Hulk Hogan Talks Final Encounter With The Ultimate Warrior, How He Learned Of His Death

In the WWE Network documentary on the late Ultimate Warrior, Warrior: The Ultimate Legend, Hulk Hogan and the 2014 WWE Hall of Fame headline inductee were shown making amends backstage at WrestleMania 30 following a decade long feud. The two had taken numerous shots at each other over the years, largely over petty issues that were no longer relevant. In the above video with Grantland, "The Hulkster" recounts that encounter, his personal history with Warrior and how he learned of his death.

In his final days, Warrior didn't appear particularly healthy or steady. He sweat profusely, not just on camera, but behind the scenes according to those who saw him during WrestleMania week. He staggered a bit on his way to the ring and was short of breath during his WWE Hall of Fame speech and especially when he spoke on Raw.

"On Raw, he went out there and put on the little Warrior mask; he had a hard time getting it off. I don't know if you noticed, when he tried to get it off, he had a hard time getting it off," said Hogan, who was backstage watching the event at the "Gorilla Position," which is the staging area just behind the entrance curtain. "He didn't look good."

With cameras backstage filming Warrior for the documentary, he urged that Warrior not be filmed going down the stairs upon his return to the "Gorilla Position": "I don't know if anyone heard me, I was afraid he was going to fall down the stairs."

"He came back, I gave him another big hug after Raw. He took a picture of him and [Pat] Patterson," Hogan said. "Next night [SmackDown taping] I go in the ring with Daniel Bryan doing the "Yes!" thing, the ear thing (cups ear) and posing. I come out of the ring and Vince [McMahon] is standing over there. He was staring at me."

"What's up with that?" Hogan thought to himself.

Hogan then signaled for Vince to give a phone call later.

"I never do that and then I walked off. I told Jimmy Hart, "Jimmy, something's weird. You know, Vince never just stands there and stares at me like that," recalled Hogan.

"So I went back and I said, "Are you cool, are you okay? He goes, "Sit down for a minute, let me tell you something."

"I don't know if another rib's coming. I don't know what he's going to set me up with, 'cause you never know, he's full of it. And he goes, "Nobody knows yet, but while you were in the ring, we got the word that Jim passed away."

Hogan responded, "What?!"

The video concludes with Hogan saying, "Thank God I got to talk to him."