“It Was a…”: Hulk Hogan Who Found Global Success With WWE, Once Made a Startling Revelation About Working With Vince McMahon

Pro wrestling would’ve hardly reached its unprecedented popularity in the 1980s if it were not for Hulk Hogan. The Real American babyface with his 24-inch pythons made wrestling more than what it was and took WWE beyond the ring to the casual audiences. Then over a decade later he flipped the script and turned heel in WCW, nearly running his former employers out of business. Very few, if any, can claim to have the game-changing impact for two companies in two entirely different eras, as Hogan did. But while he gained global stardom in WWE and then WCW, The Hulkster once revealed what it was like working for Vince McMahon and Ted Turner.

Hulk Hogan said he didn’t enjoy going to work

After succeeding as a superstar for WWE and WCW, Hulk Hogan tried to change the game yet again in the late 2000s, this time in a backstage role with Impact Wrestling. After Hogan joined TNA, as it was known back then, A&E produced a documentary in 2010 about his rise, fall, and comeback. It covered aspects of his professional and personal life.

In the documentary, The Immortal One talked about how his life fell apart after his divorce from his ex-wife Linda and his fragile relationship with his kids. Hogan then revealed how he found new motivation after he joined Impact Wrestling in a backstage role in 2009. Having been the main attraction inside the ring for over two decades, this new role gave him a chance to do something different in the business he made popular.

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Hogan then compared his new role to his time in WWE and WCW. He said, “When I worked at different companies like with Ted Turner and with Vince McMahon, I never enjoyed going to work. It was a labor. It wasn’t a labor of love.” The WWE Hall of Famer also said he was excited when he began working for Impact Wrestling. He continued, “Here, I’m driving, coming to work and I’m excited about getting here.”

Although some people may be startled at first by his comments, given the success he enjoyed with both WWE and WCW, it is also understandable. In WWE, working for Vince McMahon is strictly business and while he did enjoy some creative freedom in WCW, he was still only a wrestler there. But with Impact Wrestling, he had the chance to create something different from the outside and use his experience to enhance the talent and the overall show.

As Hogan and his old WCW companion, Eric Bischoff, took over Impact Wrestling, they made a few big decisions. One of them involved going head-to-head with WWE RAW to rekindle the old Monday Night Wars. But as expected, they couldn’t compete with WWE for long. This led to huge losses for the company and Hogan’s departure in 2013.

Despite his best efforts, he could bring another revolution in wrestling from behind the scenes. Hulk Hogan had to find out the hard way that being a wrestler and a promoter are two entirely different cups of tea.

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