Hulk Hogan’s Wildest Claims About Elvis Presley Were On Brand

WWE

The death of the late, great Hulk Hogan in July of this year is still fresh enough to be sending shockwaves throughout the worlds of wrestling and pop culture. As his family explores the possibility of a medical malpractice lawsuit, the grieving process is still very much ongoing, with all of family, friends, and fans still finding ways to honor the man who for so long was called “The Immortal.” Hogan’s legacy, though complicated, will endure forevermore, of course, much like other icons of pop culture from the past, like “The King” Elvis Presley, for one. Hogan held Presely in high enough regard, actually, to call him a “dream tag team partner” in an interview with Yahoo! Sports in 2017.

While the nomination was memorable, it was Hogan’s explanation for a connection between the two that drew eyeballs and called Hogan’s own memory into question. “When I first started wrestling,” said Hogan, whose debut came in 1977 in Championship Wrestling from Florida, “he used to come in [for] the semi-main/main event, ride a Harley with a helmet and sit way up top at the Mid-South Coliseum. The only problem with this story, however, is that Hogan didn’t wrestle anywhere outside of Florida until April of 1979, while Presley died on August 16, 1977 (precisely one week after Hogan’s debut match as The Super Destroyer against Don Serrano in Fort Pierce, Florida).

Hogan’s tall tales over the years were consistent and seemingly knew no bounds, so the Elvis claim might be fun to think about but in reality, it never really came close to happening. Still, just like anyone else can, “The Hulkster” was able to fantasy book a Presley-Hogan in-ring connection. “That would’ve been the one guy, looking back, if I would’ve been aware and would’ve known who Elvis Presley was,” he said, “that would be the one guy that I would’ve loved to have in the ring with me.” He’d have to settle for a feud with Honky Tonk Man, which reached its apex during an episode of “Saturday Night’s Main Event” in 1989 when Hogan successfully defended his WWF Championship.

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