This Past Weekend - E455 Hulk Hogan

Starting point is 00:00:00 Oye, este fin de boya al pueblo. Y guilleme a preguntados si venías, te apuntas? ¿Qué dices? Pero este pueblo es de legísimos. Nada. Mira que fácil. Primero siete paradas de metro hasta Dojadea y trena abajo en la gontra. No te li es. Este verano viaja de puerta a puerta y sin complicaciones con Bláblacá. Siempre encontrarás una cerca, incluso a última hora.

Starting point is 00:00:16 Verá ser va tu próximo viaje. ¡Ya! Bláblacá, bláblacá. Hey, guys, we've got some brand new merch to tell you about the tie dye be good to yourself teas are now available. You can get those in aqua, cream sickle and indigo. Get that in more at theovonstore.com and I have some new tour dates to announce.

Starting point is 00:00:40 I will be in Lincoln, California on September 15th at the venue at Thunder Valley and Las Vegas, Nevada. On October 27th and 28th at Resorts World Las Vegas. Tickets for these shows are available starting Wednesday, July 26th with Code Rat King. We've also got some new shows in Toronto, Ontario, on August 31st. We've added that new show and Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 8th at the Miller High Life Theater. Today's guest is a native of Tampa, Florida.

Starting point is 00:01:23 He's one of the most known human beings in the entire world. He's one of the most recognizable figures. He had lined eight WrestleMania's and he had lined my childhood, if I'm really honest with you. I'm grateful to get to spend time with him today. He's an entertainer and athlete, a movie star. Today's guest is Mr. Hulk Hogan. Brother. You're a movie. You're a movie. Shine on me. And I will find a strong I will stay there. I'm on set.

Starting point is 00:02:14 I'm on set. I'm on set. Don't shoot my men up. You just eat one of your own teeth. I'm on. If you did, that's the toughest thing I've ever seen anybody do. No, but I did buy the piece of bacon when he's been here for a while, I've almost stayed it.

Starting point is 00:02:31 Yeah, yeah. I could see you, I could just see you just having one. You know, it's now. How's Florida, do you behave at all? Yeah, the guy, I'm gonna just go out on a limb and say the guy's got some issues. Good thing. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:02:43 I mean, he just, he drank his own blood if it hit you, told him in a gin and a thing. Yeah. You know, are we, are we filming? Huh? Are we filming? We don't have to, we will, if we've never. Oh, I don't care, he's filming every, I don't know.

Starting point is 00:02:55 Yeah, I don't know if we're filming yet, are we recording? Okay, we're recording. Yeah, because 30 years, I never saw him take a drink of water. Yeah. Brother, breakfast, hard liquor, vitamins, hard liquor. Yeah. Lunch, a couple beers, hard liquor at night wine. I love him to death.

Starting point is 00:03:13 Oh yeah, but I never saw him drink any water until recently. I don't think he's back off the water back on the roll. Yeah, he said he's back. Yeah, he said he did 30 days sober and then walked across the street to a bar and turned in his chip. Yeah. Fred's right. The funny part is,

Starting point is 00:03:28 he can, he just can, he's that's who he is. Oh, he's the man. The funny part is when he was had that really serious health issue. Yeah. I got a call from Wendy and he didn't look good. So I flew up, we got a plane right away, flew up to Atlanta. And I walked in the doctor pulling me started, I was saying, your buddy here has destroyed his body inside of some of those intestines

Starting point is 00:03:53 and stuff or dying and stuff because he's got a 5% chance of making it through the surgery. So he goes in, we wait, Jimmy Hart was with me, who waited, we waited, we waited, he comes out. He's still alive. His girls crying, his daughter, Ashley's crying. I'm sitting there holding his hand, hold his hand, five percent chance to make it. He opens his eyes. He looks up at us. Oh, get, get me a six pack.

Starting point is 00:04:20 I went, what? First thing he said to me, get me a six pack when he woke up. Yeah, I'm not talking. I know. I was just tripping man. Just kind of blew my mind. Yeah, it's a good guy, bro. He's one. He's the best ever was. He's a well, he would he and he says that about you, you know, no, he's the best. Forever was. Is he the better wrestler? Is he the better and is he the best entertainer? Is he the best wrestler? Is he the better, is he the best entertainer? Is he the best wrestler? He was more consistent because I quit. I really didn't care about the business.

Starting point is 00:04:51 I came from planning a rock and roll band and that whole attitude. But once he got in, he was real consistent. He held it down. Like when I was doing the New York Madison Square Garden thing, he held the Southern belt thing down, which was actually a little harder, because he was going an hour every night.

Starting point is 00:05:07 Sometimes they do like, with a couple of broadways where nobody wins, you do like two hour broadways with a Harley race. Just those two in the ring. Yeah, because they didn't want to switch a belt, so they didn't want to make either wrestler work best. So okay, you're going an hour of Broadway tonight. Wow.

Starting point is 00:05:21 If I, something told me to go an hour of Broadway, actually just beat me. Well, I'm out here. I'm going to get room service in a beer right now. Yeah. But no, something told me to go out of Broadway, that's just beat me. I'm out here. I'm going to get room servers in a beer. Yeah. I say it was the best. It was simply because he was so consistent. Now, if you're talking about who drew the most money or internationally, who saturated all the international markets over the years, you know, I had more time and I'm more seat time like a good race car driver.

Starting point is 00:05:42 I had more seat time than all these foreign markets. And Rick spent the majority of his career down south and he didn't have that swing on to plug in the Mozambique, Zambawi, Malaysia, all these places where people will know who the whole coagulant is, but they might not know who Tom Brady is. But he was the man. I love working with him. Yeah. Yeah. He's a scrappy. He just will not be denied really. you know, he was the man. I love working with him. Yeah. Yeah, he's a scrappy. He just will not be denied, really. There's something about him. And there was something about that whole NWA, I don't know if it was AWA or NWA at that time

Starting point is 00:06:16 when he was really the king of it, you know. But it came on, I think, on Sunday night. Like, I had friends that watched wrestling, right? They knew you. But I knew if they really watched wrestling, if they knew about, if they knew about NWA, you know, that's when you could tell if they were the next level of fucking, you know, there's a lot of guys that just couldn't even read and they'd be in the stands, yell and just signs misspelled. Yeah, you know.

Starting point is 00:06:40 Yeah, you had me dialed in to be like that whole crock at Southern belt promotion. You had to be a rassling fan. Oh, you never really be. I feel like I was more accessible to the housewives and the kids that didn't know what wrestling was. And you know, so it was a whole different thing, but then Rick came our way. Yeah. And I'd been begging him come up there for years, you wouldn't leave.

Starting point is 00:07:00 And then once he came up, then we started rocking, you know. Was it scary whenever he got over to WWE? Did you feel a little bit of like, holy shit, how is this gonna go? Because that's a lot of ego. You know, at that point, there's a lot of ego that can only be so many men on the top of the mountain tops. Well, it's kind of like, you know, it's hard to explain that I play the dumb fox a lot, you know?

Starting point is 00:07:23 And for me, I'm always looking for to just get the big dollar sign on their chest Yeah, and I don't mean to be an ego maniac But I mean I could actually wrestle anybody at that time Mm-hmm and sell out I mean we sold out everywhere constantly for years Yeah, it didn't matter if I wrestle flare or come all or Paul Horn dog Mr. Wonderful or it didn't matter one Man, you can wrestle fucking Hunter Biden dude. I'd come Yeah but yeah, it was uh It was it wasn't that with me. It was I

Starting point is 00:07:51 Wanted him to get over so I would have somebody to work with and chase, you know So that was me is about for me is like the old school thing the money in the miles, you know So you know I wasn't really um That into being on the road or getting beat on every night. But there was so much paper involved, bro, I was in. Do you think that you felt more like an athlete? Did you feel, I mean, because you came from a music background, did you feel more like an athlete? Did you feel more like a, like this is just, did you almost make wrestling your music in

Starting point is 00:08:24 a way? Does that make any sense? Yeah, because you're hitting it on all these cylinders there. I really wasn't an elite athlete that was great on the football field or great wrestler, I mean, amateur wrestler, or I had a baseball background, but I didn't play major league baseball.

Starting point is 00:08:41 I had a couple of things that happened to me that stopped all that stuff, but I wish that myself more as just you said, it's like an art form of extension of my music. And once I figured out what the business was about, because you can Google whole code in Japan. You can see me get down and wrestle like bread, hard and all the guys, because that's how I started, you know, back in the day here.

Starting point is 00:09:01 The guy I'm here in Matsuda broke my leg the first day. He ran me off, put me in the doge over two years on wrestling, put the submissions. So you learned it all. Well, I went through the motions because back then, if you got your ass beaten to bar brother, you were out of the wrestling business. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:09:16 You know, back in the 70s. Back in the late 70s, a little bit different than the performance center now with the WWE. Yeah. Oh, I can only imagine me, you had to live the lifestyle then. Yeah, and you had to protect the business.

Starting point is 00:09:28 And if you wanted a job, there's a 300 pound guy with a qualified, as you had to take the food out of his wife and kids' mouth to get in the business. Yeah. It wasn't like, you know, there's 40 wrestlers here that have been training, you know, at the performance center, we can pick one one to get her replaced and it wasn't that way. Right. It was way different back then. But yeah, it was something that once I figured

Starting point is 00:09:51 the business out, I kind of like watched a bunch of guys growing up, like I watched Dusty Rose Luck as I was from here. And then I also watched Superstar Billy Ramelot. I kind of like stole a little bit from both of them. And then I was digging and rustling and digging and rustling around here and then I quit. And I went up to, you know, northern Florida through Peacola

Starting point is 00:10:13 and mobile Alabama Birmingham, Alabama, rustled and rustled and then I quit. Then I went up to Memphis for a while and I quit. When you were quitting, what was it making you quit, kind of, was it just- The money, bro, I was rust, yeah, 12 13 times a week They're giving you a check for $125. Oh, yeah, when you're beating the shit out of somebody at a bestwester Yeah, I was getting her my head for five bucks a night and then in between rock and roll bands

Starting point is 00:10:35 One of the lead singers in my band got me in the laborers union here because in between bands We go put our go to labor labor hall and they your number, you may get a job for four days at the mall, working with a pipe fitter or three days at a government shutdown, working with electricians. And I got a call to go be a long shorman, a couple long shorman. I get an union down there. In where? In Florida? Yeah, I'm 22nd Street, cause way in Florida. Okay. So once I learned how to be, it was a weird place because I guess probably the first white guy ever in the longshoreman, Jesus, in here in Tampa. Oh, wow. That's what you see Latinos. Latinos and blacks. Yeah. And so then I learned how to load the ships and I became a stevedor,

Starting point is 00:11:20 but in between wrestling, I was like, man, 13, 14 times a sweet twice on Wednesday, twice on Saturday, three times on Sunday, a wrestle for $125. I'm going back to the docks, so I was making 400 bucks a day. Yeah. You know, eating the gimmicks and working 14, 15 hours, you know. It just didn't pay.

Starting point is 00:11:36 No, so I quit, quit. I went back and forth, back and forth, but then I figured the business out. Right. Then I went back and one time I slammed somebody, I went, at least time I slammed somebody I went I wasted the crowd on like that in the reaction Got more response than the body slam way

Starting point is 00:11:59 That's let me hit somebody of throat and yeah, I'm looking at other action got you know more So okay now I got it. It took me while to figure it out And then when I get fired from the wwf the first time by Vince Senior, when I went to make the Rocky movie, I went and spent three years in Minnesota. And then I figured it out. Very pleased. The whole of many thing out, the rip in the shirt, the whole thing out. But I wasn't a lead athlete, but I figured the business out and I got real good at, instead of getting something in the corner, kicking them 20 times, like the guys do, I'd kick somebody once and leave them lying.

Starting point is 00:12:28 Yeah. And I'd say, don't get up. And I'd walk around and strut, like a peacock and do my thing. And I figured out how to create emotion and drama and get people really pissed off, having me really happy with me. So I just kind of figured it out, man.

Starting point is 00:12:42 But I had enough of an athletic ability to have bounds and basically replacement and have a cadence in the ring, which a lot of guys can figure out. Yeah, man, it's just, it's really, it's kind of fascinating to see, like what, because I don't, as a fan, dude, I remember, we would try to step for Saturday Night Mane event, and we were kids, like dude, I remember, like we would try to step for Saturday Night Main event

Starting point is 00:13:06 and we were kids, like fuck, I remember my brother and I holding each other's eyes open because we wouldn't come on till 10th early, right? And like we were fucking sitting there and we were wake up in the morning, we were like, what did you see? Like we missed it. We were like, when you would come on, it was like,

Starting point is 00:13:23 man, it didn't matter how poor we were. It didn't matter if my parents were too busy. It didn't matter if I wasn't a tough kid. It was like, yeah, I fell in love with you. It was like, I didn't care about the wrestling, you know? Like I did. The wrestling was cool, but I cared about whoever that,

Starting point is 00:13:40 like whoever they made me feel. Whatever they made me feel. You know, and when you, it was like it made me feel like, man, this is an escape. Like, and I felt more in love with the, yeah, the person, not the moves. Like, it didn't matter who's the most athletic. You know, Snooka was fun to watch because he had, you know, this hair coming off of him,

Starting point is 00:13:58 you know, in these, you know, domestic charges or whatever, just dangling off of him. But he was like, but otherwise it was like, yeah, it was about the person it wasn't about as much the wrestling. Yeah, I figured that out, bro, and that whole thing I slid into, you know, that from Venice Beach, California, close on from here, and hear my whole life. And that whole being tanter than everybody, having the blonde hair and just kind of like the training prayers and vitamins

Starting point is 00:14:26 that impeccable baby face character. You know, it kind of like was just perfect timing with everything. So I kind of figured out, you know, right away, you know, the character worked and I saw how I kind of like came up with a little better character than everybody else around me. And I just wrote it to the drop that I picked it up and I wrote it some more and I spanked it and wrote it some more.

