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Len Denton, formerly known as The Grappler, says The Ultimate Warrior confided in him after hearing how much money Hulk Hogan earned at WrestleMania VI.
In 1990, Warrior defeated Hogan at WWE’s biggest event of the year to win the WWE Championship. He later found out that The Hulkster earned $1 million for the match, while he was only paid $500,000.
Denton worked with Warrior in WCCW (World Class Championship Wrestling) before the controversial superstar joined WWE. Speaking in a “Title Match Wrestling” video, he recalled how Warrior informed him of his plans to quit due to Hulk Hogan’s WrestleMania payday.
“‘I’m quitting this son of a b***h,’” Denton said, quoting Warrior. “I go, ‘Why?’ He goes, ‘They screwed me over, man. The last WrestleMania, I’m the world champ, you know what they paid Hogan? A million dollars. You know what they paid me? $500,000. That’s bulls**t, man, I’m outta here.’” [4:19-4:40]
The Warrior did not immediately quit after WrestleMania VI. However, the following year, he famously threatened to no-show at SummerSlam 1991 if Vince McMahon did not agree to several financial demands on his new contract. McMahon sanctioned the request before suspending his superstar immediately after the show.
The former WWE Champion returned in 1992 for a short run with the company. In 1996, he made another brief comeback before leaving after a separate financial dispute with McMahon.
Len Denton advised The Ultimate Warrior about Hulk Hogan's payday
Earlier in his career, The Ultimate Warrior was taught by Len Denton how to properly execute a press slam on his opponents.
Denton referenced that moment when he advised Warrior to seriously reconsider whether he should quit WWE.
“I said, ‘Jimmy [Jim Hellwig, Warrior’s real name], let me ask you something. Do you remember when I was trying to teach you how to do the press slam and you about killed me? What did they pay us that night? What was our guarantee? $75. You better think about it.’ That’s true, and he did quit over that bulls**t, which was stupid.” [4:42-5:04]
The Warrior was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014. He passed away three days later at the age of 54 after suffering a heart attack.
What are your abiding memories of Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior in WWE? Let us know in the comments section.
Please credit “Title Match Wrestling” and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
