WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle claims Hulk Hogan, a two-time WWE Hall of Famer who is often regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, can no longer feel his legs after undergoing back surgery.
Angle, 54, revealed on his podcast that Hogan, 69, told him backstage at last week’s Raw XXX, the 30th-anniversary show of Monday Night Raw, that he had lost all feeling in his lower body and that he now needed a cane to walk around because of it.
“He had the nerves cut from his lower body. He can’t feel his lower body. So let’s use his cane to walk around. I thought he was using the cane because he has pain in his back. He doesn’t have any pain. He has nothing at all. He can’t feel anything.
“So now he can’t feel his legs. So he has to walk with a cane which is, you know, that’s pretty serious, man,” said Angle.
Hogan opened Raw XXX in Philadelphia by appearing with long-time manager Jimmy Hart. Although he appeared to move gingerly, he did not use a cane while addressing the crowd from the stage. He also did not go down into the ring.
“I really feel for Hogan. He put his heart and soul into the business and ate him up... I mean, if you’re going to kick off the show, the 30th anniversary of Raw, it should be Hulk Hogan. He’s the name and face of the company. He’s the guy that revolutionised pro wrestling. I have so much respect for him,” said Angle.
Hogan began wrestling in the 1970s and became a major star in the WWE in the 1980s, even crossing over into mainstream media with appearances in films and television shows. He later revitalised his career as a founding member of the New World Order faction in the WCW in the late 1990s before making a return back to the WWE.
Hogan is yet to issue a statement or publicly comment on Angle’s claims. However, he has been open in the past about the numerous health problems he has had since retiring as a wrestler.
"I've had 17 surgeries over the last 10 years. My knees are fake, hips are fake, back is full of metal and part of my face is full of metal," said Hogan on an episode of Objectified: With Harvey Levin in 2017.
"I didn't get the memo about the fake wrestling," he joked.
Roman Reigns defeats Logan Paul at WWE's Crown Jewel in Riyadh — in pictures
