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Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan died Thursday at the age of 71, and another WWE icon paid tribute to one of his heroes.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson posted on social media an emotional ode to “the immortal” wrestler, whom he called “a childhood hero.”
“In 1984, I gave you your ‘HULKSTER’ headband back, in the locker room in Madison Square Garden – I was the lucky kid [that] caught it when you threw it in the crowd. You were wrestling ‘Mr Wonderful’, Paul Orndorff that night in the main event,” Johnson recalled.
“You were shocked and so happy after the match because you told me that was your very last headband and if it weren’t for me, you’d have no way of getting that exact one made again. You promised me that you would get more made and give me a Hulkster headband of my own as a thank-you gift. A month later in Madison Square Garden, you did just that. You kept your word, with a handshake and a ‘thanks kid’. And that meant the world to that little 12-year-old boy.”
Johnson then reminisced on their legendary match at Rogers Centre at WrestleMania X8, a match that Johnson said “was to decide who would go down in history, as The Greatest of All Time.” It remains one of the greatest matches of all time and one that has defined wrestling history.
The post featured the fight on a small television, reminiscent of that of the late 90s and early 2000s.
FIVE UNFORGETTABLE HULK HOGAN MATCHES THAT DEFINED WRESTLING HISTORY
“When you kick out of my Rock Bottom finisher – just listen and FEEL that crowd go ELECTRIC…
all for you. I’ve never felt anything like that in my entire wrestling career. It takes two to tango, but that historic crowd reaction was all for you,” Johnson wrote. “You may have ‘passed the torch’ to me that night, but you, my friend….you ‘drew the house’ meaning you sold out every arena and stadium across the country in your prime as Hulk Hogan, on your way to becoming the greatest of all time.
“From deep in my bones, and on behalf of this wild and crazy world of professional wrestling that we love, I say to you now, and forever…Thank you for the house, brother… Thank you, for the house. RIP Terry Bollea aka Hulk Hogan.”
WWE paid tribute to Hogan on Friday night’s edition of “SmackDown!” with a 10-bell salute, with many of its current superstars, and some of Hogan’s old foes, on the stage.
The tribute included clips of Hogan’s decorated wrestling career and his entertainment ventures outside the ring. The SmackDown crowd erupted in applause and a chant of “Hogan! Hogan!” after the video concluded.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
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