Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has defeated his proclaimed childhood hero, world-famous wrestler Hulk Hogan, in a friendly arm-wrestling match.

In the event to help kick off the annual Fan Expo in Toronto, Mayor Ford beat Hogan after some initial struggle, slamming his arm down on the table set up in front of crowd of reporters.

“I own this town, man,” the mayor shouted triumphantly as Hogan hung his head in defeat.

With "Eye of the Tiger" playing in the background, Ford -- who had earlier ditched his jacket and tie and rolled up his shirt sleeves to face the towering Hogan -- lifted his arms in victory.

During the much-hyped match, Hogan directed plenty of trash talk at Ford, taunting the mayor as a “big man” and saying “Oh, that’s all you’ve got, huh?”

The wrestler even threatened to take Ford’s job.

“Not only am I gonna rip this arm off, I’m gonna take your job while I’m at it,” he shouted, as the mayor gripped the sides of the table for leverage.

After his defeat, Hogan good naturedly called Ford the “number one Hulkamaniac” – the name given to his legions of fans.

Later, the mayor thanked Hogan for attending the event and told reporters that the wrestling icon was like "wrestling a grizzly bear."

When asked what he thought about Hogan gunning for his job, Ford said he wasn't too worried. "That's alright, everybody else does too," he said.

Hogan is making an appearance at the pop culture fan convention where he is also scheduled to host a question-and-answer session later Friday evening.

The convention, which combines the worlds of science fiction, comics, gaming, anime and sports, is currently the third largest pop culture event in North America.

This year's Fan Expo runs through the weekend and will feature appearances from comic book writer Stan Lee, actress Carrie Fisher and hockey star Bobby Orr.

After the match, Coun. Doug Ford told CP24 that he and the mayor had grown up watching wrestling and were fans of Hogan.

The councillor said the convention is part of what makes Toronto the "most happening" city in North America and encouraged fans to stop by the Metro Convention Centre to meet their heroes.

Before their grapple, Ford told reporters he's admired the multiple world champion wrestler since he was just a "little guy."

Hogan, who’s the six-time World Wrestling Federation champion and six-time World Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship, had harsher words for the mayor, promising before their match to "rip his arm off."

In a video message the wrestler – who rose to fame in the World Wrestling Federation during the 80s and 90s -- called Ford his "roughest, toughest opponent of all time," and dared him to grab “the largest arm in the world.”

With files from Cp24