On the occasion of his big return to WWE for the premiere of the flagship show Raw on Netflix, the legendary Hulk Hogan did not at all receive the heroic welcome that is usually reserved for him.
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Unquestionably one of the most famous wrestlers of all time, the one who launched the WWE (WWF at the time) into another stratosphere of popularity in the 1980s, made an appearance in front of the crowd at the Intuit Dome, in Inglewood, in the Los Angeles area.
It was under a shower of boos that the “Hulkster” was greeted by a merciless audience.
Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, was accompanied by former manager Jimmy Hart. The 71-year-old ex-wrestler is in partnership with WWE to promote its beer “Real American Beer”.
A speech that does not resonate
Hogan tried to seduce the crowd by talking about his career, but nothing worked.
“You, the fans, have always been my greatest teammate because you have stood behind me through everything,” he said, to boos rather than applause.
“You know, I have a new partner now that I’m teaming up with, Real American Beer. But the greatest partner WWE has ever had is the fact that tonight we are making history with Netflix, the best partner ever,” he added.
Unforgiven acts
It must be said that in 2015, Hogan tarnished his legacy in the eyes of many when a video dating from 2007 emerged, in which he is heard using the “n” word.
WWE even removed him from the Hall of Fame, only to reinsert him in 2018. The public seemed to have since thrown in the towel on the incident.
Perhaps the crowd in Los Angeles, in the heart of staunchly Democratic California, didn’t appreciate the wrestling icon’s association with Republican President Donald Trump.
Last summer, at the party’s Republican convention, Hogan introduced Trump.
“Let Trump-A-Mania take flight!” he chanted.
He repeated the experience in October during the rally in New York, at Madison Square Garden.
In January last year, WWE announced that Netflix had obtained the rights to broadcast various programs like Raw and Smackdown, for the tidy sum of 5 billion, for 10 years. Monday evening marked the official start of this agreement.
