Wrestlers Who Hate Hulk Hogan
Hulkamania ran wild in the 1980s and 1990s; however, that doesn't mean Hulk Hogan was universally beloved or celebrated by pro wrestlers. Ever since the first day he laced up his boots and stepped inside the ropes of the squared circle, he has established himself as a controversial figure in the business. Speak to anyone about the Hulkster and it's likely their opinions about him will vary — drastically.
There are a number of wrestlers who believe the world doesn't know the truth of Hulk Hogan and who the real Terry Bollea is beneath the "say your prayers and take your vitamins" shtick. He's been called everything from a massive liar to a backstage politician and racist, as multiple people within the industry have their own Hogan stories to share. Over the years, Hogan countered several accusations by relaying his own version of events; yet, this hasn't stopped the constant barrage and onslaught of words from his fellow pros.
No one can ever dispute that Hogan remains a legendary, if not immortal, name in the wacky world of professional wrestling. Behind the scenes, though, his name still elicits a divisive reaction from his peers. With that said, let's take a look at all the wrestlers who wouldn't exactly call themselves Hulkamaniacs, brother.
Bret Hart
In the predetermined world of pro wrestling, wins and losses serve storyline purposes. However, there are still wrestlers who refuse to lose, using their influence to change the outcome of matches. For years, Hulk Hogan has been accused of subscribing to the mantra, "That doesn't work for me, brother."
According to Bret "Hitman" Hart's 2007 autobiography "Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling," he experienced the political clout of Hogan behind the scenes. Hart explained how Vince McMahon informed him he would be losing the WWF Championship to Yokozuna in the main event of WrestleMania IX. That wasn't all, as McMahon revealed Hogan would challenge Yokozuna for the title immediately thereafter and win the match. Hart went along with the plan and stated that Hogan told him he'd "be happy to return the favor" for him later.
Hart was led to believe he'd win back the title at that year's King of the Ring; however, he found out from McMahon that Hogan was going to drop the title to Yokozuna — not Hart — because he didn't see the Hitman as being on the same level as him. At the King of the Ring event, Hart confronted Hogan about what he had allegedly told McMahon. Hart told Hogan: "You're not in my league. On behalf of myself, my family and most of the boys in the dressing room, you can go f*** yourself." On the "Full Send" podcast, Hogan claimed McMahon made the decision, not him.
The Undertaker
When it comes to legendary superstars, the Undertaker stands tall as one of the most iconic characters in pro wrestling. He faced off against the biggest names of his era, including Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship at the 1991 Survivor Series. The Undertaker won the match by using the Tombstone Piledriver to slam Hogan onto a folded metal chair. The piledriver is one of wrestling's most dangerous moves, but anyone who watches the match can see that Hogan's head didn't hit the floor or the chair.
A few days later, Hogan regained his title by defeating the Undertaker at the WWF's This Tuesday in Texas event. It was a short-lived title reign for the Deadman, something he believed was impacted by Hogan telling other people that the Undertaker severely hurt his neck at the Survivor Series, as he explained to ESPN.
The Undertaker revealed how he told Hogan he'd protect him in the match and thought he did so, but Hogan complained after the match that he was hurt after the Tombstone Piledriver. Naturally, 'Taker felt bad, believing he'd hurt a fellow competitor and the biggest star in the company. After other wrestlers told the Undertaker that Hogan's head didn't touch the floor and the Deadman rewatched the tape, he confronted Hogan about his alleged injury. Hogan claimed that when Undertaker squeezed his legs together to protect Hogan's head from hitting the floor, he hurt his back — which sounded implausible. From that day forward, the Undertaker remained wary around Hogan, never trusting him after the accusation he hurt him.
Jesse Ventura
Actor, politician, and wrestler Jesse Ventura has never been afraid of speaking his mind or standing up for what he believes in. Before WrestleMania II, Ventura attempted to rally his fellow wrestlers to unionize, but he received backlash from then-WWF owner Vince McMahon, who found out about the discussions. It would be years later that Ventura would find out who had told McMahon about the union plans. During a court case between Ventura and the WWF, McMahon revealed in his deposition that it was Hogan who had informed him. Hogan, though, has denied this.
For Ventura, it was the ultimate betrayal by Hogan. "I was so stunned that day," Ventura told Wrestling Inc. "I showed no emotion. I sat in the chair frozen. In my day, it was the wrestlers vs. the promoters. You were considered an office stooge if you went squealing stuff from the promoter, and he came up when I did. As far as I'm concerned, he's an office stooge."
