Site icon Sports of the Day

Hogan’s comeback turns into a tragedy

Lesley Summerville

WWE legend Hulk Hogan is booed by fans during a comeback appearance. The former idol is now despised by many.

It was supposed to be a nostalgic reunion – but what happened was a bitter tragedy.

As had already been leaked, former WWE idol Hulk Hogan (alongside other legends such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the Undertaker) made an unannounced guest appearance at the historic US premiere of the TV show Monday Night RAW on Netflix. However, the former childhood hero of tens of millions of fans around the world received an unfriendly welcome and was loudly booed by many fans in Los Angeles. The legend cut an additional sorry figure as he tried to respond.

Racism scandal weighs on Hulk Hogan’s reputation

As a reminder, the reputation of the man whose popularity made WWE a global brand in the 1980s has been severely damaged in recent years by the momentous racism revelations from 2015.

At the time, a secretly recorded video in which Hogan racially insulted the then-boyfriend of his daughter Brooke was released to the public as part of Hogan’s legal battle with the portal Gawker. The now 71-year-old was fired by WWE at the time and has since been removed from the league’s Hall of Fame.

Three years later, WWE “pardoned” Hogan and revised the Hall of Fame ban, which was subsequently reclassified as a “suspension”. Hogan has apologized many times for his outbursts, but critics accuse him of having been superficial in his insight and of relativizing his apology with inappropriate comparisons – such as pointing out that former US President Barack Obama had also used the N-word (admittedly to criticize experiences of racism and not as an insult).

From hero to tragic figure

That many fans have not forgiven Hogan was already apparent in 2021, when he made an appearance at the WrestleMania megashow in his adopted home of Tampa and was also met with a lot of negative reaction there.

Just a few months ago, Hogan once again polarized with his bizarre campaign speech for US President-elect Donald Trump. The fact that the Californian metropolis of Los Angeles is the opposite of a Trump Republican stronghold probably did not make Hogan’s appearance there any easier either.

Hogan, accompanied by his old manager Jimmy Hart, ended up making things worse by flattering the fans in attendance and thanking them for being “your favorite tag team partner” and “always sticking with me through thick and thin.” The fact that he helplessly misjudged reality in the midst of the boos made Hogan look even more like a tragic figure.

Bad start for new partnership

On Monday evening, it became clear that many WWE fans today despise what was once by far the greatest star in world wrestling: Negative and mocking comments about Hogan’s appearance were shared thousands of times on social media – including on X, which is controlled by Trump’s political ally Elon Musk.

Hogan’s appearance also brought bad press for WWE, for example on the major US entertainment portal Variety: The boos for Hogan that night overshadowed the coverage of the big RAW Netflix premiere. “Hulk Hogan was one of the most iconic figures in WWE’s 72-year history,” the report noted: But now he has ‘become an outcast in the WWE community’.

One of the reasons Hogan returned to WWE on Monday was because he has entered into a new business partnership with the league: a beer brand co-founded and marketed by Hogan is becoming a sponsor of WWE, which in return acquired shares in the company.

Hogan’s promotional appearance was not a good start for the connection.

Exit mobile version