5 Shocking Things Hulk Hogan Revealed On The Steve Austin Podcast

If your wrestling Mt. Rushmore is missing Hulk Hogan, it is devoid of "the biggest draw in wrestling history," as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin likes to say.

Hulk Hogan's accolades are too numerous for print. He is a multi-time world champion in WWE, WCW and NJPW, but is also arguably the most recognizable star in wrestling history. The professional wrestling icon can be seen in movies and television commercials all over the world.

Hulkamania took the world by storm in the early 1980s and along with it, professional wrestling saw a surge in mainstream popularity. Due primarily to WWE's newest sensation, professional wrestling is now intertwined with the world of entertainment.

WWE Superstars appeared on nationally syndicated programs and the wildly popular MTV alongside pop star Cyndi Lauper. Due to Hogan's mainstream success, WWE would draw a host of celebrities like Liberace, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, and Mr. T. Hogan took professional wrestling under his wing and helped lift the sport into the national spotlight.

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The iconic wrestler recently sat down with "Stone" Cold Steve Austin for an episode of The Steve Austin Show podcast.

There he opened up about some of the most shocking moments of his storied career, including never before heard stories that are guaranteed to leave wrestling fans yearning for more.

The fact that Hogan and Austin had a not-so-courteous relationship with each other added to the anticipation of what would transpire during the former's podcast interview.

So, put on your red and yellow, put your hand to your ear, and Hulk Up for 5 Shocking Things Hulk Hogan Revealed On The Steve Austin Podcast.

#5 Hogan Had Heat With CM Punk

Hulk Hogan has been involved in professional wrestling for five decades and throughout his long and storied career, he has balanced his professional life with troubles at home.

This includes a very public divorce from his first wife Linda and a life altering accident involving his son Nick.

Although Hogan has never intentionally gone out of his way to offend anyone, trouble at home has distracted him from always holding to the unspoken backstage rules of professional wrestling. Sometimes other wrestlers have held it against him.

Such was the case when he ran into CM Punk backstage at RAW's 15th Anniversary show. Hogan failed to acknowledge Punk, who was one of WWE's most popular stars at the time.

Hogan told Austin,

"I was so worried about my home life and the problems I had at home and I don't mean to call anybody out, but stuff happens. For instance....when I went back for RAW's 15th Anniversary, I walked into the dressing room there and there was a guy named CM Punk. I didn't know who he was and I heard I had heat because when I came back I didn't say hello to him."

Hogan didn't mean anything by the lack of interaction backstage. He admits to the mistake, but also adds that his "whole life was falling apart at home."

Hogan told Austin,

"When I walked in that dressing room, all I could think about was that I needed to get home and fix my life falling apart. I don't remember seeing, meeting, talking, or disrespecting anybody that day, but I had to live with that because I was in that space at that time."

CM Punk was a champion adored by the masses owing to his maverick persona. WWE programming pushed John Cena to such an extent that fans became irate over how monotonous the setup had become.

The call for a change was answered by Punk, who took the ball and ran with it, becoming one of the most decorated champions of all time.

#4 Vince McMahon Rejected The "Hollywood" Hogan Character

Long before The Rock, Austin, or Cena entered the world of professional wrestling, Hulk Hogan was the sport's biggest and brightest star. That didn't stop his boss from looking to the future. The ever savvy and opportunistic Vince McMahon knew that the red and yellow Hulkamania would eventually wane and he would one day have to look elsewhere for another Superstar to hoist the WWE Championship. Fans were changing and even Hogan's most ardent supporters would expect his character to evolve.

The WWE CEO was enamored with WWE's latest muscle-bound superstar, The Ultimate Warrior. Warrior had an impressive physique and at 6'2" and 300 pounds, was just the type that McMahon visualized as his golden goose.

McMahon had made up his mind. Hogan would drop his WWE Championship to The Ultimate Warrior before 68,000 fans at WrestleMania VI. Hogan didn't object but had an idea.

He wanted to turn heel and ditch the red and yellow for black. After losing to Warrior at WrestleMania VI, he would grab the championship and attack WWE's latest sensation. He would then take the microphone, look into the camera, and break the hearts of millions of Hulkamaniacs, "I did it all for the money." "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan was to be born half a decade early.

Vince McMahon; however, nixed the idea and Hogan inevitably ended up taking the character to WCW, nearly driving WWE out of business in the process.

As for the Warrior's reign, it didn't last long. Hogan told Austin that the shows he was on were simply drawing more than the shows Warrior was on, which led to the decision to put the belt back on Hulk. By the time WrestleMania VII came to its conclusion, Hogan was WWE Champion once again.

