Hulk Hogan Warned Brock Lesnar Not To Work Stiff During Their WWE Match
Hogan recalled an intense 2002 encounter with The Beast Incarnate.
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Aug 25, 2023
Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan recently recounted his in-ring meeting with Brock Lesnar, noting how he had to warn The Next Big Thing to lighten up while they were out there.
Speaking about the match during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the Hulkster said:
"Well, I got him first when he came back from the UFC…when he came back from the UFC – they gave him to me first – and he was really intense, brother".
Hogan is misremembering here, as the only match the two ever had took place on the August 8, 2002 episode of SmackDown.
The 70-year-old is likely confusing UFC with the NCAA Division I wrestling championship, which Lesnar won as a heavyweight in 2000 (prior to inking his first WWE deal).
Continuing, Hulk noted that he had to tell Lesnar to tone it down, saying:
"If you keep hurting me in here – if you don't loosen up on the old man here – I'm going to make you look really, really bad. Because [then] you'll be in here by yourself".
Hogan went on to comment on Brock's improvement from that early encounter, calling him "one of the best workers this business has ever seen".
Continuing, Hulk added:
"I mean – he draws money. He backpedals – he sells – he's got instinct. He's – he knows placement – he knows where he's at. He listens – like, you don't have to tell him what to do… He goes out and listens to the crowd – with his mind and his heart – something that's [like] a lost art form. He's got it man – he's figured it out…".
