Hulk Hogan Claims He Turned Down Advances From Two Pop Music Icons

Hulk Hogan claimed that two of music's biggest stars propositioned him in the 1980s and 1990s.

IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Hulk Hogan is one of the biggest names in professional wrestling. He is also known for his larger-than-life stories from his storied career. His newest claim, however, is provoking more questions than answers, and it involves separate advances from two of pop music’s biggest stars.

During an appearance on the PBD Podcast, Hogan claimed that during the height of his fame he rejected advances from Cher in the 1980's and Madonna in the 1990's.

Hogan made this claim regarding singer Cher:

“The thing that really got me with the whole celebrity thing was when I was sitting at the Twin Towers one day with my wife at Vince [McMahon]’s birthday party. This cop comes up, taps me on the shoulder, and I said, ‘Yes?’ So, now I’m sitting with my wife, right? And the guy goes, ‘Oh, Cher sent her limo for you—it’s downstairs. She wants you to come over and have dinner with her.'"

"I’m like, ‘Cher? What are you talking about?’ And he says, ‘No, the Cher, the singer!’ I didn’t know what to make of it. I said, ‘Get out of here, what are you talking about?’ But you know, it was kind of weird because she just thought she could send a car, and I’d jump in and go running over there. No, no, Brother, come on. I was with my wife—I wouldn’t do that anyway.”

In 1992, Hogan claimed that pop singer Madonna propositioned him for an encounter after the release of her book while he was in New York.

Hulk Hogan / WWE.com

“Then there was another time when Madonna put out that S&M book—I can’t remember what they called it. She had a party in New York City, and I was at the Garden that night. She sent a car to pick me up to come to her party. And once again, I was with my wife, so I’m not doing that stuff. But yeah, those things catch you off guard, and that’s when you kind of realize that the character crosses over into that world.”

It's not Hogan's first tall tale

It’s not the first time the Hulkster has told some tall tales in his time out of the ring. Hogan once claimed that Elvis Presley used to come and see him wrestle when he worked for Continental Wrestling Association in Memphis, TN. But Hogan’s first recorded match in Memphis was May 14, 1979, one year and eight months after Mr. Presley died in 1977.

Hogan has also claimed that he was offered the opportunity to complete at the first UFC bout in 1993. Hogan stated he considered it, but declined due to the violence and inefficiency of the referees.

Campbell McLaren, the co-creator of UFC, denied this claim, tweeting “I call B******* on Hulk Hogan. I never wanted him in #originalUFC. Who did he talk to? not me.”

.@SeanRossSapp @ArtDavie @HeymanHustle I call BULLSHIT on Hulk Hogan. I never wanted him in #originalUFC. Who did he talk to? not me.

— Campbell McLaren (@campbellcombate) May 4, 2015

Hogan also has claimed that he once auditioned to be the bass player for the metal band Metallica. “I used to be a session musician before I was a wrestler,” Hogan told The Sun in 2012. “Played bass guitar… was big pals with Lars Ulrich and he asked me if I wanted to play bass with Metallica in their early days but it didn’t work out.”

James Hetfield, the lead singer of Metallica, has disputed this claim, stating “Huh? Definitely not. But anyway, it’s a good fit, yeah? He makes us look very small.”

Cher and Madonna

Cher is one of the most recognizable pop singers in American music, with a career that began in 1964 and spanned over six decades. Her show “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour”, hosted with her former husband Sonny Bono, began in 1971 and propelled her to superstardom. She had several career resurgences beginning in the 1980's, and recently released a greatest hits album, Forever, on September 20th.

Madonna is the most successful solo artist in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 charts in the United States. Her stardom rose in 1984 with the release of her album Like a Virgin, and propelled her to meteoric fame. Her most recent single, “Vulgar” with recording artist Sam Smith, was released in June 2023.

Representatives from both Cher and Madonna’s teams have not responded to requests for comments.

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