviously, the company didn’t have anything to do with him anymore. We took him out of the Hall of Fame. You just don’t do those things.”
On whether Hulk Hogan was a racist: “I knew he wasn’t racist. I’ve been with him for so many years. He wasn’t racist. He said some racist things. He should pay for that, and he did. In the end, I think everyone saw the real Hulk Hogan, Terry Bollea, and they felt, ‘Wait a minute, this guy doesn’t act like a racist. He’s not a racist.’ We all make mistakes. That was a big one, but he wasn’t a racist.”
On Hulk Hogan being booed at his last WWE RAW appearance: “It wasn’t set up properly. I’m sure he was probably despondent after that. I was angry because we’ve known each other for a lifetime, professionally and personally. Setting up, so to speak, this larger than life super hero, you don’t just let him walk out there. He deserved something very, very special. More than anyone, they owe him. It’s just like, ‘Okay, here comes Hulk Hogan.’ I got angry because that’s not the way I would have done it and he deserved much more.”
During the same show, Mark Hendry opined on Hulk Hogan’s racist comments. He said,
“He said, in his words, that he was a racist. Why would I sit here and try to defend somebody that tells you who they were? It hurt. It hurt. I grew up watching the dude. I used to love that dude. I wanted to be like him. It hurts. I told him then, and I told Vince McMahon, if y’all want this to go away, I know how to fix it. We should do a black college tour at Morehouse and Prairie View and hit the circuit. Go and talk to them and be honest with your apology. He was like, ‘I’ve been advised not to talk about it no more.’ I said, ‘I think that’s bad advice.’”
When asked about whether the wrestling would be what it is today without Hulk Hogan, Henry said,
“Absolutely not. Hogan was able to show people the template of what it takes to entertain people. Regardless of his shortcomings, it didn’t make him less of a wrestler. It didn’t make him less of an entertainer. It’s never going to take away from his greatness.”
(h/t – Fightful)
