Recently reinstated WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard section for an article focusing on Kenny Omega.
During the interview, “The Hulkster” spoke at length about this year’s PWI Top 500 number one wrestler, giving his take on why Omega’s story won’t be “complete” if he doesn’t eventually make the transition to WWE.
“Would I love to see him go to the WWE? Yes,” said Hogan. “Would I love to see him be used correctly? Yes.”
The pro wrestling legend would go on to elaborate, talking specifically about how Omega could be the guy that Vince McMahon signs to take WWE to another level once again.
“If he ever got lost in the mix, it would be a sad, sad story,” said Hogan. “But if there is a chance to sign him, Vince McMahon could be the guy to take him to the next level. If you don’t touch on the WWE, your story is not complete.”
Hogan continued, “But rules are made to be broken, and Kenny is such a big star that he could be the one to change all that. Kenny is such a big star that he doesn’t need to sign in New York, but it would complete the story if he went and dominated and had a hell of a run in WWE.”
Check out the complete Hulk Hogan interview with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard section at SI.com.
Last fall, Hogan, and Beefcake were involved in a public spat. Beefcake mentioned he was writing a book and that it would be a “Tell All”. This message seemed to be directed at the Hulkster, or at least Hogan replied as if it was.
Working on my book which is fastly becoming a tell all! Hold onto your bandana Brother it's about to get real! #BTFBB#KARMA
“Got the bandanna glued on tight, get a good lawyer, brother..HH”
The two continued back and forth on Twitter for some time like this. It now appears, however, that the two have patched things back up again.
Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake – The Mega Maniacs
Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake formerly comprised the tag-team “the Mega-Maniacs”. They first teamed together at SummerSlam 1989 when they defeated the team of Randy Savage and Zeus.
Hogan and Beefcake would team up again 4 years later at WrestleMania IX. Later that night, Hogan would defeat Yokozuna for the WWF Championship in an impromptu match. They would align again in WCW and again in 1998 while both were members of nWo Hollywood.
Hulk Hogan’s recent reinstatement into the WWE Hall Of Fame has sparked a plethora of nostalgia among the wrestling community. Even a nWo reunion tour is in the works, more on that here.
Current Lucha Underground referee, Marty Elias, recalls a time during his WWE career where he called the match between Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Orton.
Getting News That He Would Call The Match
Elias stated in his article for The Sports Daily that the agent for the match was Sgt. Slaughter. Slaughter approached Elias and stated that he would call the match between the Legend Killer and Hulkamnia. Elias was speechless when he received the news and later found out that John Laurinaitis was the one who assigned him Hogan vs Orton due to the faith Laurinaitis had in Elias.
Booking The Finish
Once Orton learned that Elias was officiating, they both waited for Hogan in order to go over the game plan. Spots and choreography aside, the one issue that kept coming up was who was going over. Vince McMahon got involved and announced that Hogan was going over. With that detail out of the way, Elias recalls that Hogan demanded there be a sport where his foot would touch the bottom rope which eventually played into the finish.
Elias approached Hogan as the show started to make sure everything was still okay and then he went to see Orton. While speaking to The Viper, Elias was told, “Have fun, I know what you’re feeling! I remember seeing Hulk Hogan wrestle my dad (Cowboy Bob Orton) when I was young, and to be wrestling him today, is surreal, man!”
After originally teasing a reunion on August 16th in a video alongside Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, Hulk Hogan has officially announced via Twitter that the New World Order (nWo) will be reforming for what they have entitled the ‘Too Sweet’ Tour.
In the video, Hogan hypes up the reunion and directs fans to his website HulkHogan.com in order to purchase tickets.
When speaking about putting together a “plan” for the tour, Hogan decisively states that “bones and rules are made to be broken, Jack.”
He then goes on to announce a VIP system will be in effect.
Only those lucky enough to be one of the first 100 tickets will “get a ticket with the boys in the band” for an exclusive Q+A session with the original members of the nWo.
Hogan proclaims that it is “the first time the nWo has sat down in 22 years and hashed it out.”
There is a slight catch, however, for those 4-Lifers out there, already getting their funds in order.
According to Hogan’s announcement, those 100 VIP tickets will only be available to the highest bidders, with Hogan explaining that “the first 100-VIPs gotta bid your rear ends off.”
The original nWo line up – consisting of Hogan, Nash, and Hall – originally formed on July 7th, 1996 at WCW’s summer event, Bash At The Beach, where it was revealed that Hulk Hogan was the third man of the new faction.
This formation kickstarted a new era for WCW, with the antics and attitude of the nWo helping them to lead in the ratings war against the WWE (WWF at the time) for over 84 consecutive weeks.
