Ric Flair had many legendary opponents throughout his illustrious career.

But he never encountered anyone like Hulk Hogan.

“Hogan is the biggest star ever in this business,” said Flair. “Working with him, it didn’t get any better.”

By the winter of 1992, Hogan and Flair were wrestling one another all across the country. There were matches in New York City, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, as well as Honolulu, Chicago and St. Louis.

Among their travels was a stop in the center of the universe–Boston, MA. On Saturday, Jan. 18, the famed Boston Garden hosted a card featuring Hogan vs. Flair.

“We sold out Boston Garden,” said Flair, recalling a crowd of over 15,000 people congregating onto Causeway Street. “The most incredible thing I’ve ever witnessed was hearing the reaction when Hogan came out to wrestle. I remember hearing it and thinking, ‘Holy cow.’ It was deafening.”

Last week, Hogan – whose real name was Terry Bollea – passed away at age 71. He was a pro wrestling trailblazer, a pop culture icon, and the most recognizable wrestler in the world.

“It didn’t matter where you’d go,” said Flair, 76. “We wrestled on a tour in Australia. It was no different there. The crowd wanted to see him.”

After starring for competing promotions throughout the 1980s, Flair turned the entire industry upside down in August 1991 when he exited World Championship Wrestling and joined Hogan in Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation. When Flair signed with the company, now known as WWE, it was inevitable he would square off Hogan.

“I was at the lowest point of my career,” said Flair. “I was the most miserable person alive in my relationship at the time with WCW, but I was so happy working with Hulk. Those were great times.

“I knew Terry before he was Hulk, back when he went by Sterling Golden. That was back in Memphis in the late 1970s, so I’d known Hulk forever, and our respect for one another turned into a friendship.”

Ric Flair fondly recalls his friendship with the late Hulk Hogan, shown ripping his shirt during a match in Boston. (WWE courtesy photo)

Hogan and Flair’s only one-on-one match in Boston ended with Hogan winning by count out. But Flair got the better of him the next night, winning the vacant world title in the iconic ’92 Royal Rumble.

“When I wrestled Hulk in Boston, I didn’t know I was winning the Rumble,” said Flair. “After we left Boston, Jake Roberts told me that next morning at the gym that I was winning the belt. Back then, the guys used to rib each other pretty hard, so I couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth. When Vince McMahon told me later that day, I was in shock. I literally had a tear in my eye.”

The only other time Hogan and Flair wrestled at Boston Garden was a tag match the following month on Feb. 29 during a Sunday matinee. Flair was champ and teamed with Sid Justice, but Hogan and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper got the better of them when Hogan pinned Flair.

“That was the night Curt Hennig tried to take down Jim Duggan in the Boston Garden locker room, and Duggan was having none of that,” said Flair. “I can still remember Duggan stretching him. Duggan is one tough guy, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

“And I always loved wrestling Hulk. When I was wrestling Randy Savage, he wanted me to practice for WrestleMania. Practice? Memorize what to do every second? The crowd doesn’t always react to that. There are some guys you could just make music with. No stress in the ring, no worry, just react to the crowd and entertain people. I could do that with Hulk.”

Hogan and Flair reunited two years later in WCW, helping the company reach new heights. That further intensified when Hogan became the villainous “Hollywood” Hogan in 1996, leading the NWO and once again bringing wrestling to a whole new realm of popularity.

Their careers would constantly cross paths, strengthened by a friendship that lasted until Hogan’s passing. Flair continues to marvel at the way Hogan could captivate a crowd, a realm in which he had no peer.

“Hogan got the crowd to cheer for him in that WrestleMania 18 match against The Rock, who is this incredible entertainer,” said Flair. “It takes a lot to surprise me, but I was amazed by that. That’s how over he was. No one was over more than Hogan.”

Hogan’s death marks the end of an era. Ambitious until the end, he lived a life where the candle burned at both ends. That could only last so many nights, but it gave a lovely light – and Flair is especially proud to have made history together.

“We’d wrestle our match, entertain the crowd, then go out after and have some beers,” said Flair. “I wish we were still doing that now.”