‘Hulkamania will live forever’ – Hulk Hogan says

Hogan returned to the WWE fold in 2018, three years after being axed when he was found to be using racist language in a leaked transcript during his successful lawsuit against Gawker.

Hogan – whose real name is Terry Bollea – tweeted: ‘January 23d 1984 I was driving to NY from Stanford Ct ,little did I know the wrestling business would change forever after that night!!! HULKAMANIA WILL LIVE FOREVER!!!! (sic)’

Now, the former world champion has suggested the reaction from newer stars could be that they simply don’t understand the height of his fame in the business.

He added: ‘When I’ve gone back before by myself, there have been certain wrestlers, like Edge and Seth Rollins, that have told me to my face that the only reason they got into this business was because of me.

‘The newer kids… I don’t think they know who I am all the way? The wake-up call that really got me was with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. We weren’t really close at all, but over the last few years have become good friends.

‘It caught me off guard when he called me one day, and we’re chatting about cars or something and all of a sudden he goes, “Damn, Hogan. I was on the internet the other day and I can’t believe all the stuff you did in your career!”

‘When Stone Cold didn’t realise that I did The Love Boat and Johnny Carson, then I understood why the young people didn’t know.’