Try That in a Small Town Podcast
In 2023, Jason Aldean's groundbreaking song and video "Try That In A Small Town" resonated with a resurgence of conservative values in America. The writers of the song, Kurt, Neil, Tully, and Kelley, took the opportunity to launch the Try That In A Small Town Podcast. This platform allows them to reveal the true inspiration behind the song and discuss the importance of common-sense values. With a lineup of influential guests, the hosts will entertain you with the stories behind their music, while also addressing challenging topics affecting our communities and country.
Try That in a Small Town Podcast
Hulk Hogan: From Rock Star Dreams to Wrestling Icon :: Ep 51 Try That in a Small Town Podcast
From sending audition tapes to Metallica and The Rolling Stones to becoming one of wrestling's most iconic figures, Hulk Hogan's journey through entertainment spans nearly five decades of unexpected twists and reinventions.
In this deeply personal conversation, the 71-year-old WWE Hall of Famer pulls back the curtain on his early years, revealing how he transitioned from playing bass guitar six nights a week in southeastern clubs to wrestling as "The Super Destroyer" for just $25 a match. Hogan shares surprising stories about living in his van on Pensacola Beach, quitting wrestling multiple times to work as a longshoreman, and how Vince McMahon Sr. gave him the name that would change pop culture forever.
The wrestling legend divulges shocking behind-the-scenes details about his breakthrough role as Thunderlips in Rocky III – including how he negotiated his $14,000 payment with Sylvester Stallone and subsequently got fired from the WWF for taking the part. Even more surprising is his revelation about the famous 1984 Madison Square Garden match against the Iron Sheik, where a competing promoter allegedly offered the Sheik $100,000 to legitimately break Hogan's leg.
Beyond the nostalgic wrestling tales, Hogan speaks candidly about his spiritual journey, describing how he's found peace through faith after the physical toll of ten back surgeries and countless other injuries from his wrestling career. Now running Hogan's Hangout in Tampa and promoting his Real American Beer, he reflects on the profound impact his character had on generations of fans worldwide.
Whether you grew up watching Hulkamania run wild or simply appreciate stories of perseverance and reinvention, this conversation offers a rare glimpse into the man behind the 24-inch pythons. Subscribe now and share your favorite Hulk Hogan memories in the comments!
The Try That in a Small Town Podcast is powered by e|spaces!
Redefining Coworking - Exceptional Office Space for Every Business
At e|spaces, we offer more than just office space - we provide premium private offices designed for focus and growth. Located in the heart of Music Row, our fully furnished offices, private suites, meeting rooms and podcast studio give you the perfect space to work, create and connect.
Ready to elevate your business? Book a tour today at espaces.com
From the Patriot Mobile studios:
Don’t get fooled by other cellular providers pretending to share your values or have the same coverage. They don’t and they can’t!
Go to PATRIOTMOBILE.COM/SMALLTOWN or call 972-PATRIOT
Right now, get a FREE MONTH when you use the offer code SMALLTOWN.
Original Brands
Original brands is starting a new era and American domestic premium beer, American made, American owned, Original glory.
Join the movement at www.drinkoriginalbrands.com
Follow/Rate/Share at www.trythatinasmalltown.com -
Browse the merch: https://trythatinasmalltown.com/collections/all -
For advertising inquiries, email info@trythatinasmalltown.com
The Try That In A Small Town Podcast is produced by Jim McCarthy and www.ItsYourShow.co
Same thing happened with Metallica, that's what I was going to ask In Mania.
Speaker 1:Bro, and everybody says Hulk lied, he tried out, said he tried out for the Stones and Metallica. He's a liar. Well, with Metallica it was the same thing I saw they needed a bass player. I put a tape together and sent it to him. Never heard a word.
Speaker 2:They didn't even like respond at all.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, no, no, nothing. I had seen Rocky 1, and he was like 700 feet tall in the American public side and I was with my girlfriend at the time. I said, man, if I could just be in one of those movies just sweeping the floor as a janitor, I'd love to be in the movie, you know. So they told me no music. So I went to the sound guy. I said the hell with this. I had a tiger cranking. I gave him 500 bucks. When that music started, that dun dun, dun, dun, the roof of the place blew off. And then I told Vince. I said, man, I've been selling merchandise T-shirts and headbands and hats and koozies and wristbands and making a ton of money doing it, because nobody else is.
Speaker 3:And Vince picked up on it real quick the try that in a small town podcast begins now all right, welcome back to the patriot mobile studios.
Speaker 2:This is the try that the small town podcast. Uh, I got tully right here, I got kayla right there, I got thrash over there. Yes, tonight, dudes, this is gonna be something. This is gonna be something. Uh, we got one of the most iconic figures in wrestling. How? In?
Speaker 4:history. Did we get him on?
Speaker 2:here. I don't know. He's a wwe Hall of Famer, a global superstar. Welcome, hulk Hogan.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 1:I don't know how iconic it's going to be. It's going to be crazy. I can tell you that much.
Speaker 2:Oh my God, Dang a flex right off the bat too. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:When you're 71, brother, you got to throw up there whenever you can.
Speaker 4:Oh wow, you are not 71.
Speaker 2:don't 72 in august god, you look amazing well, I've been got a lot of mileage on me bro hey, for some reason you know, when I was introducing you, we talk a lot about nicknames on this podcast. I have no idea why, uh, and I think you know, the world knows you as hulk hogan. Friends and family know you as terry blea, um, and I think we want to get to maybe why and when and where the name hulk hogan came up with. But I really want to know did you fight under any other names before that? Did you have any names that didn't stick?
Speaker 1:oh my gosh, yeah well, when I first started, I well, I played music for 10 years yeah and when I got done doing the circuits this six days a week, you know from nine to two in the morning, the 45 minute sets with a 15 minute break. So I got done doing the same clubs over and over and over the stone pony and you know all the ones through atlanta and all those clubs and back through florida, you know we were making a little bit of money, but nothing really big. We had a chance to go and all the ones through Atlanta and all those clubs and back through Florida. We were making a little bit of money, but nothing really big. We had a chance to go on the road and open for some national acts and the lead singer got his girlfriend pregnant. The other guy, the keyboard player, got his wife pregnant and they didn't want to go Count your music, yeah. So I'd been training with weights a little bit and I just got pissed and I just put my base down. I said, guys, I'm quitting and I'm going to be the greatest professional wrestler ever. And all the guys in the band just fell on the ground laughing right Because I was just a big fan.
Speaker 1:But when I started I already had a good look because I'd been putting the weights, those plastic weights on the back of the big U-Haul that we bought, you know. So the first thing would come off before the Ampeg and the acoustics and all the Marshall equipment would be all my weights, you know. And so I was lifting in the hotel rooms and stuff. So when I first started it was a rough start. But when I finally had a match they put a mask on me. They called me the super destroyer because they were going to beat me all over. That's called a job where they give you like 25 bucks to lose every night and they figured until I learned the craft. They wanted to protect my face so people wouldn't recognize me as the guy that lost every night. And so then then I went on to be Terry Boulder after I quit and went back and working on the docks.
