Local Windsorites remember Hulk Hogan

CTV News

25-07-2025

Hulk Hogan makes his entrance during a match while working for the WWE. (Photo by WWE/WWE via Getty Images)
'Hulk's been so influential,' said Scott D'Amore, president of Maple Leaf Wrestling. He was a young 20 year old trying to cut his teeth in the business when he first came across the man behind Hulkamania.
'My boss goes to me, hey kid, are you available to be around a lot more often? I said, yes, of course. He goes congratulations, you got a raise...And I said, oh, thank you, sir. He goes, well, don't thank me, thank Hulk.'
Hogan wondered why high-quality regulars, like D'Amore, weren't always around. According to D'Amore, management pointed towards money.
'I guess he (Hogan) just looked at them and said then give them more money.'
Hogan approached D'Amore later that day and was greeted with a thank you.
'I'm happy for you,' Hogan told D'Amore. 'But I did it for me because even though me and you will never wrestle, you and your guys are the guys that make the guys that do come up and wrestle me. You're so important in making them look like powerful monsters for me to beat.'
During a trip to meet the Hulkster, Maxine Abegbuzie was thrilled to see him make a surprise phone call to her father and two brothers who are big wrestling fans, which she captured and shared to social media.
It's a moment Maxine will never forget. 'What you didn't see on camera is that him and my dad had a longer conversation after, and my dad was just thanking him for the experience; that he gave that wholesome experience that he gave me as his daughter.'
Maxine described Hulk as a nice witty man who was down to earth, willing to lend a helping hand and inspired.
'He was not afraid to even talk about his faith. He was not afraid to talk about even his personal struggles. Like, it was just shocking to me how transparent this man was about his life and how heartfelt he was,' Maxine explained.
Claudia Renkwitz felt the same way after she met the Hulk through a friend, rolling with him and his crew.
She spent time reminiscing about the many times she spent with Hogan and looked over her camera roll after hearing the news of his passing.
The memories that I have as a real person he's just... you forget who he was. You forget he was Hulk Hogan. He was just a real person."
He was a real person who changed wrestling and was an influential character.
'You think about how many kids he got to eat their vegetables, you know, and eat a little healthier and go for a run or, you know, try to lift a weight or whatever he did because you just wanted to be like that larger-than-life character,' said D'Amore.