Hulk Hogan Says ‘Dr. D’ David Schultz Was Supposed To Be In WrestleMania I Main Event

Hulk Hogan says that ‘Dr. D’ David Schultz was originally set to be part of the main event for WrestleMania I. Schultz came into WWE in 1983, but his run there was short-lived after he infamously slapped John Stossel on 20/20 over Stossel saying wrestling was fake. The December 1984 incident was a factor in Schultz leaving the company in February of 1985, a month before the first WrestleMania took place, and Hogan told Justin Barrasso for his Undisputed Substack that Schultz had the idea for the WrestleMania I main event and was set to be part of it.

“The main event of WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden, that was David Schultz’s idea,” Hogan said. “It was his original idea for WrestleMania… It all started with David’s idea. It didn’t turn out that way, but that’s how it started.”

He continued, “David shot his own angle when he slapped Mr. T. Vince was so damn mad. He wouldn’t forgive him, and that was the end of him.”

The allegation that Schultz was fired because of the incident with Mr. T, who teamed with Hogan against Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, is one Hogan has made before, including in his autobiography. Schultz has denied that the incident happened the way that it has been depicted by Hogan and others.

Hogan told Barrasso that Schultz was supposed to have Orndorff’s spot.