Hulk Hogan has revealed the nickname he gave Brock Lesnar upon his WWE debut.
Hogan and Eric Bischoff recently spoke with Forbes’ Alfred Konuwa to promote their newly-launched ‘Real American Freestyle’ wrestling league. During the conversation, the two-time WWE Hall of Famer recalled his first few encounters with the former NCAA Champion inside the ring and the exchanges spawned a nickname for Lesnar.
“Yeah. Well, I remember when Brock Lesnar first came to the WWE,” Hogan said. “I got him first, and it was no picnic, believe me. And so I wrestled him probably 10 or 12 times. And I remember being in Madison Square Garden, the only way I could get him to lighten up on me at all, I would say, ‘okay, Broccoli.’ I’d call him Broccoli instead of Brock Lesnar. I said, ‘if you keep doing this crap, you’re going to end up in here by yourself.’
Hulk Hogan said he witnessed Brock Lesnar develop his character while incorporating his amateur wrestling background into his WWE matches, becoming a “good worker” in the process.
“So finally, I got him just to like go with the flow, which is what we did back then,” he noted. “But I saw his personality develop. I saw him be able to just shoot in there like a monster and grab a single leg, take a guy down, ride him like a government mule. And then at the same time, turn into this crazy, over-the-top entertaining character. And what we called in the wrestling business a good worker, where you could work with a guy every night and he wouldn’t break your neck or cripple you.”
Hulk Hogan says Brock Lesnar was like a ‘freight train’
The Hulkster said he thought of Lesnar as a “freight train” during their earliest meeting. “And when I first got him, he was not like that,” Hogan said. “He was like a freight train running over you. So, I think that either/or question, the way Eric answered it, I like his answer. I want both, same. I feel the same way about it.”
Hogan then proceeded to put over Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas for becoming “great actual entertainers” on top of their athletic background.
“But I see guys that have stepped in, Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas, different guys that have stepped in that have really turned into great actual entertainers, on top of having that grit and that athleticism that we all look for. And so it’s going to be amazing. You see these purebreds turn into entertainers as they learn their craft and they’re getting paid for it. That’s an incentive too they haven’t had.”
Hulk Hogan and Brock Lesnar have shared the ring a couple of times in the past. The two collided on an episode of SmackDown in 2002, weeks before Lesnar challenged and defeated The Rock to win his first WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2002.
A fan recently claimed Brock Lesnar told him he has stepped away from active in-ring competition. The Beast last competed in a WWE ring at SummerSlam 2023, when he lost to Cody Rhodes in the final match of their trilogy.
