Hulk Hogan Was Once “Caught Off Guard” By Stone Cold Steve Austin with a Harsh Reality Check

Hulk Hogan inspired a generation during his run as the All-American hero of pro wrestling. He was the most known face in pro wrestling for a long time. Before the likes of The Rock, John Cena and Roman Reigns, Hogan was ruling the hearts of fans. Before his success with WWE, while he also had a presence in the pop culture. Given that it was almost four decades ago when Hogan rose to stardom, it is possible that some of the current generation may not be fully aware of the accomplishments of Hogan. What is even more surprising is that even a legend like Stone Cold Steve Austin didn’t realize the extent of Hogan’s work.

A lot of pro wrestlers today and of yesteryears have Hulk Hogan to be thankful for. He blazed the trail as WWE rode on a wave of Rock & Wrestling to usher the first boom period of pro wrestling.

In an interview, Hogan talked about how he inspired certain wrestlers. But he also mentioned many newer wrestlers have little idea about him.

Stone Cold wasn’t aware of the accomplishments of Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan’s career saw him wrestled in Japan before coming to WWE, while his role in Rocky III also shot him to national fame. Apart from this, he made various appearances across the pop culture spectrum.

Last year he was scheduled to appear on Monday Night Raw’s “Legends Night.” Before that, he spoke to ESPN about how the current crop of stars receive him, when he goes back to the company. He talked about how wrestlers like Edge, and Seth Rollins, told him he was the reason, they got into the business. He also revealed that some of the young generation didn’t fully know about him.

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Interestingly, ‘The Hulkster’ was taken aback, when he found that even a veteran like Steve Austin doesn’t know everything he accomplished.

Hogan said, “The wake-up call that really got me was with ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. It caught me off guard when he called me one day, and we’re chatting about cars or something. And all of a sudden he goes, ‘Damn, Hogan. I was on the internet the other day and I can’t believe all the stuff you did in your career!’

He said this helped him to understand the callowness of some younger talent towards him. The former WWE Champion stated, “When Stone Cold didn’t realize that I did “The Love Boat” and Johnny Carson, then I understood why the young people didn’t know.”

People may forget certain things about the legend because of his long and storied career. But  the impact Hogan had on the pro wrestling business will always be remembered. Wrestling did see many big stars after Hogan, some maybe even bigger. But it is safe to say that Hogan laid the foundation for what they achieved.

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