Tiger Mask IV says Hulk Hogan planned to launch promotion after leaving WWE in 2003
Tiger Mask IV recently revealed that WWE legend Hulk Hogan had plans of launching his own wrestling promotion after leaving WWE in 2003.
A WWE veteran, Hogan’s first WWE run was from 1979 to 1981, following which he made a jump to NJPW in Japan. After a few years there, Hogan returned to WWE and stayed there until 1993. Following this, he again returned to Japan and had a career-changing run in WCW until 2000. Fans saw Hogan return to WWE again in 2002, although it lasted for just a year until 2003.
In October 2003, Hogan returned to New Japan Pro-Wrestling and wrestled Masahiro Chono at the Tokyo Dome at the promotion’s Ultimate Crush II event. One of the talents on that card was Tiger Mask IV. Recently, speaking to NJPW1972.com, Tiger Mask IV revealed that Hogan planned on starting his own wrestling promotion with people from NJPW. He further recollected having a conversation with Hogan and Jimmy Hart about it.
“The day after (NJPW Ultimate Crush II), there was an all-hands meeting with the boys at the office. At (the) time, (Hulk) Hogan was talking about starting his own company, and he was trying to book the New Japan guys. I was just minding my own business, and I got a tap on the shoulder, ‘Can you have a word with Hogan?’ I went in a room with Hogan and Jimmy Hart there, and they just went, ‘We want you’, and all of a sudden we’re taking promo photos together,” he said.
“And Hogan goes, ‘Oh, you should come over, you can stay at the house,’ and I have images of staying at the Hogan house running through my head (laughs). In the end, the new company talk fell through and nothing happened. But I grew up watching Hogan and Inoki and that whole rivalry, so it’s wild to have those stories.”
However, the plans were not fruitful, and Hogan ended up returning to WWE in 2005. After a few stints on the independent, TNA, and WWE, Hogan passed away at the age of 71 in 2025.
Shounak Chakrabarti is an experienced sports journalist with a lifelong passion for athletics and storytelling. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Journalism from the University of Leeds and joined F4WOnline in 2025.
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