Tiger Mask IV: Hulk Hogan Explored Launching His Own Promotion After 2003 WWE Departure, Had Eyes on NJPW Talent

Hulk Hogan’s post-WWE plans in 2003 extended beyond simply returning to the ring — according to Tiger Mask IV, the Hulkster had serious ambitions about launching his own wrestling promotion, with New Japan Pro-Wrestling talent in mind as part of the vision.

The conversation between Hogan and Tiger Mask IV took place in 2003, around the time Hogan was parting ways with WWE. Hogan’s second run with the company had lasted roughly a year — he made his celebrated comeback in 2002 only to cut ties with WWE by the summer of 2003. That October, he made his way back to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, which provided the backdrop for at least some of his discussions with Tiger Mask IV about what the future might hold.

The idea of Hogan launching his own promotion was not entirely out of left field for that era. The wrestling landscape in 2003 was in a period of significant flux following the collapse of WCW and ECW just two years prior, and there was genuine uncertainty about what major alternatives might emerge to challenge WWE’s dominance. Hogan, as one of the most recognized names in the history of the business, would have been a marquee figure around which a new promotion could theoretically be built.

Whether those plans ever advanced beyond the conversation stage is unclear, but Tiger Mask IV’s account offers a fascinating footnote to Hogan’s career — a road not taken at what was a pivotal crossroads moment in professional wrestling history.