Published: Mar 9, 2019 by Liam | Last Updated: Mar 9, 2019 by Liam
Liam has been reporting & analyzing wrestling news for over eight years, and is currently the Managing Editor at WrestleTalk.com. Immersed in wrestling for 18 years, he has over 11,000 published articles in addition to leading and overseeing WrestleTalk.com's coverage.
Hulk Hogan played a major part during WWE’s recent announcement and promotion of WrestleMania 36 taking place in Tampa, Florida, and in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, discussed his future with WWE.
Hogan said:
“I’m not really sure. I can’t wrestle anymore because nine back surgeries, two fake knees, two fake hips. … I’ve had 17 surgeries in the last 10 years. I kinda missed the memo on the ‘fake’ part [of wrestling].
“Vince [McMahon] has this master plan. And I don’t mind being the hood ornament, and I don’t mind being the Babe Ruth of the promotion, but Vince is putting together a whole new thing. … I still feel like I’m 20 in my head, but my body’s telling me, ‘Easy, brother.’ I’m not sure what the title is, but hopefully really soon I’ll be back and really, really active.”
The ‘Hulkster’ also opened up about the recent passings of King Kong Bundy and ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund:
“Bundy was a tough one because I just ran into him a couple of months ago in the LaGuardia Airport, so we said hello and he gave me a big hug. … But the one that really was a hard one for me to get by was the Mean Gene one. I talked to Geno on Christmas. I said, ‘Hey brother, Merry Christmas, we’re gonna have a Christmas drink.’ He goes, ‘Well, I can’t see you big man ’til after New Year’s. I’m up here in Minnesota with the family, but I’ll give you a growl when I come down on the 2nd.’
“I spent so many years with [Okerlund]. When I left Minnesota, I took Mean Gene with me to New York. And then when I left New York and went to work for Ted Turner, I took Mean Gene with me there for 10 years. Then when I left Ted Turner I took Mean Gene with me back to WWE. … Gene and I were really, really close. That was a tough one. But Bundy, they’re all tough, brother, especially guys that die so young. It’s hard.”
Hogan most recently appeared on WWE TV for January 7’s Raw to celebrate the life of Gene Okerlund. He also opened last November’s Crown Jewel show in Saudi Arabia, after being reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame in July of 2018, after being removed in 2015.
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