‘I wasn’t there’ – The costly Hulk Hogan error which made George Foreman $8million-a-month
Heavyweight boxing legend George Foreman has sadly passed away but left a rich legacy in hearts, minds – and in some cases, stomachs! The 76-year-old former champion will be remembered best by sports fans for his career in the ring but he was just as successful in business. ‘Big George’ earned millions at the height of his powers – but even more after itGETTY Between the ropes, Mike Tyson said it best having once admitted no one could hold a candle to the power in Big George’s fists. It was a testament to his dual legacy that Foreman’s famous hands were put to work in the kitchen before he hung up the gloves. 1994 remains a landmark year for ‘The Heywood Giant’ – he became the oldest heavyweight champion, at the age of 45, when he beat Michael Moorer with a stunning knockout. From packing a punch to a packed lunch, the popular ‘Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine’ – aka the George Foreman Grill was also launched. Powered by the boxer’s charismatic infomercials, it became a cultural phenomenon and has sold more than 100 million units worldwide. “No doubt the grill has been more successful,” He told Motley Fool in 2002. “… People recognize me more now [for the grill].” Foreman’s original deal saw him take home 40 per cent of the profits – leading to the belief it made the star $200million (roughly £154m). However, when asked by AARP if those figures were accurate, Foreman replied: “Much more. “There were months I was being paid $8 million per month.” What’s just as scarcely believable as the numbers behind the grill were the plans for the original face of the product: Hulk Hogan. Heavyweight boxing can be a lucrative business, but it wasn’t Foreman’s biggest payday He later put his name to the famous grill and was shocked at how many were sold worldwideGetty Images - Getty The two-time WWE Hall of Famer transcended wrestling in the 1980s to become the sport’s first mainstream megastar. His landmark crossover ventures ultimately paved the way for Dwayne Johnson and John Cena to follow in the decades since. Hogan boosted the commercial appeal of the company formerly owned by Vince McMahon by appearing on non-WWE TV and movies in addition to being endorsed by various brands and sponsors. By the mid-1990s, Hogan was enjoying a career resurgence in rival promotion WCW after making the choice to turn heel. A less lucrative decision of his at that time was the one to snub endorsing a grilling machine for a meatball maker. Avatar star Sam Worthington revealed: “He [Hogan] gave me some investment advice because his manager said to him, ‘You should get into these things, kitchen appliances, put your name on something’. Whatcha gonna do when lunchamania runs wild on you!WWE “The Hulk said, ‘Well, what have you got?’ The manager said, ‘Well, I’ve got this meatball maker… It pounds the meatballs when you (clench arm muscles and press fists together). The Hulk went, ‘That’s fantastic, I want the Hulkamania Meatball Maker!’ “The manager goes, ‘What about the other thing (investment opportunity)?’ He goes, ‘Ah, give that to your other client.’ The other client turned out to be George Foreman, it was the grill! “So George Foreman’s made $300 billion and how many people own a Hulkamania Meatball Maker?” The claim differed wildly from the story Hogan had been previously pedalling – which was he offered the contract for the grill first but missed his agent’s phone call because he was picking up his kids from school and Foreman cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase instead. On Late Night with Conan O’Brien in 2008, Hogan was asked by the host about reports that he turned the grill down and replied: “That’s a lie – I missed the phone call!” He expanded on the story for his reality TV show, Hogan Knows Best, saying: “My kids were upset because I was always picking them up late from school. “So I said ‘I’m going to beat all these soccer moms today’, and went to McDonald’s, got a cooler, had everything ready, and got to the school at like 2:30pm, instead of 3:30pm, and now I’ve finally got all the soccer moms behind me and my kids excited I got there early. “Then I get home and press the old school voicemail recorder machine and it says, ‘Hey Hulk, this is Sam Perlmutter, I’ve got a grill and I’ve got a blender and I’m going to call you and George [Foreman] to see who wants it. “I wasn’t there to answer the call, so when I call Sam back he said George took the grill. “So basically, $550 million later, George got the ‘Lean, Mean Grilling Machine’ and I got a blender that when you put double-AA batteries in, it would fart and then turn off.” Hulk Hogan turning heel reignited his wrestling career – a meatball maker failed to help his business oneGetty Foreman flipped the script and cashed inGetty Naturally, fans asked in the years since for Foreman’s version of events, but true to classy form, the former professional boxer
Heavyweight boxing legend George Foreman has sadly passed away but left a rich legacy in hearts, minds – and in some cases, stomachs!
The 76-year-old former champion will be remembered best by sports fans for his career in the ring but he was just as successful in business.
