It all started when New England Patriots’ tight end Matthew Mulligan’s wife bought him an exact replica of Hulk Hogan’s championship belt. Then Mulligan brought the belt to the Patriots’ locker room to show it off to the team. That in turn led to it being mounted inside the locker room for motivation, and once word got out, the Hulkster himself sent a video message to the entire team, according to sports writer Steve Silva.

And of course Hogan was in full character when he gave his spiel, and he used the same colorful speech that he’s been using since his days in the World Wrestling Federation.

“Right in New England, you got a piece of Hulk Hogan,” he said, referring to the belt hanging inside of the locker room. “And what that means, brother, is if you get tired or if Brady gets tired, or if anybody’s knees wobble, their back cracks, or their liver quivers brother, you can take one of the largest arms in the world, Hulk Hogan’s arm, you can strap it to your hips, and you can score as many touchdowns as you want brother.”

And what would a Hulk Hogan rant be without doing at least a small version of his signature closing? “So what are the Patriots gonna do now that they’ve got Hulk Hogan running with all of you,” he concluded.

At 12-4 this season, the New England Patriots easily made the playoffs, which will start for the team next week. And although it’s very likely they’ll make it beyond the first round, it’s pretty safe to assume the team will take any kind of inspiration it can get. Plus, Hogan said he’s a Patriots fan, which probably made the video message that much sweeter for Tom Brady and company.

“Matthew Mulligan, brother, I’ve got something for you, but I’m not going to tell you about it right now,” said Hogan. “First off, big fan of the team, man. Love the Patriots, man. You know, my daughter was engaged to a Dallas Cowboy for a while, but now I’m ready to go up and beat the whole team up, man. Because I’m a Patriots fan. I love New England, brother and I was the champion for a long time up in your area, brother.”

Image via Wikimedia Commons