Jim Ross On Hulk Hogan Refusing to Lose WWE Title to Bret Hart, Hogan’s Backstage Needs

In a review of his experiences at 1993’s King Of The Ring show during a recent episode of Grilling JR, Jim Ross shared his memories of working alongside Hulk Hogan at the event (per Wrestling Inc). In Ross’ mind, Hogan was not the easiest person to work with. Ross also questioned the reasoning behind some of Hogan’s choices and decisions around the event, which would be his final televised appearance before the wrestler joined WCW the following year. You can find a few highlights from Ross and listen to the full podcast below.

On his initial impressions of Hogan at King Of The Ring: “It was an interesting experience because he had to be tended to. He had needs, and that happens when you’re a big star. He spent a lot of time with Vince [McMahon] during that time, to work out a finish [for his match], which I didn’t understand, and why it took so long. Nonetheless, I guess it’s part of the routine — I don’t know. Maybe, it made Hulk feel better. If it did, cool. It was an interesting day to see how business was transacted behind the scenes,”

On Hogan’s choice to lose the WWE Championship that night to Yokozuna rather than to Bret Hart at a later event: “You can’t say it was because, well, Hogan didn’t want to lose the title to a lesser guy. There’s no way you can call Bret Hart a weak successor. It was the right thing to do, he [Hart] was the hottest thing we had. But, for whatever reason, Hogan didn’t want to lose the title to Bret, and I have never understood that. It’s just illogical.”

On his analysis of Hogan’s conduct surrounding the show: “[McMahon] made [Hogan] rich and famous. Everything [in WWE] was built around Hogan. Why aren’t you professional enough to do the right thing for the business?”