When Jay Leno Fought Hulk Hogan: The Bizarre 1998 Wrestling Match That Shook Late-Night TV
From the Tonight Show to the wrestling ring
Jay Leno, then host of The Tonight Show, took a break from his monologue duties to enter the wrestling ring. He teamed up with WCW star Diamond Dallas Page to face off against Hulk Hogan and WCW president Eric Bischoff. The tag-team match took place in August 1998 during the WCW Road Wild event in Sturgis, South Dakota.
The idea began when Tonight Show executive producer Gary Considine reached out to Bischoff, saying, 'Jay wanted in.' Bischoff flew to L.A. to meet with Leno. 'Jay was so down to earth, the nicest guy you ever, ever wanna meet,' Bischoff said in a 2020 episode of his 83 Weeks podcast.
Here's how the match was set up
With only six weeks until the event, Bischoff pitched a fast-moving storyline. On WCW's Monday Nitro, Bischoff insulted Leno. On The Tonight Show, Leno mocked Hogan with a lookalike. The storyline escalated when Hogan crashed The Tonight Show set and threw Leno and bandleader Kevin Eubanks off stage.
Leno responded the next night, bringing out Diamond Dallas Page and security, and the match was officially set. 'We told Jay, don't smile, don't wink at the camera,' Bischoff said. 'Play it completely straight or the whole thing falls apart.'
Jay Leno trained in a tucked-in T-shirt and sweatpants for his in-ring appearance. During the match, he managed to land a low blow and hit some turnbuckle moves. In a surprising twist, Leno pinned Bischoff for the win. WCW star Goldberg joined them in the post-match celebration.
While the moment is now a fun piece of nostalgia, the pay-per-view didn't perform well. WCW's Road Wild 1998 drew just 360,000 buys, far below its top event, Starrcade 1997, which got 700,000.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
17 hours ago
- News18
Spike Lee Says A$AP Rocky Goes ‘Toe-To-Toe' With Denzel Washington In New Film
Last Updated: A$AP Rocky stars as an aspiring rapper in the neo-noir film Highest 2 Lowest, directed by Spike Lee. A$AP Rocky, born Rakim Athelaston Mayers, is returning to the big screens with the neo-noir thriller, Highest 2 Lowest. And the film's director Spike Lee is all praises for the 36-year-old rapper's impressive acting skills. During his appearance on the July 31 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the 68-year-old filmmaker shared that Rocky goes 'toe-to-toe" with Denzel Washington in the upcoming film. The legendary Hollywood actor is best known for his roles in films like Cry Freedom, Malcolm X, Man on Fire, Deja Vu, American Gangster, Unstoppable and Gladiator II. 'Don't sleep on A$AP," Lee said during the conversation, highlighting how the rapper held his own while starring in the film when others feel pressured while working with someone as great as Washington. 'I've done five films with Denzel, and a lot of times when he's in a scene with somebody, they just get overwhelmed. He's one of the greatest living actors today, but A$AP wasn't having that," he said, adding, 'Toe-to-toe, I mean, they were going at it." Spike Lee Reveals Why He Chose A$AP Rocky To Play Denzel Washington's Son In the same conversation, the director of Highest 2 Lowest also discussed how he always thought that A$AP could play the role of the son of the 70-year-old actor. The Oscar-winning director explained, 'What's interesting is, even before I got involved with this film, I always thought that A$AP looked like he could be Denzel's son. There's a big resemblance. So when you see it on the screen, it adds an element of father and son." Highest 2 Lowest: Cast And Plot The neo-noir crime thriller is an English reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 Japanese film High and Low. The latter, in turn, is loosely based on the 1959 novel by Ed McBain, titled King's Ransom. Set in New York City, the film follows the life of an aspiring rapper, Yung Felony, played by A$AP Rocky, who is the son of Denzel Washington's character, David King. He runs a successful record label, called the Stackin Hits, and is the heir of the legendary record producer and composer Quincy Jones. Besides the two leads, the film features Ice Spice in her debut role, Jeffrey Wright, Michael Potts, Dean Winters, Jensen McRae and John Douglas Thompson, among others. Highest 2 Lowest is all set to be released theatrically on August 22, and after a limited run on the big screens, the neo-noir thriller will be available for streaming on Apple TV+ from September 5 onwards. view comments First Published: August 02, 2025, 16:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
18 hours ago
- News18
Fast Song Out: Demi Lovato Returns To Pop Music, Releases First Single In Three Years