Speaker 1:For a while I went on to be Terry Boulder and then quit again, went back up to Atlanta and this promoter who was a little light in his loafers, he named me Sterling Golden, you know. So I was Sterling Golden for a while. Then I quit again, went back and worked on the docks. I was wrestling 13 times a week for like 150 bucks, you know, and I was making a lot more than that playing music, especially unloading ships as a longshoreman in Tampa.
Speaker 1:I made a ton of money back then. So I kept quitting to go back to work to make money. And then finally, when I got a call from New York, all the wrestlers here said that's the big man's territory and I've been training enough, where I was pretty darn big at the time and I went up there and Vince McMahon Sr had all these wrestlers like Pedro Morales for the Puerto Rican Americans, chiefs Jay Strong for the Native Indian Americans, bruno San Martino for the Italian Americans, so he wanted me to be Hulk Hogan for the Irish Americans. So that's where the name came from. Vince senior gave me that name.
Speaker 2:Wow Sterling golden sounds like an adult film film stars.
Speaker 5:There's so much that I want to talk. I want to get to this so much. First of all, though, you came out to our show a couple of ago in tampa um, at the amphitheater there and, uh, we knew you were coming, couldn't wait for you to walk in. You know, you know myself, being born in 75, I grew up right in the golden era of, like, wrestling wwf. It was huge, but we started talking about bass, and I don't think a lot of people realize that you, you played bass. You were played in bands. I don't know if everyone knows that which which. That was fun, sitting back there talking about bass, guitars and how you rip the frets out of your bass and turn it into a fretless. You know which was which was. Which was great like. I don't think anyone realizes your background in music. Yeah, it wasn't a hobby, it was like you professionally wanted to be a musician yeah, brother, I was just like you guys.
Speaker 1:I was doing anything to avoid a real job, anything to avoid a real job, but I'd taken. My mom played keyboards at the house all the time. She had a little organ and a piano and I took music lessons on an old guild guitar that looked like a 335 Gifts in that guild, you know. And so I played lead guitar in a couple bands until I got in a really good band that brought in this lead guitar player from Todd Rundgren's band and so I moved over to bass and I got pretty good at that, but I always played it fretless. And then, you know, I didn't mess with a bass with frets, until my daughters started playing music. But I never made any money until I got into wrestling with the music and when I was living up in connecticut I had cindy lauper and meatloaf and cindy lauper's boyfriend, dave wolf, on the same area that I was in and I talked them into doing some stuff with us. So me and Rick Derringer recut Land of a Thousand Dances and Rock and Roll, hoochie Coo and a bunch of stuff, and brought Simon Cowell in to produce it, and he produced the first album that went platinum. And then we brought him in for the Piledriver album. The second album that went double platinum. So that's not the only time I really made any money.
Speaker 1:But you know, there's just a whole bunch of music in between that, going over the uk and doing some stuff for simon cowell, they had a guy there that was kind of like um their elvis, a guy named gary glitter, and he was this transvestite guy that was all dressed up and he had a song called leader of the gang. I I could recut leader of the gang with a band called green jelly over there and that's how I got to know simon. Then we had another kid die at ringside when, uh, I was wrestling in the uk and, uh, me and jimmy hart who had a hit record out of sun studios, keep on dancing. I don't know if you guys remember jimmy, oh yeah, but jimmy had a hit song, keep on dancing. Then he recuts cinnamon girl and it went way up the charts.
Speaker 1:But simon produced like 12 songs that jimmy hart and I set up and wrote with an auto harp all night and uh, that did really well for the, for the little album over there on billboard, and we gave all that money to the family. But yeah, there was, and then that's what got me hooked up with simon. Then we brought him over two times for the rest wrestling album and he never left, you know, and he stayed here. So there was, there was a whole history of music, but it was real spotty.
Speaker 6:I never broke through with it, you know and one thing I thought was really cool and listened to a couple other interviews that you've had is that you're playing your shows and your rock shows and everything, and you're seeing wrestlers come to those shows and you're looking out there at the time you're thinking those guys are badasses, they've got cauliflower ear, they got teeth missing and stuff like that, and you're like I want to go wrestle those guys. Yeah, which is amazing, you know no, I was.
Speaker 1:I was scared to death of them because when I finally came back here to florida and so then we had a bunch of really good high school bands so I would grab the best lead guitar player out of one band, I grabbed a lead singer out of one band, a good drummer, good keyboard player, and formed this band called ruckus, and we started playing. If we'd move from saint pete to tampa clearwater, we had a following that would follow us around and like when we would play, we had so much equipment it's like the whole room would move. You know when we play, and it was a crazy feel. You know, we played like rock, funk stuff, and so the wrestlers started coming. Oh, my god, I was scared to death of them. You know, because they're all 300 pounds and they were all beat up and everything.
Speaker 1:And back in the late 70s it was a different business. I mean, you didn't go to you know the performance center and learn how to wrestle with a helmet on. You know he, if you want to get wrestling, you had to take that 340 pound man's livelihood and the food out of his family's mouth to get in the business. There were no openings for wrestlers, so it was a. It was a tough sell, but I started running my mouth telling people I wanted to wrestle, which was the worst thing I could do in such a small town like this, and so the first day I went down there again and matt suda broke my leg and told me never to come back again. So that was the beginning, but yeah, but it was. It was weird playing music and having all the wrestlers coming. I was scared to death, to death of them.
Speaker 4:Well, he set that up. I mean, that's the epitome of try that in a small town right there. No, kidding.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, it was different back then, bro. You didn't get sued. You could punch somebody in the face and not get sued back then.
Speaker 2:Well, you know you're talking about the grind back then. It's funny because people think, oh, they, whatever, whether it's Jason Aldean or Hulk Hogan, they just see the superstar man. People don't understand the grind and the journey it takes. Like you're saying, you're making a hundred bucks a week just to get your butt kicked by these guys. You know at what point did you start to think, hey, this, I can actually make a living doing this. This is something that can happen for me.
Speaker 1:Well, that was, that was the mindset. Going into this thing was just to make a living, you know, like I did with music. But you know, it was kind of like the guys in the music business partied, you know. But when I got in the wrestling business it was a whole other level, brother. So I said this is perfect for me, you know, but it was kind of like I just wanted to make a living.
Speaker 1:But the problem was I kept quitting. I probably quit three or four times because I would go out there and wouldn't make much money. And I slept in my van for a year on Pensacola Beach with a while of Simone sleeping in their van. We weren't making any money and I kept coming back. So I'd get it. When I was playing music in between bands I got a union laborers card so I'd go to the union hall and they'd send me out on a different job. And every time I'd go out on a job for three or four days, like a government shutdown of a phosphate plant, or go to the university mall to put up can lighting or work with a steel worker or brick mason. I'd make good money, you know. So I kept quitting to come back, to try to get back on my feet and save some money.
