Hulk Hogan and the 'big regret' from his iconic wrestling career

Hulk Hogan is one of wrestling's all-time greats, enjoying a career that spanned nearly 35 years.

In that time he would claim one of the longest world title reigns in history (over four years), six WCW World Heavyweight Champion titles, six WWE/WWF Championship titles, and has been a key part of several iconic moments that remain in wrestling folklore.

Though storied, it hasn’t been a perfect career by any stretch, however, and Hogan has his fair share of low points as well. These include his highly publicized sex tape, accusations of racism, real-life feuds with a whole host of former wrestling colleagues including Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels and the steroid scandal that absolutely destroyed his family-friendly image in 1994.

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Despite this, there is one thing that Hogan, born Terry Bollea, regrets above all else from his wrestling days, something he would love to go back in time and change, if he could.

Hogan’s biggest regret is actually using his iconic leg drop, the signature move that he used to cap his biggest matches, including against Andre the Giant in 1987. Hogan revealed this surprising detail as a guest on ‘The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani’ in May 2023.     

While it’s eyebrow-raising to consider this is the move that Hogan is so strongly associated with and arguably helped propel him to the household name status he enjoys today, but there’s a good reason behind it.

“When you’ve got the largest arms in the world, why are you dropping the leg every night for years and destroying your back? Why wouldn’t you put people in the sleeper with the largest arms in the world? Why wouldn’t you use the sleeper?” he told The MMA Hour.

“That’s the only regret I have, that leg drop because back in the day, the ring, sometimes the concrete was easier to land on than these old-school rings. If you go to the Baltimore Civic Center, they had a boxing ring. If you fell down in the ring, you would be paralyzed.”

“I was in the ring with Andre [the Giant] that first turn; he goes, ‘No bumps, boss.’ [hitting the mat]. I said okay, if you say so.’ I had no idea if you fell down in the ring, you’d hurt yourself; it was so bad. That would be the only change would not to do that finish.”

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The repeated impact of hitting the ring on his backside has caused long-term complications for Hogan’s back. Weighing around 135kgs (almost 300lbs) for much of his career, it’s easy to see how much strain this would place on his joints even over a few years, let alone 35!

In January 2023 Hogan underwent a vital back surgery, his 11th to date, after he lost the ability to feel anything below his waist.

He also appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience in August 2023 and discussed his recovery from his back problems, which at one point saw him spending over $1,000 a day on prescription pain medication.

Fortunately, the operation appears to be successful and Hogan appears to be in good health once again – he even got engaged to his partner, yoga instructor Sky Daily. 

Image credit: Instagram @hulkhogan

But would Hogan’s career have panned out the way it did without his famous atomic leg drop? He thinks he could have made it work with a sleeper hold as his finishing move.

Hogan said it could have set up a great match with longtime in-ring rival ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper, who also used the sleeper.

Image Credit: YouTube @WWE

“It could have been me and Piper, sleeper versus sleeper, who knows?”

Who knows indeed? We’d suggest a submission move doesn’t quite hold the pizazz of massive leg drop, but Hulk Hogan was the king of selling back then – he may well have just pulled it off. What do you think?

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