During the latest episode of his “Everybody’s Got A Pod” show, WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase reflected on Hulk Hogan’s unexpected return at WrestleMania 9 to win the WWF Championship.
DiBiase expressed his uncertainty about the situation, as Hogan’s comeback seemed to signal a reconciliation, but events took a different turn in the end.
“Well, you know there’s so many ways to look at that. I mean, here was a guy who, he was the guy when everything exploded. And so, he goes away. And I obviously never talked to Vince and never talked to Hulk about it. Why he made that decision. So Hogan comes back and comes back in a big way. And my looking at that says, ‘Well, they’ve kissed it made up and now things are gonna go on as usual.’ But, you know, obviously that didn’t happen either, did it,” expressed DiBiase.
Reflecting on his friendship with Hogan at the time, DiBiase recalled their history together, sharing how Hogan acknowledged a debt of gratitude to him and ensured they would work together once again during his return. He said,
“Once he and I — I may have stated this before, but I had Hulk’s first match at Madison Square Garden. The first time he wrestled in Madison Square Garden, he wrestled me. And I put him over big time, because I knew they were gonna get him over. And so years later, after he gets to be a big star, and when this new meeting with Vince came along, and I’m gonna come back. I remember him coming to me and saying, ‘I told you before, but I owe you one.’ And was kinda like, he’s gonna make sure that I’m one of the guys he works with. So, we’ve always had a great relationship. It was funny, I mean I walked into the dressing room, he shook my hand and said, ‘It’s payback time. Here we go.’ So that’s all I needed to hear.”