In 2015, after Hogan's scandalous racist rant became public, Ventura spoke out about him to Ring Rust Radio. "Maybe the people are seeing the real Hulk Hogan," he said, adding that Hogan played a character on television and now fans were likely seeing the real man underneath the American hero persona.
Bruno Sammartino
Before Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino was the guy in professional wrestling. He had a Hall of Fame career, and his 2,800-day reign as WWWF Champion is still the longest in WWE history. In 2016, Sammartino appeared on "Legends With JBL" to discuss his acclaimed career and other wrestling-related topics. Eventually, the conversation turned to Hogan.
"Hulk Hogan, look, I'm not going to lie," Sammartino said (via Wrestling Inc.). "You're asking me, you're being very sincere. I was never a fan of Hogan because I was never impressed with his quality of performance in the ring."
Sammartino added how he didn't think Hogan had the ability to draw an audience that people thought he did. He recalled a time when Vince McMahon asked Sammartino to make an appearance in Boston during Hogan's reign as champion. The legend explained how ticket sales were down in the area, but once Sammartino confirmed his appearance, the event was sold out. Sammartino didn't believe Hogan had the in-ring ability to excite the crowds on a regular basis.
MJF
Maxwell Jacob Friedman, better known as MJF, is one of the hottest young stars in professional wrestling, having already claimed the AEW World Championship and established himself as a must-see performer. Known for always staying in his cocky character during interviews and interactions with other people, it's tough to discern when MJF is being genuine or playing a part when he discusses someone else. However, his comments about Hulk Hogan didn't leave much to the imagination, and it's unlikely the Hulkster appreciated them.
During a chiropractic treatment, Dr. Beau Hightower asked MJF why he believes Hogan receives a lot of stick from wrestling fans and fellow performers. "Because he's a liar and a racist," MJF said bluntly. "It doesn't change the fact that he was a massive draw and the professional wrestling business will never be the same because of him — for the better. But there are plenty of professional wrestlers that did great business. It doesn't mean that they're great people."
Jeff Jarrett
WCW's Bash at the Beach in 2000 is considered one of the most controversial events in professional wrestling history. Different parties dispute what actually took place that evening, which became the subject of an episode of Vice's "Dark Side of the Ring." The gist is the following: Jeff Jarrett was scheduled to lose the WCW World Heavyweight Championship to Booker T in the main event, but he would have another match against Hulk Hogan earlier on. Since Hogan had a creative control clause in his contract, he decided he wanted to defeat Jarrett for the title and informed booker Vince Russo about it.
What followed was a farce of a match where Jarrett lay down in the middle of the ring and Hogan pinned him for the title, then left the arena. Afterward, Russo got into the ring and blasted Hogan for his politicking in front of the live audience. Later in the evening, Jarrett lost the title to Booker as originally planned. However, this was a giant, convoluted mess to witness, and even led to Hogan filing a lawsuit against Russo.
Caught up in the confusion was Jarrett, who didn't hold back when discussing Hogan's actions. "It was the reality the night this happened, and it's the reality as I sit here today saying this," Jarrett said. "In a business that gave him everything, and that's what he gave back. It's about the most self-centered, egotistical powerplay move that only benefited Hulk, and that's the reality."
Chris Benoit
The tragic story of WWE star Chris Benoit and his horrific crimes overshadow anything that he did in the ring — and rightfully so. Before his death in 2007, the Canadian-born wrestler also shared the dressing room with Hulk Hogan for a long period of time, specifically in WCW during the 1990s. Benoit, though, didn't get the warm and fuzzies when discussing the Hulkster or his experiences with him.
"Just having been with him in WCW and having watched the way he carried himself, he — in my opinion — was a very political guy," Benoit told "Off the Record" host Michael Landsberg. "There were times where he would walk by me and not say hi to me. I didn't think he carried the belt well, and represented it well."
Benoit explained how he himself would always try to support up-and-coming wrestlers by watching their matches and imparting advice and encouragement. Hogan, on the other hand, never did that for others. For Benoit, those weren't the hallmarks of what being the face of the company should be.
Scott Steiner
Scott Steiner is no stranger to Hulk Hogan, having been around him in both WCW and WWE. However, Big Poppa Pump has been extremely vocal about his dislike of Hogan, even taking shots at his misfortune on X (formerly known as Twitter).
In March 2015, a story broke that Steiner approached Hogan's then-wife, Jennifer, at the airport, where she claimed Steiner said he would kill Hogan. Subsequently, a police report was filed against Steiner, who denied the allegations. He explained their disagreement had been about Hogan inducting "Macho Man" Randy Savage into the WWE Hall of Fame, since he believed Savage despised Hogan and it wouldn't be right for Hogan to induct him.
