Out of all the rivals, challengers and legends that Hulk Hogan battled over his long and storied wrestling career, few were as strange as ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½’s own Rob Ford.
Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, died Thursday at age 71. He leaves behind a towering legacy after dragging professional wrestling into the mainstream and carving his mustachioed face onto the pop culture landscape — but perhaps lesser known was his brief rivalry with the infamous ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ mayor.
Their bout was the result of a uniquely bizarre marketing stunt to kick off the Fan Expo Canada convention in 2013, offering ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½nians the unique opportunity to watch a six-time WWE champion face off against their own mayor.
Hogan was one of the most recognized members of WWE and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2005.
Hogan was one of the most recognized members of WWE and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2005.
It was a warm Thursday in August, and a gaggle of sweaty reporters were huddled in a meeting room at the InterContinental Hotel. Their murmurings died down as staff draped towels over two flimsy chairs, and the excitement soon sharpened to a fever pitch.
Hogan’s theme song began to play through the hotel’s crackly audio system as the wrestler sauntered into the room, his short-sleeved T-shirt accentuating his 24-inch pythons. The crowd roared as Hogan approached the mic: “I’m the bad guy,” he said. “I like it.”
Ford, the supposed good guy of the match, appeared to have wilted over the past weeks under the weight of a crack-smoking scandal and numerous investigations accrued over his mayoral tenure.
But when the then-44-year-old walked into the drab room to his entrance song, “Eye of the Tiger,” he looked every bit the gleeful kid his constituents had come to know over his mayoral campaign.
ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Mayor Rob Ford takes on former WWF wrestler Hulk Hogan in a friendly arm-wrestling competition Friday August 23, 2013 at ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½’s Fan Expo.
Tara Walton/ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ StarStrutting on stage, Ford tore off his suit jacket, ditched his tie and untucked his shiny blue dress shirt. After a brief round of flexing, the two combatants got to business.
Ford immediately began to tremble under the weight of Hogan’s guns, gripping the edge of the small table with his other arm, but gave no quarter to the former professional wrestler.
Hogan, seemingly unaffected, began the mind games: “Oh big man, that’s all you got, huh? You know something, not only am I going to rip this arm off, I’m going to take your job while I’m at it, brother. They’re going to call me Mayor Hogan!”
I watched Ford like a hawk as the Star’s city hall bureau chief. Reactions to “Trainwreck: Mayor of Mayhem†are as varied as evaluations of him as
I watched Ford like a hawk as the Star’s city hall bureau chief. Reactions to “Trainwreck: Mayor of Mayhem†are as varied as evaluations of him as
Ford shot back: “I own this town, man!”
Perhaps newly motivated now that his job was on the line, Ford immediately pounded Hogan’s arm into the tiny table. Then he leaped to his feet, pumping both arms into the air.
“It seemed apparent that Hogan let him win,” said the Star’s David Rider, who attended the less-than-a-minute-long bout in person, “but Rob acted like he had just won WrestleMania.”
For his part, Hogan feigned distress. “Wow, that was a setup,” he said, later quipping, “The sun was in my eyes!” as he exited the building.
As the wrestling star walked out to a waiting SUV, someone shouted, “Do you think the crack tape is real?”
Hogan, who’d suffered the embarrassing leak of his sex tape a year prior, replied simply: “I’m hungry.”
For his part, Hogan feigned distress. “Wow, that was a setup,” he said after the match.
Tara Walton/ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Star
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