Hulk Hogan was the biggest star in the 1980s and the man who was responsible for igniting the Rock n’ Wrestling era that propelled the company to new heights. Hulk Hogan carried the company through the first boom period and it was due to him that WWE and sports entertainment, in general, became a part of the sporting culture. Despite all of his triumphs, Hogan was not exactly everyone’s favorite pal backstage.
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Jesse Ventura disliked him. Roddy Piper disliked him. Randy Savage hated him and the Ultimate Warrior was a different matter entirely. Heck, even Vince McMahon was not too fond of him at certain points of their business and personal relationship with one another.
UPDATE: 2024/04/27 11:00 EST BY MICHAEL CHIN
For all the criticism Hulk Hogan faces nowadays from wrestling fans, he does deserve some credit for staying loyal to his closest friends. That includes men like Jimmy Hart, Eric Bischoff, and, perhaps most of all, Brutus Beefcake. The Hulkster helped The Barber’s WWE career in the 1980s and early 1990s. From there, most people credit Beefcake’s featured work with WCW to Hogan’s influence. Despite how the friendship between the men seems to have changed and perhaps deteriorated over time, Beefcake’s legacy nonetheless remains very much intertwined with the doors his more celebrated friend opened for him.
Hulk Hogan And Brutus Beefcake Were Storyline Brothers
The Boulder Brothers Tend To Mark A Forgotten Chapter In Both Men’s Wrestling Careers
- The pairings of Ed and Terry Boulder, as well as Hulk and Dizzy Hogan, marked early legs of Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake playing brothers in the 1970s.
- Vince McMahon picked Hulk Hogan as the face of WWE at the dawn of the national expansion.
- Brutus Beefcake got a push as a heel soon after Hulkamania got rolling.
Ed Leslie, more popularly known as Brutus Beefcake, was a notable exception to those figures who hated Hulk Hogan behind the scenes. Beefcake knew Hogan well before his WWE debut. The two became friends in the 1970s and early in their careers, Beefcake was known as Ed Boulder and as Dizzy Hogan, in either case the storyline brother of The Hulkster.
The kayfabe brothers traveled from one territory to another throughout the 1970s. Then, in 1982, Vince McMahon handpicked Hogan as the franchise player of the company, and he made the jump over to the promotion. Two years later, in 1984, the Beefcake character debuted in WWE. With his best friend as the second in command, Leslie was pushed from the start as a major heel before his babyface run.
Hulk Hogan Helped Brutus Beefcake Reach The WWE Main Event Picture
Despite Being A Mid-Card Act, Brutus Beefcake Had Headliner Opportunities With Hulk Hogan
- Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake main evented SummerSlam 1989 and a No Holds Barred themed PPV at the end of the year opposite Randy Savage and Zeus.
- Brutus Beefcake got the rub from Hulk Hogan again, teaming with him at WrestleMania 9.
- Brutus Beefcake felt out of place in main events, and it was clear his friendship with Hulk Hogan won him these opportunities.
As a babyface, Brutus Beefcake quite arguably peaked when he main evented SummerSlam 1989, teaming with Hulk Hogan against Randy Savage and Zeus. The Barber appearing in such a plum spot was unusual relative to his position on the card, and there’s little question his real life bond with The Hulkster “brought him to the dance.”
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Indeed, Beefcake garnered a marquee spot again with the same partner and opponents for the No Holds Barred movie tie-in PPV later that year. From there, in 1993, Beefcake’s return to action garnered a marquee spot at WrestleMania 9 because he was paired with the returning Hogan as well opposite Money Inc.
Hulk Hogan Helped Brutus Beefcake Remain Relevant
Brutus Beefcake Followed Hulk Hogan To WCW
- Brutus Beefcake faded into the background when Hulk Hogan won the WWE Championship in 1993.
- In WCW, Brutus Beefcake rebranded as The Butcher to feud with Hulk Hogan.
- Brutus Beefcake’s gimmicks as The Zodiac and The Booty Man still loosely revolved around Hulk Hogan.
Hulk Hogan continued to operate at the main event level, but Brutus Beefcake, struggled to achieve the same kind of success. That includes their respective WWE runs in 1993. Beefcake largely disappeared when Hogan returned to the main event for a brief run as WWE Champion. Not long after, a combination of factors led Hogan to leave the company. Of course, his best friend followed in his footsteps.
