Hulk Hogan’s disastrous return at last month’s Raw on Netflix debut has been much-discussed by fans.
The Hall of Famer made an appearance in Los Angeles as he attempted to hype up the start of a new WWE era while also plugging his Real American Beer.
However, Hogan went viral for all the wrong reasons, and was booed out of the building.
Theories as to quite why wrestling fans have turned so bitterly against their former hero vary.
Some believe it to be political — he campaigned heavily for Donald Trump in the lead up to the 2024 US Presidential Election — before playing to the crowd in California.
Others suggest fans have less time for Hogan owing to the controversy stemming from his alleged historic use of a racial slur, and the subsequent belief by some wrestling stars stars that he’s failed to adequately apologize for it.
The reaction to his Raw on Netflix appearance forced WWE officials to re-think how they may use Hogan going forward, and he was notably absent from the Saturday Night’s Main Event show he’d been expected to feature on last month.
Speaking this week, Seth Rollins shared his thoughts on Hogan’s awkward return, and suggested that he ‘loved to see’ the fans make their feelings clear.
“I am all for people getting what they deserve, that’s how I feel about Hulk Hogan getting booed,” Rollins told Good Morning Football on Super Bowl week.
“If you are getting booed by the masses, there is a reason for it. I don’t know if Hulk fully understands the scope but people get what they deserve. So I’m happy to see it, I love to see it.
“Look, I’ve said this before about the Hulkster, he’s the guy that got me into this industry as far as love for professional wrestling. So I’ll never take that away from him.
“What he’s done for our business, I’ll never take that away from him.
“But I do think there’s some responsibility that he needs to own up to that he hasn’t yet. Maybe when he finally figures that out, he might be able to move forward with our fans. So we’ll see.”
Rollins isn’t the only WWE star who has recently commented on Hogan’s negative return.
The Undertaker, who also supported Trump ahead of the 2024 election, simply noted that ‘sometimes in life, things come back’.
“When I saw him, he was no-selling (the boos) and pushing his beer. I wasn’t backstage when he came,” Undertaker said earlier this month.
Then, when asked if he felt bad for Hogan, he replied: “No… I got feelings. I got feelings for people. But sometimes in life, things come back.”
It seems the Hulkster will be getting very little sympathy from other stars in the industry when it comes to being booed by fans.
But what WWE choose to do with Hogan moving forward will certainly be interesting, especially with WrestleMania on the horizon.
