WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff and guest host Raj Giri discussed the potential professional wrestling debut of Nick Hogan (Nick Bollea) on the 83 Weeks podcast, detailing his current training and past attempts to enter the business. The conversation provided insight into Nick Hogan’s motivation, the parallels to his father’s career, and the high-profile nature of the Nick Hogan name.
Speaking on the 83 Weeks podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff offered confirmation that Nick Hogan is currently pursuing wrestling training, drawing a parallel between Nick’s current ambition and the career path of his late father, Hulk Hogan. Bischoff shared that this is not the first time Nick has attempted to train for the ring: “Little known fact, Nick put his toe in the water with Garrett, with my son. They were both going to Rikishi’s school in Southern California at the same time they trained together.”
That initial attempt, however, was short-lived and did not lead to a debut due to an injury. Bischoff confirmed the incident that derailed the effort: “Nick got hurt, took a nasty bump on his shoulder, did some damage, and had kind of derailed him.” Following the injury, outside circumstances diverted Nick Hogan’s attention away from a full-time pursuit of the professional wrestling industry, but he appears to be fully committed to his training today.
Bischoff stated that Nick Hogan is currently training in Florida and is focused on building his physical size for the rigors of the ring. Bischoff confirmed Nick’s commitment: “I think Nick’s putting on some size. He has been for a couple years. He’s been training…he trains with Garrett down in Florida.” Bischoff suggested that Nick is now driven by mature self-interest: “I think Nick is going to find a lane that he’s really, truly comfortable in, and is going to pursue for no other reason that he wants to pursue it.”
The appeal of professional wrestling for Nick Hogan appears to stem from the energy that fueled his father’s Hall of Fame career. Bischoff drew a direct parallel between the two: “Hulk was kind of addicted to the energy, the crowd, the environment, that reaction, Nick’s got some of that same vibe in him, right? The same triggers.” Nick Hogan has also stated that being around the business “makes me feel so much closer to dad, being around the business and being, kind of, around that environment I have a lot of love for it, and like I said, it’s in the blood.”
Analyst Raj Giri added that the curiosity surrounding Nick Hogan’s debut could draw significant attention. Conrad Thompson, who hosts the show with Bischoff, concurred with this assessment, suggesting that any in-ring appearance, even a limited one, would be a major attraction: “Even if he doesn’t decide to pursue a full time wrestling career, a one off, or maybe just, you know, one, one angle that we play out over the course of three months, or something like, I could see that being something that would attract a lot of mainstream eyeballs.” WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff agreed that the independent circuit would be a suitable platform, adding: “I just imagine you know him going out once or twice a month, having the time of his life and picking up a check and bring it home too.” The hosts also briefly entertained a storyline involving the second-generation wrestlers: “A Hogan Bischoff angle to watch a story would not be a bad idea,” Bischoff said.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit speaking on the 83 Weeks podcast with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can listen to the full podcast on 83weeks.com.
