“Never Been in the Ring”: Hulk Hogan Shoots Off on Dwayne Johnson’s Incredible Talent in the Ring That Fans Never Got to Appreciate

Hulk Hogan is one of the most respectable names in WWE. The veteran has seen and worked with many talents throughout his career. He has seen many stars rise and fall and also what makes each of them unique. But according to him, one particular talent of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is unique to him alone, and no one has ever come close to it.

Hogan has shared the ring with The Rock as the two competed at WrestleMania X-8, where the crowd cheered for the heel Hulkster over the babyface Brahma Bull. Speaking in an interview, Hogan described what he really admires about his former in-ring rival

The Rock’s special talent according to Hulk Hogan

In a conversation with Chris Van Vliet, Hulk Hogan reflected upon what he admired about Dwayne Johnson. He said, “I’ve never been in the ring with anybody that could call an audible like him” pointing at the 51-year-old’s talent at switching up things at the audience’s reaction. He even said Johnson was very “open” and barely hesitant while addressing the crowd. Hogan further said, “A lot of guys will freak out tighten up, and not go for a spot but he was there for everything,” commending the Hollywood star on his confidence. 

Dwayne Johnson has been known for his incredible mic work. Along with his wrestling skills, he made sure to keep the fans hooked with his one ‘punch’ liners which were almost equal to jabs to his opponents. But apart from that, he was loved and admired for his confidence. 16-time World Champion Ric Flair once commended Johnson for his confidence during a segment on Raw’s 20th Anniversary. 

Read More| “Struggling, Hustling, Scratching, Clawing”: Dwayne Johnson Shares His Suffering Before Making It Big in the Market

Both the stars have been seen multiple times together and seem to share a healthy bond. But this ‘healthy relationship’ of theirs happened after one icon had clashed with the other. 

Icon vs. Icon

WrestleMania 18 was being promoted with this tagline. The two mega stars were set to go off against each other for the very first time. In 2002, Johnson was more popular than ever and had developed a strong fan following. On the other hand, Hogan’s fans were not ready to let him go. The bout is still considered one of the most iconic in WWE. A crowd of almost 60,000  was present at Rogers Centre, Ontario, Canada. 

Although Hogan ended up losing the match, it still held importance for his career. The match was considered a ‘career renaissance’ for the aging star. A big reason for that was the cheers he received against WWE’s popular babyface. This once again brought The Rock’s quality to call an audible as he acted more of a heel in the match despite being positioned as the face earlier.

Following the defeat, Hogan went off against Triple H and defeated him claiming the WWE Championship title from him. Hogan’s run in WWE continued as he faced off against the likes of The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, and Brock Lesnar. It all started with his famous WrestleMania X-8 match.

Watch This Story: Dwayne Johnson’s Daughter Simone to The Undertaker’s Daughter Kaia – Meet Daughters of Top WWE Stars

Do you think Hulk Hogan’s words are true? Do you think The Rock had the best mic skills in the history of pro wrestling?