A few months after the incident, Steiner went on a rampage on X after Hogan was fired from the WWE because of the racism scandal. In one tweet, Steiner posted an image with the definition of karma and wrote: "Now does everybody believe me that Hogan is a piece of s***." In another post, he suggested that Hogan and American businessman Donald Sterling should play a game of Russian roulette, but with the gun fully loaded. Steiner also stated that people were finally finding out who the real Hogan is after the racist incidents came to light.
Doink the Clown
Matt Osborne made a name for himself in pro wrestling as Doink the Clown. While Doink was never a main eventer like Hulk Hogan, Osborne was a bona fide veteran in the industry who shared several locker rooms with the Hulkster throughout his career.
According to Osborne, he and Hogan were meant to lock up at WrestleMania IX in 1993, but Hogan didn't want any of Doink's smoke. While Osborne understood how a lot of performers were afraid of having their reputation ruined by wrestling a clown, he still didn't hold a soft spot for Hogan and had nothing nice to say about him. "He was an arrogant f***," Osborne told Inside the Ropes (via TPWW). "I still think he is. I look at him and laugh because I know him for who he truly is. I don't like him. I really find it hard to even like him as a person. He's a phony inside and out."
Osborne theorized that the only people who liked Hogan and pretended to be his friends were the ones who had something to gain from being associated with him.
Bob Backlund
The casual wrestling fan might not know Bob Backlund since he wasn't the flashiest or most flamboyant performer around. However, longtime fans will know all about him and his remarkable 2,100-day reign as WWWF-WWF Champion from 1978 to 1983. Expectedly, he crossed paths with Hulk Hogan, who was still on the rise while Backlund was on top of the business.
Backlund and Bruno Sammartino represented the ideals of the old guard, while Hogan ushered in one of the most popular eras in wrestling and served as its biggest star. However, Backlund isn't a fan of the Hulkster, believing he didn't represent what a champion should have been outside of the ring. "Hulk Hogan told your children not to take drugs and cocaine and eat your vitamins and minerals," Backlund told Inquisitr. "He talked the talked, but he didn't walk the walk. It was very embarrassing for me and Bruno Sammartino to have a man like that to replace us because we believed doing right was a very important element of a champion."
Backlund was quick to point out that he didn't outright despise the man, but he believed Hogan "cheated" to get ahead. And that was something he couldn't condone.
The Ultimate Warrior
In the 1990s, the Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan vied to become the face of the then-WWF. It culminated with Warrior, who was the Intercontinental Champion at the time, pinning Hogan to win the WWF Championship at WrestleMania VI. This signaled a change of guard, as Warrior defeating Hogan clean in the ring was almost like a passing of the baton. However, Warrior had his own issues with the WWF and didn't stick around for too long.
Despite being two icons of an era, there was no love lost between Warrior and Hogan. In 2012, Warrior posted a nearly hour-long video about Hogan on his YouTube channel. Looking unrecognizable without his wrestling makeup, Warrior aired all the dirty laundry and addressed a number of topics, including how Hogan constantly maligned Warrior's character. He didn't stop there, calling Hogan "selfish" and "a liar," while also poking fun at him wearing hair extensions. Warrior also claimed that Hogan and his ex-wife Linda had an open marriage and that the Hulkster had tried to convince Warrior to sleep with Linda, but he declined.
In 2014, Hogan revealed they had squashed their beef before the tragic death of the Ultimate Warrior. However, Warrior's widow, Dana, disputed Hogan's story. She explained how he only had the conversation with Warrior because the cameras were around him and Hogan hadn't even extended his condolences to her or the rest of the Warrior family.
CM Punk
In terms of controversy, CM Punk can give Hulk Hogan a run for his money, as the outspoken superstar also has a knack for making enemies in the locker room. While one would think Punk and Hogan might bond over their divisive personalities, the Straight Edge Superstar isn't a fan of the Hulkster at all.
Appearing on "Windy City LIVE," Punk revealed that he met Hogan before, but likes him even less after the experience. Then, in another interview with "Barstool Rasslin'" in 2021, Punk spoke about the debate surrounding who is the biggest star in wrestling and how people often mention "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Hogan. "I think Hogan's a piece of s***," Punk said, "so obviously I'm gonna be like, 'Steve Austin, yay.'"
But where does this tension between Punk and Hogan come from? Appearing on "The Steve Austin Show," Hogan said he has nothing against Punk, but he believes their issues stem from the time when he went to a special episode of "Raw" and didn't greet Punk. Hogan claimed he was preoccupied with his personal problems that night and didn't even know who Punk was.
To read about more wrestling drama, check out the truth about Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan's feud.