Earlier this summer Hulk Hogan was reinstated into the WWE Hall Of Fame.
Several years ago Hogan was essentially black-listed from WWE history after some racist comments of his became public via a leaked sex tape. After years of apologies and rebuilding his reputation, Hogan is now back in the WWE fold.
Hogan apologized to the entire WWE roster backstage at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV). The roster’s response to Hogan’s apology was essentially split. WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair recently gave his thoughts on the matter.
Flair On Hogan’s HOF Reinstatement
“The Nature Boy” spoke to Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc. and admitted he’s “very happy” to see Hogan back with WWE:
“I’m very happy to see him back,” Flair said. “I don’t pretend to understand any of that. I’ve heard so many different sides of the story and all that.
“I think that anyone who portrays him as anything less than a good person that has done an excellent job, I mean he’s been through a lot — just think about it. His wife was terrible during the divorce and then there was the accident with [Hogan’s] son and then this.
“I mean, he’s had to go through a lot and the thing is great about Hulk is that he’s still the most expensive guy to get out there to sign autographs. He’s still Hulk Hogan, they can do whatever they want. If you want Hulk Hogan, you gotta have a big wallet, that’s the way it is.”
Flair explained how he’s glad there wasn’t the technology around in his day that there is today to catch him in some of his old antics:
“I mean Jesus Christ, we’re all sitting here wondering if [there’s] a spy camera now, you know?” Flair continued. “You never know, right? It’s a good thing they never put a camera in my room, Wendy would be a national hero. I couldn’t probably get work for her anywhere.
“I wonder how I’d react to social media in the 80’s wearing my robe up and down the airplane serving drinks. [I] would have probably ended up on the cover of Time.”
Discussion: What do you make of Flair’s comments? Sound off in the comments below!
Hulk Hogan was the first guest on Bill Apter’s new podcast, The Apter Chat. During the conversation, Hogan spoke about being reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame and the backstage reaction to his return.
After it was announced that WWE was welcoming Hogan back into the fold, the reaction from WWE’s locker room was mixed. Several performers, including The New Day and Titus O’Neil, issued statements that indicated they weren’t ready to forgive Hogan for his past racist remarks.
Hogan was backstage at WWE Extreme Rules and issued a formal apology to the locker room. Hogan does not understand why some wrestlers aren’t welcoming him back with open arms.
“A lot of people accepted my apology,” Hogan said. “And a lot of people heard what they wanted to hear and a lot of the narrative that came out of the meeting was on point. A lot of the narrative was really different. I was surprised to hear some people interpreted what I said that I was just sorry I got caught. I’m on camera, whatever they interpreted, but I never said that.”
It’s not hard to understand why certain people would not be ready to forgive Hogan yet, if ever. Hogan says those people simply “don’t understand the bond and brotherhood of wrestling.”
“Outside the ring, you’re supposed to protect your brother. In this case, it’s a situation where 75, 80, 90 percent of the wrestlers are protecting me and they’re giving me another chance to move forward. There’s just a few wrestlers that don’t understand the bond and the brotherhood of wrestling.”
Hogan said if someone makes a mistake, “you need to forgive them” – a point that is certainly up for debate. In response to New Day and Titus O’Neil issuing statements on social media about the situation, Hogan says if anybody has a problem with him, they should say it to his face.
“If anybody had any questions or anybody had anything to say at that time, I really just wanted them to say it to my face so I could address it,” Hogan said. “Hopefully understand the issue and get them to understand me.”
You can listen Hulk Hogan’s chat with Bill Apter over at Stitcher.com.
It looks like a possible NWO reunion actually could be coming in some capacity.
For the past few weeks Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan have been teasing bringing back the black and white to professional wrestling. Hogan confirmed on Twitter that the trio reunited to film some NWO material.
He posted the following teaser of himself, Nash and Hall in a black and white video spray painting a WCW World Title. Watch the video from “The Hulkster” here:
Perhaps this could go hand-and-hand with what Hogan was teasing earlier this month. While appearing at a National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland, Hogan teased a big announcement coming on his website:
“All the brothers out here with the nWo shirts on, something really special is going to be going down,” Hogan said.
“Just remember, the date, October 27. Go to HulkHogan.com, something very special is gonna happen October 27.”
When you visit Hogan’s website, the following message appears at the top with a countdown graphic to October 27th:
“Something big is coming and it’s going to be 2 sweet brother – Hollywood HH
Save the date, October 27th.”
Discussion: What do you think Hogan’s big announcement will be? Do you think it’s NWO related? Let us now your thoughts in the comments!
The latest episode of Eric Bischoff’s popular 83 Weeks podcast features a wild story involving Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan.
