Hulk Hogan Movie Role Almost Went to Another WWE Legend, Sgt. Slaughter Recalls (Exclusive)

Hulk Hogan's first WWE run ended in 1981 after he agreed to star in Sylvester Stallone's Rocky III movie as the Thunderlips character. Sgt. Slaughter, one of The Hulkster's legendary rivals, recently reflected on how the role almost went to Gorilla Monsoon.

Hogan's appearance in Stallone's popular franchise led to him becoming a household name in the 1980s. He returned to WWE, then known as WWF, in 1983 and quickly established himself as the company's top babyface.

Asked about Hogan's legacy, Slaughter reminisced with Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter about the WWE icon's Rocky III role. He also recalled how wrestler-turned-commentator Monsoon was originally sounded out about portraying Thunderlips.

"Well, because you and I are talking is one thing he's left as his legacy because the business grew and grew and grew with him behind it with Vincent Kennedy [Vince McMahon Jr.], and of course Vince Sr. was involved in it because he's the one that sent him to Hollywood instead of Gorilla Monsoon to be Thunderlips, and that's where it all started."

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Watch the video above to hear Sgt. Slaughter explain why he wants a WWE Championship rematch against Hulk Hogan.

How Hulk Hogan landed Rocky III movie role

A member of Sylvester Stallone's team called Bill Apter's publishing company and asked him to recommend a wrestler to play Thunderlips. While Apter named Billy Graham and Hulk Hogan, Gorilla Monsoon was also in the running following his 1976 altercation with boxer Muhammad Ali.

Sgt. Slaughter added that Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, became a "multi-million dollar star" thanks to his Rocky III appearance.

"Originally it was supposed to be Gorilla Monsoon because of what he did with Muhammad Ali, so that's where Stallone got the idea. Vince Sr. said, 'I wanna send this other gentleman out. His name is Terry Bollea.' So Terry goes out and of course he becomes a multi-million dollar star because he gets into this Rocky III movie."

In the same interview, Slaughter revealed why United States President Donald Trump ignored him at WrestleMania 7.

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart