Here's a classic shot of The Hulk and I following my acceptance of the "Real Amercian" Award at the inaugural Slammy's in 1987, which was broadcast on CBS.  Although the award itself didn't mean a lot to me at the time, the fact that I was allowed to have a small retirement ceremony did.

The truth is that, for a number of reasons, retirement ceremonies are a rarity in the wrestling business.  I'm one of the few who has been lucky enough to receive such an honor, and (to my knowledge) the only wrestler to have his retirement ceremony broadcast on national network television.  Unfortunately, I parted ways with the WWF (for the last time) less than a year after this photo was taken.   Shortly thereafter, my friendship with Terry Bollea took a drastic turn for the worse.  For the record,  I no longer bear any animosity whatsoever towards my old friend and protégé, and wish him and his family nothing but the best.