Booker T says late WWE Hall of Famer was "twice as big" as Hulk Hogan (Exclusive)

Hulk Hogan is considered to be in the Mount Rushmore of wrestling stars, and he took pro wrestling to the mainstream. However, Booker T believes that late WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki was twice as big as Hogan was.

On October 1st, 2022, it was reported that the founder of New Japan Pro Wrestling, Antonio Inoki passed away at the age of 79. The wrestling world instantly poured out with tributes to the late legend.

Speaking to Bill Apter of Sportskeeda Wrestling, Booker T said that he never got to work with Inoki but believes that in Japan, he was twice as big as Hogan was.

"I never got a chance to work with [Antonio] Inoki. I never got a chance to work with New Japan Pro Wrestling coming up, but Inoki was very well respected as far as the business goes, as far as what he gave to the business. He was a legend. We talk about how big Hulk Hogan was here, but Inoki in Japan was twice as big as Hulk Hogan was." (0:54-1:44)

You can watch the full video below:

Hulk Hogan paid tribute to Antonio Inoki

It wasn't just wrestling fans who paid tribute to Inoki. Hogan himself took to Facebook to pay tribute to the man who was at one point his biggest rival in Japan. The two had matches for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship before the lineage began.

The two also teamed up in the early 1980s as they won the Madison Square Garden Tag League Tournament in 1982 and 1983.

Do Hogan and Antonio Inoki have parallel careers across the globe? Voice your thoughts in the comments section below.

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