Wrestling, Hollywood & Politics: Hulk Hogan Paved Way For The Rock, Who Shared Heartfelt Tribute To His ‘Hero’
The Rock has idolized Hulk Hogan since his childhood, and has a touching memory of Hogan from when he was in grade school.
There was a wide array of reactions to the death of Hulk Hogan, but one thing that can't be understated is how big an impact he made in the world of professional wrestling, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson gave a fitting tribute to the man against whom he had one of his biggest matches.
The Rock took to social media and wrote a lengthy tribute to the Hulkster.
"To millions of little kids you were a childhood hero — myself included," The Rock wrote. "In 1984, I gave you your ‘HULKSTER’ headband back, in the locker room in Madison Square Garden — I was the lucky kid (who) caught it when you threw it in the crowd. You were wrestling "Mr Wonderful", Paul Orndorff that night in the main event. You were shocked and so happy after the match because you told me that was your very last headband and if it weren’t for me, you’d have no way of getting that exact one made again. You promised me that you would get more made and give me a Hulkster headband of my own as a thank you gift.
"A month later in Madison Square Garden, you did just that. You kept your word, with a handshake and a ‘Thanks, kid,’ And that meant the world to that little 12 year old boy."
The video that The Rock shared is from when he wrestled Hogan at WrestleMania 18, which, for a lot of reasons (which we'll get into in a minute), was seen as a torch passing from the face of one generation of professional wrestlers to the next.
READ: HULK HOGAN HAD HIS FAIR SHARE OF HEALTH BATTLES IN THE FINAL DECADE OF HIS LIFE
"Just 17 years later, and still a kid at the age of 29 years old — I’m standing in the middle of the ring and facing you — one of my wrestling heroes in the main event of WRESTLEMANIA," The Rock wrote. "The match was to decide who would go down in history, as The Greatest of All Time.
"When you kick out of my Rock Bottom finisher - just listen and FEEL that crowd go ELECTRIC…all for you. I’ve never felt anything like that in my entire wrestling career. It takes two to tango, but that historic crowd reaction was all for you."
The Rock went on to say that Hogan was the draw for fans that night, as he was for fans in arenas across the country and around the globe.
"From deep in my bones, and on behalf of this wild and crazy world of professional wrestling that we love, I say to you now, and forever… thank you for the house, brother… Thank you, for the house," The Rock wrote. "RIP Terry Bollea aka Hulk Hogan."
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson wrote a heartfelt tribute to the late Hulk Hogan, and the two have quite a bit in common. (Getty Images)
Hulk Hogan Laid The Groundwork For What Pro Wrestlers Like The Rock Could Become
It's fitting that The Rock would offer such a heartfelt tribute, given that both of their careers have quite a bit in common.
For instance, Hulk Hogan was one of the first pro wrestlers to transcend the ring and become a pop-culture icon and movie star. More followed with the likes of "Rowdy Roddy" Piper, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, and Andre the Giant also took cracks at films.
But The Rock took that ball and ran with it, and if you asked a lot of people out on the street, I think most of them would know who Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was because of his films without any knowledge of his wrestling career.
Making a jump like that wouldn't have been possible without Hulk Hogan kicking down some doors, and I bet The Rock would be the first one to point that out.
In other similarity, both wrestlers have waded into politics over the last few years, a dangerous proposition given how polarizing that can be.
The Rock backed Joe Biden in 2016 (but backed away from any kind of endorsement in 2020. Smart) and is always floated as a semi-serious presidential candidate.
Meanwhile, the Hulkster got political in the last few years of his life, but became a champion for Donald Trump and even spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention.
I have my suspicions that the reason so many people want to jump down Hulk Hogan's throat had less to do with the fact that he said the N-word two decades ago, and more to do with his becoming more public about his support for the president and Republican politics.
But that's just my hunch…
As for The Rock, I'm sure he'll have Terry Bollea on his mind a lot, as will a lot of people.
The tributes are just going to keep coming. In fact, it was just announced that at the time of his death a Netflix documentary series about Hogan was in production, with the icon himself sitting down for more than 20 hours of interviews.