How Hulk Hogan Got His Infamous Black Eye Before Wrestlemania IX, According To Jim Cornette
At WrestleMania IX, Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart to win the WWE Championship, thanks to Mr. Fuji throwing salt in Hart's eyes and helping his client capture the championship. Once the bell rang, Hulk Hogan, still arguably the company's biggest babyface at the time, came to the ring to check on "The Hitman." On behalf of Yokozuna, Fuji challenged Hogan to face the champion immediately in an impromptu match for the championship.
Hogan would agree to the match. Once the bell rang, Fuji tried to throw salt in Hogan's eyes just like he did to Hart, but his attempt failed and hit Yokozuna instead. Fuji's miscue allowed Hogan to hit his famous leg drop and pin Yokozuna to win the strap in under 30 seconds in one of the most controversial endings in the history of the "Showcase of the Immortals."
While celebrating with the title, it could be seen clearly that Hogan had a black eye.
Randy Savage Gave Hulk Hogan A Black Eye, According to Jim Cornette
In an interview with Michael "The Voice" Schiavello, Hogan claimed he got the injury in a jet ski accident while riding with Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake. According to Hogan, Beefcake asked him to jump on his ski after they pulled over for gas. "I jumped on his ski, and the first wave I jumped over it nosed on me, so it threw me over the front of the ski, and I had a lifejacket on, so I tried to duck down in the water, but the lifejacket brought me up, and the ski hit me in the face," Hogan noted. "It broke my orbital socket."
However, Jim Cornette claims Hogan's story is not accurate, and the real reason behind Hogan's shiner has to do with another WWE Hall of Famer in Randy Savage. "Savage found out that Elizabeth had run off to Hogan's house and was staying with Linda [Hulk Hogan's ex-wife] because Linda and Elizabeth were friends, and Hogan didn't tell Savage that she was there, which is why when Savage confronted him with that, he confronted him by punching him in the f*****g eye, and that's why Hogan had a black eye at WrestleMania IX," Cornette said during episode 179 of "Jim Cornette's Drive Thru."