The Real Life Heat Between WWE’s Undertaker & Hulk Hogan, Explained

The Undertaker made his WWE debut in the fall of 1990. Back then, his undead character was a stark contrast to the rest of the cartoonish gimmicks and characters that permeated the roster at that time.

In his televised debut match, Undertaker made quick work of Koko. B Ware and Dusty Rhodes in the Survivor Series elimination match, and he was never really hurt throughout the contest. He was only eliminated by count-out when he decided to go after Rhodes.

Right there and then, his aura was cemented as he was legitimately terrifying and unlike anyone else on the roster. The Undertaker continued picking up victories and, within a year, he was challenging for the world title. The champion at that time was Hulk Hogan. Big surprise there. The Hulkster had handed the reins of the company to the Ultimate Warrior back at WrestleMania 6 in 1990, but that reign failed to live up to the hype, only for Hogan to come back and win the title yet again.

UPDATE: 2025/03/23 17:00 EST BY MICHAEL CHIN

Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker are defining legends in WWE history. As such, it’s only natural fans would be fascinated by a history of real-life heat between the two men. Decades have passed since Hogan went out of his way to make a young Undertaker feel poorly and jeopardize his spot as a top guy, and The Dead Man may well have already had the chance to even the scales when Hogan returned to the WWE fold in the early 2000s and put over a powerful, politically secure Undertaker. Just the same, it seems as though some hard feelings persist, at least from The Phenom’s side. One need not read too deeply into The Undertaker’s response to Hulk Hogan getting booed during the WWE Raw premiere on Netflix to intuit that there’s still a degree of animosity there.

The Undertaker Vs. Hulk Hogan Was A Big Match

The Undertaker Presented A Different Variation On The Hulk Hogan Vs. Monster Heel Formula

• Hulk Hogan had a history of beating back super heavyweights and monster heels.
• Ric Flair was a difference maker in the first Hulk Hogan vs. The Undertaker PPV match.
• Hulk Hogan insinuated The Undertaker had injured him with The Tombstone.

Hulk Hogan versus Undertaker headlined Survivor Series 1991 and the storyline was actually pretty intriguing as it was the clash of the titans, the unstoppable force meets the immovable object as Hogan was the super-hero, and he was up against a supernatural foe in the Undertaker. Neither Hogan nor the Undertaker (at that time, at least) were superb in-ring workers, but the match had the big-fight feel and the crowd was into every exchange. The match proceeded and Undertaker dominated most of the contest, but towards the end, Ric Flair interfered and slid a chair into the ring.

Hogan was distracted by Paul Bearer and the Undertaker took advantage as he hoisted Hogan up for the Tombstone piledriver and crashed his head onto the steel chair. As devastating as the move looks on camera, it was easily one of the safest finishers out there as the knees of the executor take the impact while the head of the opposing wrestler remains safe. Hogan, however, thought otherwise. As soon as Undertaker executed his signature move, Hogan whispered, “Ow, you got me, brother,” signifying that Undertaker had actually injured him. Mark Calaway was 24-years-old at that time and, according to the man himself, he was devastated that he had injured the cash cow of the company.

More importantly, as a wrestler, you just have to feel terrible knowing that you had injured someone else. Hogan implied that Undertaker had injured his neck and Mark Calaway was mortified. Backstage, according to rumors, Hogan was even yelling about someone calling his wife and his kids as he was in an immense amount of pain. Again, just rumors, but this does sound like something Hogan would do.

Six days later, Undertaker lost the title back to Hogan (again, no surprise there) on Tuesday in Texas and the popular belief was that Undertaker was being punished for injuring Hogan. Mark Calaway himself admitted that he was shaken up. It was only after his conversation with Shane McMahon that Calaway started to feel confident. Shane McMahon assured the Undertaker that Hogan’s head was nowhere near the mat, but the young wrestler still felt a tad guilty.

The Undertaker Confronted Hulk Hogan Himself

The Undertaker Was A Professional, But Didn’t Kowtow To Hulk Hogan

• The Undertaker watched back the tape of the match to see what had really happened.
• It became clear Hulk Hogan had manipulated the situation.
• The Undertaker remained professional but didn’t forget what Hogan had done.

Eventually, Undertaker saw the tape, realized what had happened, and went to confront Hogan. Calaway called Hogan out for lying about his injury, stating that he had watched the tape and his neck was safe all the way through. In response, Hogan cooked up a lame excuse about his neck being jammed due to the Undertaker putting his knees around his head too tightly and that led to the injury. Calaway did not escalate the issue further, but he got to know what Hogan was really about. As the Undertaker once told ESPN:

“‘Okay,’ I kind of realized I know what you’re all about, and that’s all I needed.”

Despite this, Undertaker was never really overtly hostile towards Hogan and whenever they were in the same building, he made sure to say hello and keep business as usual. He did mention that after the little spat, his radar was on high alert whenever Hogan was nearby.

Hulk Hogan And The Undertaker Were On Opposite Sides Of The Monday Night War

Hulk Hogan Starred For WCW While The Undertaker Became A Locker Room Leader For WWE

• Hulk Hogan’s arrival and subsequent heel turn in WCW were a key factor in making the promotion competitive with WWE.
• The Undertaker underwent his own gimmick reimaginings over the course of the Monday Night Wars.
• Some heat did manifest after WWE acquired WCW, and WWE talent were reticent about WCW mainstays taking their spots or paydays.

One of the key factors in making WCW competitive with–even briefly surpassing the ratings of–WWE during the Monday Night Wars was Hulk Hogan. Hogan had name value with even the most casual of wrestling fans and his heel turn was the key moment that elevated the New World Order to become arguably the hottest angle pro wrestling has ever seen.

Meanwhile, on the WWE side of things, The Undertaker was a main event fixture, but also underwent two transformations of his own. First, a darker version of the character emerged as he led the Ministry of Darkness faction. Later, The Dead Man launched the polarizing biker version of his character, which was instrumental in revitalizing and modernizing the character.

While there wasn’t necessarily a great deal of heat between workers on either side of the Monday Night War, each man’s respective role again put them on opposite sides. Moreover, from some accounts, there were pockets of the WWE locker room that were less than eager to welcome WCW’s top stars into the fold–at the risk of hurting their own spotlight or paychecks–after the War was over.

The Undertaker Vs. Hulk Hogan Happened Again In 2002

The Dynamics On-Screen And Off Had Changed For Hulk Hogan And The Undertaker After A Decade

• Hulk Hogan putting over The Undertaker in late 1991 was a watershed moment for both men’s careers.
• When The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan clashed in a WWE ring again in 2002, the circumstances were very different.
• The Undertaker took the WWE Championship off Hulk Hogan again.

The iteration of the feud between The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan that transpired from 1991 to 1992 was a watershed moment for WWE. Hogan began to inch away from the spotlight and toward his first retirement in Spring 1992, while The Undertaker took arguably his first steps into immortality when he won his first world title by beating the biggest babyface in wrestling history, albeit under spurious terms.

By the time the two clashed again over a decade later, a great deal had changed. Hogan had reaffirmed his status as an icon in his WCW run, which included playing the top heel for years.

By 2002, though, it was clear that The Hulkster was in the twilight of his days of wrestling on a full-time basis. Meanwhile, The Undertaker’s steady presence toward the top of WWE had given him a place as a locker room leader and one of the most universally respected men in the business. No longer could The Hulkster “pull rank” on The Dead Man, and it’s perhaps telling that The Undertaker beat him in decisive fashion for another world title at the Judgment Day PPV. As such, The Dead Man became one of the very few men to take world titles off Hogan twice.

What Hulk Hogan And The Undertaker’s Comments Post-Retirement Have Told Wrestling Fans

The Undertaker Has Opened Up Since Retiring And Hulk Hogan Remains A Popular Interview Subject

• Even Hulk Hogan supporters have to admit he tends to hyperbolize and lie during interviews.
• The Undertaker has opened up after protecting his gimmick faithfully throughout his in-ring career.
• The Undertaker has remained a professional in discussing his feelings related to Hulk Hogan.

Long ago, fans may not have known who to believe when there were discrepancies between The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan had to say about backstage affairs. That has shifted, however, over time. Hogan remains a popular figure on the interview circuit given the profound fame he achieved in the 1980s and 1990s, but it has become an expectation that he’s going to hyperbolize and tell his share of outright lies anytime he gets to talking.

A big part of The Undertaker’s legacy was how long he remained beholden to kayfabe, protecting his character and the business faithfully even after so many of his colleagues had opened up in tell-all books, documentaries, and podcasts. Starting with an end-of-career documentary produced by WWE called The Last Ride, continuing with his Hall of Fame induction and since expanding to his one-man shows and YouTube show, The Undertaker has become an open book. He hasn’t been caught telling any noteworthy lies and has even demonstrated humility, like his recent acknowledgment that he was mistaken in critiquing modern talents as too soft. Given what fans have come to understand about how each man is perceived in real life, there seems to be a consensus that The Undertaker was a consummate professional in his dealings with Hogan, while Hogan was petty and manipulative in spoiling The Phenom’s first world title win.

The Undertaker Still Isn’t A Hulk Hogan Fan

The Dead Man Responded To The Hulkster Getting Booed During The WWE Raw Premiere On Netflix

• The first episode of WWE Raw to stream on Netflix had a number of highlights, including a surprise appearance from The Undertaker.
• The live audience in Los Angeles booed Hulk Hogan loudly.
• The Undertaker spoke on his podcast, citing Hogan’s past transgressions and reputation as reasons why modern fans would have turned on him.

There was a good bit to celebrate about WWE Raw’s debut episode streaming on Netflix. While not everyone loved the show, it nonetheless saw Roman Reigns end his feud with Solo Sikoa, not to mention that the CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins showdown was good enough to leave fans clamoring for more. The Undertaker received a warm reception when he came out unannounced to celebrate Rhea Ripley’s victory over Liv Morgan with The Eradicator.

One black eye for the episode, however, manifested when Hulk Hogan entered the arena to cut a promo celebrating WWE’s arrival on Netflix and shilling his Real American Beer. The live audience in Los Angeles quite audibly booed the legend in ways Hogan and WWE didn’t seem to have anticipated.

The Undertaker spoke about Hogan’s reception on his Six Feet Under podcast and didn’t mince words when he said, “Sometimes in life, things come back.” The Phenom went on to articulate that The Hulkster’s racist comments caught on tape years back came across especially poorly in modern society, and all the more so in a diverse city like Los Angeles. The Undertaker also agreed with input from his guests, who suggested the modern wrestling fan was more aware of backstage reputations, which tend to pain Hogan in a poor light. Though The Dead Man did not explicitly reference the issues directly between the two of them, it stands to reason that that history would contribute to how The Undertaker sees Hogan to this day.

In the 2020s, Jim Cornette came out and blasted The Hulkster for what he did at Survivor Series 1991. Cornette said this was an old trick used by wrestlers to guilt-trip the newer stars and make them feel indebted. While Cornette himself can be a polarizing figure, his knowledge of wrestling history is beyond reproach, and it is helpful to place this specific instance within a broader context of how veterans have conducted themselves in the past. In summation, the narrative seems to be that Hulk Hogan was not ready to drop his title in 1991, or at least wanted to sow seeds of doubt about whether The Undertaker was skilled enough to take his spot at the top of the card. This combination of factors led him to lie about his neck being injured. There’s no telling if that fabrication played a role in The Undertaker losing the title within a week. The Undertaker wasn’t totally derailed, but he wouldn’t return to challenging for the WWE Championship for a couple of years or win his next world title for over five years. The Hulkster has never publicly commented on this issue and wisely so.