Hulk Hogan celebrates iconic moment with former WWE Champion ahead of SmackDown

Hulk Hogan celebrated an iconic moment from his past ahead of tonight's episode of WWE SmackDown.

Hogan is a legend of the professional wrestling business and has made sporadic appearances with the company in recent years. The legendary performer is one of the most popular superstars of all time and has had many classic encounters throughout his career.

In 2002, Hogan battled Brock Lesnar in a singles match on SmackDown. It was the only time the two stars clashed in a singles match and Hogan controlled the action early. However, Paul Heyman hopped up on the ring apron and provided a distraction. Lesnar planted the legend with an F5 and then won the match after Hogan passed out in a Bear Hug.

Earlier today, Hogan took to Instagram to share a Flashback Friday post ahead of SmackDown. He posted his first encounter with Brock Lesnar and you can check out the iconic moment in the video below.

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Released WWE Superstar almost used Hulk Hogan's music

Mustafa Ali recently opened up about a time when he almost got permission to use Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme music in WWE.

Ali was scheduled to battle Dominik Mysterio for the NXT North American Championship at No Mercy but was released before the match could take place. The 37-year-old was let go along with several more superstars following the merger between WWE and Endeavor.

Speaking with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta in an exclusive interview, Ali revealed he almost used Hogan's theme a few years ago.

"With the Real American, Hulk Hogan's old theme music, yeah, that was an actual discussion I had. At one point, that was gonna be my entrance music. The reason for that is a few years ago we were laying the groundwork for me to do this politician-esque character. There wasn't going to be anything political-specific about this character. He was just presented as a politician." [2:50 – 3:15]

You can check out the full interview in the video below:

Hulk Hogan remains one of the most recognizable wrestlers in the industry today. Only time will tell when the Hall of Famer will make another appearance in WWE.

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