Starting point is 00:14:48 And even when Vince told me, you know, you run so over and I think you're done with it. I said, okay, see you later. That's what for Ted Turner for 10 years and Todd everybody lesson. That was in the V.O. Yeah. And then when bow, I went in and the red and yellow for a couple of years. And then we've kind of felt a little rumble. I needed to do something evil, you know. And then that bow I went in and it's the red and yellow for a couple of years. Then we've kind of felt a little rumble. I needed to do something evil, you know, and then that got red.

Starting point is 00:15:09 So you had good instincts then. Yeah, you say that? You say you had good instincts? Yeah. Yeah. Well, I came in to New York and 77 is a bad guy because I sold out Shay Stadium with Andre of 78. Mm-hmm.

Starting point is 00:15:20 And then I went all around Japan. I spent 20 years in Japan, six months out of year in Japan. Oh, right. That's what I'm saying. Google some of my matches. People know about that as much. No, not really. And what was that lifestyle? I mean, you guys get over there. First of all, your twice as big as anybody there. You're as big as some families. Don't weigh as much as you there. Well, first off, I was single. Right. I went over there. I didn't get married to 80. Three, and the baby three just summer. So in 77, I went over there. I didn't get married to a D3, an N-A-3 December. So in 77, I went over there, and the guy that broke my leg the first day

Starting point is 00:15:50 was a guy named Marumat Su. Marumat Su. Right, and then they ran me off, because I had real long blonde hair all the way down to my ass, coming out of the rotten roll band thing, and I could be a rustler. And then I went back a few months later,

Starting point is 00:16:03 when I got home, my dad beat my ass worse than that suited did. Damn. He said, don't you ever let anybody hurt you again. So, you know, it's straight me right up. So a few months later when my leg was healed, I went back and I had that attitude, you know, because I was, when I was younger, I was real strong and, you know, kind of aggressive.

Starting point is 00:16:20 And so I said, I'm not gonna let these guys hurt me, you know, so I just didn't let them take my arm. Right. And so I went back and then they couldn't run me off. And they did everything, it could've got rid of me. Finally, they just said, okay, we need to teach this guy any going to wear. So I spent a couple years in Japan

Starting point is 00:16:37 learning the submissions, hooks and all the UFC stuff and protecting myself. Not much, but I weren't enough to protect myself. And then when I went protecting myself, not much, but I weren't enough to protect myself. And then when I went to Japan, I had this mystique of Hiromatsu to broke me in. And so that carried a lot of weight. And then just like we have Elvis here, the Japanese at the time had a real famous Japanese singer like Elvis has hair bleached out. And here I come, they knew I played music.

Starting point is 00:17:04 So the first thing I did was I went in the studio I cut a cut an album with a the most popular Japanese band called pink cloud So I went and cut an album with them and so right away I got over So then then the other thing was I brought Freddie Blasio and you don't know if you know who he classy Freddie Blasio Right and he used to Russell got him Ricky Dozen in Japan. He was a mafia guy because all the wrestling Japan is run by the mafia, TV sign, everything's all mafia. At the time. Right.

Starting point is 00:17:32 I hope they're not listening. But we don't know. Probably not. But I mean, no, that's cool. It's cool. Yeah. But yeah. So now I show up with Blassey.

Starting point is 00:17:40 And Blassey had false teeth. He had to set a TV8 with. Then when he wrestled, he'd follow this other set of teeth down. Oh, that's what he would do. Yeah. And ate with. Then when he wrestled, he'd filed his other set of teeth down. Oh, that's what he would do. Yeah, and he would bite these guys in the head, suck the blood of the head, and spit the blood in their face. Oh, yeah.

Starting point is 00:17:51 And his first tour over there, three old ladies died watching TV. Oh, God. So now I come over with him. So I got Matt Sudeon under my belt. I cut this music so the Japanese think I'm some, you know, superstar, because I just played music back in the day,

Starting point is 00:18:04 and I'm with Blassy. So you were a king there. But as soon as I walked in there, you know, I was over. And so, what was it like? What was the fan hood like and how they treat fans different in American Japan? Well, it's, over in Japan, they treat you like, you know, your royalty, you know, it's just like Brad Pitt

Starting point is 00:18:23 and, you know, Tom Brady all in one, you know what I mean? Wow. That's how they treat their wrestlers, you know, it's just like Brad Pitt, you know, Tom Brady all in one, you know what I mean? Wow. That's how they treat their wrestlers, you know, and you know, they've got the sumo wrestlers and they've got the pro wrestlers and You know, this even the sumo wrestlers would be bowing down to us. It was just really a strange situation. Where's Yoko's in his and stuff? Yeah, do you ever battle one of those? Did you guys ever? I almost did. I almost did. Because they're big dudes. Yeah. And they're mostly wrestling. Right. So when you go into the dressing room at night, wherever you're at, there'd be a sheet

Starting point is 00:18:52 of paper on the wall. And it's in Japanese writing. Of course, I knew my name in Japanese, you know, Hulk Hogan, Ichibon number one. And I would know my name, but I couldn't read who I was wrestling. So all of a sudden, in the Japanese dressing room, before I couldn't read who I was wrestling. So all of a sudden, the Japanese dressing room before I started living and traveling with the Japanese, I was still with the Guijin and the Americans. All of a sudden, I hear all this crazy stuff going on next door because the walls are paper thin over there, you know. And all of a sudden Peter Takaoshity's

Starting point is 00:19:18 referee comes up and says, oh, so and so Fuji, whatever his name was, just beat up Kabuki, the, the, the, the booker. So this, this, um, Sumo Russell, who was his first night. And apparently the booker told this Japanese guy that he wanted him to put me over, but going and shoot with me for 10 minutes, not work, not take it. He's really doing his shoot and try to take me down and try to hurt me. But then at the end, let me win.. He goes nah, I'm not letting him win So they come over and tell me that I go boom. You know, just go. Oh, no, here we go. So I'm going out there, bro You know because that's there is no choice Yeah, you gotta go out there. There's a big guy there from Vancouver named John tentacle earthquake

Starting point is 00:20:00 Mm-hmm. I don't know if you ever remember him earthquake the rest there. Yes. Yeah remember he used to be a sumo wrestler And him and I really good friends. He goes no Terry. You're not going out there. I don't know if you ever remember him earthquake the rest of yes. Yeah remember he used to be a sumo Ressort and him and I was really good friends. He goes no Terry. You're not going out there. I am I said He's all yours brother. Wow and as soon as we're watching to the corner as soon as tent over out there This guy tried to hook his eye right away and man at piss-turn off 10 of beat the shit I was like, thank God I didn't go out there. Wow. Because I wouldn't have been ready for him to hook my eye right away. Yeah. You know, I wasn't thinking on that level. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:20:29 But this guy was just really pissed and different. You know, he came from a sport where it's a shoot. You know, and then he went and predetermined. And he did not want to hear any of it, putting me over. Damn. You know, he thought he was going to wrestle me and beat the crap out of me,

Starting point is 00:20:41 but John Tenta saved me. Dang. So he got what came friends up to that. We were friends before that. But for the whole tour, I put him over. I was hiding behind him like scared. I'm out. You know, I was drove and crazy for the last three weeks.

Starting point is 00:20:52 I was with him. Was there a whole university you had going on over there that we didn't even know about? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Actually, if I was like a Minnesota, for instance, and I would wrestle on a Friday night, if I had saturday and sunday, if I would wrestle on a Friday night. If I had Saturday and Sunday off, I'd fly to Japan. Russell there in Tokyo and I'll socket and fly back from Monday TV because the money was good there.

Starting point is 00:21:12 Yeah. Yeah. Real good. Wow. Yeah, Japan. We had who do we have on? We had on Jesse Ventura. Oh, did you? This is already gone better. Seven thousand times better than that.

Starting point is 00:21:24 And Jesse can be a communal confrontation. The Baja. Yeah, he, he was like, I lived, you know, I was a part of the one personers. He's like, I lived on the seventh ring of Saturn. Yeah. Yeah, you want to know why? Oh, he hates my guts.

Starting point is 00:21:43 Nuzzi? Bro, I talked to him for three hours. I talked for 17 seconds. Yeah. He talked for all the other time. And he kept saying, I'm gonna leave in just a minute. And then he would talk for 70 more minutes. Wow.

Starting point is 00:21:57 But anyway, it was a trip. It was a trip, yeah, that guy was just, it was the wildest interview out of the chat. What is a conversation I've had him all life Well, when you go to the bathroom you close the door behind you. Do you? Of course. Yeah, you don't want somebody coming in there and cuz you're doing things You know you're doing what God wants you to do you don't need help But do you do that with your web browsing or you leave in the bathroom door open?

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Starting point is 00:25:10 That's T.R.Y.F.U.M.com and use code THEO to save an additional 10% off your order today so whenever When you look at a lot of guys, if you're in, you seem really healthy, do you feel healthier? Then a lot of guys in your line of work haven't had a lot of the same blessings of health.

Starting point is 00:25:37 I mean, I know you've got a pretty bad spine. What's bad on you? Where's your health at kind of now? Well, I think internally I'm healthy. It's just I abused my body so bad, you know The last 10 or 12 years I've had like 25 surgeries You know, that's kind of weird because what I went to do Rocky 3 when my mother was still alive if you would come to my house She go you'll see come over here first. They all want to do his measure, you know?

Starting point is 00:26:07 Oh, yeah. And that's what she did to me before I went to do the Rocky movie. I was like, 335 pounds, I was six foot seven on the nose. Well, then right from my mother died a few years back, she wanted to measure me. I was six, four and a half, you know, between the 10 back surgeries. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:26:23 And the two knee replacements, the two hip replacements, the abdominal stuff, and the shoulders, and all these surgeries I've had. And plus you get older, you shrink up a little bit. Yeah, you get a little bit of... So yeah, I mean, other than, you know, like when I'm with Sky, and we're walking, I lean on her, so it looks like when I'm high school,

Starting point is 00:26:39 I'm like, hey baby, I'm really just kind of like, hanging on, you know, for the ride. Or if I'm not with her, I can pretty much walk on my own from here to that door. But if it gets too far than that, I get like a walking stick, which is embarrassing and hell is helping. Sky says embrace it. You're a warrior. I said, you're right, baby. You're right. I'm a warrior. You know, so we can look at it. Yeah. So I'm trying to adapt, but, um, you know, we're going in Monday, uh,

Starting point is 00:27:02 tomorrow morning for another mile of Graham, you know, because I'm having some more issues in my back and they're going to see if the disc is pushing the spine above the hardware. And if it is, then they want to go from the middle of my back up to my neck. But if the disc isn't pushing on the spinal cord, then they said, we don't want to cut on you anymore. And there's because my left hip is like 25 or 26 years old,

Starting point is 00:27:23 they think there might be a problem there, but we're gonna find out. Yeah, but it's all from that damn thing. Razzle in the basins. Nobody told me it was fake. Yeah, did it get more theater of it, change over the years? How did the theater of wrestling evolve over the years?

Starting point is 00:27:44 I'd say that. How did the theater of wrestling evolve over the years? I said, when I first got in, if you kick somebody, leave lace prints on them, when you punch somebody, we wanna see black and blue marks. Yeah. That was the mindset when I was first in. And I was a medium sized guy. I was like 310th, 315th. I was like medium sized guy. I was like 310 to 315. I was like medium sized,

Starting point is 00:28:06 sweet hands and 360, King Kong Monster 360, all these monsters, you know, that I was wrestling. And it's, you know, it was hard pushing them around. So it got to the point, you know, these guys would beat the crap out of each other. And it was real territorial, you know, and they'd work four or five days a week. But then once this thing blew up

Starting point is 00:28:27 and I cut a deal with Vince Jr. after I was fired and I came back, it was like every single night, there were three towns in the night running, you know? And so we kinda lightened up with the work and it was always supposed to be light, but it never was, because people were really landed in and really, really, really.

