Jim Ross On The ‘Honeymoon’ Stage Of Hulk Hogan’s 2005 WWE Run Ending

On a recent episode of his podcast, “Grilling JR,” Jim Ross discussed Hulk Hogan’s status with WWE in 2005 and more. Here are the highlights:

On whether Vince McMahon was convinced Batista was his top guy in 2005: “Yeah, no doubt about it. Dave deserved the opportunity, and the only way that Dave was going to get over it was to have a celebratory post-match. And we pulled that off. And to Triple H’s credit, he came to work and did a hell of a job in putting Dave over and making Batista look strong.

“You know, I was involved in that scenario. If you remember, I had a match with Triple H in the Garden where Batista saved me from getting killed. And so I had a vested interest in the outcome and ongoings. So Triple H did a tremendous job of leading the way and having a viable match with Dave. You gotta remember, you know, Dave was not one of The Funks or Briscoes. He had a skill set that was somewhat limited, and Triple H magnified it very, very well. So my hat’s off to Triple H on that one.”

On why the honeymoon stage ended between WWE and Hulk Hogan in 2005: “It’s backstage politics. Just — he got old, and enough was enough in that respect. Communication was not good. A lot of the talents felt like they were being sacrificed at Hogan’s expense. So I don’t know, it was just an uneasy arrangement. But the way he was being booked and helping some of the talents was a good thing.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit the Grilling JR podcast with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.