WWE legend gets emotional recalling Hulk Hogan; calls him the "God of Wrestling" (Exclusive)

WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam recently recalled his relationship with Hulk Hogan. The legendary wrestler passed away earlier this year.

Hogan will go down as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He was a huge box-office attraction throughout the 80s and 90s. His popularity transcended the wrestling business and made him a mainstream celebrity. Despite the controversies in the later half of his career, Hogan still had a huge fan following and commanded instant recognition.

Van Dam recently stated in an interview with Sportskeeda Senior Editor Bill Apter that Hogan was his childhood idol in professional wrestling. He detailed that Hulk shaped the business and inspired an entire generation to make a career in wrestling. The Hall of Famer was glad to have been friends with the Hulkster and spent time together.

"Man, Hulk is everything. Let's day in my bubble, RVD Universe, I think Hulk Hogan was the God of Wrestling. Just like a lot of my peers and generations close to us, he introduced us to wrestling. He made it exciting, he drew us in. I'm very glad that I got to be friends with him. I could never just feel like he's a buddy I'm hanging out with him and see eye to eye. Nick would tell me, 'Man, my dada loves you.' He's a superhero. I'm never gonna look at him any different, probably. I'm glad that I got to spend the time that I did. To me, that is a point of success," Van Dam said.

WWE also paid tribute to the iconic wrestler, holding ten-bell salutes on both RAW and SmackDown. The company also aired video packages celebrating the life and career of Hulk Hogan.

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About the author

Prityush is a WWE news writer for Sportskeeda Wrestling who started watching wrestling in the later part of The Attitude Era. Although he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Prityush was a creative writer for his college, and his flair for creativity and love of pro wrestling eventually led him to the journalism field. After an initial stint in 2016-2017, he has been writing regularly for Sportskeeda since 2021.

As someone who loves and respects the business, he prides himself on factual, clean, and ethical reporting, free of plagiarism and AI usage. One of the ways he ensures this is by transcribing videos that he reports on.

Prityush had the privilege of interviewing superstar Matt Hardy in his career so far. Although, his favorite wrestler is CM Punk, as he relates to his Straight Edge philosophy.

When he is not reporting news, he loves reading and collecting WWE action figures. He currently owns over 500 wrestling figures and merchandise.

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Edited by Prityush Haldar