Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Hulk Hogan go way back, so it’s not surprising to hear Johnson’s a little disappointed in the fellow pro wrestling legend.
Hogan was fired by World Wrestling Entertainment last week after transcripts of racist rants by the wrestler, whose real name is Terry Bollea, were uncovered by the National Enquirer and Radar Online. Even more hateful remarks by Hogan have been unearthed in the last week.
While doing press for his HBO show “Ballers,” Johnson spoke about the Hogan mess, expressing disappointment but also saying that’s not the Hogan he knows.
“I was pretty disappointed with what I heard — like all of us, by the way. Pretty disappointed,” Johnson said during the 2015 TCA press tour panel, per US Magazine. “I’ve known Terry for a lot of years, my dad helped train him in Florida in the ’70s when he was breaking into the business. … My uncles helped train him, too, as well. I have not known the man to be racist,”
Johnson even kind of defended Hogan, too.
“It’s funny, it’s one of those things where — and (I’m) not justifying what he said — we’ve all talked trash, especially in private,” Johnson said. “He said what he said, and he’s paying the price.”
In addition to going way back, Johnson and Hogan have done business together in the past. Their WrestleMania 18 match is considered a classic. The two WWE legends — along with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin — also kicked off WrestleMania 30 at the Superdome in New Orleans with a memorable in-ring segment.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@YahooMoviesUK
