Most of the current wrestlers were at one point in time just fans who used to emulate their wrestling idols at home. Be it by mimicking their walking style while playing their entrance music on full blast or doing their finishing moves on their siblings.

Many of the current wrestlers found their inspiration in some superstars at a very young age in their careers. And the same is the case of this ex-WWE Superstar who recently shared a throwback pic to wish ‘The Hulkster’ on his 70th birthday.

Matt Cardona shows his love for Hulk Hogan on his 70th birthday

Matt Cardona aka Zack Ryder was with the WWE from 2007 to 2020. In his WWE career, he won multiple titles like the Intercontinental Championship, the United States Championship, and the RAW Tag Team Championship twice.

Post his exit from WWE, he joined various promotions like AEW, Impact Wrestling, and the NWA. He mostly wrestles on the independent circuit these days and was awarded by Pro Wrestling Illustrated as ‘Indie Wrestler of the Year’ in 2022. And obviously while growing up, he idolized a superstar who he aimed to be when he would grow older. That superstar was none other than Hulk Hogan.

Cardona was crazy about ‘Hulkamania’ as you can see in his throwback childhood pic. He has a huge life-size poster of Hogan and is wearing a championship belt with Hogan’s image on it. Basically, everything in his room was Hulk Hogan. And later on in his professional life, he had the opportunity to meet his hero and finally click a photo with him.

Read more: Hulk Hogan Once Feared Death When 7-Time NWA Champion Confronted Him With Blood in His Eyes and a Gun in His Hand

And that’s the same pic he posted on Instagram alongside his childhood pic while wishing Hulk Hogan his 70th birthday. And ‘The Hulkster’ thanked him for his kind wishes by saying, “Thank you, brother! 💪”.

But this just seems like a double celebration for Hogan who recently got engaged to his girlfriend.

Hulk Hogan just got engaged to Sky Daily 2 weeks ago

The past couple of weeks has been a joyous ride for Hulk Hogan. Firstly he got engaged to his girlfriend Sky Daily and then he celebrated his 70th birthday.

Hogan started dating Daily after getting divorced from Jennifer McDaniel in 2021. The couple were together for 11 years. Daily is a yoga instructor and has been dating Hogan for one and a half years now.

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He revealed the news to his fans on Instagram in a now-deleted story in which he said, “She was crazy enough to say yes, brother”. We wish Hulk Hogan and Sky Daily all the very best for their future life.

Who was your favorite wrestler as a kid whom you tried to emulate just like Matt Cardona?