Hulk Hogan and Logan Paul CREDIT: ImPAULsive Podcast

Since his emergence in the late 1970s, professional wrestler Hulk Hogan has been one of the world’s most recognizable athletes. 

Hogan’s larger-than-life “Real American” persona helped usher in a boom period for the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment) in the 1980s, leading to mainstream success for both the company and Hogan. 

Hogan also helped Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling overtake the WWF in the ratings for two years in the late 1990s when he turned heel and joined former WWF stars Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to form the New World Order. 

In the year since, we’ve regularly seen a very different side of Hogan, real name Terry Bollea. After his in-ring career came to an end, a video leaked of Hogan using a racial slur, resulting in a brief banishment from the WWE Hall of Fame. The less we say about his infamous sex tape and the Gawker fallout, the better. And his recent appearance at the 2024 Republican National Convention further alienated some fans.

Hogan has also known for saying outlandish or quickly disprovable things regarding his career whenever he is interviewed, and that was no different this week when he appeared on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast. Here are some of the most outrageous things Hogan said to Paul in that interview.

Perhaps most egregiously, Hogan still doesn’t understand why fans who turned on him haven’t forgiven him. He then compared his situation to that of former WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, who, in 2007, murdered his wife and son before taking his own life. If fans have forgiven Benoit (he hasn’t), Hogan should be as well, he claimed.

It’s genuinely heinous to say it in the first place and then lie about it. Hogan issued a public apology after the video of him using a racial slur emerged. However, for some fans, the apology didn’t matter, as they were aware of Hogan’s history of lying.

The six-time World Wrestling Federation champion also took issue with former champion Bret Hart, who has claimed Hogan ruined his career by refusing to let Hart beat him for the title in 1993, which was the reported plan and would have elevated Hart to new heights.

Hogan responded that Hart’ hates everybody,’ using himself, Ric Flair, and Vince McMahon as examples. Those three men will likely appear on the most despised list of many fans and wrestlers alike for plenty of reasons. Hart’s issue with all three reflects well on him.

Paul and Hogan discussed the wrestler’s appearance and speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention. Hogan said he had to rehearse the speech, which he never had to do in wrestling, either in the ring or for backstage interviews. If true, Hogan would be the first wrestler to not rehearse his matches or interviews.

Finally, Hogan suggested that Logan Paul, who has wrestled a handful of matches in WWE over the past two years and was the United States Champion, should be the WWE Champion.

While Paul’s in-ring work is fine, this would be a terrible idea for plenty of reasons, including Paul’s recent transphobic comments about Olympic boxer Imane Khelif, crypto scams, energy drink lawsuits, and more. Many wrestling fans tend to view him in the same light as Hogan in terms of authenticity and trustworthiness. 

As noted, Hogan has never avoided an interview in which he could look like the story’s hero. However, as we’ve come to realize as we learn more about him, that’s rarely the case.

[Fadeaway Media, Impaulsive Podcast]