During the latest edition of his “Grilling JR” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer and AEW commentator Jim Ross discussed the Hulk Hogan vs. Yokozuna match at WrestleMania IX, the backstage reaction to Hogan becoming champion, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On Hulk Hogan vs. Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX: “It was kind of a political nightmare. You had different parties lobbying for different things. To me, Yokozuna, at that time, was a little bit of a risk because we didn’t know how well his character was gonna withstand a loss to the returning Hulk Hogan. But I thought it was kind of cool booking, and it certainly reinvigorated Hogan. It showed that Yokozuna was human. They did the little crazy finish, so it wasn’t like he got guzzled or eaten alive. But it was very political. Yoko had a lot of followers within the company – a lot of relatives, a lot of friends. He was very likable. So now, he’s getting his big break, and the old man is coming back to take it away from him. There was a little bit of a political – I don’t wanna say upheaval because that’s a little overdramatic – but it wasn’t the most popular move within the boys.”
On the backstage reaction to Hogan becoming champion: “Yoko was such a likable guy and guys were so happy he got his break as the top heel in the territory. With his gimmick, he was very marketable – his size, his nationality, and how he was positioned. For Hogan to come in and destroy a guy that was seemingly unbeatable was how it was, and it certainly drove a wedge between Hulk and some of the other guys. Not that Hogan hadn’t been in that same position on many occasions. It didn’t break him or slow him down, but there was some pushback there for that whole deal. A lot of meetings, a lot of changes.”
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(h/t – 411 Wrestling)
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