The Undertaker addressed a long-standing controversy, the alleged neck “injury” claimed by Hulk Hogan after their match at Survivor Series 1991, and explained exactly what happened behind the scenes.
The Undertaker, in a 2020 interview with ESPN, recalled that before the match, Hogan warned him that he had a pre-existing neck issue and said he was nervous about taking Undertaker’s finishing move, the Tombstone Piledriver. Undertaker assured Hogan:
“‘Hulk, believe me, I will protect you, I pride myself on not hurting people and I promise you I will have you so tight there’s no way possible that you’re going to hurt your neck.’”
During the finish, Undertaker said he executed the move carefully, but he still heard Hogan cry out in pain as his knees hit. In that moment, a then-24-year-old Undertaker believed he had “crushed the golden goose.”
“I give him the Tombstone and as soon as my knees hit I hear ‘You got me, brother.’ I was 24-25 years old. And I just crushed Hulk Hogan that’s what’s going through my head. They gave me this opportunity. They gave me the chance to run with the ball and I just hurt the golden goose. So I’m just devastated. mortified.”
After seeing replay footage, something not readily available at the time, Undertaker realised that Hogan’s head never even touched the mat. Later, at This Tuesday in Texas, he confronted Hogan, who claimed the “injury” wasn’t from impact but because Undertaker had him held so tightly during the Tombstone that Hogan couldn’t move, and said that caused the neck pain. Undertaker said at that point he understood Hogan’s motivation.
“And I got to San Antonio, and I was like, ‘Terry I watched it back. Your head never hit.’ He’s like, ‘Well, Brother, what it was you had me so tight. That when we came down I had nowhere to move, and that’s what jammed my neck because I couldn’t move at all.’ And at that point, I was like ‘Okay, I know what you’re all about.’ And that’s all I needed.”
How Many Times Did The Undertaker Wrestle Hulk Hogan?
The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan faced each other only a handful of times across two distinct periods of their WWE careers. Their first meeting came in 1991, at Survivor Series, where Undertaker defeated Hogan for the WWE Championship, and again just days later at This Tuesday in Texas, where Hogan won the title back. They also worked several live-event matches around that period.
Their final major encounter came more than a decade later at Judgment Day 2002, where Undertaker defeated Hogan to win the Undisputed WWE Championship.
