‘He was the catalyst’: Toronto referee remembers Hulk Hogan, the man behind the myth

Even as Hulkamania was catching fire around the world, former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas says Hulk Hogan always treated him like “one of the boys.”

Even as Hulkamania was catching fire around the world, former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas says Hulk Hogan always treated him like “one of the boys.”

When Korderas joined what was then called the WWF in 1985, one of his first jobs was picking up wrestlers from the airport and driving them to Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens.

“Hulk was one of the first guys I had to pick up, and right away, he made me feel comfortable and at home, like I belonged,” says Korderas, a Toronto native.

On one occasion, while giving Hogan and his then-wife Linda a ride, Korderas caught Hogan’s eyes in the rear-view mirror as Linda gushed about Toronto.

“The entire time Linda was talking about how beautiful the city is, this is her first time, oh my goodness. I could see Hulk’s eyes going, ‘Oh boy,’” he laughs.

“When we got to the building, he pulled me aside and said, ‘Brother, I’m sorry.’ I said, ‘For what?’ He said, ‘She kept going on and on.’ I got a chuckle out of it and so did he. That’s the nature he had … Here’s this megastar and he’s concerned about my needs.”

Hogan, born Terry Gene Bollea, died Thursday at 71.

Known for his stars-and-stripes swagger, handlebar moustache and chest-thumping catchphrases, Hogan was the face of professional wrestling’s golden era and one of the most recognizable pop culture figures of the 1980s.