Hulk Hogan Was Once Fined $400,000 For Knocking TV Host Unconscious Live On Air

A TV presenter was accidentally knocked out by Hulk Hogan when he was at the peak of his powers; he was made to pay $400,000 as a result.

Credit: ABC

In the middle of the 1980s, Hogan dominated professional wrestling and was well-known all over the world.

Being 300 pounds and 6'7" tall, it is understandable why Vince McMahon, the founder of WWE, used to refer to him as a "monster."

But in 1985, his strength accidentally hurt TV host Richard Belzer, and Belzer needed nine stitches in the hospital.

Hogan and Mr. T were promoting WrestleMania at the time, where they were scheduled to compete against Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff in the main event.

Credit: ABC

Both of them appeared on the Richard Belzer-hosted program Hot Properties on March 27, 1985. Belzer passed away in February of this year at the age of 78.

As it was obvious that Belzer and Mr. T did not get along, tensions were high throughout the play.

Later in the evening, the comedian made the decision to issue Hogan a wrestling challenge.

Belzer was instantly knocked out cold after the WWE superstar reluctantly decided to put him in a chin lock.

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Belzer was knocked unconscious briefly as his head rather than his body struck the ground.

When the TV host stood up right away to announce that the show was going to commercial, there was at first total stillness in the room.

Belzer did not return to the studio after the break, so Hogan made a type of apology for the incident.

"You know, I feel really bad about the situation," Hogan said.

"Richard asked me to demonstrate a professional wrestling hold and that's exactly what I did.”

"I (put) what is called a front chin lock on the man and when I released it he fell and hit his head on the floor.”

"It's a situation where you need to be a professional at all times and the type of hold that I would put on a professional wrestler, I would apply probably 10 times as much pressure.”

"I didn't realize that apparently, he doesn't do any kind of physical training at all."

Belzer said to Roy Firestone, a radio broadcaster, in 1990: "He came very close to killing me.”

"I was told by a sports medicine expert that if I had fallen a few inches either way I could have been crippled for life, I could have been dead."

According to Fox News, Belzer allegedly filed a lawsuit against Hogan, Mr. T, Vince McMahon, and WWE. According to reports, the two parties reached an out-of-court settlement for $400,000 in 1990.