Hulk Hogan Recalls Vince McMahon Sr. Firing Him, How Much He Got Paid for Rocky III

Hulk Hogan recently appeared on The Joe Rogen Experience and discussed Vince McMahon Sr. firing him over Hogan’s decision to appear in Rocky III, and also revealed how much he was paid to appear in the movie. Highlights of his comments are below.

On finding out Sylvester Stallone wanted him in Rocky III: “I got this crazy call to come out and do this Stallone movie. First I was in the dressing room and Gorilla Monsoon gave me the note and I was like, yeah right, and I threw the note away because Stallone was like the 150 feet tall in the public’s eye and I saw Rocky I and Rocky II and I was like, oh my God, so I was like, another wrestling joke like pooping in my bag or putting locks on my stuff, ya know? So I split to Japan for like eight weeks and when I came back again to TV in Allentown, they hand me a Western Union letter this time from Stallone so I flew out and talked to him and got in the ring with him and did a couple of things.”

On how much he was paid to appear in Rocky III: “He [Stallone] goes, ‘I’ll give you $10,000 to do the film.’ Me being the negotiating genius that I am, I go, ‘I want $15,000. I want $15,000.’ So he gave me $14,000 and I signed whatever he wanted.”

On Vince McMahon Sr. firing him over the movie: “I called Vince McMahon Sr. that night from Fall River, Massachusetts because I was wrestling at a high school in Fall River, Massachusetts, so I called Vince because he was my guy, we were really good friends on top of him helping me giving me the break, Vince Sr. I called him in Ft. Lauderdale and I said, ‘Brother I’m leaving tomorrow to go to LA to do this film.’ He goes, ‘No you’re not, it’s midnight now, you gotta be in Charlotte at noon for TV with Crockett,’ because that’s where Flair and all those guys, he was sending me down to that southern swing wrestling thing. I said, ‘No, I told you I’m not going to do that, I’m gonna do this movie, and as soon as I’m done with the movie I’ll I come back.’ He said, ‘Don’t come back, you’re never gonna work here again. Never.'”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit the Joe Rogen Experience with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.