While Hulk Hogan’s legacy in professional wrestling remains one of the most polarizing in history, Paul Heyman has shared a personal and heartwarming memory that offers a different perspective on the WWE Hall of Famer.
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Heyman reflected on a surprise interaction with Hulk Hogan back in 1988, at the height of Hulkamania.
At just 23 years old and in the early stages of his national run with WCW, Heyman recalled crossing paths with Hogan in Chicago. “We’re running in and around the Chicago area for a couple days. WWE is running in Chicago. We’re running Peoria… we all used to stay at the same hotel,” Heyman said. “I pull up, a limousine pulls up behind me. I get out of the car. Hulk Hogan gets out of the limousine.”
What happened next left Heyman stunned. Despite being the biggest star in wrestling, Hogan recognized him immediately and offered sincere praise. “Brother, how you doing? Brother… you broke in. You’re doing it right,” Hogan told him.
Heyman continued, “So we get into his limo, and the first thing he says is he goes, ‘How long is your contract for? I’m a big fan of your work.’ And I’m sitting there, and this is 1988 Hulk Hogan… and he’s a fan of mine.”
He admitted he was so shocked that he didn’t even get a word in, and Hogan didn’t wait for one. “He didn’t even wait for me to say anything to him, never fished for a compliment,” Heyman said. “All he’s doing is, ‘Brother, I’m only as good as the opponents they bring me. I always need opponents, and you can talk for my opponents… We got to get you in here.’”
While acknowledging that many people in the industry have differing views on Hulk Hogan’s backstage politics, Heyman made clear that his own experiences with Hogan were consistently positive. “People have both their glowing love of Hulk Hogan, and I know people have their behind the scenes how much they hated him,” Heyman noted. “Here’s all I can tell you… Every time I saw him, he was a complete gentleman to me.”
He added, “From what I understand, with other people, he was gracious with them like that too. So my experiences with him were all pretty positive.”
Heyman ended the segment by stating that while he couldn’t speak to those who may have clashed with Hogan behind the scenes, his own dealings were filled with respect. “I was never in backstage politics opposed to him, right? And I don’t know what that was like… but I can tell you as far as my personal interactions with him, he was always a gentleman with me.”
For more stories from Paul Heyman’s wide-ranging conversation, including backstage insight into WrestleMania 41 and CM Punk’s main event moment, check out the full episode of The Ariel Helwani Show below.
