Hulk Hogan WWE HOF Inductor Sly Stallone Remembers 'Brilliant Personality And Showman'

Hulk Hogan's sudden death left the pro wrestling world mourning the WWE Hall of Famer and pop culture icon, including the likes of action star Sylvester Stallone. In 2005, Stallone notably inducted Hogan into the WWE Hall of Fame as well as working with him on "Rocky III."

"I had the pleasure of meeting this brilliant personality and showman when he was 26 years old. He was absolutely wonderful and his amazing skill made Rocky three incredibly special. My heart breaks." Stallone posted on Instagram.

While Stallone and Hogan were clearly good friends behind the scenes and over the years, the Golden Globe Award winning actor has had a close relationship with pro wrestling for decades. During a 2022 interview with "Sports Illustrated," Stallone claimed that Bruno Sammartino helped forged his personality as a young man and his outlook on life, as well as other athletes like Gorgeous George, Steve Reeves, and Rocky Marciano. Additionally, Stallone has also defended pro wrestling over the years, noting that it's mainly about stories and drama instead of scores, but pointing out that the sport has always put it's athletes at risk, which is a notion he's extended to acting as well, pointing out that he's had 31 operations due to his career.

Stallone has also been praised by other wrestlers in the past, like Diamond Dallas Page, who once compared Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat to the actor, noting that both men have a similar storytelling styles.