"Don't you ever back down from me again" - Details on Hulk Hogan's heated backstage conversation with WWE legend
Hulk Hogan once became involved in a heated backstage discussion with Bully Ray after they appeared together in an IMPACT Wrestling segment.
Bully Ray, formerly known in WWE as Bubba Ray Dudley, participated in a romance angle with Hogan’s daughter Brooke in 2012 and 2013. As part of the storyline, The Hulkster stared down the former WWE star from close proximity during an on-screen interaction.
Speaking on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions show, Bully Ray revealed how Hogan had some words of wisdom for him when they returned backstage:
“I started to back down [from the face-off]," Bully Ray recalled. "We get into the back and he calls me over and he goes, ‘Don’t you ever back down from me again.’ I did not understand the lesson that I was just about to learn. I’m like, ‘Hulk, you’re you, I didn’t wanna get too close where people would expect you to hit me.’ He goes, ‘I’m here to make you. I back down from you.’”
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The final match of Hogan’s career came as part of a six-man tag team encounter involving Bully Ray in January 2012. Bully teamed up with Bobby Roode and Kurt Angle in a losing effort against Hogan, James Storm, and Sting during a tour in Manchester, England.
Bully Ray listened carefully to Hulk Hogan’s advice
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Hulk Hogan is considered by many to be one of the greatest wrestling attractions of all time. He main-evented eight of the first nine WrestleManias and performed successfully as both a babyface and a heel.
Given the two-time WWE Hall of Famer’s experience in wrestling, Bully Ray made sure to take his advice on board:
“He made me understand, ‘Don’t you do that. We’re trying to bring your character up to a certain level. Your character doesn’t need to be backing down at this very moment.’ That was a big deal for me to learn that lesson," Bully Ray continued.
Bully Ray also recalled in the interview how he learned important lessons from Vince McMahon during his WWE career. On one occasion, McMahon amusingly dismissed Bully’s claim that he should never sign autographs simply due to his heel status.
Please credit Broken Skull Sessions and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.