Speaker 1:And probably I really didn't think I was going to make it until I finally got that call to go to new york from vince mcmahon, senior, and that was, uh, 1978. I got that call to go up there and Vince McMahon looked at me and I was way over 300 pounds and I was crazy as a goat and I actually thought I could beat Andre the Giant up, which I got my ass handed to me and I mean he beat on me for eight years before he started liking me. But then, you know, know, then, once I got up in that new york circuit the boston gardens, the philadelphia spectrum, madison square garden I started playing those big venues, you know. Then, you know, and they naturally pushed me up to the top of the car because of how I looked. Then I knew I could make it in the business, but I kept quitting, I, and if I had to get that call from New York I probably wouldn't have went back.
Speaker 5:I'll tell you what I remember going to the movies 82, and seeing Rocky III. And there you were, thunder lips, and I got to tell you and I'm sure you've heard this before many times but you in that movie, that was a moment, that was like a movie. It still is like a a moment, and and stallone still post pictures all the time from that movie and you and him and that in the ring and that was. That was so cool. I thought that was. At that point I was like who is that? That? Yeah, that, yeah, that was that had still I. What an amazing moment, though. Right.
Speaker 2:Fun was had, I'm sure, and you made bank off that.
Speaker 6:You made bank off that right yeah right, I couldn't believe how literally you made.
Speaker 4:Here's where we have something in common, right here, wow.
Speaker 1:Brother, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to negotiating, but at the end of the day I had seen Rocky 1. He was like 700 feet tall in the American public's eye, and I was with my girlfriend at the time. I said, man, if I could just be in one of those movies just sweeping the floor as a janitor, I'd love to be in the movie. So fast forward. Here comes Rocky 3. And I was actually in Allentown, pennsylvania, doing television for the WWWF, the Worldwide Wrestling Federation, where there were three W's. I got a piece of paper called Sylvester Stallone, you know, wants to talk about a part in New York. Yeah right, because the wrestlers, you know, always rib each other. You know they'll put rocks on your bag or cut your clothes up or take your car keys and throw them in the toilet or something you know. So I went to Japan for about six or seven weeks and I came back, and when I came back it was back to the Allentown Farm Center at TV again, and when I came back it was back to the Allentown Farm Center at TV again. Now I got a Western Union letter that says Stallone needs to talk to you urgently.
Speaker 1:So I did call him and I flew out there and I got the part in the movie, you know, and he kind of like, we got in the ring a little bit and you know we moved around. He says I'm going to try to hit, you see if you can get a hold of me. I said okay, whatever you say. But as soon as he stuck his arm out, I snatched his ass and then he wants. Then he says I want you to hit me as hard as you can. I said no, bro, you don't want that. You know we're gonna give me 50. Well, you know, so I'll give you a little bit.
Speaker 1:So I gave him a good shot and as soon as I hit him, I hit him on the back and his down and hit my cowboy boots and he popped up. He goes oh, that's great. I said oh Jesus, he's crazy. But yeah, I got the part and we rolled out of the ring and he put a camera in my face. He goes I want you to get mad. And so he basically wanted me to cut a promo. So I was halfway learning how to do that. I really wasn't all the way there and I did the best I could. He goes okay, you got the part and he goes. I'll give you $10,000 to do the movie and, of course, me being the genius that I was.
Speaker 6:I said I want $15,000. That way to do it drive it up, drive it up yeah.
Speaker 1:So he paid me $14,000 with no back end, no points, no nothing. Oh boy, it was worth it, man. I never had an agent, I never had a movie part I didn't have one.
Speaker 4:Hey, how did he find you in the first place? I mean, how did he get the idea to use you in that part?
Speaker 1:Well, he had watched Madison Square Garden Network and at the time I was like 335 pounds and he'd watch me pick up three guys in a bear hug and I was just ragdolling them, you know, and I was holding three guys up and I threw them all down and there was a casting director named Rhonda Young. So Stallone says he called Rhonda and goes who's this guy? So Sloan says he called Ronda and goes who's this guy? So she called her brother, peter Young, who's been my agent for 40 years, and Mr T's agent, and Peter Young who was a wrestling fan at the time and wasn't an agent back then. So that's Hulk Hogan. I'm going to Boston College. We go see him all the time.
Speaker 2:So that's how they got a hold of me.
Speaker 6:That's amazing.
Speaker 5:I mean it worked out, though I mean that was 82 and then january of 84 well, no, no, we shot them.
Speaker 1:We shot the movie, bro. I think, uh, mid 80, like mid, right, okay, well, yeah but then you got fired and started interrupting you got, didn't you get fired?
Speaker 1:didn't vince senior fire you for doing that, yeah yeah, I was in, uh, fall river mass I think I was wrestling at the high school of the armory, I can't remember and uh, I was supposed to go to la the next day and I told vince senior that I wanted to go do this rocky movie and I said I'll be gone 10 days shooting. The party goes no, you're not doing it. So anyway, anyway, I call him up and I said look, I'm leaving tomorrow to go do the Rocky movie. He goes you're not allowed, you have to go from Fall River Mass. You got to drive to Charlotte all night because they want you on Charlotte TV at 10 at noon and I would have barely made it if I drove all night. But I said I'm sorry, mr McMahon, but I'm going to go do this movie. I'll be back in 10 days. He goes okay, you're fired and you'll never work here again.
Speaker 1:I went, okay, it was cool to me because I had a really hot looking girl to live in Japan at the time. So I just, so, I just went over and stayed in Japan for a while and kept wrestling the circuit over there, which was really intense back then. And uh, then I sent some of my pictures to this promoter in Minnesota Vern Gagne of the AWA and there were two places that all the wrestlers wanted to work. That was the Madison Square Garden Circuit or Minneapolis, because the trips were short and this guy paid really well. So I sent him my pictures and he said how quick can you be here?
Speaker 1:And so as soon as I landed from Japan, I got back to Florida and I drove up to Minnesota and I started there and I wrestled there for about three years, three and a half years, and we were just getting ready to come in and we bought top TV time on channel nine in New York. We were going to run up and down the whole East coast when Vince Jr flew out to Vince McMahon that Coast. When Vince Jr flew out to my house in Minnesota and we cut a deal he goes I'm going to build the blueprint, you're going to build the building and we're going to take over the whole world. I said, ooh, I like that. So that means you stay in the Eiffel Tower and I'm the one that gets shot at. He goes, yes, so it all worked out great.
