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“Kicked Me in the B*lls”: Hulk Hogan Had a Troublesome Experience While Competing Against the “Muhammad Ali of Japan”

Published 11/20/2022, 3:43 PM EST

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Hulk Hogan can arguably be termed one of the most popular pro wrestlers on the planet. His popularity back in the day used to win over the hearts of the fans. The 80s and 90s were dominated by Hogan and he became the face of WWF. Known for his physique and mic skills, Hogan was extremely popular and a money-drawing machine. His physique and mic skills were extremely popular, and it made him a crowd-drawing machine.

Apart from wrestling in the USA, Hogan was an eminent personality in Japan as well, wrestling numerous times in the country, and earning a huge fanbase there. However, during his initial days in the country, he faced a bit of trouble as well.

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Hulk Hogan traveled to Japan in 1983 to face Antonio Inoki. However, the event there took an uncertain turn, and everything went haywire. The event saw Hogan legitimately knocking out Inoki out of the ring and straight to the hospital.

The match was supposed to be a work, however, it soon turned into a shoot fight, and Hogan underwent a tough time facing Inoki in the ring. During an interview with Bubba the Love Sponge Clem, of BTLS Clips, Hogan opened up about his fight with Inoki. Hogan stated Inoki was a popular figure in Japan. He said, “He was the man. He was like the Muhammad Ali, the Hulk Hogan of Japan, never been beaten.”

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Hogan claimed that Inoki was continuously trying to hurt Hogan.

However, Hogan had enough. The 69-year-old stated, “He kept going back and forth and finally did like the test of strength thing, but it’s work. But he’s trying to shoot with us, so I grab his hand, and he kicked me right in the b*lls. I was like, ‘What the f*ck is that?'”

Hulk Hogan claimed that Inoki kicked him in his groin area again, and it angered Hogan.

Hulk Hogan knocked out Antonio Inoki during their “Shoot” fight

The Hulkster is a very patient man, but Inoki’s constant attempts at getting inside Hogan’s head did the trick. And it angered Hogan. According to Hulk Hogan in the same interview, he then threw Antonio Inoki into the ropes and hit him in his head with his elbow.

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Hogan said, “I threw him in the ropes, and as soon as he hit the ropes, and by the time he turned his head, I put my elbow right in his temple as hard as I could.” His elbow knocked Inoki out, and doctors had to administer an emergency adrenaline injection. However, it brought more trouble to Hogan, and it made it impossible for him to leave the country.

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From getting his passport taken away to getting death threats, ‘The Hulkster’ experienced everything after putting Inoki in the hospital. However, once Inoki regained consciousness, according to Hogan, he convened a press conference and cleared the air, which helped Hogan get back home safe.

Watch this story: The Evolution of Dwayne Johnson

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Written by:

Shounak Chakrabarti

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Shounak Chakrabarti is WWE writer at EssentiallySports. With a degree in Journalism, he wants to stand tall as an objective journalist. An avid fan of wrestling from childhood, Shounak has followed the sport from its very core and Seth 'Freakin' Rollins just happens to be his favorite wrestler.
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Edited by:

Tony Thomas