Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman paid a touching tribute to wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, who died from a cardiac arrest on July 24.
Rodman wrote on IG: “N.W.O. 4 Life Brother. @hulkhogan.”
“Always and Forever Thank you for the Memories we Created History Great Friend indeed 🙏🏾🙏🏾 Keep his family in prayers #toosweet #hulk.”
Rodman and Hogan were part of the popular World Championship Wrestling (WCW) faction, the New World Order (nWo), whose members used the catchphrase, “nWo 4 Life” to proclaim their loyalty to the group. As such, it was rather fitting that the Bulls legend used the same catchphrase to bid his longtime friend adieu.
Rodman’s First Taste of Pro Wrestling
While they portrayed villains or heels as members of the nWo, Rodman initially arrived as a good guy in WCW at the 1995 Bash at the Beach, where Hogan wrestled Big Van Vader in the main event. During the match, the Zodiac and Kevin Sullivan, allies of Vader, attempted to interfere, but Rodman attacked them with a chair.
Two years later, Rodman and Hogan would team up against The Giant (FKA The Big Show) and Lex Luger in the main event of the 1997 Bash at the Beach pay-per-view.
Rodman and Hogan would team up again at the 1998 Bash at the Beach, against Diamond Dallas Page and Basketball Hall of Famer Karl Malone. Rodman would wrestle his final match for WCW against Randy Savage at Road Wild 1999.
“The Worm” was so committed to his role as a WCW performer that he infamously skipped a Bulls practice session during the 1998 NBA Finals to appear on an episode of “WCW Nitro,” causing an uproar in the Chicago press.
Friendship Extended Beyond Wrestling
ESPN’s highly acclaimed “Last Dance” documentary even highlighted footage of Bulls players and coaches expressing their displeasure with Rodman for prioritizing his wrestling pastime over his real job.
Rodman and Hogan remained friends in the years following WCW’s sale to rival WWE, supporting each other’s business ventures and projects. In October 2006, Rodman attended the release party for Brooke Hogan’s “Undiscovered” music album.
The basketball legend also spoke out in favor of Hogan when the latter was in hot water for making racist remarks in a leaked video.
“I’ve known @HulkHogan for 25 years,” Rodman wrote on social media in July 2015, via Fox News. “… There isn’t a racist bone in that mans body.”
“Lets lend our support to the Hulkster @HulkHogan who most certainly is not a racist.”
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff once attributed the on-air chemistry between Hogan and Rodman to their friendship outside the squared circle.
“Dennis was a wrestling fan,” Bischoff said, via WrestlingHeadlines. “He is a Hulk Hogan fan. And the fact that he just liked Hulk Hogan; I mean, they got along. They were friends, legitimate friends, not just, you know. Friendship as a result of an opportunity. And that was the factor. It wasn’t the money.
“It was the fact that Dennis got a chance to work with Hulk Hogan, and the little kid came out. And Dennis, at that point, you know, the little kid who grew up as a wrestling fan of Texas, came out and wanted to be there with Hulk. Not anybody else. Nothing about it has nothing to do with Dustin. Just everybody else wasn’t Hulk Hogan.”
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