Hogan ended up in WCW and, with his influence, he convinced Eric Bischoff to sign his best friend as well. Beefcake peaked with a heel turn that led to him being rebranded as The Butcher and challenging Hogan for the WCW Championship at Starrcade 1994. Afterward, some fans forget he underwent a gimmick change to become the mysterious Zodiac in The Dungeon of Doom–still positioned as a Hogan rival–before a radical recasting transformed him into the babyface Booty Man. WCW alluded to him having been a double agent, working with Hogan against The Dungeon of Doom at the time. He spent most of this run feuding with Diamond Dallas Page in the mid-card.
Brutus Beefcake And The New World Order
Brutus Beefcake Became The Disciple Of “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan
- As The Disciple, Brutus Beefcake worked with Hulk Hogan as a heel pair for the first time on a national stage.
- The Disciple was abducted and brainwashed by The Ultimate Warrior to join The One Warrior Nation.
- The Disciple never accomplished much in WCW.
Brutus Beefcake was released after about two years with WCW, but Hulk Hogan flexed his political influence to get him back in the fold. This time, Beefcake was introduced as The Disciple, Hollywood’s right-hand man in the New World Order. It was a largely forgettable run, up until The Disciple got kidnapped by The Ultimate Warrior in one of the most bizarre storylines in WCW history.
Every Gimmick Of Brutus Beefcake’s Career, Ranked Worst To Best
Ed Leslie, most famously known as Brutus Beefcake, has undertaken many gimmicks in his wrestling career.
Beefcake again shifted personas, suddenly a follower of Warrior’s One Warrior Nation. The character didn’t do much besides lending some sense that Warrior had a psychological advantage over Hogan for stealing away his friend and follower.
Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake Haven’t Seen Each Other In Years
Brutus Beefcake Spoke About Hulk Hogan On ‘Dark Side Of The Ring’
- Brutus Beefcake and Hulk Hogan had a public war of words over Twitter.
- The root of dissension between Brutus Beefcake and Hulk Hogan seemed to relate to Beefcake’s romantic partner, Missy.
- Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake reconciled, including The Hulkster inducting his friend into the WWE Hall of Fame.
- Hulk Hogan has revealed that, while they’re on good terms, he and Brutus Beefcake aren’t close like they used to be.
Brutus Beefcake and Hulk Hogan remained friends even after WCW folded but eventually a rift grew between them and the friendship deteriorated. The two began trading shots on Twitter and fans had no idea what went wrong. Hogan threatened his former friend with a lawsuit and Leslie accused Hogan of having an affair with his ex-wife. Beefcake explained the situation during a guest appearance on a podcast. He vaguely referenced an incident that involved Hogan and Beefcake’s new partner, Missy. According to him, Hogan suggested the idea of “getting together” with Missy, but she shot that idea down and that made Hogan irate. Beefcake also mentioned that since his divorce with Linda, Bollea had changed, and for the worse.
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One year later, in 2018, Hogan put up a photo of the two together, enjoying a few drinks in a bar. In the caption, Hogan expressed happiness that he got to meet his old friend and said that all was well. Leslie uploaded the same photo and the hatchet was officially buried. The two were back to being friends and Leslie later said on the Prime Time With Sean Mooney podcast that they made amends during a phone call. He mentioned that Hogan told him that life was short, and then the two got back together and talked things over. In the same interview, he mentioned that, despite the patch-up, their relationship was not exactly the same, and he hadn’t talked to Hogan in over six months. Regardless, Leslie was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2019 by Hogan himself so at the very least they are on amicable terms.
In July 2023, an episode of This Past Weekend with Theo Von went live, featuring a lengthy interview with Hulk Hogan. In it, he acknowledged that he and Brutus Beefcake were not as close as they once were, but went out of his way to cite it wasn’t Beefcake’s fault, but rather had to do with The Barber’s romantic partner. That seems to corroborate that some rift stemming from differences between Hogan and the woman in question. Brutus Beefcake said the same thing this year on an episode of Dark Side of the Ring, where he confessed that he hadn’t seen Hogan since that WWE Hall of Fame moment. Regardless, the long history between Hogan and Beefcake means that their lives will always be intertwined to an extent, and that’s particularly true of fans who remember seeing them on screen in so many different situations across some of wrestling’s hottest periods.