Speaker 2:You know, I heard you talking about Madison Square Garden and that circuit and it reminded me of an interview that I heard with you. You were saying that was the most memorable and the best night of your career, when you were against the Iron Sheik. Yeah, but it wasn't necessarily for the match. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Speaker 1:Well, so many things were going on which I wasn't aware of, you know. I mean, first off, I just left Minnesota and I just bought a house there from the promoter's daughter, from Bernie Gagne's daughter, so he thought I was locked and loaded to stay there. And I just sat out by a swimming pool that weekend before and booked myself in all the main event matches against Nick Bockman the champion, all these cage matches. So I did something that was totally unethical in the wrestling business. I walked out without a 30-day notice. So I mean, I walked away very unprofessionally usually say 30 days, 30-day notice. You let everybody in the territory beat you, all the top guys. I locked the door and went away and I went to Madison Square Garden and Vern Gunning, the promoter, was really pissed.
Speaker 1:So they had a guy named the Iron Sheik who was Cosgrove Lacerre. He was the real bodyguard of the Shah of Iran and he wrestled in the Pan Am Games. A real shooter, a real wrestler, not like me. He was a real wrestler. And so Vern tried to give him 100 grand to break my leg that night in the garden. I didn't know that, I didn't know that was happening. So all of a sudden we get to madison square garden and it was like the perfect storm. It was the iron sheik and at the time there were 444 american hostages being held by iran and I was coming in as, like this, american hero. So when I hit that eye of the tiger music bro, the garden exploded and it just changed the business forever. Because when I went back to, you know, wrestle the Iron Sheik, they didn't play music, they didn't sell merchandise, which I had been doing in Minnesota, and it just the whole game changed, you know, and it was just a magical night, you know, winning that belt and stuff. It was just amazing.
Speaker 2:Is that when the entrance music kind of started with with that, or had it kind of gone on before that?
Speaker 1:no, it hadn't lost. I was playing in minnesota. No one else was. I was playing the eye of the tiger, which scotty scotty brothers had publishing on. As soon as I started playing it they shut me down, wouldn't let me use it anymore. But I did play it for a while in Minnesota, unnoticed. But as soon as I went to the Garden they noticed. But when I went to the Garden I asked Vince about playing music. He goes. No, we don't play music here.
Speaker 1:So there was some other stuff that happened that day which I guess I should tell you about. Right before the match started, Vince McMahon Sr and Vince McMahon Jr were there and the guy that had gotten beat the month before by the Iron Sheik when the Sheik won the belt, Bob Backlund, came up and Vince Sr was looking down at me over his glasses, clicking the quarters like he always did. He goes. Well, you know, Terry, I think we're going to postpone this title switch for about six months and go ahead and, you know, get back with Bob for a while. So I said well, you know, guys, that's fine with me, but I'm going to go ahead and do the right thing tonight. I'm going to put the iron sheet over. He can beat me one, two, three, but then I'm going back to Minnesota and I'm going to rebuild that huge bridge that I burned down and beg for forgiveness.
Speaker 1:So I went to my dressing room and was drinking my normal cup of beers before I go out and wrestle, and Vince Jr came in and goes no, no, no, no, I talked to the old man, we're going back to the original plan. So that was the kink in the works that almost ruined that night. But you know, the Iron Sheik decided to do business with me. He didn't break my leg because he could have. The Iron Sheik decided to do business with me. He didn't break my leg because he could have, and I wouldn't even know what was going on, because he would have done it very maliciously. But he decided to do business instead and that was a crazy night in the garden.
Speaker 7:My name is Glenn Story. I'm the founder and CEO of Patriot Mobile. And then we have four principles First Amendment. Second Amendment right to life, military and first responders. If you have a place to go put your money, you always want to put it with somebody that's like mine, of course. I think that's the beauty of Patriot Mobile we're a conservative alternative.
Speaker 3:Don't get fooled by other providers pretending to share your values or have the same coverage. Go to patriotmobilecom. Forward slash smalltown to get a free month of service when you use the offer code smalltown or call 972-PATRIOT.
Speaker 2:You know what goes great with Small Town Stories Original Glory America's beer right here.
Speaker 4:You know I've been drinking this every songwriting session today.
Speaker 2:Man that clean, crisp taste reminds me of summer nights on the back porch after a fresh mowed lawn, and they're just not making great beer. They're investing in America's small towns. Well, it's just like us.
Speaker 4:They believe in bringing communities together. Not only do they invest in communities, but a portion of each sale goes to the veterans and the first responders and all the heroes that protect us.
Speaker 6:For a limited time, you can become a member of the og fam and invest in this beer at wefundercom.
Speaker 5:Forward slash original brands join our original glory family and help ignite that original glory spirit I re-watched that match and you know he he dropped like a backbreaker on you and the camel clutch, which was his move. That backbreaker looked like it hurts. I mean, there's no way that doesn't hurt.
Speaker 1:Well, brother, let me tell you Now that I've had 10 back surgeries, now there's no way I could even get in that position. I can't even stand up straight, much less get bent over backwards like that. So it was. It was crazy. But the cool thing about it was they told me no music. So I went to the sound guy. I said the hell with this. I had a tiger cranking. I gave me 500 bucks when that music started, that don't, don't, don't, don't they. The roof of the place blew off. And then I told Vince I've been selling merchandise t-shirts and headbands and hats and koozies and wristbands and making a ton of money doing it, because nobody else is. And Vince picked up on it real quick and it just took off and everybody wanted entrance music. So Jimmy Hart sat up all night writing entrance music for all the wrestlers.
Speaker 6:Yeah, and it's kind of cool because that again is where your rock career and music career entertaining took over and everything kind of started going to the next level and you realized because you said yourself, which is crazy to me that you didn't feel you were a gifted athlete when you were younger, even though you could play pro baseball and stuff like that you thought that wasn't your gift but your gifting was entertaining. When you found the entertainment piece of the wrestling you said that's when things kind of clicked.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it really did. It happened in Minnesota. That guy, vern Gagne, was a collegiate wrestler, ncaa champion, and he was just one of these real hardcore old guys that would put submissions and hooks on you and make you scream. You know, going through his wrestling camp. And when I got there I started working with his son a lot and I noticed that when I body slammed somebody that would get a reaction. But if I looked at the crowd and mugged the crowd, the reaction got a bigger response on oh, I got this figured out now.
Speaker 1:So I started, uh, working to the crowd more than the wrestler in the ring and, uh, it all came together, man, but it took a while. It took took at least you know, good grief, from 70, end of 77 till 84 for me to really figure it out. And then I didn't have it figured out all the way I. I really had it figured out by 85, 86, 87, you know. So it takes a while. You need that seat time. Like a nascar driver, you need to put that seat time in before you get good at anything I get it, man, it's like.
Speaker 2:It's like music. You know we didn't just start playing and know how to entertain a crowd. Man, you got to do it.
Speaker 4:You got to know how to do it yeah, the wrestling industry is exactly like the songwriting industry, except I don't have to have 10 back surgeries we take a beat just not that kind.
Speaker 1:People ask me all the time. They say, well, do you ever pick up the guitar? You ever play around a little bit and and I very seldom do, because my fingers have been jammed and broken over 40 years of wrestling. I mean, it's you know, and when I go to grab a guitar it's almost like the arthritis is overwhelming. But I wonder what would have happened if I'd have played another 10 years, because I only put 10 good years in. You know, I played in junior high school bands and high school bands, but I really didn't put the time in like I should have. I always have wondered if I would have played another 10 years. What could have happened, you know.
