Professional wrestling was a focus of Thursday’s “American Idol” results show, and the attention all built to a surprise appearance from industry icon Hulk Hogan.
Following a segment in which four contestants–diehard wrestling fan James Durbin, apparent wrestling fan Paul McDonald, childhood fan Stefano Langone and Pia Toscano–engaged in a mock wrestling match, host Ryan Seacrest revealed whether Durbin and McDonald had advanced to the next round.
He teased that they were both, surprisingly, “not safe.” They, in fact, were really not safe–out came Hulk Hogan, who explained that the two were indeed safe and thus going on the “Idol” finalists tour this summer. Hogan then hit Seacrest with a worked punch before doing his signature shirt tear.
In the prior segment, Durbin interestingly joked that Hogan could “eat his heart out” before breaking into The Miz’s “Awesome” catchphrase. But when Hogan came out, Durbin was visibly stunned and popped huge for the wrestler’s surprise appearance. Hogan, via Seacrest, gave Durbin his shirt as well, which made for a nice moment.