Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Pays Emotional Tribute to Hulk Hogan Following Death
The Rock Mourns Hulk Hogan
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Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is paying homage to Hulk Hogan ... and clearly, the Hulkster had a massive impact on his life.
In the lengthy Instagram post, The Rock recalls a powerful moment he shared with "childhood hero" -- returning Hulk's headband at Madison Square Garden after being the lucky kid who caught it in the crowd.
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Dwayne says Hulk was stunned to get the headband back ... and promised to gift him a replica "Hulkster" headband he could keep. A month later at MSG, Hulk kept his word and delivered Dwayne the headband ... which meant everything to him as a 12-year-old kid.
In his social media post, The Rock shares grainy footage of his iconic 2002 WrestleMania match against Hogan. Although The Rock won the match ... he admits the crowd was all in on Hulk. Their epic encounter at Wrestlemania 18 is considered by many to be the greatest match of all time, and is regarded as a passing of the torch where The Rock proved he was the next Hulk Hogan to carry wrestling into its next era.
It's worth noting Hulk Hogan entered the match as a heel, while The Rock was the good guy heading in. But the crowd that night was so nostalgic to have Hogan back in the WWE, that they booed The Rock and cheered for the return of Hulk Hogan.
Dwayne calls Hogan the G.O.A.T, saying he "drew the house" like no one else during his prime.
The Rock signs off by saying he loves Hulk -- and thanks him one last time "for the house."
TMZ Sports broke the story ... Hulk Hogan died at 71 on Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Florida. Since his passing, countless stars have paid their respects to the WWE legend, including Ric Flair, Sylvester Stallone, Vince McMahon and more.