Starting point is 00:28:44 The people get competitive. I mean, would there be guys you had real kind of like, you know, you, as people were really landed in and really, really, really, really. The people get competitive. Yeah. I mean, would there be guys you had a real kind of, like, you know, you just had a long day in the car with them and you're like tonight, when we get out there, you're gonna get. It got a little crazy. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:28:54 And you know, I always had a little bit more of a target on my back because I was the guy. Right. You know, so if you're, so if you go in your break-hole tokens, I'm guess what your cruise made. Right. And I ran with the pack a lot,

Starting point is 00:29:04 but then I'd also fly to South Africa and Russell the heavily championed South Africa. And I'd fly to different places and be by myself. Yeah. And Vince is going, don't you lose that belt monster. I'm like, oh great. You know, because you could get hooked real quick in there, if you're not thinking.

Starting point is 00:29:22 Yeah. And so there was all that. And then when I come back to the States, I do this wrestling, you know, and so it was all cool, but it just about 1980 when I went to Minnesota, instead of digging and wrestling so much, I started, you know, playing to the crowd more. And then by the time I came back to New York To wrestle the chic they didn't play any entrance music. They didn't sell any merchandise I pull Vince's house a braw making a ton of money in the 20 cities selling t-shirts and headbands and firstbies and all kind of stuff

Starting point is 00:29:57 And he changes thoughts and on the way to the ring don't don't don't yeah the place explodes And so just coming up and down to music. So I cranked it in the garden at first night with the iron chic. Don't, don't, don't, don't, and the place explode in Vince's like, hmm, monster, you're right. So, the Jimmy Hart, my manager,

Starting point is 00:30:16 sat down and wrote most of the interest music for everybody. Really, he was a musician, he was a composer. Yeah, well, he was in a, wait before your time, actually before my time, thank God Jimmy's 79 years old, but Jimmy was in a band called The Gentries. And they had his hit song called Keep on Dancing. They recorded it, Sun Studios,

Starting point is 00:30:33 Memphis, where Elvis recorded it. Oh, sweet, yeah, I've been over there. Yeah, and so Jimmy knew everybody. And Jimmy was gonna make it. Yeah, and he used one of those auto harps to record everything, you know. And not to record everything, but to write everything. Yeah, yeah, write everything. And not to record everything, but to write everything.

Starting point is 00:30:45 I'm, yeah, write everything. And so, yeah, once Vince saw the music and, you know, gut into the merchandising and change the game because, you know, when I went up there to work for Vince Jr., I lived right next door to him up there in Greenwich. And so I was in the office every day, you know, for the first three or four years

Starting point is 00:31:04 it was me and Vince in the office. So you really got dialed into the business side of it. Yeah long time long time ago before I went back there Right, the three years in Minnesota were a great education for me because I was with a guy named Vern Gagne Yeah, I was real tight with him and his son he owned that area didn't he owned everything and I was single I had nothing to do with just learn. You know, and plus I just, I just, you know, I took to like a Dr. Waterman. I found a way to, you know, really, you know, progress in the generator. I remember it was easy for me, you know,

Starting point is 00:31:37 but I had a feel for it, you know, and I could wrestle anybody. And I didn't even know if I was gonna wrestle him, or he could tell me who's gonna wanna lose. I don't mean to need to talk about anything. I never talked about a match. Really? Except one time with the rock and we didn't do anything we talked about.

Starting point is 00:31:51 So a lot of times you're out there, you're just kind of figuring out like you guys each at a certain point, especially if the guy's good enough for season enough, you know, you know, you can make it great. I could go out there with Randy Orton, not say a word, not a fact when I was wrestling with Somerslide, I didn't even talk. You know, then stole's told us who we wanted to win a losing and then I'm dead at Randy or in his old school. Yeah. I could do that with Cena.

Starting point is 00:32:10 You know, I'd have to talk, listen, I mean, you have to, I have to lead the match, but I could do it with Cena because he's good enough. Yeah. Rock all day long, stone cold all day long. These guys are really good in the ring, bro. Yeah. Flare all day long, me and Flare never talk. bro. Yeah flare all day long mean flare never talk

Starting point is 00:32:26 Nothing's all about see out there brother You know, so that's how I learned Andre you know I go to Andre bosses anything. I'll do that do out there night. Don't worry Okay, well, you know, how do you want to start the match? Don't worry. Okay, I'm worried Scared me to death, you know. Did a guy like Andre, like, what kind, like if you guys were cruising in the car, like, what did he have to sit in the back? Or did he have to like be under a tarp in the trunk or the truck or something?

Starting point is 00:32:52 Or how would you even get like, like, but how would you get something that big somewhere? Well, we didn't travel together, you know, and. Yeah, because the car wouldn't go. Yeah, well, we drove for a lot of years, you know, like, I was a wrestler. Yeah. I was wrestling in Atlanta tonight and I had to be in Minneapolis tomorrow night. I drive. Right. So if you guys drove like you did, if I, how can I be in

Starting point is 00:33:15 a car? Could you be in a car? He, they had a van that drove me in, but then we started flying. Right. Right. Early 80s. We started flying a lot, so it made it easier. But if you could imagine there was never a chair, he could sit in, he couldn't sit in that chair, couldn't sit there. Oh yeah. There was never a chair, there was never a bed,

Starting point is 00:33:36 there was never a knife, there was never a fork, he was never comfortable. When he sat on a plane, his head would be sideways like this where the overhead has to be flying like this. And every plane probably just goes to the behind as that is all. But the hardest thing for me was, you know, the first eight or nine years,

Starting point is 00:33:55 he didn't like me at all and tortured me. Why was he jealous? Well, I was, I was hard headed, bro, when I was young, I thought I could beat anybody up and I thought I could beat him up. Did you keep that energy like when you were in person too kind of Like I'm not not he just didn't like me. He just really didn't give me the time of day But when we got in the ring he showed me how much he didn't like me right you know and Then I made the mistake of bringing a flight attendant to the Capitol Center and Washington. We've all done that.

Starting point is 00:34:25 And I put her right in the first row, and I didn't tell Andre, I didn't tell anybody. And then I kind of kept rolling out of the ring where she was, you know, and had Andre chase me out there. And then when you chase me, I turn around and catch him real quick. And then he heard her saying, come on, Terry, come on, Terry.

Starting point is 00:34:40 And he figured out she was met with me, and he about killed me. He took me back in the ring. You know, you tied the ropes up. He tied the bottom rope in the second. I put my neck in and put a size 26 foot on it. It was just almost broke my neck in the ropes. Then I had those yellow tights on.

Starting point is 00:34:58 He picked me up like a damn stork. When my balls and my ass hanging out and carried me around the ring in front of this girl with all my junk hanging out. Yeah No more girls Yes, sir no more girls I get it But he just didn't want that energy there. No, cuz you know I'm showing off. Oh, yeah He wanted to use this part. Yeah, I was trying to get over by showing him off and yeah, my ass for that You know that's awesome dude. That's so much fun.

Starting point is 00:35:26 For you, maybe. We have that, sure. Was there a part where it started to like, where did it start to, because everything I noticed, there's a part where it's fun, it's beginning, and then it becomes work, you know? It has started to feel like that at a certain point.

Starting point is 00:35:41 I mean, even if you're a hero to the world, it's still. Yeah, I hated it. I hated it. I hated, even if you're a hero to the world, it's still. Yeah, I hated it. Yeah. I hated it. I hated the business because of the traveling. And, you know, the no sleep, you have to make a choice between eating, sleeping, or working out.

Starting point is 00:35:55 So the prior priorities were working out first. Yeah. Eating and the sleep was the third priority. So like if we wrestled Madison Square Garden tonight, you know, and all of a sudden we're supposed to fly to St. Louis short flight hour and a half st. Louis. Well, all of a sudden you get to La Guaria Plains canceled. You know, oh my god, you can't, you know, all of that was delayed, it's delayed. And it just, you spent all days in the, all day in the airport. And then when you landed in St. Louis, you know, do

Starting point is 00:36:23 you go to the hotel first and check in at waste time, or do you go to the gym first? I'd always go straight to the gym and work out. And then usually I wouldn't have time to go to the hotel. I'd usually go to the arena. And I was always on the last, so I'd miss room service and food. So that was always a scramble.

Starting point is 00:36:40 And then I'd check in the room later at night. So it was just a pod truck. Sometimes the flights would be on time and sometimes they wouldn't, but the traveling, I hated the traveling because it was, I was flying 300 days a year. Then it burns you down. Oh, yeah, that's brutal.

Starting point is 00:36:54 Even with stand-up comedy, it's like we get to, sometimes you take the overnight flight because it's the cheapest back then. So sometimes when I was living in California, we'd fly, so I'd get in at five, 30, get in at six, 30 in the morning or something. So then they take you straight to radio,

Starting point is 00:37:08 right, so then you're there for two hours and then you get back to your hotel. Now it's around like 11 a.m. But you haven't slept really. So you try to get a few hours of sleep and then you get up and want to live. It's just that the traveling burns people out, man. Yeah, you get off stage last.

Starting point is 00:37:20 The food calls already been done. You're like, fuck, man. I'm gonna rise to T's, John Boulousey, you know, because we jump on a blower Friday night out of a JFK. What even a blower? Oh, all night. No, I'm stuck.

Starting point is 00:37:32 I'll be in an eight ball. That got died of coke, I think. No, whatever. But I jump on the, you know, pan Am, you know, go to LA and we land. I'm sorry, but I'll see you Monday because he was on the flight back Monday morning. I'd be on it. He'd see me like, it's all, man, just be for this traveling. I said, since you've got here Friday night, bro, I've already been back to New York and back once. I had to fly back to Russell, the capital center. I've been back. So since you've been here resting for 48 hours, I made

Starting point is 00:37:59 the trip there and back again. He goes, no, you didn't. I said, swear to God, I did, bro. You know, you can show out of your mind as well. So there was a lot of, but that's the part I hated was the traveling. The only thing that I really dug was, you know, being in the ring because when I was in the ring, you know, I was real present. You know, I didn't think about anything else. You know, X, Y, X, girlfriend, kids, business problems, money problems, three or four guys that wanted to kill me in the back, I didn't think about anything. You know, when I was in the ring, I was completely in the moment. Yeah. You know, and when I, the one, the one thing that really worked for me was once I

Starting point is 00:38:39 clicked, I was not Terry Bale. When I went to that ring, I was whole to the brother. I believed it. I mean, I believed when I was in there, I wasn't afraid to anybody or anything. And I just, that was my attitude, you know, because if I didn't believe it, you're not going to get them to believe it or watch it. I believed it. So I was so dialed into that character, man. I lived through that thing and it got me through a lot of craziness. You know, it helped a lot. Yeah. How tough was it? Because you have a family, right? Yeah. And how tough was it? I always wondered like to your kids like to be, because you're everybody's

Starting point is 00:39:17 hero, like you were like, you know, you were a hero to so many people, right? I wonder if it's tough for a child to be like, oh, how do I make my dad seem like my hero? You know, like, how do I make my dad seem like my hero if he's everybody else's hero, you know? I wonder if that's tough for a kid, you know? I'm sure it is, you know? The kids were real aware of who I was, but, you know, the moment I would come home, bro,

Starting point is 00:39:47 that whole Cogum thing was dropped. Really? At the front door, I didn't have any pictures of my house, of me, no wrestling crap in the house, at all I didn't want it in my house. Some of you guys have don't hang in it, pictures of themselves. But you ever messed up,

Starting point is 00:40:01 we'd be like, go to your room and don't come out to the bell rings or something like, like would you ever messed up with your real like go to your room and don't come out to the bell rings or something like like would you ever like. No, bro, I didn't do that. But the thing was, you know, I was, I dropped that whole thing in person and the moment I'd walked in the house, I'd take the band-in off the bald head and I was just dad or Terry and I was, you know, I could switch gears pretty easy because I just didn't live that character like you brother and brother are things. He's the greatest wrestler and all this crazy crap that these guys think. You know, I just let it go man. It was a job and I was real good what I was doing. I had to that had to be a degree of separation from me because you end up killing yourself. You know, you can't live up to that character. I mean, all my

Starting point is 00:40:44 guys are dead and I was a ringleader who dead, and I was a ringleader. You know, I was a ringleader, I was running them all hard. I'd come to the edge and, I'd stop after about four days, you guys keep going, I'm out, you know. So I had to draw a line in the sand. So you were able to do that pretty, it came naturally for you, it was pretty easy to do.

Starting point is 00:41:02 I'm really good at stopping things. We're starting things and She's been around me a little while now, but it's beautiful. Yeah, she doesn't you're pretty I mean your handsome But she's better. She's not my type rose Just hold your horses back right and say brother saying brother. Yeah, yeah With that baby, I got me a whole new family too, so I'm good Nice congratulations. What are you talking about? How you gonna hurt? I forget what I was talking about look. I feel yeah, I look I agree with you

Starting point is 00:41:31 That's all you get you look. I'm not gonna look again No, we're gonna know. No look again. I'm over here, but yeah, cool. We're good now Yeah, there's a lot of guys that have passed away. Did you go to some of the guys funerals? What was yeah? Yeah? I quit doing funerals and weddings because I walked in on so many hotel rooms where the guys were passed away, you know? And over the years, just in this. Yeah, yeah, well, I mean, if you,

Starting point is 00:41:55 I don't know the numbers now, but you could probably Google it when the guys could tell you right away, but you know, with baseball, let's say over the last 20 years, you would've got 20 guys died or basketball 20. Maybe it's 30 or 40, I don't know. You know, hockey, maybe 10, 15, 20.

