WWE Hall of Famer Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake paid tribute to his friend of 50 years, the late Hulk Hogan, in a recent interview with TMZ. Beefcake shared stories of their lifelong friendship, Hogan’s loyalty, and his own personal regret over their recent estrangement.
“He Meant Everything”
When asked what Hulk Hogan meant to him, Beefcake stated that he owes his entire career to his friend. He recounted how Hogan was the one who brought him into the wrestling business when all of their other friends wanted nothing to do with it.
“He meant everything. He recruited me, basically out of high school… to go into the wrestling business when all his other friends refused and didn’t want anything to do with it,” Beefcake explained. “And I became Dizzy Ed or Ed Boulder. It was Terry Boulder and Ed Boulder to start, the Boulder Brothers. We were brothers. That’s how the business started for both of us… There’s so much that nobody knows about, really, our beginnings, our past. I owe him everything.”
A Life-Saving Act of Friendship
Beefcake recounted the story of his near-fatal parasailing accident in 1990, a moment that he says perfectly illustrates the kind of man and friend Hogan truly was.
“He had a heart so big. 35 years ago, on July 4, 1990, I was in a horrible accident and not expected to live,” Beefcake began. “And he left his family in California, his wife about to have a baby, a son, Nick, to fly to Florida to be there, because the doctor said they didn’t think I was going to make it. And he flew there to be there for me. And when they brought me out of the drug-induced coma, he said to me, ‘Don’t even think about it, Brutus, you’re gonna live.’ He was that special… and he was there for me at the moment I needed him most.”
Estrangement, Regret, and a Final Message
Beefcake also spoke about the fact that he and Hogan had been estranged in recent years due to issues within their friendship, a situation that now fills him with regret. Beefcake has stated in the past that they last spoke at the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, where Hogan inducted Beefcake. He revealed that he had considered visiting Hogan just days before his passing but was afraid of being turned away.
“I was going to try to go to his house a couple of days ago… my wife said, ‘Just go over there,'” he shared. “And I was thinking, ‘Oh my God.’ But if I go to the house and they say, ‘No, you can’t come in,’ it would have crushed me. So I didn’t. And now I wish maybe that I had tried to get in and tried to get to see him before he passed.”
When asked what his final message to his friend would be, Beefcake’s words were simple and heartfelt. “I love you brother, you know, and we truly are friends to the end,” he said. “I know his family and mine were close for many years, and I wish the best for them… I know they’re having a horrible, difficult time, and I just want to say to them, keep your chins up. And he would have wanted us to fight on and move forward.”
