"I respect him, I don't dislike him" - WWE legend on his relationship with Hulk Hogan
Although Jim Ross does not have a close friendship with Hulk Hogan, he still has a lot of respect for the WWE legend.
Ross joined WWE as a commentator in 1993, shortly before Hulk Hogan left the company. The current AEW announcer later became WWE’s Head of Talent Relations, which meant he was responsible for negotiating superstars’ salaries.
Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Ross said he did not deal directly with Hogan on financial matters. Instead, that responsibility was left to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.
“That was the common denominator through the years with Vince; he took ownership of certain talents. When we returned Hogan, I had no relationship with Hogan and, unfortunately, I still don’t have one to this very day. I respect him, I don’t dislike him. I just never got close to him,” Ross said.
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Hulk Hogan worked for NJPW and WCW before returning to WWE in 2002. He negotiated contracts with Vince McMahon up until his final WWE match in 2006.
Jim Ross’ relationship with Steve Austin compared to Hulk Hogan
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Jim Ross and Steve Austin have been friends in real life for many years. In 2007, the former WWE commentator was even inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his long-time friend.
Ross added that Vince McMahon wanted to personally deal with superstars including Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, and The Ultimate Warrior. Austin, by contrast, was the responsibility of Ross.
“[Vince McMahon dealt with] some of those talents, like Warrior and Bret, of course. The one that he let go of, because I got more results than Vince did, was Austin. Austin became my guy. I did everything I could for Steve to win and for the company to win. For the company to win with Austin, make sure his contract is solid and he’s happy,” Ross said.
Hulk Hogan mentioned in his autobiography that he earned $10 million per year at the height of his popularity in the late 1980s. A decade later, Steve Austin allegedly made almost $12 million in 1999.
Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.