“Vince Sr. Was Looking at Me”: Hulk Hogan Once Revealed the Origins of His Stage Name and the Real Reason Behind It

While Roman Reigns and John Cena might be the biggest names in wrestling in the modern era, Hulk Hogan’s popularity from the ’80s and ’90s is unmatched. The name, ‘Hulk Hogan’ was everywhere during the time ‘Hulkamania’ was truly running wild. From posters to t-shirts, it was everywhere and no American could avoid it.

The name was so powerful that even today the Hulkster owes a lot of his continued appearances in various places to the name’s fame. But how did this name come upon? Also, why did Vince McMahon Sr., the father of the current boss, Vince McMahon, give Hogan that name?

Hulk Hogan once revealed why Vince McMahon Sr. gave him his stage name

While on the Power 106 radio show in 2016, Hulk Hogan talked about his favorite moments. From the legendary WrestleMania III moment that changed his life to turning his hair red, he talked about a lot of things. But one thing that interested a lot of fans was when the host asked Hogan about the way he came onto his name.

Hogan cleared up that he used to go as Terry Boulder, taking most of his from his real name. Then, he was called Sterling Goldman once on a TV channel.

But then he said that he added, ‘The Hulk’ in the middle of his name while in Memphis. Finally, he revealed how he got his name. Hogan said, “Then I went to New York, Vince Sr. was looking at me. He had Chief Jay Strongbow for the Native Americans, Ivan Putski for the Polish Americans, and Bruno Sammartino for the Italian Americans. He said you’re going to be Hulk Hogan for the Irish Americans.”

READ MORE: “I Wasn’t a Big Sports Guy”: Hulk Hogan Once Made a Shocking Confession About His Passion That Wasn’t Even Close to Pro Wrestling

How Hulk Hogan’s name cut off profits from Vince McMahon’s pockets

Hogan mentioned in the interview his name was taken from the then-over-popular Incredible Hulk comic book character. So, when Hogan became a global sensation, Marvel didn’t miss the chance to make him a cash cow. After Marvel filed a copyright claim on his name, part of the profits that McMahon would make from Hogan’s matches and his merchandise went directly to the comic book company.

The total amount of money that Marvel got from Hogan, despite never involving him in any projects was quite substantial. The sum came to about an estimated $631,750, which is massive, even for a company like Marvel.

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