Speaker 4:Are you still tinkering around with music at all?
Speaker 1:Not really. I mean, you know, something special comes up, you know, and Jimmy Hart gets involved with something. I'll mess around, but really not really. I mean there's two. I mean you know there's a couple situations where I shot in the wrestling business. You call it shooting at an angle, you know, and I had pretty much gotten tired of being on the road 300 days a year, wrestling 350 or 360 times a year, twice on Saturday, twice on Sunday. You know you get tired of flying 300 days a year.
Speaker 1:And I remember I was in an awards ceremony in the UK with Jerry Hall and back then that was Mick Jagger's old lady and they needed a bass player, right? So I kept my mouth shut. We go to the awards show and when we come off stage he goes oh my gosh, hulk, my kids are big fans. Could you please get them some merchandise? I said yes, I can. And I said right away by the way, your boyfriend and any of that music they play, if they need a bass player, I would love to be in the band. So I got the spots of merchandise together, put an audition tape in there and sent it, and I never heard a word back from him. Never, never heard a word. Hey, did I.
Speaker 2:Oh my.
Speaker 1:God Never heard a word, hey did I the same thing was.
Speaker 2:I was about to ask you Go ahead.
Speaker 1:No, the same thing happened with Metallica.
Speaker 2:That's what I was going to ask.
Speaker 1:And everybody says Hulk lied, he tried out. He said he tried out for the Stones and Metallica, but he's a liar. Well, with Metallica it was the same thing I saw. They needed a bass player. I put a tape together and sent it to them. Never heard a word.
Speaker 2:They didn't even respond at all.
Speaker 1:No, but the bass player they got is just bitching. That guy kills it.
Speaker 5:Julio, he's great.
Speaker 1:But I would have quit wrestling in a heartbeat to be in either one of those bands.
Speaker 4:Are you serious? You would have quit wrestling.
Speaker 5:Oh oh, hell yeah, oh much safer, I guess, I don't know, because I'm hanging with a brother I tell you what, though it, you know it worked out because I remember watching you and and you'd run, I mean like saturday night's main event, that that kind of stuff, like we would, you know, wait up for you watching, you know, to come on, just it was. It was such a feeling in the country too. You're so such a american figure, you know, and it's amazing, like it's a, I still get pumped up. I was watching your old matches and you know it still gets me going. Me and me and aldine always talk about, you know, wrestlemania three and what that looked like back then. You know we were 80, 80 000 people, you know, and that that had to be something, though you and andre the giant and it's still walking out and seeing those people had that had to be quite a feeling well, brother, first off it was 94 000.
Speaker 1:Okay, but the weird thing is about saturday night's main event. You know, if you look at the ratings, now the universe has so many choices. You know, with all these tvs and paramount plus and fox this, and thought you know, there's so many choices now for people to make with all this streaming stuff that it's not the same as it used to be. Because I looked at the numbers for Saturday Night Main Event here recently and I saw what the numbers were. But then when I wrestled Andre the Giant on Saturday Night's Main Event, we had 33 million people watch that night. I mean, the numbers were insane.
Speaker 1:So it's a whole different world and a different universe, and so times would be a-changing world and a different universe and so times they be a changing.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it is.
Speaker 3:Where do you?
Speaker 4:see it, where do you see the future of wrestling now moving forward?
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, it's stronger than it's ever been. I mean, it's just so powerful. It's this international juggernaut. I mean it's like you know, they're always looking for an attraction. You know, like the Rock or Andre the Giant, you know, or like Roman Reigns they're always looking for an attraction. Roman Reigns are always looking for an attraction. But even if they can't find that one guy, the machine and the production is so big you could actually have a wrestler be in the main event. If he gets hurt, you can actually replace them because the machine is so big and it works so well now that, uh, they've got it really figured out and so it's just going to keep moving forward like a monster and it's just eating everything up as it goes because it's getting bigger and more popular. And I never dreamed it would turn into this, but it's just amazing to watch it happen. I was really happy with the time that I grew up wrestling, but boy, I'd sure love to wrestle during this era.
Speaker 4:I'm thinking like country music singers need to get involved with wrestling. I'm thinking Garth Brooks. I would love to see him in a ring.
Speaker 6:I would love to see Luke Combs in a ring. Yeah, maybe like Luke Combs and Justin Moore.
Speaker 1:Let me put it to you this way, Carter. I'll put it to you this way If Jay Leno can do it, anybody can do it.
Speaker 4:That's a fact.
Speaker 2:Wow, I forgot about that I forgot about Jay Leno. Maybe we?
Speaker 1:can get.
Speaker 4:Al Dean interested and get him in the ring.
Speaker 1:I don't think he's going to do it. Oh, I'd love to get his ass in there.
Speaker 4:Oh man, get him and Luke Bryan in the ring together. That would be fantastic.
Speaker 5:That's not a terrible idea actually.
Speaker 1:I don't have one more in me, but I'd definitely step up for that one.
Speaker 5:I don't think you'd have much of a problem. So I really I really like the. Uh, you know, I thought the mcmahon netflix doc was really good. I thought that was really really, really cool. I mean, it was so good it was peeled back the curtain, you know.
Speaker 1:Uh, quite, quite a bit. Some of it you know, some of it yeah.
Speaker 5:but so when you were wrestling at the height in the 80s, did you have I always wanted to ask you this and hanging out? I never I meant to and I always forgot to did you have like a favorite couple dudes that you would, like you know, always enjoyed wrestling or some that would you didn't like? You know as far as like it was, you know, I know, I know how that goes competition wise too. So how does how you know anything that goes competition-wise too?
Speaker 1:So how does anything that you'd Well, back in the 80s, everybody was vying for that top spot. It wasn't like now everybody's got guaranteed contracts and if you get hurt you get paid Back. Then it was like, if you didn't wrestle you didn't get paid. So everybody was, you know, shooting for that top spot and that happened to be the spot I had. So, you know, the two guys that I really loved to wrestle with most were like macho man randy savage. He's a total, total pro. He was just so physical and, you know, you knew you're in a war when you, when you were in there with him. And the other one that I loved, even though it was pretty brutal, was working with andre, because the money was so crazy, yeah, you know. So those were my two favorites and you know, like I said, after he beat on me for about eight years, he started to like me.
Speaker 2:Then we became really good friends, you know, but it took like eight years to win his ass over that's what I thought, that's what I heard you talk about andre and I I imagine that was probably with a lot of those guys is like Tully said, there's so much competition and everybody's vying for the spot, so I don't know how much you hung with those guys, but I heard you talk about Andre, how and how you guys got close afterwards. Any of the other guys that you ended up getting close with after the fact?
