5 Shocking Things Hulk Hogan Revealed On The Steve Austin Podcast 

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

WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan

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.