Starting point is 00:42:08 Rusting, 350. Yeah. I mean, everybody's dead. Yeah. I got a retail store right down on Clearwater Beach. And we sell pictures and posters. And I, okay, there's six guys in the picture. I'm the only one still alive.

Starting point is 00:42:24 It's freaky, man. I'm sure? Especially because my mom and dad are dead and my brother's dead. All of my friends are dead. So it kind of like the mortality thing can get to you after a while. So when you ask you how my health is,

Starting point is 00:42:35 I'm cool with all the back. So I mean, you can have one back surgery and end up in a wheelchair. I've had 10, you know, and so I'm very blessed, very lucky bro, you know, and just, like I said, I'm either all in or I'm all way up. If we're in a party, bro, we're in a party. Yeah. If I'm gonna go straight, I'm gonna go straight, you know, and right now I'm on the straight run. Yeah. No alcohol, no. I actually did take two ton of alls I was hurting so bad today, but I didn't take time at alls, add was hurting so bad today, but I didn't take time all those, add bill or leave for months now,

Starting point is 00:43:06 and I haven't drank since January 1st, but when I go to the other way, you're not sweating or it gets ugly. You're going in, huh? I'm going in. Oh yeah, well, I mean, yeah, flared definitely. I mean, he can say whatever he wants about me, but I put his ass to bed every time.

Starting point is 00:43:23 Yeah, I believe that. Cause he's not a clock. Was it Vogue? Come on. Not a clock. Yeah. He's down. Last night he invites us out, right? So we get out of work. We had a show last night. We get out.

Starting point is 00:43:35 We text his, uh, the lady is hand his assistant or whatever. She's like, Oh, he just got now. Who's the new victim? Her name is Gia. She's, I mean, I'll tell you this. She's, she lifts chest a lot. I'll tell you that. I'll say that.

Starting point is 00:43:53 Typical flavor. She skips arm and leg day, but she really, yeah. Yeah. And she said, oh, it's not it. He just went to bed, you know? I just put him to sleep. But he lives that thing. He usually sneaks off on you though. Really? I can see that. He'll be drinking at the bar drinking the bar and you'll think he's going to the bathroom.

Starting point is 00:44:13 He don't come back. Yeah. And there's usually this huge tab that he leaves. So he's got it down, brother. Believe me, I know. Yeah, that's crazy. Yeah, it's a short Short story, flier story. Yeah. In between back surgery number four, five, or six, whatever it was, I booked this Hulkomania tour. And first time I've ever booked a tour on my own overseas, right? Australia.

Starting point is 00:44:39 So I hire a flare and hire a bunch of wrestlers to come with me. Flier goes, I need my money up front Okay, Rick sure probably for one of his wives a bit he brought one of them with him Yeah, actually divorced right up. He's always got a wife on him somewhere. Yeah, and so I paid him up front and All of a sudden we get ready to go to Australia. Oh my back, you know it goes out again And now the tours booked I'm falling Britney Spe Spirit is around, I'm a day behind her tour, picking up leftovers. I thought, and so my background, I had another back surgery right for our left,

Starting point is 00:45:13 and I had stitches in my back when I went over there. Still, that's how crazy I used to be. You know, you need to travel, you need to lay in bed about six months. Okay, I'm gonna fuck. I was gone, let's go. We're gonna run. We're out of here. That's months. I'll get back to the floor. I was gone. Let's go. We're running.

Starting point is 00:45:24 We're out of here. That's how I told Flare, yeah, thank you. So we get over there. And the greatest thing was the first night in Sydney, Australia, British, Spirits got mad and shot the crowd. A bird, right? So nobody came to our tours, right? The rest of the tour.

Starting point is 00:45:38 So we bounced around and picked everybody up, you know? And I wrestled Flare a bunch over there. And every 90 con, he goes, I need another five grand. And I, what, what already paid you? Oh, no, I need another five grand. I said, okay, here's five grand. And then he kept doing us a brick. Why not give you five grand?

Starting point is 00:45:57 Well, you know, we're drawing since big crowds. You know, you, you know, you need to pay me another five grand. So I pay you another five grand. I went down to the bar, he's buying drinks for everybody. I mean, paying for everything. That's what he's doing with a five grand. He's keeping everybody in the bar to party with him all night, you know. And he wasn't going to bed at night, cloth back then.

Starting point is 00:46:14 He doesn't like to be alone, he said. He said there's been times in his life where he didn't, he couldn't, absolutely couldn't stand to be alone. Yeah. I thought I was interesting. Yeah. Because some people they like their piece, they like their space. Yeah, he just, it was interesting even talking to him.

Starting point is 00:46:31 He just is who he, it seems like there's not a lot of getting, he's just the nature boy. That's who he is, bro. That's who he is. It's very admirable and it's interesting, you know. But I mean, that is who he is. He likes to have a good time and he will find it that is who he is. He likes to have a good time and he will find it no matter what.

Starting point is 00:46:47 And he wants you to have a good time too. Yeah. I don't think I could be whole-cognitive in 24 hours a day. Yeah. I don't think I could, I wouldn't make it. Yeah, I wouldn't make it. Well, that's what I can't imagine.

Starting point is 00:46:58 Yeah, being a hero to so many people and how it is, you had to be able to be, then to then be a dad would also seem like tough, you know. What about, when you look back on kind of your career, because you've had a lot of different angles, you've had wrestling, you've had entertainment, right? You've had movies who went and I remember seeing, what was one of you against against no holds but yeah, no holds bar. Yeah, dude. That was From crazy when you did that dude. That was a wild one. Yeah, we went and see you had the thing and We're what is going on here. Yeah tiny. Sweet man. Yeah, sorry. See that. He's my boy. That was

Starting point is 00:47:39 Something that was a couple years ago, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, do you start to get like Why didn't you, why have you had better luck than some of these guys? I kind of reeled it in, bro. You mean, you even know why am I still alive? Yeah. Without your ass. Yeah. I didn't want to say it like that. No, that's cool. It's cool. I think honestly, if we stayed up for three, four nights in a row, partying, I would still go work out. Right, nobody else would. I would still go train.

Starting point is 00:48:08 I would still eat good. I was the training person, by the way, I was actually doing that, you know, praying that I wouldn't die. You didn't invite him to still go. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Even if the vitamins are percussed, I'll, you know, maybe a couple of work.

Starting point is 00:48:22 But, couple, more than a couple. I mean I mean look when they came out with some is dude I'm I drove a car and he went invisible driveway. Yeah, yeah It went to get that was one of the drugs of choice for the wrestlers Yeah, I was very dangerous for them because it was shut people throat down my buddy Richard died He choked on some chicken that he didn't even know he was eating and yeah Anybody took some of those muscle relax, they relaxed your throat so much, it doesn't pull the food down.

Starting point is 00:48:47 A lot of people choke today. Yeah, a lot of guys would get the sum of shakes on if you ever saw that. This is scary. God, it sounds like a TikTok trend almost. It's just like somebody beating it just, and they can't stop, or they'll be walking, and they freeze, and they, I mean, I've seen it happen.

Starting point is 00:49:02 So many times, when you're eating 10, 20 a litre of time, you know, but. And people were taking many times when you're eating 10, 20 a lot of times, you know. And people are taking that much pain pills to feel okay, huh? Oh yeah, oh yeah. And you know, for me, I would always, I never went down that road. But you know, if you're supposed to take one or two, that would be it.

Starting point is 00:49:19 I never went down that road, five or 10. I never did that, you know. Never went. We didn't have addiction, it doesn't sound like a bit. Oh man, no, I've been, you know, when it came to weed or this and that, the other I could quit and not go for three, four, five years, it wouldn't matter.

Starting point is 00:49:30 Yeah. So it's like, but, you know, I just think because I was real consistent with the training and actually trying to eat good in between all the craziness of the drinking and raising hell, I kind of like stayed on track where I would see these guys defect for weeks and not go to the gym and just drink constantly

Starting point is 00:49:51 and just not eat, not sleep, and I was just like, I can't handle it, man, I had to be the lead dog, man. Right. I still had to be the main event where they get beyond the match underneath me and be slacking. Right. I had to blow the ball to the place.

Starting point is 00:50:02 Yeah, man, I had to deliver. No, I didn't want anybody stealing my spot. Because they were all trying, you know, every night. Yeah, I guess it's strange because your teammates put the same time they're lowkey trying to take your throw. Oh, yeah. I slipped on them and the other people have got hurt. They'd be more than happy to replace me.

Starting point is 00:50:21 And how much do you have to make sure the promoter and the owners that you stay in their good graces so that you also stay the lead dog? Is that like a whole other thing going on? That helps. That helps. I just get myself in a position that the character became so powerful, even if I really did piss somebody off, they still had to use me.

Starting point is 00:50:44 Yeah. Because if I weren't somewhere else off they still had to use me. Yeah, you know, because if I went somewhere else I put them out of business, you know, so the character it had a long run. I mean, you know, oh, yeah Still running for me right now. Yellow bro through the 80s and all through the 90s And then then when I went back, you know that last time when I russet the rock and a couple other people I was still right hot man You know, oh, yeah, I remember seeing a poster, it said, it said, fuck, Ronald McDonald, mad at him, with Red and Yellow, and then it said, Hulk, Emanuele. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:51:12 And that's when I knew you had just done it. Yeah, yeah, there was, there was real, a real, if you think when I came back to the WWE the last time, because I'd spent 10 years trying to put him out of business, you know, with Ted Turner. And we were beating the crap out of them for a long time. And then there were a bunch of business decisions and American online and Turner broadcast

Starting point is 00:51:33 he merged. And they didn't want Braslin as part of their portfolio. They wanted Turner classics, movies of the week and programming. Was that AOL they merged with them? Yeah, and it took my boss Ted Turner and kicked him to the curb. He had some office way in the back of the building where I couldn't even find him half the time. And they just didn't want wrestling. Even though on TBS and TNT we had three to one ratings of the highest shows they had. And so when all that started to decline and demise, you know, I got a call from Vince, you know, he says, hey man, I'll just come back and, you know,

Starting point is 00:52:07 put the red nail rub on the rock, you know. I said, well, I don't wanna come back. It's a good guy, I'm gonna come back as Hollywood Hogan, you know, cause if I'm gonna do it right, I'm gonna put this kid over right, you know. And plus I knew his dad had traveled with his father for years, you know. Yeah, yeah, you guys, you started with the father.

Starting point is 00:52:21 Yeah, I was told his dad, we traveled one end of the world together, and I mean, I remember when Brock was like seven or eight years old, I threw my headband, and he caught it and crowded the garden. So I had a long history with a family and all this and my own brothers and all my guys. Yeah, I was there when the rock came back, dude. I was there, that when it came back,

Starting point is 00:52:36 I think it was 2014 or so, but anyway, go on. So yeah, so I want to wrestle, and you know, I did everything I could to get heat, you know, I hit him in the back of the head with a hammer. I put him in an ambulance chain, the ambulance, I ran him over with a semi. I mean, I did everything I could to make people hate me. Then when I went out of Rossignan 18,

Starting point is 00:52:53 they cheered me out of the building. Whenever the Rockwood punch me, they'd boo him. I was like, oh my God. You know, it sucks it all. It's like stuff we talked about, and we need to do it. Just listen, we're going. This episode is brought to you by Better Help.

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Starting point is 00:58:02 if it's going to play or not. That's so interesting. Yeah, because you know, like I said, we'd never, I'd never talked to anybody about having a match before. And when I went back, Vince was worried, well, things have changed, monster. If you're gonna come back here,

Starting point is 00:58:19 you gotta really bring it. I didn't say anything, but in my mind, I'm saying, if I bring my shit, you're gonna ask me to take it back, because I can still go. And so I didn't say anything but in my mind I'm saying, if I bring my shit, you're going to ask me to take it back, you know, because I can still go. And so I didn't say anything and then all of a sudden I get a call from Vince, you know, we really feel comfortable. If you go down to Miami and rehearse the match, the events have never rehearsed to match in my life. What do we even talk about? Yeah. I don't know what I'm going to do to talk with some of the people. You know, this is my ear and my heart. I don't know what I'm gonna do to I listen to the people. I listen to my ear and my heart. I don't know.

Starting point is 00:58:45 Yeah. So I go out of respect. He then says, we go down there. So I go down there and Rocky Johnson's there as dad. Oh yeah, he played football at Miami, didn't he? Yeah, and it's hot as a bitch in this warehouse. I had Nubel Summer and this other guy named Pat Patterson who knows a lot about wrestling and kind of helped me

Starting point is 00:59:02 in my first start. So I get in the ring with Rocky, kind of told me what he wanted to do, you know, and kind of helped me my first start. So I get in the ring with a rock and he kind of told me what he wanted to do. You know, and kind of walked me through what he wanted to do. And I was saying, man, if you know, what if the crowd doesn't like what we're doing? Are we just going to keep doing this? You know, so I respect I listened to him, you know, because you know, I was a dad and a family. I listened to everything I wanted to do.

