"You gotta get rid of him" - Former wrestler was allegedly fired because he looked like Hulk Hogan
According to wrestling legend Kevin Sullivan, Dave Sullivan was fired by WCW in 1996 due to his resemblance to Hulk Hogan.
Dave Sullivan, real name Bill Danenhauer, joined WCW in 1993 as The Equalizer. He was repackaged as Kevin Sullivan’s dyslexic brother in 1994, during which time his character became known as Hogan’s biggest fan.
During a recent interview with the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling’s John Poz, Kevin Sullivan reflected on his storyline brother’s WCW departure. The former WCW booker alleged that a member of Hogan’s “protective group” caused Dave Sullivan to be fired.
“We were at TV and some fan said, ‘Oh, he looks exactly like Hulk Hogan,'" said Sullivan. "That person, that was it… he went and told Hulk, ‘You gotta get rid of him.’ And that’s how a very nice human being that busted his a** got fired by a guy that was sucking Hogan’s a** and didn’t give a f*** about another human being.”
Kevin Sullivan believes the unnamed person who made the comment was trying to protect Hulk Hogan's spot in WCW. He added that the individual “probably didn’t realize how vicious he was being” by ultimately costing Dave Sullivan his job.
Dave Sullivan previously commented on the Hulk Hogan rumor
https://t.co/zqwWhHy2G4
Speaking on The Hannibal TV in June, Dave Sullivan noted that he also heard he was fired from WCW because he looked like Hulk Hogan.
The former WCW star went on to say that the backstage atmosphere changed when Hogan arrived in Ted Turner’s company in 1994.
“You could just tell that he had more leverage than any other wrestler," said Dave Sullivan. "In the locker room, you could tell that too. I think that’s when the bookers really lost control, when he had that power of attorney in his contract.”
According to Cagematch.net, Dave Sullivan’s final WCW match ended in defeat against Chris Benoit on the April 10, 1996 taping of WCW Saturday Night. The 64-year-old retired from wrestling in 2001.
Please credit the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.