Hogan lets his hair down

WHATCHA gonna do, SunSportManiacs, when the world's No1 wrestling podcast and Hulkamania combine, brother? The Immortal Hulk Hogan visited Sun HQ on the eve of TNA Wrestling's historic UK Tour to talk to WrestleCast's JOEL ROSS and ROB McNICHOL on all manner of topics. Foremost in the Hulkster's mind was just how important in TNA's history the first ever TV tapings at Wembley Arena were. Hogan told us: "Being with TNA for a couple of years, and I'm not just saying this because I'm here in the UK, it's actually the biggest day for this company. "It's an historic venue. Some of the greatest things in the wrestling business have happened in this country. The fans know what wrestling is all about. They are the greatest fans in the world." TNA's tour was their best selling in the country to date and tickets are already on sale for next January's return visit from www.gigsandtours.com/tna2013. Appropriately, Hogan singled out a British TNA star for praise. Talking about Nick Aldis, aka Magnus, Hulk said: "Nick's got something. He's really come on in the last month with Samoa Joe, since they teamed up. I've watched him before but he didn't really poke his head up. "But all of a sudden, with the Joe thing, he started talking with Joe. Joe came at him like a tough guy and Magnus stood up to him and said 'I'll take care of my s**t, you take care of yours'. "It showed that little bit of fire that I hadn't seen. Then in the ring, he was really aggressive. I think there is something there. "We definitely need to pay a lot of attention to him. He definitely, without a push and without any help, he is starting to shine through." You can listen to our exclusive interview in full and for free by clicking on one of the links below. Subscribe via iTunes or listen on your PC. To get you in the mood for the full 45-minute interview, here are some more of Hogan's best bits: ON CREATIVE CONTROL AND VINCE RUSSO: "People say 'Hogan, you have this creative control clause?' and I say 'yeah, but the only time I've ever exercised it in 30 years is when Vince Russo screwed me'. And it didn't even help then! I got screwed and couldn't do anything about it! "Nowadays, we have a working relationship. I would have bet my bottom dollar that we wouldn't work together again. There was a point in time where if I was to go to TNA it was him or me. The truth is Eric Bischoff sold me on it. Eric had met with Vince and explained to me how things were different and we should sit down to talk." ON ULTIMATE WARRIOR: "What is the Warrior doing? What has this guy been saying? I've never approached him for sex. I can't speak for my ex-wife! "We had a guest house, he stayed in it. We worked in my gym, he hung out in the pool all day with my kids, he was super nice to family. There was nothing but respect. "All the insane, crazy stuff he is saying is nuts. Now even the most hardcore Warrior fans know he's a goof. His cover's gone now, he's so far out of line everybody just knows he is an idiot. He has no credibility. It's sad." ON NOT LOSING TO MICHAELS IN THE WWE: "The WWE is Vince's show, and when we went to the dressing room, Vince came in and said 'I want Hogan to go over'. "Those were Vince's wishes. When Vince wanted Shawn to do the job, we went out and had the match, and everybody said 'Shawn oversold and he was making fun of you' and this, that and the other. "I can look at it and see why people may say that. If Shawn was really doing that, you'd have to ask him. He's done it several times, not just with me. The reason the feud then didn't go any longer was because I shut it down. "The next day, on the interview, I was expecting to return the favour. You beat me now I beat you and get the third one and keep it going, because he was such a great worker I thought we were going to have a great run. "It could be my fault, maybe I had my feelings too much involved, but I thought his interview was going to be, 'You know what, I gotta give it to Hogan. He was better than me on that one night. But it will never happen again. I'm faster than him, but just at that moment the crowd were with him and he had the momentum, but it will never happen again'. "I thought that was going to be the interview. I thought it was going to be a business interview but he came out and (sarcastically) went 'ooh, he was too fast, he was too young, he had too much hair' and I went 'ugh, I'm out'. I said to Vince 'Your boy... it's business'. "It wasn't a creative control thing. I just said 'if it's going to be a clown show from this point on then I don't want to be out there'. I thought this guy wanted to dig and draw some money. "I've been around Shawn since then and there is not that attitude at all. We've talked on the phone and hung out together and stuff. That piece of business is behind us." ON BRET HART AND MONTREAL: "I still don't understand what happened with Shawn and Bret. It was a shoot. Everything's a shoot with Bret. He's in a business which is a work. But when it comes to him having the belt it's a shoot. "How come you can't do a job in Canada? So I can't do a job in Florida? Vince asks Bret to drop the belt but he won't do it? It's Vince's business. "I don't understand him not putting Shawn over. It's fake wrestling! It's acting! If it was a competitive sport, Andre the Giant would probably never have been beat and Kurt Angle would probably be the champion now. It sure wouldn't be Bret Hart or Hulk Hogan."   THE SUN .