Hulk Hogan Got Real About One Career Change He Would've Made (And I Was Genuinely Surprised)

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Credit: Netflix

Hulk Hogan: Real American is available to stream via Netflix subscription, and the docuseries pulls back the curtain (or ring apron) on the man who embodied that larger-than-life wrestler persona for so many years. While many of the big events covered from the Hulkster's life are already publicly known, the docuseries lets the late WWE superstar speak on all of it from a more recent headspace, including the regrets he has tied to his most iconic move, the leg drop.

While discussing the litany of surgeries and procedures he's had over the years, Hulk Hogan was asked if he would change anything he did in his career or do the same thing all over again. After a beat, I was surprised the wrestler said he would've chosen a different finisher than the leg drop, and discussed the origins of the move as well as how it slowly changed his life:

I would change one thing. I started dropping the leg when I was in Japan. My arms used to be huge, so why would you jump up and drop the leg on your tailbone for forty-plus years when you could use the sleeper hold and not take any bumps?

As far as finishing moves go, the leg drop hasn't ever really looked all that devastating for those who fall victim to it. But now it's quite clear that the real damage was done to Hogan himself. The long-term impact of landing on his tailbone with the full weight of his body for decades on end altered his spine to the point where he required a variety of surgeries and rehabs to try to alleviate the pain.

Wrestling fans have heard a lot of rumors about Hulk Hogan's back and neck issues, with reports noting that he had zero feeling in his lower body following the more recent surgeries. It all goes back to the leg drop, and the wrestler opined about what his golden years might've been like had he not embraced the move long term: