BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Hulk Hogan — the larger-than-life pro-wrestling legend — loves returning to the Twin Cities.
"Well, I love the Twin Cities," Hogan said in an interview with KARE 11 News at Hooters in the Mall of America.
Hogan called Minnesota home from 1979 to 1983 while wrestling for the American Wrestling Association.
"I bought a home in Bloomington right where France and 494 are. I had a home back there; I would record at your station," Hogan said. "I just love being here. I had four-and-a-half years of the best years of my life in the Twin Cities."
Hulk says people might even remember him playing bass guitar at local music venues after wrestling shows.
"Whenever we wrestled locally around here, like the Saint Paul Civic Center, I would haul butt to get home either go to the Cabooze, Libation Station, Burnsville Bowl, Boyd's on the River... because I used to play guitar and there were a couple local bands, like Fragile and a couple of the other local bands from the Twin Cities. I'd go to some of the bars and play music at night," Hogan said.
After joining the East Coast's WWF and winning the title in 1984, it was a big deal when Hulk came back to Minnesota where the WWF had never hosted matches before.
He filmed an iconic training video with "Mean" Gene Okerlund, chugging raw eggs and riding the announcer's back up the Met Center steps.
The Hulk Hogan "say your prayers and eat your vitamins" character and persona — fully honed by 1984 — was actually born right here in Minnesota when Hulk started printing off custom shirts at the Southdale Mall.
"Hulkamania was born in the Twin Cities," Hogan said. "I was teaming up with "Mad Dog" Vachon and the "Crusher" one night and ripped my shirt off and the reaction from the audience was bigger than any wrestling move I've ever done. I went, 'Hmmm, now I know what they want. You were onto something.' And 'Mean' Gene and I would do the Hulkamania thing. So, it started right here, brother."
Once Hulkamania was running wild, Hogan would walk down the aisle to the lyrics "I'm a real American" — a phrase he's now marketing through "Real American Beer."
"Real American Beer is a brand-new beer that America's been waiting for," Hogan said.
With how politically divided America is right now — down to the brand of beer people drink — the Hulkster sees an opening in the middle of the marketplace.
"It's a beer for Democrats and it's for Republicans. It doesn't matter what your race, color or creed is. It doesn't matter what your sexual preference is. It doesn't matter who you are or where you're from. We are all real Americans. 'The beer that America's been waiting for' is my tagline — a beer that'll bring America back together, one beer at a time. I figure Hulk Hogan's Real American Beer will do it. It's for real Americans," he said.
Hulk chose the Twin Cities as one of the first markets to launch Real American Beer. At 70 years old, Hulk still has a following in Minnesota with long lines of people hoping for a photo and a crowd primed to cheer as soon as he finishes speaking.
Real American Beer is available at all Total Wine and Cub Liquor locations in Minnesota, in addition to at least 20 other liquor stores.
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