Speaker 1:well, a lot of guys I've been friends with all along. You know the nasty boys you know I was friends with. I was friends with British beefcake for 45 years, um, while we were wrestling, and uh, you know Haku. Uh, I don't know if you know who he is, but he was. He was uh, a good friend and uh, at the end, at the end, the one guy I finally became friends with which we did not get along at all was Roddy Piper. And I got real close at the end. Yeah, right before he passed away. Man, we were on the phone every day talking about scripture and he wanted to understand about accepting Christ as a savior. Every day, I was on him, brother, every day. So he was. We became very close.
Speaker 2:Hey, I know, speaking of that, spirituality and your relationship with God is important to you and I know that you were a Christian and been a Christian through your whole life. But I'm sure there's been like a reawakening of sorts. When did that happen for you and when did you really start that walk again with God?
Speaker 1:Well, recently, I mean I was saving, I was 14. I was playing guitar at a youth ranch. You know, I was playing football. And a couple of football players say we come, we go to this Christian youth ranch and we sing every week. So I went with them and then, you know, they said, oh, he can play guitar, he can play guitar. So the next week I brought my guitar and ended up playing guitar for all the songs and stuff and I accepted Christ as my savior then.
Speaker 1:But it took a while for me to get it.
Speaker 1:But then, you know, rock and roll, music, wrestling, didn't follow the path for many years.
Speaker 1:And then, with all the stuff that's happened in my life personally, all the crashing and burning and getting up and moving forward and starting over and crashing and burning again, and this mistake. After that mistake, I just totally surrendered, man, and I said you know what? I've fought harder than anybody, I've worked more, longer hours than anybody and I'm just so tired of being in the same empty, back to zero space that, um, I started going back to church every weekend and, uh, got baptized, totally surrendered, and now I just tell my big God about my little problems and all these people that nip at my heels, brother. I just pray for them. I can't get involved with the drama because, you know, I just let God fight those battles, man, I just let him take over and no matter what type of drama comes at me, it's always something, you know I just sit back and try as best as I can and I'm not always good at it, but I try as best as I can. Just remain still.
Speaker 6:That's amazing. I was going to add when you said about baptizing I baptized my brother, who's a lot bigger man than I am, and I was thinking about when you're getting baptized, did you have to have a couple guys in there bringing you up out of the water just because you're a big man? And one guy do it, and he'd say help me out, brother. You got to help me out.
Speaker 1:No, my pastor Aaron. He got me in and out. My wife Skye got baptized with all of my stepkids. She's been a major influence in calming me down because I've got so much turbulence in me From always being physical my whole life. About 8 o'clock at night I start rumbling Because I'm used to getting in the ring about 10, 30, or 11 and you know, just breaking this crazy sweat and have another man beating on me and all of a sudden you know okay, I'm okay, but I don't have that anymore.
Speaker 1:So I've got all this turbulence in me all the time. So I have to. I've got a gym in my house, I'll work out or, you know, I'll just go ahead and remain still and just go back to my faith. So it took a while to calm me down, you know, but I still struggle with it every once in a while. But it's nothing like it used to be, because you know Sky, who I've been with about three, three and a half years now. She's just been a godsend. She's just been amazing as far as out, thanking me, you know, out, talking me, talking me down, helping me out. She's been my best friend and so it's just amazing how things have turned out Well you certainly left your mark.
Speaker 5:I mean, when we saw you in Tampa, aldine brought you out on stage to say hello to the crowd and that place blew up. I got goosebumps talking about it. I felt like I was back in the 80s, you know. So it's crazy. It's crazy like you that's got to feel. You accomplish something so great though I mean people. You left just a mark on their memories, which, which is really incredible. I mean that it was. It was crazy that night. It was. It was so fun seeing that, you know it was.
Speaker 1:You know, yeah, sometimes I forget, you know, and like when I'm, when I'm here on the beach, you know, I take the. The only thing I'm reason I got the rag on the bald head is because I knew I'd be on camera with you guys. But usually when I'm at home I just walk around with the old bald head hanging out and stuff. I go outside and I forget the moment I walk outside. If the mailman sees me, he doesn't want Terry to go. Hey, how you doing. He wants me to go. Hey, brother, what's up? And I keep forgetting that the moment people see me, they think Cole Covey instead of Terry.
Speaker 1:But what's been so great? We've been pumping that beer, real American beer, which I showed you guys. We've been traveling every week, you know, kind of like being back on the road with the band. We've been traveling every week going to different states, you know, pumping this beer thing up. And the crazy thing, you know, my wife said you told me you were going to show me the world but you didn't tell me it was going to be grocery store and gas stations. You know one grocery store at a time.
Speaker 1:But you know, the craziest thing is I love meeting these people and shaking their hands and looking them in the eye and hearing their story because everybody's got a Hulk Hogan story and it really makes me understand how important that character was, that I hit on because I had people go. You know my father and I bonded watching you. I buried my brother with your shirt on, or I was on drugs and you saved me from being a drug addict. Or you know my, my father. You know you were my father growing up because I didn't have a dad.
Speaker 1:The stories are overwhelming and I see all these special kids because when I have a huge line of people I make sure I get to all the special kids and handicapped kids first and just how they respond and their reactions and some of the stuff that's said to me by the parents. It's overwhelming and I forget how powerful that whole character was on not only America but the whole world really, because I get the same reaction when I go overseas. So it's just amazing to hear the feedback now. But sometimes I forget and as soon as I leave this house you know I can't go to the mall or anything like that, but I mean when I go to make an appearance or something, I get to be around people, the stories and how loyal they are and how nice the people are. It's just amazing.
Speaker 4:It's the same thing with us. It's like we forget until we go. Like if I go to a Jason Aldean concert and I hear he cranks off into a song that I'm a part of and I turn around and look at the crowd and everybody's singing that song and then people find out that you're a part of that song and they tell them how it affected their life and you forget. We take it for granted a lot.
Speaker 5:Yeah, it's true, it's the same thing with us. That's a good point.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it really does, but the inspiration that you've been and the walk that you're on now is so inspiring to us and to our listeners. It's just awesome to hear your journey and where you've been and where you are now with your walk.
Speaker 1:Well, it's not easy, you know, because you can't be too light in the loafers in the spiritual world, you know you can't be too airy-fairy over here and you can't be too dialed into this human incarnation and you have to have your foot each one foot in both places.
Speaker 1:But when stuff comes at me now, like negative stuff or people hitting me with stuff constantly, I'll go ahead and deal with it for a minute, Then I'll bracket it and I'll go back to center, you know. So it's something that affects me, but I but I shake it a lot better now than I used to and, like I said, I just told my big God about my little problems and pray for these people that are still talking and having to spread their stories or whatever their fiction is or whatever their, their uh, reality is. It's not what mine is or was, so I just want to keep moving forward and not look back. So it's amazing where I'm at now. In my life I didn't realize I was going to have to be 71 years old to figure it out, but it's just an amazing place to be right now and so, yeah, it's just a great time.
