Joey Janela Reveals What He Said to Hulk Hogan After ‘Florida Man’ Prank

Joey Janela made a name for himself in AEW during the early years of the company, as he had solid feuds with Jon Moxley and other such top stars. He might no longer be in AEW, but that doesn’t mean Janela isn’t capable of making headlines.

In case you forgot, Joey Janela was part of karaoke night at Hogan’s Beach Shop last year. He even jumped on stage during the event and sang his own version of Proud To Be An American.

While speaking to Steve Fall, Joey Janela shared a story about tricking Hulk Hogan with a Florida man impersonation during an event in Orlando. Janela explained that he was initially planning to use a Dr. Fauci cut-out and create a spectacle on stage with Hogan. His plan included singing a parody of TLC’s “No Scrubs” called “No Vaccine” with altered lyrics, but he decided to take a different approach.

Instead, Janela chose a more straightforward route and sang “Proud to be an American.” Despite not knowing the lyrics, he studied them for 30 minutes before the performance and managed to execute the song on stage. The moment went viral, and he benefited from the experience by selling a parody shirt featuring him facing off with Hogan. The shirt became a popular merchandise item, selling exceptionally well.

“GCW was in Orlando that weekend and the karaoke is Monday. I changed my flight. I said, ‘Alright, let’s do this.’ I was gonna bring a Dr. Fauci cut-out on stage and get me and Hogan to beat it up and drop a leg on it. There was a sung by TLC called ‘No Scrubs.’ I was gonna sing a song called ‘No Vaccine.’ ‘I don’t want the vaccine. The vaccine is poisonous to me. Something, something.’ I forgot what I was gonna say, but ‘F**k Dr. Fauci’, and then hopefully all the Florida men and women sing along with me and hopefully we get it on TMZ, but we went a much easier route. We sang Proud to be an American.” 

After the performance, Janela changed into regular clothes and approached Hogan as he was leaving. He asked for a photo with Hogan on behalf of a friend named Jimmy, who Janela claimed was terminally ill. Hogan agreed to take the photo, and Janela felt that he successfully pulled off the trick on “The Hulkster.”

”I didn’t know the words to that song. I went outside right before for 30 minutes and looked at the lyrics and we went up there and did it. It was very nerve wracking. It went viral and once again, made a lot of merch money off that. I came out with a No Holds Barred parody shirt, me facing Hogan. That shirt sold like crazy. I see that shirt all over the place. It’s fun to me. I went outside. I smoked a cigarette. I changed into my regular clothes, threw my hair down, and just walked back in. I don’t know if they recognized it was me because as Hogan was leaving, I walked up to Hulk Hogan. I said, ‘Excuse me, Mr. Hogan. My friend Jimmy here, he’s terminally ill and he’s gonna die in a few weeks. Is there any way to get a picture?’ Hogan stopped doing what he was doing to get a nice picture with Jimmy. So yeah, I don’t think he knew. I worked The Hulkster. A lot of people don’t get to work Hulk Hogan, but I did it, brother.”

There is nothing Joey Janela won’t do to keep himself relevant and his schtick with Hulk Hogan was certainly something that grabbed eyeballs, for better or worse.

Are you shocked Joey Janela actually fooled Hulk Hogan? Sound off in the comments!