Hulk Hogan's return to "WWE Raw" for its Netflix debut in January was billed as a nostalgic celebration — a hero’s welcome for one of the most iconic figures in the history of professional wrestling. However, instead of an expected roaring ovation, the crowd at Inglewood's Intuit Dome met Hogan that night with a torrent of well-deserved boos.
In an interview Monday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show," Hogan was asked about the crowd’s reaction to his return, and he seemed to deflect any responsibility for it. Hogan speculated that the boos were due to his previous role as the villainous "Hollywood Hogan," and even attempted to tie the boos to his support for U.S. President Donald Trump.
"They're still nipping at my heels," Hogan said, referring to his critics. "I can go out there and get booed in L.A. I was Hollywood Hogan with the black beard and doing the bad guy thing. Or The Rock can get booed in L.A. or John Cena gets booed in L.A., but when I get booed, there’s a whole different reaction, media-wise."
This response is telling in its avoidance of the real issue. The boos weren’t about Hogan’s "bad guy" persona or his political leanings at all. In fact, this wasn't the first time Hogan faced public backlash. He was heavily booed when introducing Titus O’Neil at WrestleMania 37 in 2021, signaling that many fans hadn’t forgotten his past remarks.
Both reactions were about something much more serious: The fact that Hogan has failed to properly address the deeply hurtful and racist remarks he made back in 2015.
In July 2015, a leaked recording from a 2007 sex tape revealed Hogan making intensely offensive remarks. In the tape, Hogan expressed disgust over the possibility of his daughter dating a Black man and infamously admitted, "I am a racist, to a point," all while repeatedly and freely using the N-word.
Hogan spoke to ABC News about the incident later that year. “No, I’m not. I’m not a racist," he said. "I never should have said what I said. It was wrong. I’m embarrassed by it. But a lot of people need to realize that you inherit things from your environment."
Despite that explanation, the incident resulted in Hogan’s firing from WWE and his removal from the Hall of Fame.
If, for some reason, you believe his use of the N-word was an isolated incident, a simple Google search will show you that Hogan's racist remarks span long before the 2015 leaked footage. In 2011, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T spoke on an interaction where Hogan used the N-word in front of him in response to a now-infamous Harlem Heat promo where Booker T mistakenly used the term after saying he was coming for Hogan.
“I thought I was going to be totally blackballed from that. And Hulk Hogan actually came to me and told me not to feel bad about it, but said, ‘You know what? I’m a good N-word,'” Booker T said.
This interview led to Hogan in 2012 questioning on a radio spot why Booker T could use the word and he could not. “Well, Booker T used to do that to me, and every time I pull up YouTube there’s that famous thing with Booker T and his brother is there and they’re all talking trash, and Booker T says, ‘I’m coming for ya Hogan, you n*****’ — and not ‘n***a,’ he goes ‘n*****,'” Hogan said.
While Hogan was eventually reinstated by WWE in 2018 after issuing an apology to the company's talent locker room, many wrestlers publicly criticized the apology as insincere. Mark Henry, Shelton Benjamin and Kofi Kingston were among those who voiced their discontent, with Benjamin recently tweeting:
Message to Hulk Hogan: You lost me forever with your “don’t get caught” …or as you would call it “apology” speech.
Beyond racial controversy, Hogan’s reputation as a self-serving figure in the locker room further clouds his legacy. As more wrestlers from his generation speak openly over the years about their experiences, many have accused him of refusing to put younger talent over, leveraging his backstage influence to stay on top, and prioritizing his own brand over the industry he claimed to love. These actions paint the picture of a man more interested in protecting his image than in supporting the wrestling community.
This week's appearance on "The Ariel Helwani Show" was yet another missed opportunity for meaningful self-reflection and growth. Instead of addressing the pain caused by his words, Hogan focused on superficial metrics, such as boasting about the "3.2 billion impressions" his WWE return garnered. He still seems to value publicity and numbers over a sincere reckoning with the gravity of his past mistakes.
Until Hogan takes full responsibility for his past actions and offers a heartfelt, unambiguous apology to the Black community, the boos and criticism will likely continue. His failure to confront the consequences of his words speaks volumes about his character — or rather, his lack of character. The time for Hogan to be held accountable is long overdue. Redemption, after all, is not a right — it’s earned. And in Hogan’s case, he has done nothing to deserve it.
source: sprots.yahoo.com
