The Ben Mulroney Show - A Hulkamaniac all grown up! Remembering the wrestling GOAT.

Episode Date: July 25, 2025

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You're listening to the Ben Mulroney Show. Welcome back to the Ben Mulroney Show. And yesterday at the tail end of the show, quite literally with moments left, as I was saying goodbye, news passed across my desk that Hulk Hogan had passed away. We've looked at his legacy from the perspective of a wrestling journalist earlier today.

And now we're gonna look at it from ground level from a fan, from the perspective of a fan for whom a self-avowed fan of Hulk Hogan who had a, what did he say? He said he had an unhealthy relationship with Hulk Hogan. Please welcome somebody who's very familiar to the viewers and listeners of the Ben Mulroney show, Regan Watts. Great to be with you, Ben. And if you could please remind your viewers, I'm not just a fan. I am a Hulkamaniac. You're a Hulkamaniac.

Okay, so take me back to the beginning, Regan. Who was little Regan Watts? What was he doing with his life? What? How did he see the world when Hulk Hogan first collided with him? Well, I first was exposed to the Hulkster in the 1980s, like lots of boys our age, Ben, you're a little bit older than I am, but not much. And, you know, the 80s were a great time in hindsight for cultural influence and wrestling, particularly for what who are now men, but for young boys was a huge influence. And I can remember being exposed to the Hulkster

and his 24 inch pythons on Saturday morning when wrestling had, they had a show, I think it was for an hour every Saturday morning where they had, let's call it kid-friendly wrestling. And for those listeners who are at home who are wrestling fans, they will remember what was almost appointment television in those days, which was Saturday night main event. And so, you know, I was exposed to the Hulkster. I have a little brother and my father who did his best to give us experiences. We, you know, we used to go

and watch wrestling Saturday mornings and then Saturday night main event was appointment television. And then when WWF rolled through town, we would get tickets and go and see wrestling down at Maple Leaf Gardens. And I think our first wrestling event was at the big event at Exhibition Stadium in 1986. And so the Hulkster had been in my life at a very young age and for me personifies, you know, many of the good things, his character and what he espoused that was in society in

the 1980s, like saying your prayers and taking your vitamins and standing up for those who can't stand up for themselves and being a fighter. So listen, I love when people at a young age identify with somebody beyond their orbit, right? Somebody on TV or in a magazine or a character in a book or a politician, you name it. But as you grew up, did that connection with Hulk Hogan lessen or did it change?

Well, no, the Hulkster, once you're a Hulkamaniac, you're always a Hulkamaniac. And it's a community now, we call the community in this day and age that you never leave. I can remember my first memories of seeing him live are in 1986 at Maple Leaf Garden. Yeah, we went live. My father, God bless him. And he's probably listening now. He always made an extra effort. And this is maybe why I'm so emotional because my dad's

so alive. But I think about the sacrifices he made. He used to get his tickets for WWF when it rolled into town. We went on boxing day and the Hulkster beat Kamala on December 26th, December 28th in 1987 for the World Heavyweight Championship belt. And as a young boy, just seeing these men collide and grapple was intoxicating. Not to mention, as a character, he was larger than life.

He was also a political figure, Ben. Don't forget, Paul Kogan, he helped secure the hostages from Iran when he beat the Iron Sheik in Madison Square Garden. And with the greatest respect to Ronald Reagan and President Bush and your father, when he beat Nikolai Volkov, that was the end of the Cold War. And so, you know, as a political and cultural figure, you underestimate the importance that he has in society. Okay, okay. I take all your points, and especially the one that you made

about your father and wrestling, bringing the two of you together. I think it's a beautiful thing. But I want to walk through a little bit of his career and the impact that it had on you or the thoughts you had at the time. When there was a schism between Hulk Hogan and at the time the WWF and he left,

only to a few years later reappear in the competing WCW as Hollywood Hogan, what did you think? Well, that was when I stopped watching wrestling. For me, Hulk Hogan was the WWF. And if Vince McMahon wasn't gonna pay the man, then he shouldn't keep, you know, there was no reason to watch, you know, WrestleMania 6 at Sky Dome,