Speaker 6:There's a lot of life left and you can move people in a different way now also, I hope so, because of the platform that you have, I was going to ask you if you guys don't mind about the ball-peen hammer, Because you'd said in this scene you had an art with it where you could hit a guy with it and hurt him, but not hurt him too bad. But it was like an art, Like you could. Just I don't know how you did that, but can you preach on that for a second? I know we just talked about Jesus, but if you go, back to it.
Speaker 5:You know, hey, jesus got mad too.
Speaker 6:I mean, he got mad too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, jesus got mad too. I mean, he got mad too. Yeah, well, if you ever go back and watch the the rocky three thing again, you know stallone was telling me, if you're gonna throw a punch, if the camera's right, you can't cross. You know you cross, you know this way I don't know how to explain it like if the camera's over here you cross that way and pull through his chin, so it looks like he took the punch and he'll sell it that way. I told him I'm going to throw a direct punch into your forehead. If you ever watched the rocky three thunderlips thing again, I set him up and I throw a punch from left field, all the way from the ground, right between his eyes. And you know, after we got the shot, we got it done. I said, how was he goes? Well, I felt it, but it was perfect. He looked back on the video assist, he goes. Oh my god, I've never seen a punch thrown like that.
Speaker 1:I said I've been practicing a long time and it's the same thing like with a ball peen hammer, because when I went back to the wwe after working for ted turner and trying to put them out of business, you know, for 10 years I wasn't. I wasn't the most welcome guy in the dressing room, let's put it that way. And so you know, I was going out to Chicago and the rock was going to come out and interrupt my speech and challenged me, and after he challenged me he rock bottomed me. Then my NWO brothers came out and we basically crucified him in the middle of the ring. I went out and dumped a toolbox out and there was a ball peen hammer and I said I'm going to hit you wide open in the back of the head, but I'm not going to hurt you. So I gauged it and I swung wide open. I caught him.
Speaker 1:He goes. Well, it was a little stiff. The rocker goes, it was a little stiff. I said, well, did you get hurt? He goes, no. I said fine then. But but then we put in an ambulance and chain the ambulance up and I get the semi and ran the ambulance over a couple times. But we we, you know we did it live to tape and cut the tape. We pulled them out of the ambulance, of course, before I ran it over a couple times. But uh, yeah, I've I. You know, I mean when I was doing it every night. I got real good with timing and distance and and.
Speaker 5:Uh, you know, it's just an art form you learn yeah, yeah, stallone, I think still talks about that how, how you were able to throw those punches and just stop at the right time. He's yeah, he always wanted the camera here and to cross through and not hit him.
Speaker 1:But him said bro, I can throw him straight in. You can have the camera right on you. They're not going to see any holes because I am going to make contact, but I won't hurt you I won't hurt you.
Speaker 5:That's amazing Wow.
Speaker 2:Hey, so we were talking about the film industry and obviously and you made your mark on that, from what I understand you got offered the role in the wrestler, which eventually went to mickey rourke, obviously, who did a great job. Uh, is that true that you got offered that role and you turned it down, right?
Speaker 1:well, it's kind of true. But I did say no, what happened is what happened, jared, what, what, what? What happened was I'd already done a wrestling movie called no Holds Barred, which I hope you guys get to see it because it's just crazy. But it was like, yeah, it's a funny movie, but since I'd already done a movie about a wrestler, I did the first two movies. New Line cinema had mr nanny and suburban command when new line cinema was first starting, and then the wolf of wall street guy what was his name? Um?
Speaker 1:oh, okay no, jordan belford, no, he gave me. He gave me some money to make a couple movies. And then this wrestler's script came through. My agent, peter young, and he goes the studio, wants you to read this and see how you feel about it. And I saw the Wrestler, of course, and I read it and I just couldn't visualize it Because I usually picture every shot and every camera position.
Speaker 1:I've been around the TV business so long I try to picture everything in my head. I'll read a script real fast. I can read like 110 pages in maybe an hour or so. But then I'll go a script real fast I can read like 110 pages in maybe an hour or so. But then I'll go back and read that 110 pages. It'll take me two days to block out every shot and think about it. And I just didn't get a hold of it. And plus, I didn't want to play a wrestler again, you know, because I just figured it'd be the same lukewarm welcome I got with the last film I did as a wrestler. So I told Peter Young, my agent, I didn't want to do it. So I don't know if I would ever be offered the part. But I said I didn't want to do it until before that happened.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and 10 grand's not a lot of money anyway.
Speaker 6:It was 14. It was 14.
Speaker 2:Hey, real quick, let's talk about Hogan's Hangout. Is Karaoke Night still rocking yeah?
Speaker 1:I'm going to get my head geared up for that here in a couple hours.
Speaker 2:That's what I was wondering if it was tonight.
Speaker 1:Bro, this tonight will be wide open too.
Speaker 5:We're going to come down there, we're going to try that bus. Oh, definitely, you guys should come in.
Speaker 1:I hope you come in and drink.
Speaker 4:Are you kidding me? Don't stop believing.
Speaker 1:I told Jason. I said what if you come in and sing karaoke and you don't win?
Speaker 2:He has to do that until he does so. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I tell you what. I had one of my guys come in from the church, you know, and he's a really good singer and he sang his butt off. But then, man, we had some people come in that just were blowing smoke, man, and they were to put the belt on those people and man, I don't know, I think I still got heat for that one.
Speaker 4:What's the?
Speaker 1:prize for first place. Well, we give away title belts, you know, and we give away title belts to the best female and best male singer and then every quarter we have the quarterfinals where we give cash away. But then at the end of the year we have the ultimate championship and we give like 10 grand away to the winner and second place gets whatever and third place gets whatever. But for around here and locally it's a lot of money. But I get guys flying in from Jersey and Vegas and all over the place to come down here and sing. It's kind of like turning to like a little the Madison Square garden of karaoke we are.
Speaker 5:So there, that's going to be. We gotta go, we have to go. Well, originally we were. The whole plan was to come down with our try that in a small town bus.
Speaker 5:That wade hasn't got us yet to do this in person you know, but it's we're such fans I mean in our like us and jason, like you, coming out hanging out with us. We really appreciate it because it's for us, it's like a such a part of our growing up and those memories and having you hang out with us. We just you know I'm sure you get sick of telling us the same stories again, but for us it never gets old, you know, it never gets old like hanging out with you, man, you know. No, it's a lot of fun, brother, it's a lot of fun hanging out with you man.
Speaker 1:It's a lot of fun, brother. It's a lot of fun hanging out with you guys. No pressure, it's really cool.
Speaker 2:Like Tully said, it's just been such a pleasure and an honor you could have been doing a lot of things today and that you've got to share stories and talk with us. We're very appreciative of you. Keep walking the walk, brother. We love you and we'll see you soon. Thank you so much you guys are awesome.
