In a surprising revelation that left fans of both wrestling and heavy metal bewildered, wrestling icon Hulk Hogan claimed to have been offered a chance to join METALLICA.
During his early years in Tampa Bay, Florida, Hogan, then in his twenties, pursued interests beyond wrestling and weightlifting, including playing bass guitar in various local bands. Notably, one of these bands, RUCKUS, enjoyed modest recognition within the local rock scene.
Decades later, Hogan’s rock star ambitions resurfaced. In a peculiar disclosure during a 2009 interview with The Chicago Tribune, the wrestling legend asserted that he had pursued the bassist role in METALLICA following Jason Newsted’s departure in 2001.
“When METALLICA was looking for a bass player, I called and never heard a word back from them,” Hogan revealed while promoting his 2009 memoir, “My Life Outside the Ring.” “I would have quit wrestling in a heartbeat to be a bass player for METALLICA.”
Despite initially receiving little media attention, Hogan offered a different account of the situation three years later during an interview with The Sun. In this version, Hogan hinted at an invitation to join METALLICA in the 1980s, allegedly extended by the band’s drummer, Lars Ulrich.
“I used to be a session musician before I was a wrestler. I played bass guitar. I was big pals with Lars Ulrich, and he asked me if I wanted to play bass with METALLICA in their early days, but it didn’t work out,” Hogan claimed.
The buzz surrounding Hogan’s claims prompted Howard Stern to inquire about the matter when Ulrich appeared on his show. Ulrich, however, expressed bewilderment, stating, “I certainly have no recollection of doing anything with ‘Hulk Hogan.'”
Years later, Hogan reiterated his pursuit of joining METALLICA during an interview with Vice in 2014. “I heard that METALLICA needed a bass player, and brother, I was writing letters, made a tape of myself playing and sent it to their management company. Kept making calls trying to get through. I tried for two weeks and never heard a word back from them,” Hogan recounted.
While Hogan’s claim of potentially joining METALLICA remains a curious anecdote in heavy metal lore, it seems to be more of a fantastical “what-if” scenario than a genuine historical event.
