Wrestling aficionados were not left disappointed this morning after a staged "bloodied brawl" between WWF icon Hulk Hogan and opponent Ric Flair at a Sydney press conference.
Media at the event went into a frenzy as Flair began yelling at Hogan before punching him and throwing a table into the audience at Star City Casino.
Hogan tumbled to the ground after being sideswiped by Flair, who was restrained by other wrestlers.
But the blonde-haired star quickly wrangled free, removed his belt and began whipping anybody in reach, video captured by Nine News shows.
News Limited reported that one of its photographers had a flash broken while a journalist "narrowly missed being struck with a table".
When Hogan emerged, he was bleeding profusely over his right eye. Photographs show his white shirt apparently soaked in blood.
But Hogan appeared just hours afterwards at a publicity call at the Sydney Football Stadium, showing no signs of injury.
Hogan declined to comment on whether the attack was a hoax, describing the conference as being "a bit crazy".
"I didn’t plan on going backwards off the stage, that was a bit of a shock," the Wentworth Courier quoted the wrestler as saying.
The staged fights and fake blood are a normal sight for fans of professional wrestling, and Wednesday's audience of up to 200 fans along with media were not disappointed.
Kate, from Penrith in Sydney's west, had been waiting since 8am (AEDT) to see the wrestling stars.
"Wrestling's awesome. Some of my favourite wrestlers are here for the tour," Kate said.
Ben Coles from the Australian Wrestling Federation said he couldn't wait to see the headlining Hogan vs Flair match.
"It'll be two of the greatest of the greats in the ring together," Coles said.
Guy, from Kingsgrove, agreed.
"I've been waiting 25 years for Hogan to come to Australia. I'm so happy to finally see him here."
The Hulkamania: Let the Battle Begin tour starts in Melbourne on November 21, before travelling to Perth, Brisbane and Sydney.
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