Koko B. Ware Talks About Convincing The Rock Not To Quit The Business

Evan “Tech” Prout recently interviewed WWE Hall of Famer Koko B. Ware on Under the Mat Radio in Baltimore, MD, which airs live every Tuesday from 7pm-9pm ET at this link.

During the interview, Koko talked about Hulk Hogan, The Rock and more. You can listen to the full interview by clicking here and read some highlights below:

How He Helped Hulk Hogan:

“I worked out with Hogan and [Brutus] Beefcake, they were Terry Boulder and Eddie Boulder at the time. I worked out with both of them, because Hogan wanted to do some things. He wanted to learn to dropkick and all this stuff. I told him, ‘you’re too big to do a dropkick, it’s OK if Beefcake does it.’ I took them to a little old barn in Tennessee – this man had a little ring behind his house – and worked with them. See, Hogan’s not going to ever tell this story because he don’t want people to know another African American helped train him.”

Convincing The Rock Not To Quit The Business:

“I knew the Rock since he was a little itty bitty kid, he used to ride in the backseat when me and his dad [Rocky Johnson] would go around the Memphis territory. When the Rock came down here from Miami he was a big, pretty, good looking young man and he was so depressed about not making no money in the wrestling business. When they had him down there in Memphis, Tennessee, he was starving to death and one night he was stretched out on the couch and said, ‘I’m going to go get me a real job.’ I told him, “keep working out and go to New York (WWE).” He said, ‘I know but my dad already been up there and burnt all bridges.’ And I told him, ‘You get a change. Go up there, you ain’t like your dad… go up there and keep your mouth closed.”