Starting point is 00:59:22 And then, Pat Patrick goes, okay, let's go to the match. I said, he fucking crazy. So if I fall down here, I'm gonna get hurt. I need 80,000 people, pro. I mean, I'm a one time around the block guy. I'm gonna be a real sister. Yeah, me too, dude. Yeah, so anyway.

Starting point is 00:59:37 It's gonna be a lot of time. I said, look, just, we're cool and Dwayne's, I mean, Ross Fathers, when Dwayne was in the Hogan, he's just young, Annie, from from outside and just listen to Hogan. So we get up to Toronto, right? And you know, everybody thinks I'm gonna get booed out of the building and they're gonna cheer him because he's been the number one baby face guy there forever. So we're in the dressing room and Rox starts going over what we kind of plan. I'm listening and listening. Okay, brother, if it's Errol, do it. If it's Errol, do it. If it's Errol, do it. what we kind of plan, I'm listening, listening, okay, brother, if it's there, we'll do it. If it's there, we'll do it.

Starting point is 01:00:04 If it's there, we'll do it. And his dad's going, Dwayne, listen to Logan, so we get out there, throw it, it was, balloon him, cheer me, I said, this ain't gonna work.

Starting point is 01:00:13 So we kind of flip things around in the ring and he was so good in the ring, bro. He's like, a lot of old man, he's like that second generation, third generation, Russell, instinct man,

Starting point is 01:00:22 he was there, so it was fun. But it took me about 10 minutes to get things turned around to where they were pissed at me and halfway pissed at me and halfway for each of us. But it was an amazing night. I've never experienced anything like that with a crowd. That was a lot of quit thinking on our feet out there.

Starting point is 01:00:41 That's cool, man. But that's how it always was with me. I never wanted to talk about anything. I wanted to go out there and see what these people want. Please go decide and form. Oh, I remember screaming so loud. I thought you could hear me through my television, you know? Well, you know what?

Starting point is 01:00:54 What you're talking about that main event that night at Russell Andre, we had 33 million people watch it. It's still the largest TV audience for NBC. Dude, oh, I can't imagine how many younger siblings are in wheelchairs because of you guys. Oh, thanks brother. And I look and proudly in wheelchairs too. Thanks brother. I mean, then we get some class session lawsuits on the board.

Starting point is 01:01:19 I'm just saying thanks brother. I remember once rest again, one I knew to put on my knee and elbow pads. Yeah, because I was a young brother, dude, and we were gonna get it, brother. That's cool. That's cool. What's been a tough thing? A lot of you guys travel so much. A lot of it's tough on families. What was the toughest part? Was it tough on your family? I'm sure with the dad being gone, it's gotta be really tough, you know looking back was there ways you think that you could manage it better or like Flair said the career just takes so much time. You just can't be home. I had kind of a Miss just sounds terrible to say but I have to say it

Starting point is 01:01:56 I had a luxury that a lot of guys didn't have I Kind of like that myself in a position where Like if I took time off for a movie, Vince, oh my god, I can't write your name down. It's hard to book because you don't think it's had a book, old school book, and he put Hogan versus Kamala, or Hogan versus Andre the Giant. And then you know, there's A, B, and C town.

Starting point is 01:02:18 There was the A town I was on, the B town, the Warriors on, the C town would be like a tag team. But, like Greg Valentine, a British, and everybody wanted to be on the A-Town. You know, because if you're in the first match in my town, you make like two, three, five thousand dollars. Right, you're making money. And if you're in the C-Town, you know, the first match, you make two, fifty or three fifty.

Starting point is 01:02:36 Yeah. So Vince would go, oh man, you know, it's just so hard to book when you take time off to do a movie or whatever. I did 16 or 17, a bunch of kids movies, you know, and TV series and all kind of weird stuff. But, you know, so I put most of my time in and the luxury that I was afforded was the character was so powerful. Honestly, you could put my name down.

Starting point is 01:02:58 I said, it don't even matter. Just put my name down and say Hulk Manie has come to Washington, DC. If you want to put it in the pocket, opponent there fine, but you don't have to. And the character was so powerful as far as the drawing power that once my daughter broke was about two, not about three years old. She started noticing I was gone. I started winding down a little bit. And I started working more part time, but I was charging planes all the time.

Starting point is 01:03:24 Right. So you're using your time to actually work. Right, so if I was in my school or a garden one night and I had Tuesday off, I'd fly home. Then Wednesday, it had to be in Mexico City. I'd fly to Mexico, you know, and it got to the point where I had to buy my own plane, you know, to get this done. But why are you really doing some business?

Starting point is 01:03:41 Yeah, I was doing real good. And, you know, so when my kids got up and Nick was two years behind, so by the time Brooke was four or five and Nick was two or three, I started to slow down. So I spent a lot of time at home, you know, the last 15 or 20 years of my career, but I still banged it out, man.

Starting point is 01:04:00 I still had some crazy deals you want, and I still generated a lot of revenue. Yeah. And did you have full ownership of your own, of your own character? How did that work out with? Because it's, you create it within the WF. Yeah. Right. So was there partnerships in it and stuff like that? You ready for this story? Maybe. And if it's on cock bottom, it's way cool. Okay. It's just really a little twist here. I own everything. I own Hulk, I own Hulk and any on holster. Congratulations. I want a few few guys that

Starting point is 01:04:35 own their name and the rights and the trademarks and licensing. I own everything. Yeah. So when I first, the name I was wrestling, I had several names super destroyer Terry Boulder Sterling Golden Terry the Hulk Boulder different sterling golden sounds no offense I know it's you but yeah I don't love that one I know that was a guy named Jim Barnett who's very nice man. Yes Jim Barnett was cool. Yeah he was cool. It's you know okay a little lighten the low first but he's a good guy. Yeah, not a ruby to death. Love to him to death but yeah, he called me sterling my bowl. Oh, yeah

Starting point is 01:05:11 Freaked me out, man, but anyway, so anyway, I went through all these different things and Finally when I quit and I was working on the docs. I'll never wrestle again. I'm done I'm you know five or six times I quit. I'm over this crap I get a call from Vince McMahon and a couple local local wrestlers, Jack and Jerry Brusco, who are here in Florida. Jack was an NCAA champion world, heavily champion. Wow, they were real wrestlers. Yeah, they said, you know, Vince McMahon, this is perfect for you. This is Madison Skrubdard and this is all that really big wrestlers go. And they kept pounding on me, pounding on me, on me and said okay, well I'll go up there

Starting point is 01:05:47 But I'm not taking my wrestling stuff with me like what kind of a horse is asked is that So I fly up there and they had just got rid of superstar Billy Graham because he kind of like they had some problems I mean I was jacked. I was all yoke As soon as I walked in, I was jacked. I was all yoke. I was like 330 pounds. I was working on the docs, running game on the docs, arm wrestling, everybody. So I walk up there in the whole building.

Starting point is 01:06:13 I came slid through the building. I didn't know how to get in. Correctly so I had to cut through the crowd for about 20 or 30 feet in the whole building. So I was super star, super star. I thought I was Billy Graham. I had a tie-dye tank top on it. I didn't even think about it.

Starting point is 01:06:26 And then, St. Man's Senior goes, don't you ever wear that tie-dye in here? I guess he just had a blow out of Billy Graham. So, anyway, I met with him and he talked about what they wanted to pay me, you know, because I just get tired of getting screwed over and they talked about getting me a place to live and having a guy travel with the one of the worst decisions ever made. They hooked me up with one of the biggest con and ever. Really? I don't know if you know who the band I was.

Starting point is 01:06:52 Yeah, Captain Lu Albano. Okay, it was part of Tony Altimore. They were the Sicilians tag team champions. I don't remember Tony. Okay, well Tony was the biggest carnivore met. Wow. I mean, top everything. I had a slip and fall on a gross storm wall.

Starting point is 01:07:04 How two, three grand, how to do everything, you know. Yeah. So it just, it was horrible to put me with him, but smart me up to have what the world's all about. So anyway, as I'm talking, he goes, you know what? I want you to be Hulk Hogan. I said, what does Hulk Hogan mean? He goes like that.

Starting point is 01:07:20 I've been pushed for the Polish Americans, Bruno Samo Tina for the Italian Americans. Chiefs J strong both for the Native American Indian Americans and I want you to be Hulk Hogan for the Irish Americans Here's two bottles of red dye. I want your hair red And you know and they put me with Fred Blassy And I was told Fred said brother. I'm going ballheaded as it is. If I put this red dye in there the party's over So I'm gonna ball hit it as it is. If I put this red diamond here, the party's over. So, Daeguah was down the toilet,

Starting point is 01:07:45 oh my God, he's gonna fire us, I could care less. They didn't fire me. Yeah. But that's how I get the name. Right. Holt Kogan, who represents the Irish Americans. Dang. And Vince gave you the name.

Starting point is 01:07:57 So now Vince, Daeguah. The Irish goodbye, that could have been your finish and move. Ooh, strong brother, I like that. Sorry. That would have been really good. Not trying to tell you what to do, but it could have been neat. But what you, I like that. Sorry. That would have been really good. Not trying to tell you what to do, but it could have been neat. But what you did work great. Yeah. So anyway, Vince dies. Vince's son takes over and right when this whole cooking thing takes off, we get a call from Marvel Comics. You're in Frenzy,

Starting point is 01:08:19 got Mark, reasonably similar. Luke Farrigno character. Go with the cartoon character model. And the magazine is because before the TV series. Right. You know, your friends got on our mark. We're gonna sue you, put your litigation. So we went ahead and let them have the name, didn't license the name, but they only had, I only had to pay them one tenth of one percent.

Starting point is 01:08:44 Oh, wow. So out of a dollar if I got a penny, I only had to pay him one tenth of one percent. Oh wow So out of a dollar if I got a penny I only had to pay him one tenth of a penny Hmm and that went from 85 to 2005 20 years fast forward to 2005 It's over, you know, and I can now I can't use whole hoaguing. I'm red hot in 2005 man I'm still jamming. So into my attorney I said, I don't give a damn what deal you make. You're going to make that deal because I need the name. So what happened was we went and I get one year extension. I had to pay 30% of

Starting point is 01:09:15 everything I made movies, TV, wrestling, they get 30% of everything. But if they decided to sell the name, they had to give me first shot at it. They couldn to sell the name, they had to give me first shot at it. They couldn't sell the name or do anything, you know. Right. At a fair market value. So all of a sudden, Marvel Comics gets in a bitch fest with the WWE about intellectual properties

Starting point is 01:09:40 that they can't re-air old Holt Hogan matches, which Vince was re-airing all this stuff. They lost Marvel Comics lost. And they would have been like $35 million. And they made a huge mistake. If including that in the deal. And they said, no, instead of paying you $35 million, how about if we give you the Hulk Hogan man?

Starting point is 01:10:01 And I heard about it. And I went, you guys screwed up now, because now I don't have to pay $35 million for the name. You have to sell it to me at a fair and market value, which is only like 750 grand. Wow. Yeah, so I bought the name back, and then swung the buy the name for me,

Starting point is 01:10:16 and I went, nah, I think I got this one. Let me get this. Yeah, I got this one. Wow, did that feel pretty cool? Yeah. That must have been a cool moment, because then you told me I said you own yourself. Yeah, so I bought the name back,

Starting point is 01:10:24 and I just own everything. Well, congratulations. Yeah, so really hard to do in these, and then there's not many guys, you know, have that, can say that. Yeah. Was there ever some products like people sometimes will try to get me involved with different types of things, you know, if there've been interesting products or something, you got in, or things that you got involved with, like I did some pyramid scheme. I lost money in pyramid schemes when I was younger,

Starting point is 01:10:46 but that was just like somebody tried to do like somebody sold us like glitter mining or something. Like some guy came in our town and said they were selling like some shares of like glitter mining or something. But have you ever had crazy products for the years? You're like, what the fuck? What is this that we're even doing? Well, I mean, we've had a lot of very successful stuff,

Starting point is 01:11:06 but it's never just been anything crazy. Like, we're gonna make Hulk Hogan like Ferris wheels or something and you're like, Well, I mean, I think I have like seven year AD action figures made. Yeah, I got a couple of that, in my childhood room. Yeah, well, the one they made,

Starting point is 01:11:20 they kind of got a little wonky and got a little weird was they made a Hulk Hogan vibrating action figure. Ooh, got a little weird, was they made a Hulk, they're gonna vibrate, action figure. Ooh, which got real funky, you know, and brother, yeah. Yeah, I got a little scary brother. I love the music. I hope you're gonna look. And you keep one for the lady, that's the thing. Okay, sorry brother.

Starting point is 01:11:36 And I look at, I didn't say nothing, sir. Okay, I don't even know what's over there. Yeah. What do you guys do for fun dates now? Because you guys seem like you have a nice rapport. What do you guys do for fun dates now? Cause you guys seem like you have a nice rapport. What do you guys like to go do together? We love to eat. Yeah.