which was one of the greatest extravaganzas in the history of professional wrestling. When Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior went toe to toe, that was the apex of WWF. But when he left and moved on, my interest in passion wrestling moved on. It sort of waned for all wrestling fans in the sort of mid to late 90s and it only came back really in the 2000s when when characters became, you know, came back into mainstream consciousness and

culture. And so I was like many wrestling fans. I'm not a wrestling fan now, although I can name probably a few of the wrestlers, but Hulk Hogan for a little boy taught you that anything was possible. Uh, and you know, I had the Hulk Hogan, uh, he had a workout set that came with, uh, jump rope and dumbbells and, and, uh, and the wrist, uh, the wrist machine. So, you know, it was, uh, he was for, for young boys in particular in North America. Uh, but I would say around the world, he was an example to follow in terms of, you know, growing stronger, taking care of yourself and looking after others. But what happens to your your childhood idol or at least how you view your childhood idol

when he goes through the monumental scandal of a sex tape leaking and then having to take an entire website to court? It was a very, it was a very seedy thing. I don't think that I'm glad what happened to Gawker happened to Gawker. But he took a reputational hit quite significantly there. Sure he did. And I think, you know, and there's the public Hulk Hogan and the private Terry Balia and we are all flawed and that is not to excuse some of the decisions that he made in his life then. But I will say and I think it's important that he found Christ and God in the last couple

of years. He was baptized I think last year and I think it goes to show that even the most hardened of superstars can find faith and find a path in the church, whether he happened to be baptized as a Christian, but whether he found Christianity or Islam or something else, it really doesn't matter. He was able to live a life and guide his life towards the end of his days in a way that was probably more reflective of who he wants people to think of, as opposed to what happened with Gawker and some of the other things that came up that you referred to.

And, you know, he was such an important part of your life growing up. You ever ask yourself, like, what would you have latched onto if you didn't have Hulk Hogan? You know, that's a very good question, Ben. You know, in the eighties, it was a time, more so than now, and I think about, I was thinking about contemporary culture

this morning as I was thinking about this interview. The 1980s with Hulk Hogan and Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan and Mike Tyson, and yes, even Donald Trump, it was dominated by personalities. And I'm sure I would have grabbed on to other personalities in pop culture. Wayne Gretzky was a hero of mine, is a hero of mine.

Somebody would have filled that void. But in terms of, you know, young boys in the 1980s, like we didn't have devices. If you remember, Ben, we had to, our parents said, be home in time for dinner. And when the lights come on on the street. And so it was, it was a different time. And I am one of these people who thinks it was better in the old days. Yes, yes. Not only because we had Hulk Hogan dominating the headwaves, but we also had conservative governments in this country that were doing big things and good things. But you know, as a as a hulk maniac, I would have found respite in another hero for sure. But it was a, you know, he was

a pop culture icon. And I think his passing and the dominating of media, not just in Canada, the United States, but around the world just shows how influential he was in the world. Regan. Lastly, when he made his return to the ring in as Hulk Hogan in the WWE, was that a moment of celebration for you? Well, I think it was a moment of homecoming. I think that's where he should have always been. Hulkamania has run wild for 40 years and it was destined to return to where it started. and worthy performance, but maybe a Golden Globe. When he when he when he's on Rocky Balboa, and showed the world what a hero he was, that's when he got his rebirth. So it was only

appropriate that he went back to where it all started. And you're hearing from professional wrestlers and, and public commentators and culture commentators, Hulk Hogan was wrestling and is wrestling. He is a Ruth. He is the way in Gretzky of wrestling and, and the only way to appropriately acknowledge that is for him to finish where he started. Regan Watts, I want to thank you for taking us down memory lane. And honestly, those are the stories of wrestling and your father and your brother.

I think those are probably the most special stories that you shared with us today. So I hope that in your own way, you remember him with the fondness that he deserves. And I hope you have a great weekend. You too YouTube brother. The 2025 Nissan Rogue is Motor Trends number one compact SUV for the third year in a row. Why? Exceptional capability, value and safety that beat all others to become Motor Trend's number one compact SUV. Right now, finance a new Rogue from just 0% for up to 60 months.

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