Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister: Hulk Hogan Speaks out on ‘No Holds Barred’ Co-Star’s Death

Actor Tommy “Tiny” Lister passed away on Thursday at the age of 62. His family confirmed the news on social media and prompted several tributes from prominent figures, including Hulk Hogan. The professional wrestler mourned his former No Holds Barred co-star with a post on Instagram.

Hogan posted a photo that showed him standing face-to-face with Lister. “Yo Zeus RIP my big brother, it’s taken a couple of days for me to regroup,love U4LifeHH,” Hogan wrote in the caption of his Instagram post. His tribute sparked several responses from social media users, including many that reminisced about the film. Several people said that loved No Holds Barred and still enjoy it to this day.

This image in Hogan’s post was from the 1989 film that prominently featured the two men. Hogan starred as Rip, a wrestler who must enter the ring against Lister, who starred as Zeus. A TV network executive Kurt Fuller (Supernatural) organized the entire event as a “racial match.”

While many people on social media called No Holds Barred one of their favorite childhood films, the critics did not feel the same way. The film holds a 10% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Gene Siskel, in particular, said that “The film is utterly lacking in the campy quality of the World Wrestling Federation telecasts” in his review.

This film, which the World Wrestling Federation financed, paved the way for Lister’s journey to professional wrestling stardom. He joined the brand as his character from the film, Zeus, and became a heel. He also called for a rematch against Hogan in the ring after losing to him in the film.

In order to make this rivalry “real,” Lister partnered with Randy “Macho Man” Savage while Hogan joined forces with Brutus Beefcake. The two tag teams faced off during the 1989 SummerSlam event. However, Lister was unable to achieve victory after being pinned by Hogan.

Lister faced off with Hogan two more times during his WWF career. He joined forces with Ted DiBiase and The Powers of Pain heading into the Survivor Series but ultimately lost to the Hulkamaniacs (Hogan, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Demolition). The rivalry continued — and ultimately ended — during a steel cage match in December 1989. This No Holds Barred pay-per-view event pitted Hogan and Beefcake against Savage and Lister once again with the Hulkster reigning victorious and ending the actor’s career.