Starting point is 01:11:50 We love to eat. We used to love to drink, but that's over for now. I just love spending time with him. And I'm a beach bum. I live on the beach my whole life. And when he's not leaving the beaches to make money, you can't get me off this beach. Yeah.

Starting point is 01:12:03 I just live right up the street, maybe two blocks. Oh, that's awesome. Yeah. So, um, yeah, it's really clear. I've never been in clear water before. I know I heard crazy stories that John daily used to live in a hooters here. Yeah. Did you never know about that? Yes. Yes. I know that Drossy's got on his hooters. Oh, that's cool. Yeah. Yeah, I always heard that he used to live inside of a hooters somewhere and that always been on. That's funny. There's some great stories about him and John Groot and... Um... Groot was across the street.

Starting point is 01:12:29 Does he? Yeah, and there's a apartment series of the penthouse over there. I really need a guy. Nice call. It's cool. You're pretty intense, dude. It's a good guy. Yeah, I just know him from being around here.

Starting point is 01:12:39 I mean, I'm getting back home a couple of times, you know, when he's being around, so, you know, make sure he's home safe. Oh, yeah. He's a good guy. Yeah, it was funny. You, if you said you used to quit drinking, I haven't drank for let me see, 14 months. I'm 14 months sober.

Starting point is 01:12:55 So I don't do drugs or alcohol. But what made you quit? Were you just, you're taking a break? I'd been with my girl Sky for a while. And everything that I've ever had happened in my life, both my two marriages, everything that's ever bad happened to me has had to do with alcohol. Oh yeah. You know, and during those marriages, there was a lot of alcohol use of times which caused major issues and major problems. And so for me, it was really easy to eat a couple of perk sets and drink a couple shots

Starting point is 01:13:27 to Keele and a couple 8% white claws and okay brother, I'm ready. But then when I got with Sky, I started getting an edge, right? The things weren't said correctly or I didn't like the thing sounded like I would pick. I'd kind of like dig and start shit and all of a sudden, I started losing something I didn't want the place things sounded I would pick. You know, I'd kinda like dig and start shit. You know, all of a sudden, I started losing something. I didn't wanna lose again. So I said, I'm done drinking. That it made you ever made just communication

Starting point is 01:13:52 a little bit hectic at times. Well, it made me not go off like a hot pocket when I was like, here's what I didn't like. Cause I was, I could be very, when I drink, I could be a prick. Yeah. And real quick on a trigger finger, especially the men. Yeah. And men have probably tried you a lot over the years, huh?

Starting point is 01:14:08 Because you were, I've had some issues, yeah. But I, I, I got to tone my thing down. I'm tired of getting sued all the time, you know. So, yeah. The main thing was that, Is there other stuff that you want to do with your life? You've had a really amazing life.

Starting point is 01:14:22 Do you feel like it went by so fast sometimes? When you look back on your life, and you still have, you know, you could still probably live for another 25 years, you know, but, or maybe third, I don't know, you could live forever, maybe I don't know what your plan is, but do you feel like, did you ever, was it like you were always looking for like an essence of accomplishment, or what do you like was like your driving force a lot of the times? Probably the thing that really pushed me more than anything was you know I didn't want to do the lowest me story but I grew up and I didn't know we were I didn't want to say poor I didn't want to say that I grew up not knowing that we didn't have money. You know my mom was a housewife, my dad worked construction,

Starting point is 01:15:06 and I had one bicycling that stole and I never got another one. And I had two little trucks to play, but I still had this little pink truck that I had and I had a big yellow Tonka truck. And I played with that in a dirt all day because my dad was a construction worker. I only wanted to be like, yeah.

Starting point is 01:15:21 And so I kind of grew up, and then when I got older, I realized once a month on a Friday we. And so I kind of grew up, you know, and then when I got older, I realized, you know, once a month, on a Friday we had one of those little minute stakes, you know, and I just kind of grew up and I started realizing, you know, looking around that, okay, you know, I guess they did the best they could,

Starting point is 01:15:38 but I don't want to live like this when I grew up. So I had this crazy thing. I didn't know it was an affirmation. I started telling myself money comes quick and easy to me. And I just kept, would always say that in my head. And I said, I'm not gonna die the poor Tampa death because in Tampa there's a road called Gandhi Boulevard. And if you're South of Gandhi or a Sogg, South of Gandhi.

Starting point is 01:15:59 Okay. And I grew up South of Gandhi. And everybody from South of Gandhi either becomes a professional athlete or a drug dealer or you die or you work construction in a whole life. Yeah. I didn't want to die the port camp of death. Right. You know, you wanted to get knocked.

Starting point is 01:16:15 You wanted to get on the other side. Right. So I wanted to fight my way out of that town. Yeah. I didn't want to be a drug dealer. I didn't want to die and didn't want to work construction because I tried to construction as a bitch. It wasn't me.

Starting point is 01:16:24 Yeah. Okay. So I said, I'm going to fight my way out work in structure because I tried to construction as a bitch. It wasn't me. Yeah. Okay. So I said, I'm going to fight my way out of this town. You know, plus I played music because I would do anything to avoid working a real job. Yeah. Okay. So I played music for 10 years and did real well at that. But then it got to the point where I was playing the same clubs and just, just, I'm

Starting point is 01:16:41 I going to do this forever. Right. You know, and so I just switched gears and went after the wrestling thing, you know, and It took me a while to adapt to it, you know, yeah, it sounds like that But I was pretty aggressive when I was a kid, you know, and I just kept pushing you know, I made the big mistake of telling everybody in this town. It's gonna be a wrestler Would you really yeah, that's what got my leg broke the first day. But that's such a scary, you know who did that the Miz,

Starting point is 01:17:07 I'm friends with the Miz, right? And you see, that brother that was keeping his art form alive, every time I see him, I tell him, I love him for what he's done, but because he understands his business, a lot more than most of the guys, there's probably two or three guys

Starting point is 01:17:23 that I can pick out and understand that business. He's one of them. Yeah. And he gets it. He lived, I mean, he's always been that, I remember him telling us, before he was arrested, he was like, I'm gonna be a wrestler

Starting point is 01:17:33 and we thought he was crazy. And then he proved that's all wrong. Dude, I was down in E-Bor City and there was an old track, Blizzembers called Ride Captain, Ride in Old Song. I just walked over to the other studio and laid the scratch baseline down And there was an old track, a blues image called ride captain ride an old song. I just walked over the other studio and laid the scratch baseline down for Mike Paneron, the blues image band, way before your time. But then I went back over the studio and we had a chance to go on a national tour with Blackfoot, you know.

Starting point is 01:17:56 And I just came off tour with this lady named Jeannie Conroy. And we came back to the studio and everybody was screwing around. One guy was getting married and one guy's girlfriend was having a baby. And so we can leave in two weeks and call them the row of these guys. And Mother's finest. I don't know if you can know who they are. The song CMPUNK comes out to the personality that band Mother's House. Oh, yeah.

Starting point is 01:18:19 Cult of the Atlanta. We were going to go with them in Blackfoot. We were going to open for us. Brothers, it's our chance because of our shit straight right now Two of the guys didn't want to leave. Oh, I was so pissed off. So let me tell you guys something. I'm done I've been doing this for 10 years. I've been doing this for 10 years with a couple of you guys and I'm done. I'm quitting. I'm gonna go be the greatest wrestler that ever lived in all five of these guys fell on the ground laughing They busted out laughing and It pissed me off so bad.

Starting point is 01:18:47 I didn't know what I was talking about. I just said it because I was mad at him because they wouldn't run the road. And then I said, okay, damn, I'm gonna be a wrestler. You know, and it's just the whole thing was crazy. But I had a couple of altercations with wrestlers and bars and had met a few of them. So I wasn't scared to death him like I was.

Starting point is 01:19:03 Because back in the 70s, you know, I'd call the fireers and teeth knocked down, nose of the breath, I was scared to death the wrestling. Yeah. Because back in the day when Eddie Graham here had the promotion, you said wrestling was fake, they'd punch you right in the mouth. Wow.

Starting point is 01:19:16 I mean, there was no losses, no lawyers, or nothing like that. Yeah, I love that. I was so alive then. So I got like, I was scared to death them, but then I got used to seeing them coming to bark because we had a really hot local band at the time. They would come in to hear us play.

Starting point is 01:19:29 And then I kind of would watch him. I wasn't so afraid of him. I was, I used to be. But yeah, just all changed, man. Was your, so your father did construction? Did were you at one time able to like say, hey, dad, you don't have to work anymore? Was he always a worker his whole life? Yeah, well, the sun, the sun burning up broke because he worked outside. He earned his floor to

Starting point is 01:19:48 heat. Oh, he started out in the pan, I can't help it. It was already my mother. My father's a tie and my mother's pan, I mean, oh, cool, man. Yeah. So I don't have to really go on the sun too often. Yeah, my father's from Nicaragua. So I have to be careful. I'll say that word, but also I don't have to go in the sun all the time. Yeah, if you go out for a 10 minutes, you turn purple fucking awesome. Yeah, I'm on that too. Yeah, so you know, it's kind of like, what was the question? Was your father pretty proud of you?

Starting point is 01:20:15 I guess that's all the question. It got to a point where my family was kind of like, not the most, feely touchy loving family, you know? Oh, yeah. I had a couple brothers, one half brother, and then another middle brother that didn't do too well in life, you know, and he got killed,

Starting point is 01:20:37 he was riding with a bunch of motorcycle clubs and stuff and didn't do too well. But, you know, my dad and mom, I don't ever, ever remember my dad, you know, really being an affectionate until later on in life. When I started doing good and I quit college after four years, which I should have had to agree, but I quit, go play music again. And that really didn't work too well.

Starting point is 01:21:01 Probably made him nervous, huh? Yeah. And then when I told him I was gonna be a wrestler, that really upset. And then later on, I brought him up to Mattis. Actually, the night I beat the chic, I brought my mom and dad up. To Madison Square Garden to see that.

Starting point is 01:21:16 And my dad just retired. So I just, from that point on, I just paid for everything. And then when my brother got killed I was really young at the time and I got three kids, you know, that were his His wife got murdered first. Oh Here in the motorcycle gang guy. Yeah, yeah, my brother was riding with a club And he'd done a couple of years and rafor here and then when he got out he got in trouble Yeah, he moved to Houston changed his name and then he's riding with the I mean want to say the club

Starting point is 01:21:44 But the Oakland chapter in California. But while he was riding in Oakland, um, his wife was running a hotel, managing a hotel and she was dating this mafia guy. And she was on the dance while after work, just dancing with a customer came in and shot in the chest while he was killed her. So then shortly after that, my brother had a little problem with one of the clubs and they killed him. And so,

Starting point is 01:22:11 actually it's not true. He died of an overdose and nobody helped him. That's a real truth. I don't wanna say it that way. But, signed it up with three kids, kind of like having to support him. Right.

Starting point is 01:22:23 And so I was running so hard, I had to let my parents help and you know, kind of like having to support them. Right. And so I was running so hard I had to let my parents help and then the other side of the family help but I was the guy, you know, and taking care of the kids and my parents. So, well, so you had a lot of responsibility then suddenly to really be the guy who's helping find, keep things going. Basically I couldn't put Russell anymore, okay?

Starting point is 01:22:43 Yeah. I had to make it work. Yeah. I had to make it work. Yeah. I had to make it work. So it's been a test. You know, test to fake. So you know, it's all good. Did you all have,

Starting point is 01:22:51 did you all get a church and stuff growing up or was there any faith in y'all's home? I went to Ballows Point Baptist Church. I went to Ballows Point Elementary School over in South Tampa. And I went to Ballows Point Baptist Church with my mom once. And then one of my buddies was there that I went to elementary school

Starting point is 01:23:10 when I started going with his family every Sunday. Oh yeah, you know, do they have donuts and stuff over there? Yeah, everything. I caught a lot of love that dude. The Lord of freaking get you with that. Yeah, and so I didn't get it because I was so young,

Starting point is 01:23:20 but then later on, I was like 13 or 14 years old, I was playing guitar, a buddy of mine who I played football within junior high school. He had a little Christian youth group and he said, we need to play guitar. So I went up there with this guy named Hank Lundstrom and I started playing guitar. And then that's when I started listening to scripture. And then when I heard the John 316, God,

Starting point is 01:23:42 so I was able to give only the son that believes in him, so I'm a parish, but I have everlasting life. Bam, it hit me, you know. And except the Christ, and I say you're not 14, you know, I say, but then of course I derailed for a long time. You know, and went back and forth to church every once in a while. My first life with the Catholic, and that really wasn't my thing, you know, my kids went to the Catholic school and went to the Catholic church. I just, I didn't feel, it didn't resonate with me.

