Hulk Hogan may have stepped away from the ring years before his passing in July 2025, but plans for one last blockbuster bout nearly became reality. Behind the scenes, serious discussions were held about Hogan returning for a final match against John Cena, only for his declining health to ultimately bring those talks to a halt.

Speaking on a recent episode of 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff pulled back the curtain on just how close the match came to happening. According to Bischoff, this was not second hand chatter or internet speculation. He was physically with Hogan while negotiations were taking place.

“His last match was supposed to be against John Cena until health issues with either one derailed it. Yeah um not only was I aware of it I was sitting next to Hulk as he was on the phone negotiating the deal in real time. So yeah I was very aware of those conversations at least from what I could hear.”

Bischoff noted that while he was not directly involved in the finer points of the deal, he had a front row seat to Hogan’s daily life during that period. Hogan’s physical condition, particularly his back, had deteriorated significantly by then.

“We were in a car or on a boat or something like that so I heard Hulk’s side. I can’t tell you how far it eventually got. I wasn’t involved in the details but I was involved in some of the scheduling. Keep in mind the reason I was there was because I was actually living in Hulk’s condo at the time to help out. Hulk wasn’t moving around very well this was when his back started getting really really bad.

So I remember being part of those discussions or at least listening to them and hearing a little bit about what the match might look like but very little of that did I really pay attention to or get exposed to. But yeah it actually did happen. It’s a true story. I was there.”

The comments confirm that Hogan versus Cena was not a hypothetical dream match cooked up years later. It was actively discussed and very nearly became Hogan’s farewell moment.

Hogan had been open about his health struggles in the years leading up to his death. In August 2023, he revealed that he had already undergone ten back surgeries and was facing the possibility of an eleventh. He attributed much of the damage to decades of leg drops and admitted that wrestling after surgery only made things worse.

“Our good friend Ric Flair put my back out last year they’re talking about back surgery number eleven which I truly hope I can avoid,” Hogan said at the time. “The problem goes from my tailbone all the way up to my shoulder blades.”

Ultimately, Hogan’s last official match took place at a TNA house show in January 2012. Still, with Bischoff’s confirmation, the idea of Hogan sharing the ring one final time with John Cena now stands as one of wrestling’s biggest what if moments, one that came heartbreakingly close to becoming reality.