Sylvester Stallone has compared Hulk Hogan to the "white whale from Moby Dick' during fight scenes for Rocky III.
The pair first met during rehearsals for the 1982 movie, when the late wrestler was in his 20s and had landed the role of Thunderlips.
In a new interview with TMZ, Stallone recalled being hugely impressed by Hogan's immense size and likened him to the giant sperm whale and main antagonist in Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby Dick.
As he paid tribute to Hogan, who died aged 71 on Thursday, the actor revealed the hardest hit of his career came courtesy of the WWE star during a scene for the sports drama.
"He throws me into the corner and I go about six feet in the air. I hit the corner and the whole point is for him to run towards me and go boom, hit me hard, and I fall down, which naturally I would," he recalled. "Instead, he decided about halfway across the ring that he's going to jump up and I go, 'Are you kidding me?'"
Pointing to his shoulder, the 79-year-old actor continued: "It looked like the white whale from Moby Dick, he came down and hit me with his shin bone right here."
Stallone revealed the incident left his collarbone "sticking straight up", adding Hogan was "mortified" after he realised he had injured his co-star.
During the interview Stallone described Hogan as a "magician" and a "force to be reckoned with" throughout his career.
He also addressed rumours that Hogan's strength and exuberance during Rocky III fight scenes had led to four stunt men retiring in one day.
"I wouldn't say unconscious, but close to it," he laughed.
Despite his sheer size and power, Stallone insisted the wrestling legend never intended to hurt his opponents.
"People underestimate how gifted some of these behemoths are, and he was the most gifted of all," he added. "I just remember two things... One, he throws me into the corner, he goes 'I'll be gentle,' I said, 'Okay.' "