Starting point is 01:24:11 And then my second wife was spiritual, but she wasn't a believer, so that didn't work for me. And so this lady here is on the team. So we go to church every Sunday. Oh, nice. And it's, um, it's a's a Christian in your rocks Christian church and it's nice having faith, huh actually I took a buddy mine with me today a guy named Mel Chancey he was the The president of hell's angels chapter from Chicago. We lead the bar. Oh, I was a one percenter. Yeah, I took him and he was this guy was too

Starting point is 01:24:42 Yeah, oh, yeah, sorry Victor just told me that's so many times. Yeah. Yeah, but Mel, you know, and he won with you guys today. Yeah. He'll tell you the story. He told my minister that he went away for nine years. Oh, he was incarcerated. Yeah. For Rico and for a couple of tempted murders. And then he he came out and he found the Lord and we reconnected. So I took and he's got his own little ministry thing on the internet. He does really what's it called Melchancey? Is it yeah, Melchance is John 316 devotional? Okay, is that any of the vote John 316 devotional? I have to check him out. Is he pretty cool? Is he? Yeah, I'm diggin all you digging bro. He's straight man. He's really cool. Well, it's interesting because a lot of you a lot of

Starting point is 01:25:22 Well, it's interesting because a lot of you, a lot of, some of them were almost like pastors to us as kids. They were, you know, it was like, it's where you got your message of hope, you know? I think that's a lot of what faith is for people. I know it is for me, you know. It's like, where do I get a message for hope, you know? And, and yes, sometimes just hearing like, yes, somebody like, you can do it, you know,

Starting point is 01:25:44 like take your vitamins, say your prayer, you know, like, or just anything that just hearing like, yes, somebody like you can do it, you know, like take your vitamins, say your prayer, you know, like, or just anything that inspires, like where do you find your hope as you go along through life, you know, and a lot of times for when we were kids, it was, I mean, wrestling is really what hit me first. It was probably my most favorite sport until I started watching UFC. Yeah.

Starting point is 01:26:02 Which I really love, you know, UFC's awesome, do you ever watch any of that? Yeah, there was an opportunity to buy it all the time ago and then I passed on it. Before the referee stopped things, and they were kicking people in their own ground, and it just was so violent when it was brought to us. We went, and that was a huge mistake. And that was a huge mistake. But yeah, no, it's just weird. It's just weird to sport. Yeah, so many guys that I know finally start believing more in the unseen than the scene

Starting point is 01:26:34 and they kind of like figure this life out. Yeah. Hopefully not too late, but it's pretty amazing once you kind of figure it out. Yeah. What's nice to not feel alone, I think, you know? I think a lot of people are looking for that these days. You know, I wonder like, societally, have we taken, like I wonder if our society will look back

Starting point is 01:26:52 and be like, what a weird detour we took, like thinking that we could find happiness in so many different things, you know? I don't know. I like thinking about that stuff sometimes. That's pretty crazy, you know, a lot of people just, then this human incarnation, bro, they're just all about materialistic stuff, That's pretty crazy. A lot of people just, this human incarnation, bro, they're just all about materialistic stuff, you know?

Starting point is 01:27:08 Yeah. And, as soon as they have a, literally their health or something, they change their team. Oh, yeah, you know. Yeah. Oh, definitely.

Starting point is 01:27:16 You start drawing pictures of the lower immediately. It's huge, yeah, man. I get a couple back at one bad blood test, dude, and I'm on, you know, I'm on Bible.org or whatever. There you go. What um, do you guys take any vacations you're lady? Do I have a vacation plan for the summer? We don't have one yet. I guess you live in a vacation. Yeah, we do. We don't have one yet. We're talking about

Starting point is 01:27:38 Going some places last year on a birthday. We were gonna go to Miami. I was sick as a dog or something, but You know, we've got we're planning some stuff now, things are kind of straightened out. It's been a really busy year this last year. Has it been? Yeah, it's been crazy, man. Decided to go back to work again. Are you, you're gonna wrestle again?

Starting point is 01:27:58 No, no, no, no, but I mean business-wise. Okay, understood. I mean, nothing to disrespect the vote and daring prints and stuff, but they can tell you or anybody that, I mean, nothing to disrespect the vote and Darren Princeton stuff, but they can, they can tell you, you know, or anybody that, you know, they call me for stuff all the time. And I think in the last couple of years, I may just like want appearance. Maybe, maybe one. But, you know, I did want this year already. But for years and years, they'd call me to do stuff and, do stuff and don't just wasn't interested.

Starting point is 01:28:26 Once I shut down, I shut down, brother. Because I'm like a beach bum. I'm not really into it. Good for you. So I mean, it's kind of like I've turned down a bunch of movies, whole bunch of movies, whole bunch of TV. I get calls all the time. Oh, yeah, TV.

Starting point is 01:28:42 Because with the content I have now, with the bar and the restaurant, the retail store, we're here in the retail store, and I have my sons back here and my daughters here. My new baby here's got three kids. And there's all kind of content, bro. And everybody's banging me all the time to do reality shows and stuff. And I'm just like, hmm, I just shut it all down.

Starting point is 01:28:59 And even with appearances and autograph sessions, you know, I mean, I use a bow and Prince Marking when I do do stuff and sometimes the WW call me to do stuff and I was just kind of, I still work for him. And I'll kind of pass on that and or I'll do it, it just depends on what the weather's like. I'll back. Yeah.

Starting point is 01:29:24 Adlo, adlo. Enciende la bella para abrir la puerta? con tu voz, ¿no? A la otra. A la otra. ¿Enciende la vela para abrir la puerta? Apaga la para cerrarla. Coge la mano. Ahora diga. Ábleme. Bien en la puerta y... La mejor película de terror del año, Oh yes, I got in business with Tyson and all these guys to, you know, for this whole wellness thing that we're moving forward on.

Starting point is 01:30:01 You guys have a CBD line, is that right? Yeah, we do. We do. When's it come out, bro me August okay yeah and this is some of the packaging stuff man oh sweet let me see yeah so it's uh we're going for a oh nice is a vape yeah yeah we're going for the whole wellness aspect of because after yeah boy after being so much Yeah, sorry, what if it man, whatever's on my head, it made it so that's how I talk It would work. That would be awesome

Starting point is 01:30:35 It would work, dude This is a vibe, man. Yeah, because the ones they have are so generic. I bet I've baked on an offer about a year and a half So yeah, I've been at the bottom one of these bitches. We have been through it all. Can't even sleep. Yeah, the single fucking make you drive all night. I'm here too much, man. So if it's wellness, like what type of stuff?

Starting point is 01:30:57 So CBD? Yeah, well, we got CBD for energy and for sleep. And we're also going down the THC road. Okay, yeah. Because there's so many people that go hooked on prescription pain pills and prescription drugs and different drugs to sleep, you know, Halcyons and Xanax that, you know, it seems like, you know, going down that road with a THC is an option for people. It's a healthier option, you know.

Starting point is 01:31:22 And so, you know, I partnered with, you know, and what I didn't understand at the time is to sell the THC, you know, you have to partner with somebody from the same state. Oh, really? You know, so starting, yeah, I didn't know that, you know, so if you're in Michigan, you go to partner with a grower in Michigan. So in Florida, we partnered with Sunburn. And they've got 150 dispensaries around the state and we start August first with them.

Starting point is 01:31:46 So I'm really excited because it's kind of like a it's a gradual transition. It's a way to back out slowly from stuff that can be really addictive which is the perks, the pain pills, whatever else, people numb themselves with the alcohol and everything else. So I just think it's a more realistic way to wind down and get healthier.

Starting point is 01:32:08 So I'm on the team, man. I'm really excited about it. And will the will you be like featured on the products? Is it like Hulk's med? Is it like a yeah, it's going to be Hulk's, Hulk's products. Yeah. Okay. And then we're going to, uh, with adult eight

Starting point is 01:32:25 and a couple of things we came up with a kind of cool little thing, like trying to like an inside joke that, you know, when I was the bad guy, Hollywood, Hogan, we always ride in dirty. Yeah. We always had beer in the car. We were partying in the car. I mean, National all doing all kind of crazy stuff.

Starting point is 01:32:41 So when you go with Hollywood Hollywood Hogan, you know, and you're going to go ride dirty, we're going to have something called the mustache rides. Oh yeah. So ride dirty, get a mustache ride with Hollywood. I'm giving a call. I think I've given a couple. I don't even know what it is. I have to Google it. Need to grow the mustache. Those are lip rides. Oh yeah, there we go. Yeah, those are lip rides. Yeah, those are front teeth rides. Some of them are really, I'm pretty uncoordinated. So that's awesome though. Congrats, man. Yeah. So it should be interesting to see, you know, how my brand performs. Yeah. Arena. Well, I'm sure, look, and anything you've gotten into, you've performed well.

Starting point is 01:33:18 So I'm sure this shouldn't be different. Yeah, well, it makes sense. You know, it's a logical extension of where I'm going and where I've already been. So just the whole thing makes sense at this point. You know, everybody's kind of aware on how much this will help, you know, certain individuals. It gets him healing. Yeah, thank God, brother. Thank God.

Starting point is 01:33:36 But yeah, I love him. But that's not so you have your whole family here now. Yeah, yeah. The whole family is in town. Nick moved back, yeah, and he helps me a lot. Well, he's real good on the stick, man. He runs Monday night's for us. I don't know if you're around the Marl. I might actually be staying till Tuesday. So if I do have to come to my bar tomorrow night, but you guys, you can really go. It is insanity. Really? It is insane. What goes on in there? I mean, karaoke is unbelievable. Isn't it? Well,

Starting point is 01:34:07 on it. I mean, karaoke's unbelievable, isn't it? Well, my partner said karaoke wouldn't work out so that then song who's doing it. You know, so it gets really sick over there. Yeah. They got some real singers in this town. Well, it's either really good or it's really bad. Oh, yeah. It's not in between. So yeah, but if you're around, please come over man. Yeah, maybe I will. Because I think I'm going to stay there. I was going to go maybe right across the street. Are you saying that? We walked in yesterday. No, we're staying in, we got shows in Tampa.

Starting point is 01:34:30 I've won one week or nine. Oh, okay. But I wanted to come to the beach tomorrow. So maybe I would make that work and I wouldn't leave till Tuesday. No, that'd be cool. Yeah. Who was somebody that you miss wrestling

Starting point is 01:34:41 or just spending time with like, who's somebody that like like that you miss? Well, I mean, across the street, there used to be right where my restaurants out across street, that plaza right next door to it, there used to be a gem upstairs and the bush whackers had a gem up there. Oh, really? So for a long time, the wrestlers would come there and then right down the street, there was a world gem. And during the 80s and 90s, every morning, there'd be like 30 or 40 wrestlers in there. Wow. And they all lived up and down the beach.

Starting point is 01:35:08 You know, I'd bring them here to hang out for a couple of days and actually I knew they'd move. It was like crazy, you know, and then the whole wrestling was based out of here for a long time. Yeah. All the travel from Connecticut, everybody's flying out of Tampa. It was like crazy to go to Tampa airport

Starting point is 01:35:22 in mind you see 20 or 30 guys on the same plane, you know. Wow. But my guys that were here all the time that I really missed was Randy the macho man. Mm-hmm We were together every single day. We are really yeah every day man, and it's kind of like I Missed him a lot, you know, and so I spent years and years and years with him And he's the baby sit my kids for me. He did. Yeah, well him and Elizabeth Yeah, but Something I just ran to him and he used to babysit my kids for me. He did? Yeah, well him and Elizabeth. Yeah. But something I just ran to him and was it's bedtime. Yeah. And the other the other brother that I miss was one of the road warriors Hawk. Oh, yeah. I introduced him to his wife here. You know, she was a was Hawk the longer hair he had the no, he had the the two. Yeah. And he

Starting point is 01:36:02 will yeah, well they both were despite God. They were good, man. Yeah. And so Hawk was a Minnesota boy. And when I was in Minnesota, you know, I used to train at a gym with Brad Riggins, the the head Olympic coach and Brock Lesnar used to come down and work out with us back in the day. And another guy named Kevin Kelly, he was a real tough kid, man. And so I would tell those guys, I'd tell Lesnar, I'd tell Kevin Culli, look, I'm the main event guy. Brad Riggins, the Olympic coach, he's in the preliminary match,

Starting point is 01:36:30 so you guys beat him, you can try me. So Brad saved me from these guys, right? But I used to watch Brad torture him, you know, it was great. So, yeah, so Hawk was up there in Minnesota, when I was training up there, he was just some high school kid in the gym. Him and him and Annel. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 01:36:47 Watch us like Hawk's and watch us like Hawk's next thing. I knew I could come back like two years later and go to that gym and they were jacked up. They each gave him a hundred pounds. I was like, oh crap. Yeah. You know, we're gonna be your rest ones. I said, good luck.

Starting point is 01:36:59 Don't touch me. You know. And they went down to Atlanta and broke in. They had a good gimmick. You know, a roadward thing worked with Hawk I was a clock moved down here. I introduced him to his wife. She was in a aerobic construction. I said, look, I'm going to introduce you to her that I'm out. Yeah. Because she's a wild one. Okay. And so no matter what happens, we're cool because I get nothing to do with this point. You want to meet her? Here she is.

