Terry Bollea, better known as Hulk Hogan, died at the age of 71. The colorful mustachioed character who wore scarves and yellow bandana was allegedly swept away by a cardiac arrest on Thursday, the Florida police authorities reported and the leaders of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
It was on his motorcycle at the end of the morning that the famous Quebec wrestler of the 1980s Jacques Rougeau learned the death of Hulk Hogan. “I took my phone and I had a shock. It was horrible, it was hard, “said Duty The athlete who now has a wrestling school in Montreal.
The surprise was certain for Mr. Rougeau, who, worried about rumors about the state of health of the American wrestler, had spoken to the son of Hulk Hogan two days earlier. “He told me that his recovery was slow, but was going well. »Friends and colleagues, the two WWE celebrities had a special relationship, speaking and meeting regularly. “I went to his karaoke barely six months ago,” he said, still moved.
The American wrestler had six WWE champion’s champion and six world heavyweight champion behind the belt.
The two wrestlers met iron in 1997 in Montreal in a match won by the Quebecer, ahead of around 25,000 people. A historical meeting, according to Patric Laprade, commentator for WWE and columnist in the VAT television network. “Hogan had real respect for Jacques and the Rougeau family,” he said to explain one of the rare defeats of the American wrestler.
“I owe him my life. He brought my notoriety to the highest point […] There is not another wrestler in Canada who beat him, “added Jacques Rougeau, formerly known as” The Mountie “.
Pillar of modern struggle
“Hulk Hogan, it was the foundation of today’s struggle,” said Jacques Rougeau proudly. From the start of his career, towards the late 1970s, Terry Bollea quickly became the favorite of the crowd. “He was chosen as a headliner to propel WWE on a national scale, at a time when the struggle still worked by territories,” explains Patric Laprade. Subsequently, the arrival of the cablodistribution, in the 1980s, pushed his career to the international scene.
The 1.93 meter (6 feet 4 inch) and 125 kg (275 pounds) was the main attraction during the first Wrestlemania gala in 1985, and was an essential element for years, facing other big names, such as the giant Ferré, Randy Savage and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Hulk Hogan later became “the villain”, explains Patric Laprade. “When he became bad, it created a rivalry between [les deux grandes ligues du temps]WCW and WWF. And then that, it created at the time the show most listened to in the world of struggle. »»
Behind the extravagant character hid a team guy, says Jacques Rougeau. “One day, we took a plane between two shows. We were so tight in time. And he arrived with a sandwich cabaret for the whole team. It was as if Michael Jackson came in a theater room to serve us sandwiches. »»
Influence and controversy
Thibault Chevalier, from France, came to Quebec to satisfy his desire to enter the world of struggle. The thirties, who has been practicing discipline for a year, does not hide it: Hogan is one of the reasons why he came to North America.
“I had a feeling of empty when I learned his death,” he says. Even those who are not fans of struggle know Hulk Hogan. He marked the spirits internationally. »»
The American wrestler’s career was not, however, was not a career. “There are a lot of positive, but there have also been remarks, political opinions that are controversial, if I may say,” says Thibault Chevalier.
His reputation was marred by comments of “racial nature”, relates Patric Laprade. In 2015, audio extracts where the wrestler held hateful remarks had resurfaced, which had cost him his contract with WWE at the time.
With the Associated Press