Speaker 5:Thank you guys have a great night tonight brother, that was amazing. I gotta tell ya I know I'm guilty of it, but I, whenever we see him, even tonight, like I, go right back to being 7 8, 9, 10 years old. Like I have to know about the wrestling stuff, and he's answered the questions a million times.
Speaker 4:I thought the music stuff was incredible.
Speaker 5:I had never heard well, no one even knows that nobody knows about all that stuff.
Speaker 4:I mean, he's like addicted to the music scene.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a legit passion. I'm so glad and I wanted to ask him, but he brought it up on his own. I thought it was amazing because I had heard the story of him trying to get this Stones gig, the Rolling Stones gig, metallica.
Speaker 6:And then the.
Speaker 2:Metallica gig. They set tapes. He set the tapes. I know it's amazing and they didn't even respond to him. How do you not respond to Hulk Hogan? At least a courtesy like brother, that's awesome.
Speaker 5:Probably like that's awesome. Probably go this direction. How badass would he look on stage with metallica amazing. How do they not do 30 shows with hulk? At least let him come out well. Well, and you know what's funny about that is like robert johelio, the bass player they have now. Yeah, he's great, but you can never hear the bass. So maybe I'll have hogan up there doing it. Right, you're not gonna put bass in any of the mixes or live shows, so just have hulk up there then I mean, why not?
Speaker 6:when you're thinking about that. You talked about the fretless bass and I was thinking is, was he playing fretless because he was so strong and he rubbed the frets off? I mean, how did that work? You know, was he doing that? And then also, uh, there he spent. He didn't talk about this, but he spent the 20 years in japan, like six months. You know he was, he was there, so and he talked about it on other podcasts and he goes. Yeah, it was great, he goes. I mean, I was single, I was over in Japan and um, but he also, he learned there was one of the rock stars over there had long blonde hair, so he joined a band over there. You know it was in a legit band doing the wrestling stuff, and over there he was, he was freaking Elvis in Japan for the longest time it was really cool.
Speaker 6:He used the music. And he even said when he got in the ring he used the cadence. It was like when we're talking about the entertainment part of it, he took all the music stuff and the entertaining and made history.
Speaker 4:It was cool to hear all that.
Speaker 2:I mean he is a global, global superstar, like you mentioned. I mean, he was Elvis over there.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I mean he'd been here too, but just across the country and a great American which we didn't really get a chance to touch on. We could have went on forever with Hulk, but at that time when he came in, I remember I mean so patriotic He'd come running through the crowd waving the flag.
Speaker 5:He's fighting the Iron Sheik for the anti-sarcade, you know I'm saying and then and then now he's still fighting the good fight today, you know so he's and he's a great guy. He'll come out and hang out with us and I'll look over him like, and we've been around a lot of cool people, yeah, I'll still see hulk hogan sitting over there.
Speaker 2:I'm like wow hulk hogan you know, totally has his base in the dressing room, you know we all kind of warm up or whatever, and hulk grabs it and he's playing your bass and it's like dude, that's awesome yeah tell me what a slap me if I'd have done that no, you get the grab, you go in the dressing room.
Speaker 4:Grab telly's bass gets you can grab it.
Speaker 5:Any of you guys can grab it thanks, my bass side is carte blanche
Speaker 3:carte blanche. I just like french.
Speaker 6:How hard uh, you know the story for him, even how, how big he is physically and like you see, see him now and we've known him forever, like he was a legend, first time I ever saw him. But but to hear you, like like all of us, you know anybody in sports entertainment, whatever it's, it's just not easy. And he went through all that stuff sleeping in vans, just like you had you know artists sleeping in the vans and cars on broadway and stuff, and making nothing like you talked about you playing sets eight hours and making 20 bucks or whatever. Um, and then he quit several times. You know, pretty, pretty amazing, you don't realize. He just sticks with it.
Speaker 5:The wrestling life is really tough. I mean, they wrestle seven days a week yeah, you know, twice on some days. And then you get in your car and you drive another five, six hours to where you're going pretty brutal.
Speaker 2:You know they don't, they don't stop no, and in comparison to today's wrestling, where it's not as much actual right physical contact, those guys were, they were landing blows and it was. It was a. It took a toll on him obviously. He said he's had like 30 surgeries, 10 pack surgeries, yeah yeah, he's in the, he's in the 30s and it was.
Speaker 6:It was funny because not funny but in doing the research went, because when I was a kid I mean I watched it but I didn't follow it. Follow it because you had a lot of people say oh, that's fake and all that stuff and I don't want to get into that. You're talking to Hulk Hogan, you know. But, um, but you know he was even saying in other podcasts and interviews that then the seventies said if you kick somebody with the laces on those face and on their chest and all that, if you hit them, they wanted to see bruising and bleeding, stuff like that. And so so it was. It was a brutal game. You know, back then, man, that was a man's man type of thing. And now, not that I mean it's not easy now it's still, it's entertainment, but the things they do you can't do that painless, you know painless right if they threw me around like that it'd be broken a million.
Speaker 5:He didn't talk about it tonight and we didn't talk, or hope we talked about it. Edit, crap, sorry, god, this is pre. Is this post wrap up or pre? No, it's post okay we didn't talk about it tonight, but you know he picked up andre, the giant in body slim right, that had to be one of the back surgeries for sure.
Speaker 5:Well, no wait I believe I'm not wrong. When he did that, he told me when he was in Tampa. He said he ripped I think he ripped the bicep right off the bone when he was doing it or something on his shoulder. Something got ripped off the bone and he kept going. But he picked up Andre the Giant.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean no, it's like picking up a walrus, I mean yeah no, it's like picking up a walrus.
Speaker 6:It's incredible.
Speaker 5:Exactly you know, but anyway, yeah, what what yeah? I got a cramp in my pinky. My guitar is heavy.
Speaker 4:My case is heavy.
Speaker 2:Put on my 12 pound guitar.
Speaker 6:Oh, my traps are so tight, yeah, so funny.
Speaker 2:We want to thank everybody. It's like, as always, we say you know, if you're on YouTube, leave us a comment, leave us a review. That really helps us. So please keep doing that. Download what else we got. We got to thank our sponsors. Original. Glory Patriot Mobile eSpaces.
Speaker 2:That's really cool for us tonight, right? Yeah, Hulk Hogan man. Yeah, that was really cool for us tonight right yeah, hulk Hogan, man Still processing it. I know it. I can't believe we got him so fun, so fun and, like I think Tully was saying, we're going to go down to the Hogan's Hangout, we're going to get on the karaoke bar.
Speaker 4:We have to. Neil. What are you going to sing? I remember you.
Speaker 2:What are you?
Speaker 4:talking about. I remember you. All right, I think I'm just going to watch you guys. That's a good one.
Speaker 2:I'm going to support you, that's awesome yeah From the Patriot Mobile Studios. This is the Try that in a Small Town podcast. Thanks for joining us, guys.
Speaker 3:Subscribe, share rate and check out our merch at trythatinasmalltowncom.