Hulk Hogan Exclusive: They 'Picked the Wrong Guy,' Former Wrestler Says of Gawker Victory

— -- Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan said Gawker Media “picked the wrong guy” when it posted to its website a video of his having sex with his former best friend’s wife, adding that he sued for invasion of privacy because he was determined to hold the company accountable for misusing its power.

“I told my wife, I said, ‘If I had to get my situation where I had to sell everything and borrow money and do whatever, I will not stop. They actually picked the wrong guy,’” Hogan said in an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Linzie Janis that aired today on “Good Morning America.” “I don't know how to tell you, I took it real personal.”

He added: “[Gawker] was hoping that, financially, I wouldn't be able to stay in the game with them, and I'd quit or tap out or something,” the wrestler said. “I felt like I had this monster on my shoulders no matter where I went.”

Hogan prevailed, winning a whopping $115 million in compensatory damages plus an added $25.1 million in punitive damages, for a total of $140.1 million. Gawker has said it is appealing.

Hogan -- whose real name is Terry Bollea -- revealed that when the ruling was announced in his favor he was so overwhelmed with emotion that he didn’t hear that he had been awarded more than the $100 million he had sought.

“I went upstairs with my whole crew. And everybody was excited. And I heard somebody say something about, ‘the number was unbelievable.’ And I said, ‘Well, what was the number?’” he recalled. “I didn't hear the number. I was so overwhelmed that people actually believed me, it just -- it was like white noise at that point. I didn't hear anything else.”

'I Knew What We Were Doing Was Right'
The sex taping occurred in 2007, when Hogan says he was separated from his now ex-wife Linda. It was published on Gawker in 2012.

Both he and Heather Cole, the woman in the tape, said they did not know they were being filmed at the time. Cole also testified that she didn't know who leaked the video to Gawker.

Hogan, 62, said he started to cry during the reading of the verdict because he was overwhelmed that people believed him.

He called the trial a test of his faith but said he remained committed to the course, despite feeling “numb” in court.

“I knew we were doing what was right ... And if we would have lost, it would have been good, because everybody would have known what Gawker was all about. Because I exposed them. I exposed them a million times over, and what they do, and then how they, you know, treat people, and how they look at the world. Which, to me, is very, very scary,” he said.

'I Would Never Watch the Tape'
Gawker's lawyer, Michael Berry, alleged in court that Hogan filed his lawsuit in an effort to get “lots and lots of money," adding that Denton wanted “the public to have the simple, unvarnished truth … about public figures.”

Hogan said the suit was not about money. He said his "whole world went upside down" when the tape was released.

Janis mentioned that Hogan had talked about the tape publicly and asked how embarrassed he could have been if he could do that. Hogan acknowledged that he did talk about the tape publicly, including on “The Howard Stern Show,” but noted that sex was a frequent topic on “shock jock shows like that.”