Hulk Hogan Talks Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, AEW And CBD

Hulk Hogan feels better than ever.

The WWE Hall of Famer’s body is a roadmap of injuries, surgery, wear and tear from a decorated pro wrestling career that spanned four generations dating back to 1977. And while pain management will likely be an issue for the rest of his life, Hogan has looked to CBD as a formidable counter. Hogan was recently announced as the Chief Brand Officer for Carma HoldCo, Inc. a leading wellness brand that specializes in CBD, THC and functional mushrooms. Hogan joins Mike Tyson’s “Tyson 2.0” and Ric Flair’s “Ric Flair Drip” as a partner and brand ambassador of Carma HoldCo. And while the weed business could be a dirty word to some, the positive impact of cannabis on the modern-day athlete cannot be denied.

“We work with a lot of athletes across the board in general, and I think more and more athletes are being open about this conversation,” said Chad Bronstein, Hogan’s business partner.

“These conversations are becoming more and more loud and people are like Hulk and Ric [Flair] and Mike [Tyson], they’re destigmatizing these conversations, and weed shouldn’t be thought of as a negative thing at all anymore. It should be thought of as a positive thing.”

I spoke with Hogan in an exclusive interview where we discussed the current wrestling product and his newfound embrace of health, wellness and CBD.

Hulk Hogan On Partnership With Cannabis Company Carma HoldCo.

Alfred Konuwa: So why did you get into the weed business?

Hulk Hogan: Basically the last 10 years, I’ve had about 28 surgeries. Between the pain, the inflammation and the doctors always giving me the pain pills after the surgeries, I was miserable. I started winding down, and I got to the point where the only thing I was taking were two Tylenols in the morning, and then two Tylenols in the afternoon with a cup of coffee to kick them in. But even that was too much for me. They affect me differently than most people.

So I had the chance, I met with Mike [Tyson] and Ric Flair, and had the honor of meeting Chad and his whole team, and it just made more sense. The CBD wellness direction, sleep and energy and vitamins and everything that’s involved. It was more of just a natural way for me to back out and get healthy and become myself again, because I’m not Hulk Hogan 24 hours a day. When I’m home. I’m Terry Bollea, and I’m with my friends and my family, and I just didn’t want to be foggy. I wanted to be clearheaded. And with all the prescription pills and stuff like that, that were being thrown at me after all the surgeries, it just didn’t work for me.

AK: Were you privy to cannabis or THC back in the day? Did you ever get high with any athletes or celebrities?

Hogan: Oh, I have, back in the day, of course. I started wrestling in the late ‘70s, my man. And during the ‘80s it was the wild, wild west. We were at Madison Square Garden with Blondie and Cindy Lauper and Andy Warhol. So I’ve been around the block a couple times, if you know what I’m saying. But for me, this is more than just somebody tapping in and wanting to get high on weed. For me, it’s like a new fight, just a different mission.

This is about helping people. I mean, just wind them down from all these pharmaceuticals and get them back to being normal where they can function. And just be happy human beings instead of just medicated to the hill, walking around in a fog because that’s where I was at.

I was just so full of surgeries and anesthesia and pain pills. I wasn’t myself anymore. It didn’t feel good. And this is the first time since I’ve been using the CBD stuff for sleep and energy, and it was the first time I’ve been able to sleep all night without getting up and being restless. And my inflammation is gone. I don’t feel nearly as bad as I did trying to lift weights. And I feel like I gained like 25 years back.

AK: What are your short-term and long-term plans for this partnership as the Chief Brand officer?

Hogan: Well, it depends on how I’m accepted in the marketplace. I’ve got a built-in following over actually four generations of Hulkamaniacs. If you’re 88 years old, 40 years ago, you were 48, when you watched me. And if you’re like 44 years old now, you were probably four years old when I beat the Iron Sheik or slammed Andre the Giants. So I’ve got this crazy demo across the board. And then when I did the reality show of Hogan Knows Best, I was a father. I was a dad. I was a husband. I got this crazy female following now, which I never had before as a wrestler. So it depends on how I’m accepted in the marketplace. I feel really positive about it because it’s like a different fight. It helped change people’s lives and get them on the wellness track.