Starting point is 01:37:21 Dale here's Hawke. They ended up getting married. You know, so he was always here And I miss seeing him a lot, you know, cuz I hung out with him a lot and he they moved away He died. Oh, he passed away. He put it to that overdose. Yeah Oh, and she's still around the neighborhood somewhere. I'm a senior forever And then another one of the guys that I traveled with for 40 years on the road, Bruce Beefcake. Yeah. Him and I had a fallen out. The barber, huh? Was he a real bar? Somebody said he went to.

Starting point is 01:37:49 He didn't really go to Redkin or something or was it? He wasn't a real barber. And we had a little bit of a fallen out. And so we don't even talk anymore. You know, I mean, we don't, there's nothing to talk about. Yeah. You think you'll ever patch that up? It's got a lot to do with the ladies married too. Oh, it does. Yeah. Nothing really to do with him. Yeah. You think you'll ever patch that up? It's got a lot to do with the ladies married

Starting point is 01:38:06 to. Oh, it does. Yeah, nothing really to do with him. Yeah. So, um, I'm not a house. Yeah. A house. What was the, you know, what was, uh, yeah, this is one thing of the last thing I was about, what was the steroid use? Like, because I use steroids when I was in high school, you know, we would get test 200 or 400 I don't know somebody made a I think made us some 700 one time One time we snuck it back from Mexico on like shampoo bottles and stuff So it had like we'd have like soap like we'd there would be like soap and it'll be there But we were using it, you know, was it pretty heck? Was it pretty just a normal thing that people were using?

Starting point is 01:38:43 You know, was it pretty, was it pretty just a normal thing that people were using? Yeah, I mean, you know, it's like, I think it was 1990, it became illegal. Oh, it was legal before that? Yeah, you go to the doctor, you go to prescription for it. Oh, wow. That was another thing the guys had a problem with, they would take so much of it, they would ramp their system.

Starting point is 01:39:01 I think they stress their system, the hearts out, I don't know if anybody ever really died from just steroids, but if you had the steroids or the summons and the perks and the alcohol and the coke, okay, you're gonna create a fire. You know? So for me, you know, up until the 90s, I was always street legal. I mean, if I had a bottle of Deca or a bottle of test on me,

Starting point is 01:39:23 it was a prescription from the doctor and it was legal Oh, so the doctors used to prescribe it. Oh god. Yes, brother. I'm gonna check my levels checked everything. Wow Right, you were in you did it safely as possible. Yeah, because when you turn 30 that's to pick your biological sock and then from that point on It's down. Oh shit. You know, so I'm gonna hold you up. I'm 43, man. Okay, and it's you're on the way down Fuck man. So this bunch of good HRT doctors around home and the places that doctors are gonna hook you up. I thought about that. I don't want to lose my hair though. That's a scary part, you know. You won't lose your you don't think Maybe I'll start looking into that. Yeah, but anyway they call us to a short mm-hmm about 1990 and before then everybody I knew because I knew a lot of baseball players,

Starting point is 01:40:05 I knew a whole lot of football players, I knew a lot of hockey players, all professional players, they all used steroids. There was only one guy I actually knew that didn't use and that was Bob Beckland, you know. Bob Beckland. Yeah, he was a champion before I came along and he read Harry Potter.

Starting point is 01:40:21 I've heard of him. Yeah, so anyway, but everybody I knew, dabbled in it, and even if they said they didn't, they did believe me. And so at the end of the day, when it became illegal, we kept yoking up. Yeah. And it was because we were out tearing biceps like this

Starting point is 01:40:35 that wouldn't get fixed and muscle tears everywhere. And if something gets broken and the Philadelphia spectrum at one o'clock, you go to Brussels Madison Square Garden that night, you don't want 10 weeks, it's gotta be healed in six weeks. Yeah. So we just never really stopped. And then Vince McMahon was on his major role

Starting point is 01:40:54 with this company doing great in the federal government targeted him. You know. So we had to clean things up. Well, yeah, eventually they targeted him and they drug the poster boy. No, I'm going to go for events. Let's get hogan.

Starting point is 01:41:08 And so we had a rough go of it for a few years of the federal government. But then once trial and all the stuff they said he did, he didn't do. You know, he didn't distribute it. He didn't sell it. You know, I mean, he did it on your own. Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm not going to get it from my boss. Yeah, so that's where they're trying to paint even a corner.

Starting point is 01:41:27 It wasn't true. And they tried to get me to testify otherwise. Wow. You know, which I said I would. And then when I got on the witness down, I told the truth and made a quick exit and did it in the back to New York for five years. Really?

Starting point is 01:41:40 Oh yeah. Because that's where the feds work, because that's where ventures work. Yeah, they're trying to prosecute not a Brooklyn. Wow. So when I went to work for Ted Turner, I couldn't even rest anywhere in New York for five years. So they thought you were going to rat on him. Yeah. And you just said he didn't do it. Well, I became a government witness. Wow. Because to avoid prosecution, you know, because they were, they were going to get somebody and they were going for vents.

Starting point is 01:42:04 And then if they weren't going for vents, they pulled me aside and actually told me what was gonna happen to me. If I didn't say this, I went, I don't know that. No problem, no problem, brother, you got it. So when I got on the, uh, lit and stand there and Brooklyn, um, I had a lear jet weight in the T2 to a good airport airport. I had Alex Icingman one of my attorneys that handled Larry Flint the Larry Flint trial Mm-hmm had another attorney at home with me when I got off that witness stand I didn't even go sit in the court when I went outside the door Go to the car. I went to T2 by airport and didn't go back for five years until the three three prosecutors Charlie Rose or either Charlie Rose or Sean would say one of them got busted

Starting point is 01:42:47 with a bunch of kilos of coke and then the other one died of cancer. I can't remember who was who. But the third guy had a FBI flag. I became good friends. Oh, really? Yeah. So once that was over there, I went back to New York. Yeah. But yeah, it was it was a it was a crazy run. They were just trying to target the unsun Trying to you know do what the government always does the people, you know, oh, yeah, and he just basically didn't do anything They said he did he was not that guy. Yeah Did you ever get to meet Michael Jackson? Yes, yeah, I was asked to get off a Disney bus because I don't know way Why cuz what happened well they have these little buses, they'll cart tourist around on it at Disney.

Starting point is 01:43:30 Yeah, oh yeah. Like little trolley, so it looks like. And, but not the carts that are hooked together. Actually, it's like a little mini bus, a little red trolley. Okay. And so all of a sudden, I was sitting there with my family,

Starting point is 01:43:45 my first life and my two kids watching the fireworks at Disney, and all of a sudden security guards couldn't go, well, you need to just go down, you need to move the far side of the cart, then move the far side of the cart, and then Michael Jackson came in. And he was by himself. He was by himself with a couple of security guards,

Starting point is 01:44:04 and he came over and he was, oh, if I'm very sorry about the making you move. And I said, it's okay brother, not a big deal, man. It's all cool, I get it. Did you know with him? Oh yeah, yeah. And so I really didn't talk to him other than that, to say it was cool, that's the only time of metting

Starting point is 01:44:17 was when they made us move down and get out of his way. I don't think they want us to look at looking at anything. But he came down and apologized. How we did? Yeah. Did he look like a little, or did he seem like kind of not, did he, what did he seem like? I don't know, I was just sitting down

Starting point is 01:44:30 and he just, he looks like he does on TV to me. You know, he had the black hat on and he was all covered up and had the glove, the thing he's going on. Because he was like, I mean, that must have been interesting for you to see, you know, right? Yeah, my daughter Brooke was flipping.

Starting point is 01:44:44 Yeah. She was like seven or eight years old. I can't remember. Yeah, but that's the only time I've ever met him. He's just, it was a real polite with the security guards or perks. Yeah. But I understand why I had to do it. I get it.

Starting point is 01:44:55 Yeah. Yeah, he's probably paying him a lot. Yeah, I'll plus say he didn't want his picture taken and didn't want to be asked for autographs. So I get it. Yeah. And what about Michael Landon? Do you ever meet him? No, I didn't. Why would you bring that up?

Starting point is 01:45:07 I love Michael Landon. So do I. Yeah. Really? A little joke. Oh, dude. He was my favorite highway to heaven, even that show. Little house in the prairie. I love Michael Landon. I was more of a banana guy. Wait for your time. I respect that. Yeah. And you seem like a little more banana. But, um, yeah, I loved Michael Landon, man.

Starting point is 01:45:25 He was just something about, I'll just, yeah, I don't know, he played like that father, like the he wrote, you know, he was like, I mean, you probably looked at him the way we looked at you, you know, it was like, man, that guy. And I know, really, I was a little more like a horse. Oh yeah, yeah, maybe not. But that's great.

Starting point is 01:45:44 But yeah, Hulk, it's nice to meet you, man. And it's an honor. And thank you so much for just being a great entertainer all these years, man. I'm glad you were a fan. I had no idea. Oh, yeah, man. No idea.

Starting point is 01:45:54 We needed you, dude. We fucking, I don't even know our TV. We fucking balance the shit on the back and we would fucking hold each other's eyes open. Like don't you fucking miss this boy? And we would fucking miss it, dude. Sometimes, but sometimes we wouldn't, man, when Gina Ocarlin would be on there. God, and we were ready, boy, we would fucking wear tuxedo. We didn't have tuxedo, but we had

Starting point is 01:46:14 like these like, we would cut a black sweat shirt with like the white shirt on her. Remember, 10 like we were the guys, you know? Yeah. He was my guy, Gina, and I brought him for Minnesota with me. Yeah. Because I was in Minnesota and met him there. The Baja. And then when I went back to New York when they wanted me to come back and do this crazy international thing with them, junior, I brought me and Gene with me. He's my guy. Yeah, he seemed like a cool guy to have around. Yeah. And was he just a little bitty guy? Yeah, he was a little bit. When I moved to Minnesota, I was single. And I had an apartment behind the meth center with the mall

Starting point is 01:46:49 of America, there was a place called the meth center there. And there were the Messiah apartments behind there. And that's where all the Northwest Stewardous lives, right? So I got an apartment there. I mean, Jean came over one time and he was married. And he wouldn't go home. He stayed in my apartment for like a year and a half. So dude, aren't you ever going to go home? He wouldn't go home. You stayed in my apartment for like a year and a half to two, don't you ever gonna go home?

Starting point is 01:47:06 He wouldn't leave. He just stayed there and lived with me. I said, okay, fine, whatever. You know, he just wouldn't go home. He just interview and stewardesses. Hey, Claire, you're headed to work today. He was brutal, man. That's hilarious.

Starting point is 01:47:19 Did you see Prince over there in town? Yes, God yes. Yeah, I used to go down and play to bar called the caboose There was another bar that they was at the bar. He played out all the time. Yeah downtown Minnesota Okay, Minneapolis and then I played at Boyd's in the river all the time. It's a band called fragile there. Bonkers is a place we see Uh, are you familiar with? Yeah, some we used to go was that bar place we went to bonkers? Boyd's on the river I can't remember burns will bowl any these places. I mean, I'm talking to 80s. I don't know. Okay. But they had real pimps.

Starting point is 01:47:46 I'm out of my first real pimping Minnesota. Yeah. Oh, no doubt. Yeah, but right on hand up in Avenue, where Moby Dick's was, there was a bar called the caboose. And I used to always go in there, you know, after I wrestled or whatever, since I was singled, I didn't do so. I just go down here and drink beer and play guitar all night with all these bands.

Starting point is 01:48:06 And, you know, I was fresh off playing, so I could still play. Yeah. And like my fingers had been broken and screwed up and so many times I could still play pretty well. So I'd go down there and I always go into Prince's Club, you know, first avenue there. And the first day I went in there,

Starting point is 01:48:20 he walked on stage and started playing. You know, the very first time I walked in the place. And so, you know, that got me coming back a lot. Yeah. You know, and I only saw him two more times there, but he would come in there and just play like for three hours. Because it was his club. Yeah.

Starting point is 01:48:36 And we just sit there and listen to him and it was amazing to watching. You know, I met him one time, said a little to him, it was just a brief passing. He goes, yeah, I'm a wrestling fan. I was like, oh, said a low tone. It was just a brief passing. He was, yeah, I'm a Russell and Fass off. Thank you, man. Cool. Yeah, I just never sat and talked with him or anything. Hmm. Pretty magnificent though.

Starting point is 01:48:52 Just even see him, you know. Yeah, he was cool, man. He was cool, but, you know, I just, really dug his music, man. Oh, yeah, man. Yeah. Yeah, he could do it. You could do it, man.

Starting point is 01:49:03 Thank you for all the music you put out in the world, you know. It's all good, brothers. We're not done yet. No, and yeah, and you're not. I mean, it didn't mean to make it seem like that. But thank you. Still here for a reason. I just haven't figured it out yet. Well, I don't know what we're glad you are. And thanks for all you've done so far, man. Oh, thank you. Really, very cool. It's been awesome to witness and to be a fan of. Thank you bro, very cool. I fly, I can't see it in my bones But it's gonna take

This Past Weekend - E455 Hulk Hogan

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