Hulk Hogan on reconciliation with Randy Savage
WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has recently spoken to WWE.com to discuss his relationship with fellow WWE Hall of Famer, the late "Macho Man" Randy Savage.
In a deeply emotional interview, Hulk Hogan discussed a variety of topics regarding the Macho Man. This included their WrestleMania V main event showdown, their friendship outside of the ring and reconciliation before Randy Savage's passing in 2011.
Hulk Hogan opened up on what it was like to work with the always intense Randy Savage, noting that only the WWE Chairman Vince McMahon could match the intensity of the Macho Man:
"Well, you know, first off when you work with Randy, it's intense, the only other person that I could call at three or four o'clock in the morning to talk about wrestling and would even answer their phone is Vince McMahon. And that's how Randy was. Except Randy called me! 'Hey, brother. Got an idea.' So when you got in bed with Randy, you were in it for the long haul.
However, Hulk Hogan did point out that Savage's intensity was ever present in the life of the Macho Man, such as in Savage's real life relationship and marriage to Miss Elizabeth:
"Good or bad, brother. He's going to drag you through the mud whether you like it or not. And it was intense, because Randy was such a passionate person, and he was so in love with Elizabeth. Dude, I'm telling ya, the lines were so blurry with business"
Friend or Foe?
When asked if he preferred Randy Savage as a tag team partner or an opponent in ring, Hulk Hogan was quick to admit he enjoyed his moments in WWE when Hulkamania faced off against the Macho Madness:
"Rival, Brother, he was money in the bank. Everybody paid to see Randy and I go at it. I could wrestle him four times in a row at Madison Square Garden and sell every seat out. I'd much rather work against him, because he was so good in the ring."
Hulk Hogan would also name Randy Savage as his favorite WrestleMania opponent of all time:
"Damn. You know, you can't take anything away from that Andre match, brother, That's a WrestleMania moment — 93,000 people and Andre passing the torch to me. That match with The Rock, where I had been working for a different company, actually competing against this company, and coming back here as the dark horse. The crowd showed their loyalty, that was huge.
But if I really, really, really had to go with consistency, friendship and always being there for me, Randy would be the favorite guy. That's why it was so tough when we had that blow-up when he got divorced. He didn't want to have anything to do with me for eight years. I just thank God that we got back together before he passed away."
Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage's reconciliation
Unfortunately, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage's relationship would not always be a positive one. Due to a variety of personal issues, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage would have a public falling out in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
However, Hulk Hogan would open up about the circumstances in which Hogan and Savage reconciled in the months before Savage's passing in 2011:
"We ran into each other at a doctor's office, I was on my seventh or eighth back surgery, and I couldn't pass an EKG because I was getting just jammed up with anesthesia every three or four months. They couldn't get my back right. My back was collapsing and they were telling my new wife Jennifer I'd never walk again and all of this craziness. Jennifer and I were sitting on those little seats in the doctor's office in Tampa and all of a sudden the door opens and in comes Randy. 'Yeeeah! Ooooh yeah! What's up?' I went, '[Gasp].'"
"Freaked me out, scared me to death. And he goes, 'Hey, brother. What's up, Hogan?' He had that gleam in his eye and looked really healthy. He gained his weight back and he had a wedding ring on. I said, 'Hey, Mach, what's up with the ring?' He said, 'Hey, just married my childhood sweetheart.'"
"The Macho Man" Randy Savage passed away on May 20, 2011 at the age of 58. The WWE Hall of Famer suffered a sudden heart attack when driving his car with his wife. Thankfully, his wife would only suffer minor injuries.
Hulk Hogan discussed the timeline of his reconciliation with Randy Savage in proximity to the passing of the WWE icon:
"Probably three or four months, We talked on the phone a couple of times. I invited him over to have a barbeque, and really got back on track, which was cool."
"Later, I was with Lanny, his brother, at an independent wrestling show. He told me their mom wasn't doing so well with [Randy's father] Angelo passing away. So we had planned on having a barbeque at her house — because I got along well with Randy's mom — and try to cheer her up. So, Lanny and I called Randy from the arena. Three days later, he had the heart attack. It was crazy."
What is your opinion on the WrestleMania V main event between Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage? And what is your favorite Hulk Hogan memory? Let us know in the comments below.