Between the ropes, Mike Tyson said it best having once admitted no one could hold a candle to the power in Big George’s fists.
It was a testament to his dual legacy that Foreman’s famous hands were put to work in the kitchen before he hung up the gloves.
1994 remains a landmark year for ‘The Heywood Giant’ – he became the oldest heavyweight champion, at the age of 45, when he beat Michael Moorer with a stunning knockout.
From packing a punch to a packed lunch, the popular ‘Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine’ – aka the George Foreman Grill was also launched.
Powered by the boxer’s charismatic infomercials, it became a cultural phenomenon and has sold more than 100 million units worldwide.
“No doubt the grill has been more successful,” He told Motley Fool in 2002. “… People recognize me more now [for the grill].”
Foreman’s original deal saw him take home 40 per cent of the profits – leading to the belief it made the star $200million (roughly £154m).
However, when asked by AARP if those figures were accurate, Foreman replied: “Much more.
“There were months I was being paid $8 million per month.”
What’s just as scarcely believable as the numbers behind the grill were the plans for the original face of the product: Hulk Hogan.
The two-time WWE Hall of Famer transcended wrestling in the 1980s to become the sport’s first mainstream megastar.
His landmark crossover ventures ultimately paved the way for Dwayne Johnson and John Cena to follow in the decades since.
Hogan boosted the commercial appeal of the company formerly owned by Vince McMahon by appearing on non-WWE TV and movies in addition to being endorsed by various brands and sponsors.
By the mid-1990s, Hogan was enjoying a career resurgence in rival promotion WCW after making the choice to turn heel.
A less lucrative decision of his at that time was the one to snub endorsing a grilling machine for a meatball maker.
Avatar star Sam Worthington revealed: “He [Hogan] gave me some investment advice because his manager said to him, ‘You should get into these things, kitchen appliances, put your name on something’.
“The Hulk said, ‘Well, what have you got?’ The manager said, ‘Well, I’ve got this meatball maker… It pounds the meatballs when you (clench arm muscles and press fists together). The Hulk went, ‘That’s fantastic, I want the Hulkamania Meatball Maker!’
“The manager goes, ‘What about the other thing (investment opportunity)?’ He goes, ‘Ah, give that to your other client.’ The other client turned out to be George Foreman, it was the grill!
“So George Foreman’s made $300 billion and how many people own a Hulkamania Meatball Maker?”
The claim differed wildly from the story Hogan had been previously pedalling – which was he offered the contract for the grill first but missed his agent’s phone call because he was picking up his kids from school and Foreman cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase instead.
On Late Night with Conan O’Brien in 2008, Hogan was asked by the host about reports that he turned the grill down and replied: “That’s a lie – I missed the phone call!”
He expanded on the story for his reality TV show, Hogan Knows Best, saying: “My kids were upset because I was always picking them up late from school.
“So I said ‘I’m going to beat all these soccer moms today’, and went to McDonald’s, got a cooler, had everything ready, and got to the school at like 2:30pm, instead of 3:30pm, and now I’ve finally got all the soccer moms behind me and my kids excited I got there early.
“Then I get home and press the old school voicemail recorder machine and it says, ‘Hey Hulk, this is Sam Perlmutter, I’ve got a grill and I’ve got a blender and I’m going to call you and George [Foreman] to see who wants it.
“I wasn’t there to answer the call, so when I call Sam back he said George took the grill.
“So basically, $550 million later, George got the ‘Lean, Mean Grilling Machine’ and I got a blender that when you put double-AA batteries in, it would fart and then turn off.”
Naturally, fans asked in the years since for Foreman’s version of events, but true to classy form, the former professional boxer responded diplomatically by writing on X: “The real story is Hulk Hogan is about the best friend I ever had.
“He could do a Hogan whatever it’d Fly, cause I’d buy.”
And boy would he have the money to.
After officially retiring from fighting in 1999, Foreman put his name to the ‘George Foreman Grill’ for £137m.
And, this does not even include money he was paid for appearing in adverts as well as royalties he received on each grill sold.
“When I did the deal I was given 16 of the grills and I shared them with my aunts, uncles and cousins and then I would keep a few for training camps,” Foreman told talkSPORT in 2023.
“Little did I know, over 120 million of those things would be sold worldwide that quickly.
“Only because it worked so well, but I was shocked, I didn’t see it coming.”
When asked if this was more money than he made from his entire boxing career, Foreman replied: “Yes.
“But, also I made more friends from the grill because it worked. People would bet on me in a boxing match and I would lose and they would be upset with me, so the grill was my saving grace!”