Last Updated: Demi Lovato released her first single in three years, Fast, returning to pop after her rock album 'Holy Fvck'. She teased it on social media; her new album is expected this year. Demi Lovato has released her first new single in three years. The singer dropped the electro-pop track Fast on Friday, August 1, after she previously declared she was ready to return to her pop roots after dabbling with a rock sound on her last album Holy Fvck. As she teased the new single in posts on social media, Demi told fans: 'My pop music coming back to life after we had a funeral for it." The singer previously held a 'funeral" for her pop sound by sharing a picture of herself and her team dressed in black with Demi holding up her middle finger to the camera. She captioned the snap: 'A funeral for my pop music". Rolling Stone magazine recently reported Demi would be embracing pop again on her next project, with the publication suggesting the album – which will be her ninth studio record – is expected to be released later in the year. She has been working on her new music with songwriter/producer Zhone, who told Rolling Stone they had a lot of fun in the studio together while making the new record. He said: 'It's been so inspiring working with Demi and experiencing her journey of continued leveling up. She is such a master in the studio. This album is about letting inhibitions go, and we had so much fun making this music! It really comes across throughout." A source added to the publication: 'Over the past few years, Demi has found love, joy, and newfound confidence, making the choice to approach life with much more lightness and fun. She took this sentiment into the studio, which can be felt in every track." Demi – who married her fiance Jordan 'Jutes' Lutes in May – previously admitted she was still 'figuring out" her sound for the new album but was working on a number of love songs. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last year, Demi explained, 'It's true. I'm working on new music. I'm kind of figuring out my sound right now. I don't know when it'll come out but it'll come out when I'm ready." The host then asked his guest if it would be a max of 'happy songs and sad songs" and she replied, 'I tend to write from the place that I am in in the moment. Because it's actually been like… it's been amazing. I've been writing nothing but love songs and sexy songs because I'm in this really good place. It feels good to be able to write coming from that place." view comments First Published: August 02, 2025, 15:57 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
SummerSlam 2025: John Cena to turn face but lose the Undisputed Championship to Cody Rhodes?
SummerSlam 2025: John Cena is set to defend the Undisputed Championship against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam 2025 in a match that is set to headline Night 2 of the Premium Live Event. The contest will be held under 'Street Fight' rules, meaning that inference and weapons are legal. This is a rematch of their poorly-received WrestleMania 41 encounter in which Cena beat his foe to win the title. Fans are eager to know whether this match proves to be a better affair than the previous one. Amid this, a veteran writer has made a bold claim about John Cena vs Cody Rhodes: Vince Russo feels a double turn is on the cards Vince Russo is a popular name in the pro-wrestling business. The veteran writer and booker rose to fame in the 1990s with his work for WWE and WCW. In an exclusive interaction with Indiatimes, Russo weighed in on Cody Rhodes' upcoming match against John Cena and SummerSlam 2025. He said that Cena, who enters the match as a heel, is likely to turn face during the night. He added that Rhodes, on the other hand, could embrace the dark side. If this happens, there is a distinct possibility of Cena actually losing the belt to his opponent. Moreover, given the nature of the contest, one may also see several run-ins and even a surprise return or two. Interestingly, the WWE previously hinted at Rhodes turning heel when he viciously attacked Randy Orton during the finals of King of The Ring at Night of Champions en route to defeating him. He was also at his aggressive best when he frog-splashed Cena through a table on SmackDown. These actions did not gel with his 'face of the company' persona. Has John Cena's heel turn been a success? Cena sent shockwaves through the wrestling world when he turned heel for the first time in over 20 years at Elimination Chamber earlier this year and assaulted Cody Rhodes on The Rock's orders. He then beat 'QB1' at WrestleMania 41 with help from Travis Scott. Cena also hit his fore with the title and delivered a low blow to him before pinning him for the win. 'The Last Real Champion' then beat the likes of R-Truth, CM Punk and Randy Orton using unfair means. Despite this , veteran journalist Dave Meltzer described the heel run as 'forced'. He further said that fans want to cheer for the soon-to-retire star, which has diluted its impact. To stay updated on the stories that are going viral follow Indiatimes Trending