Hogan Talks Racism Controversy, Possible In-Ring Return

AK: I would be remiss if I didn’t ask, I know you had one of your lowest moments in 2015 with a series of racially insensitive remarks. What have you learned and how have you grown since then?

Hogan: Well, it was kind of a speed bump. It’s a glitch in the system as far as who I am. There’s no excuses for it. You can go through a divorce, your son can be in jail, you can have all kind of problems happen, but there’s no excuses. And at the end of the day, that’s not who I am. And everybody knows that all my friends and everybody I work with know that.

I’m just glad it’s behind me, and moved on and learned a great lesson about respect and it’s something that you have to keep at the forefront of your mind. Even if you’re mad or you slip or you have a moment of anger or something, it’s still never time to vent and go in that direction. So that’s not who I am. And I’m just glad that everybody is with me and still on the team with me.

AK: You look to be in great physical condition. You’ve really seemed to embrace the wellness aspect of Carma HoldCo. We’re seeing a lot of wrestlers like Sting, Edge and Brock Lesnar do some of their best work at a later stage in life. Have you thought about a comeback as part of your wellness journey?

Hogan: Oh, big man, what’s old is new again! Fanny packs can come back, Hulk Hogan can come back, brother. But no, my body is just too beat up to get beat up in that ring. I mean, I know everybody thinks it looks like fun and games, but once you’re in there, what happens between bell-to-bell, I’ve never gone in that ring and it come back out without being hurt. And that’s over 40 years. That’s like wrestling 350, 400 times a year, twice on Saturday, twice on Sunday, twice on Wednesdays.

I was around a long time before John Cena and Stone Cold and all the new guys came along, so I was putting my time in. I’m used to working hard, so I’m excited to jump on the road with these guys and see what he and Flair and Chad are really made of. How hard they’re really going to run, because if I’m in, I’m all in, brother. And if I chased those hundred-dollar bills around my whole life with wrestling, I can chase around health and wellness, man, and make it work for a lot of people. Because there’s a lot of people that I see that—I can’t predict what they’re on—but when I see how bad they’re hurt and arthritis and how they’re walking, I just can’t even imagine. If we could replace their prescription drugs with something natural, that would really help them and get them right.

AK: That’s a pretty solid brain trust of Hulk Hogan, Mike Tyson, Ric Flair, all of whom I think would have been great on social media in their prime. How do you think social media has changed the wrestling business, and do you think you would’ve benefited from social media in the ‘80s and ‘90s?

Hogan: Well, I know we had three years in a row where with Hulk Hogan merchandise and all the stuff that WWE was rolling out. We had a couple billion-dollar years and we beat the car industry back in the day in the ‘80s; Chrysler, Chevrolet and Ford. We generated more revenue than they did, and that was with no internet. That was mail-in stuff, 1-800-numbers, 1-900 numbers, venue sales and stuff in all the major stores like Walmart and Target.

I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like back in the day. I’m still working with WWE of course, and I’ve got crazy licensing deals and it’s kind of like what’s old is new again. Everybody wants the Hulk Hogan gear. So I’m really excited to be in business with Chad and Ric [Flair] and Mike [Tyson] and just see what happens with this monster.

AK: Which legends do you think would’ve been best on Twitter? Who would we be following if Twitter was around in the ‘80s?

Hogan: Well, Piper would’ve been brutal on Twitter. Piper would’ve been giving everybody the middle finger on Twitter all the time. I think, “ooooh yeah, the Macho Man Randy Savage! Dig it!” He’d have been great on Twitter. God, there’s just a bunch of guys that would’ve been. I don’t know about Andre. His whole thing was, “no!” He was always—everybody came up for autograph—“no!” I don’t know how Andre would’ve been on Twitter, but I know Piper and “Mach” would’ve been great.

AK: I think Andre’s hands would’ve been too big for the computer anyway.

Hogan: Yes, you’re right (laughs).

Hogan On Polarizing Roman Reigns-Cody Rhodes Finish

AK: You mentioned some of the new guys, and one of the older guys of the new guard is Roman Reigns, who’s now threatening to pass your legendary reign of 1,474 days. He’s going after Bruno Sammartino and he’s had this title forever now. How do you feel about Roman Reigns and this long title reign?

Hogan: Well, I got a soft spot in my heart for Roman. I was real good friends with his dad, Sika, one of the Wild Samoans, and of course his partner Afa. We had a barbecue in San Francisco after the Cow Palace, and the Samoans invited me over to their house. Little did I know there were going to be 40 or 50 of them there. The whole family was there. And next thing I know, we started drinking wine and eating barbecue. And I woke up like at five o’clock in the morning sleeping in the front yard with a bunch of his Samoan brothers.

During that time, they took a picture of me holding Roman Reigns, and he was like two or three years old. So there’s been a picture that’s circulated around of me holding Roman. And actually his dad’s Sika was standing next to me. So, I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for Roman, but I think he’s one of the only main event guys that’s keeping the art form alive. He can go out there and wing it. He doesn’t need a writer to tell him what to say.

I can tell by the way he wrestles, he’s not following some choreographed pattern. He is really good with placement and physicality and knowing where he is at all the time in the ring. And it’s like when I wrestled, I never ever, ever talked about my match. I would see guys sit in the back room and talk for an hour about a five-minute match, and I’d go to Andre. I said “what are we doing tonight? ‘Don’t worry.’” I said “okay.” that’s how I was raised. And I see that in Roman. He’s got a feel, he’s got an instinct. He is keeping the art form alive. So I’m excited to see where he ends up with this thing.

AK: A lot of people are very up in arms that the fact that Roman reigns retained that title against Cody Rhodes, it’s one of the polarizing topics right now. Do you think WWE made the right decision in having Roman reigns beat Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania?

Hogan: Well, they better acknowledge Roman Reigns brother, because if he takes off and goes to Hollywood, everybody’s going to be sorry. But that’s a tough one too now, because Cody Rhodes is my boy. I was real good friends with his father, Dusty. And, actually, the last time I saw Cody was at Dusty’s funeral, we talked on the phone. If I see him do something crazy on TV, like with Seth Rollins or something when he tore that pec, I’ll text him. I said, “man, you had me hooked. That was perfect, man.” Believable all the way, so his time’s coming. This is just like a warm up. He’s getting in the mix. They’re getting that momentum built before he puts that spike in Roman, so it could get crazy.

Hogan Watches AEW, Wants Them To Succeed

AK: And Cody Rhodes came from AEW. A lot of people are drawing comparisons between WCW and AEW, particularly when you were in WCW and they really took the fight to WWE. Do you follow AEW and what are your thoughts on the product?

Hogan: Yeah, I do follow AEW. I think they’re onto something. I think, like, whenever you’re a race car driver, if you want to get really, really good at driving you need a lot of seat time. I think those boys at AEW—there’s a lot of professionals there. I think the whole company needs a little bit more seat time. Even though they’re going head-to-head and doing their thing, all that time being on the road.

I just got to feel it is a growing process, and they’re getting more momentum each and every week. So they’re not going away, they’re not going anywhere and it should be interesting to see how this pans out. But it’s great to have competition because now the talent has choices and they’re not locked into a one dimensional type of lifestyle. They can make choices and go back and forth, and there’s still Japanese companies too. So AEW’s on track, bro. They’re doing great.

AK: Have you approached AEW or WWE for some type of content partnership deal with Carma HoldCo?

Hogan: Well, bro, I’m a WWE guy, so I don’t think outside that box right now. But this is a whole other avenue. This is a whole other venture and a whole other product. So there are possibilities that more than two can play in the space, that’s for sure.

AK: What is the biggest thing you’ve learned about health and wellness? Because I know in your era there was a certain perception of cannabis, and I’m sure it’s changed over time.

Hogan: Well, it’s being very consistent. That’s the main thing. If you take some CBD drops to sleep or you take it for inflammation or stuff, it’s really important that you’re consistent. Even with the time of day that you take it. If you’re going to take it in the morning, don’t wait until the afternoon. You got to get your body on a schedule, and get your body dialed in. So for me, it’s being consistent with the product.