Mark Henry Names The One WWE Star He Believes Benefited Most From Hulk Hogan

For most of his in-ring career, Hulk Hogan sat atop the proverbial mountain. At WWE WrestleMania 18, however, he experienced a rare moment of unseating at the hands of another wrestling legend — Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. On a recent edition of "Off The Ropes," WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry pointed to The Rock as the figure with the greatest benefit from working with Hogan, who died this week at the age of 71.

"The Rock and Hogan, it was different," Henry said. "When I say different, you go through and look at wrestling this entire year and you listen to the sound. If you're blind, you can't see it. Did you hear Roman Reigns show up on Monday Night Raw last week? That's what Hogan was every night. To be able to hear the difference and feel the difference, that is what makes you the Hall of Famer. That's what makes you above the elite. Hogan was that.

"The Rock and Hogan's confrontation that first time, everybody in the back ran out to the floor where the fans were because you could not believe the sound and the feel," he continued. "It vibrated the whole building. It took for two stars like that meeting equally, but the Rock ended up coming out of it than a lot better than Hogan did. Hogan was already built. The Rock was built, but it took him to another level."

The match in reference, dubbed "Icon vs. Icon" pitted The Rock against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 18, with the latter's NWO cohort Scott Hall and Kevin Nash absent from ringside at his request. The Rock ultimately went over after a pair of Rock Bottoms and a People's Elbow. Afterward, Rock and Hogan shook hands out of respect, then aligned as Hall and Nash surprisingly turned on Hogan.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Off The Ropes" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.