ALLEN PARK — Picture yourself watching a Detroit Lions training camp practice from the sidelines, taking notes. Then, turn to your right and do a double-take—no, a triple-take—to see that Hulk Hogan is wearing a Honolulu blue bandana and sporting his trademark moustache, taking it all in.
Well, that’s what happened on Thursday morning in Allen Park. In fact, it was quite the loaded list at the team’s practice facility, with boxing great Claressa Shields in the house (more on that in a separate article, don’t worry) and the hosts of the popular Bussin’ With The Boys podcast.
Hogan was in town, fresh off his appearance at the Republican National Convention, promoting his new “Real American” beer. But the wrestling legend wanted to check out a Lions practice and see Dan Campbell’s larger-than-life personality up close and personal.
“I predict greatness for this team. I might be the new mascot, brother, might just have to lead the charge,” Hogan said. “Oh, he’s (Campbell) got the it-factor all right. I just wish he would have been my tag team partner. He’s so full of it, I’d let him do all the work in the ring and beat the guys up, then give me the tag. I’d drop the leg and steal all the glory. Yeah, he could have been a wrestler, no doubt, he might have missed his calling.”
Hogan added that he’s never taken a bite of a kneecap in the ring, but that’s a good question. He said Campbell’s name should be “Dirty Dan,” and there would be “Campbell-Mania” running wild, brother.
Hogan was asked about his ties to the Detroit area, which sparked a trip down memory lane about WrestleMania III from the Pontiac Silverdome. That was the night he body slammed Andre The Giant in front of a record-breaking crowd that Hogan claims made the WWE what it is today, and that’s hard to argue.
The 12-time world champion across WWE and WCW fame added that he would love to see Detroit get another chance at hosting a WrestleMania and that this area and state has always been great for wrestling.
“That was a make-or-break event because if we would have crashed and burned at WrestleMania III, there would be no WWE,” Hogan, the two-time WWE hall of famer, said. “But because it was so successful it took off and gave us a launching pad onto greatness for the whole wrestling world.
“I would love to see — Detroit has always been a great wrestling town, from Cobo to the Joe … the Silverdome, it’s always been the fans, they’re passionate … But I would love to see Detroit get back into the loop, this is such a great market for wrestling, it should be consistent, and I would love to see the next, I would love to see a couple of WrestleManias come back to Detroit.”
Ford Field hosted WrestleMania 23 back in 2007 and then had SummerSlam, the WWE’s second-biggest annual show, come to town just this last year, in 2023. WrestleMania 23 had a reported attendance of 74,287 people, and the 2023 edition of SummerSlam saw 51,477 fans come through Ford Field.
For those wondering what Hogan had to say after his speech at the RNC, he doubled down on his support, saying he felt like he had been silent on the topic for too long.
“The RNC was kind of intense for me because, you know, I had been silent for so long watching the demise of this beautiful country,” Hogan said. “I was sickened that I was silent for so long. I actually started to call myself a coward when there are so many like you who don’t speak up. I was the guy that was afraid to put the sign in the yard or whatever, or wear the shirt or wear the hat, because I was in feat for some reason.
“All of a sudden, when they tried to assassinate Donald Trump, I said, ‘That’s it. That’s it. I can’t be silent.’ This is not correct, this is not right, on any level, even if it was Trump or Biden or Clinton, or anybody, but that is not right.”
