Hulk Hogan wore no clothes while introducing himself to former WWE SmackDown star

Hulk Hogan once appeared in a memorable segment with former WWE Superstar Zach Gowen. In a recent interview, Gowen recalled his bizarre first interaction with the wrestling icon.

On the May 15, 2003, episode of SmackDown, one-legged wrestler Gowen posed as a fan before entering the ring to protect Hogan. The Hulkster's Mr. America character was being attacked by Roddy Piper and Sean O'Haire at the time. The segment ended with Piper accidentally removing Gowen's prosthetic leg, evoking a negative response from the crowd.

In an interview with MLive's Matt Durr, Gowen said Hogan was not wearing any clothes when they met backstage earlier in the day:

"He [Hogan] walked out of the shower, wearing only a towel and flip flops, but the towel is not wrapped around his waist. It's wrapped around his neck [laughs]. He walks straight up to me, naked as the day is long, and says, 'How you doing? Nice to meet you, brother.' And I'm like, 'Thank you for ruining my childhood. Nice to meet you…' And that was my first hour of being a WWE Superstar."

Gowen's segment with Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, and Sean O'Haire was widely viewed as a success. Upon returning backstage, they received a standing ovation from WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon and other higher-ups.

---

Zach Gowen also spoke to Hulk Hogan's rival Roddy Piper

Before the entertaining segment, Zach Gowen interacted with Roddy Piper and Vince McMahon behind the scenes.

Gowen thanked McMahon for the opportunity before speaking to Piper, who seemed genuinely excited to participate in their segment later in the night:

"He [Piper] was very enthusiastic. And that's so cool, because sometimes you meet your heroes, and you know they can let you down a little bit. But Roddy Piper is Roddy Piper, and the enthusiasm that you saw from him on television, he lived that."

In the same interview, Gowen revealed how he really felt about Brock Lesnar busting him open during another famous SmackDown moment from 2003.

Do you have any memories of Hulk Hogan and Zach Gowen working together? Let us know in the comments section below.