#3 Hulk Hogan Almost Walked Out Of WWE Before Hulkamania Started

When Hulk Hogan made his WWE debut in 1983, Vince McMahon, the company's new CEO, already knew that Hogan would be the torchbearer of wrestling's newest era. The only problem was that WWE's then champion Bob Backlund was a babyface, just like Hulk Hogan, and he didn't have much respect for WWE's newest signee.

Vince McMahon had a plan, however. The WWE CEO booked the Iron Sheik to defeat Backlund for the WWE Championship with the sole intention of having the all-American Hulk Hogan take the belt off The Iron Sheik. Hulkamania would ignite in the process.

Backlund didn't consider Hogan a legitimate athlete and believed he was superior to Hogan in the ring. The two would team up early on, but eventually Backlund "drew a line in the sand" and refused to partner with Hogan. Backlund's feelings nearly caused Hogan to walk out of WWE before Hulkamania even became a thing.

Hogan told Steve Austin,

"Bob Backlund is standing there and he's covered in hives because he thought he was gonna win the belt back from Sheik. Plans had changed after I made the deal with Vince. We're talking and Vince, Sr. is looking at me. Bob Backlund speaks up and he says, 'I don't think anybody should win the Title that's not a real athlete.'"

Hogan had trained with Backlund in Japan, been on tours, teamed with him, and did the same workout he did, but none of this registered with the former WWE Champion.

Vince Sr. was the first to speak up,

"You know Terry, we really should think this whole thing through and I think maybe 6 months from now would be a good time to put the belt on you."

Hogan wasn't having any of it,

"Vince Sr., with all due respect, that's not the deal I made with your son. I just burnt down a huge bridge in Minnesota, so I'm about to go out and put The Sheik over tonight, but then I'm going back to rebuild that bridge I burnt down in Minnesota."

Hogan was referring to the AWA.

Vince McMahon Jr. wouldn't let the future star of his company leave for another promotion, so he intervened. McMahon had a personal talk with his father and was able to change his mind. That very night, Hulk Hogan would go on to defeat The Iron Sheik for the WWE Championship, but it almost never happened.

Hogan admitted,

"There was a moment there in The Garden where it almost never happened. I was cool. I was going to the job, but I was gone."

The mere act of imagining Hogan not being a part of WWE's programming is a shocker in itself. If the same had transpired, the face of the industry as a whole would have altered.

#2 Hogan Was Told He Would Never Walk Again

Even at 65 years old, Hulk Hogan looks to be the embodiment of physical conditioning. Still chiseled years after his professional wrestling career came to a halt, Hogan is a reminder that looks can be deceiving, especially after five decades in the world of professional wrestling.

Hogan revealed that he has struggled with a number of debilitating injuries over the years,

"Everybody talks about the fake wrestling, but you do get hurt and we all know that....I started having my knees scoped many years ago; right knee four times scoped, left knee four times with a scope, then I finally had them both replaced, then I had both hips replaced, then I went in for one back surgery that turned into nine back surgeries."

Despite his injuries, Hogan continued to wrestle and squared off against The Rock at WrestleMania X8 with an artificial knee and hip, but it was the back that would derail his wrestling career.

Hogan told Austin,

"As soon as they cut in my back, it was game over. I was hoping that if they cut in my back one time, I'd have the fusion like Shawn Michaels and then I could keep going, but the doctors that wanted me to have fusion told me to try everything else first."

Hogan's first six back surgeries resulted in so much bone loss that there were legitimate fears he'd never walk again,

"After they told my new wife Jennifer that I'd never walk again, after the sixth surgery, it took me three more 12 hour surgeries just to get up on my feet and rolling again. I was down about a year and a half."

Hogan revealed that the injuries prevented him from ever wrestling again.

#1. Hulk Hogan Nearly Died Getting Stem Cell Treatment

Hulk Hogan has a long surgical history (see #4 on our list) and due to his arthritis endures excruciating physical pain each and every day,

"It's a constant over riding pain that makes it so you don't want to smile. Now it's everywhere."

Despite his battle with arthritis and the arsenal of injuries he's suffered in the wrestling ring, the WWE Hall of Famer is far from giving up. Instead, he is always seeking new ways to live a pain-free life. This includes stem cell treatments that nearly cost him his life.

Hogan told Steve Austin,

"They almost lost me on the table....as soon as they put the needle in my arm, my eyes rolled back. It felt like 25 elephants sitting on me. Thank God, my wife was there because nobody spoke English, but she read my eyes. I was desperate and they got the paddles out. All the numbers went crazy and they were getting ready to hit me with the paddles when I was going under. When they shut it off, we found out later that they had soaked the stem cells in DMSO [Dimethyl Sulfoxide]....and I'm allergic to DMSO."

Hogan credits his wife, Jennifer, for saving his life.

Edited by Alan John