This week’s episode focuses on “Macho Man” Randy Savage’s 1995. Savage had joined WCW in December ’94 and the company was undergoing a dramatic transformation. WCW was signing former WWF talent left and right. Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Bobby Heenan, Gene Okerlund, Brutus Beefcake, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Big Bossman, Earthquake and others completely changed the face of the promotion. Hogan had a lot of allies to work with, which left WCW mainstays like “Stunning” Steve out in the cold.
Bischoff told co-host Conrad Thompson that towards the end of Austin’s run with the promotion, Austin pitched an idea that’s almost too ‘out there’ to believe.
At the time, Hogan was the most powerful force in WCW. Austin knew the only way to stay relevant was to get on board. While introducing the story, Bischoff joked “Steve, if you don’t remember this, I’m sorry.”
Bischoff said that Austin pulled him aside backstage at a TV taping to discuss his role. Seeing the writing on the wall, Austin said he wanted to work with Hogan. When Bischoff asked what he had in mind, Austin proposed, “We find out that I’m his long lost brother.”
Bischoff mentioned that Hogan and Austin had the same male pattern baldness at the time, so why not. Bischoff admits the idea sounds ridiculous, but thinks it could have been a phenomenal angle if they planned the whole thing out and made it compelling.
Bischoff made it clear that he gives Austin a lot of credit for the ‘elevator’ pitch. Even though it didn’t come to fruition, Austin wasn’t sitting around complaining. He took the initiative to improve his position with the company and came up with a creative way to advance himself.
“Steve Hogan” wasn’t meant to be, but you could say things turned out alright for Austin in the end. Bischoff ended the story by saying, “Steve, I’m f*cken sorry bro, I will buy the beer next time, I promise.”
You can listen to Eric Bischoff’s story about Steve Austin pitching the “Hogan’s Brother” angle around the 1-hour 36-minute mark below or at Stitcher.com:
Several years removed from being fired by the promotion, Hogan was reinstated earlier this year. Hogan had a sex tape leak out into the public which included some racist comments towards African Americans.
As a result, he was removed from their Hall Of Fame and essentially black-listed from WWE history. Earlier this year before the WWE’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV), Hogan was reinstated into the Hall Of Fame. He also apologized to the entire WWE roster.
Its been said by several stars that the locker room is split on the reception of Hogan’s apology. IMPACT Wrestling star Abyss was recently interviewed by Wrestling Epicenter.
During the interview, Abyss offered his thoughts on Hogan’s reinstatement into the WWE Hall Of Fame. Abyss, who has worked with Hogan before in TNA, said he’s “thrilled” for “The Hulkster”:
“I’m thrilled about it. I’m so happy for him. I know how much it means for him to be back in the Hall of Fame. I got to know him really, really well when Hulk was working for Impact Wrestling. We became close, we became friends.
“We still talk. A lot of the things that happened were unfortunate. A lot of the things that happened were not good. I think he was truly apologetic, I think he truly feels sorry about it.
“I think he’s taken his rightful place back in the WWE Hall of Fame and back in wrestling history, I think that means more to him than anything in the world.”
Hulk Hogan and Kaitlyn are both backstage for tonight’s SmackDown Live TV event in Orlando, FL at the Amway Center.
The former WWE Divas Champion is slated to return to the company at Wednesday’s Mae Young Classic TV tapings in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University and posted some photos with Big E.
Hogan, who was recently reinstated as a WWE Hall of Famer, was seen with WWE Performance Center recruit Nasser Alruwayeh, who posted a photo with the WWE Legend. It should be noted that both stars live in the area and are just visiting.
Last month, Hogan was backstage at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event where he held a backstage meeting with Superstars to talk to them about privacy as a celebrity and the incident that got him shunned from WWE for years.
Hogan was fired from WWE in the summer of 2015 after racially charged comments from a sex tape came to light. Gawker alleged that Hogan only filed a lawsuit against them to prevent the racial statements from being released.
Hogan’s WWE return has depended on the company being reasonably sure that bringing him back won’t cause a big backlash due to his racist comments.
What are your thoughts on WWE considering to bring Hogan back? Sound off in the comment section.
– Hulk Hogan is teasing a big announcement for October 27.
On Saturday, “The Hulkster” appeared at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland, Ohio and while firing up a large crowd of fans, the WWE Hall of Famer teased a big announcement.
“All the brothers out here with the nWo shirts on, something really special is going to be going down,” Hogan said.
“Just remember, the date, October 27. Go to HulkHogan.com, something very special is gonna happen October 27.”
On the front page of HulkHogan.com, there is a message from Hogan (or Hollywood Hulk Hogan) that reads:
“Something big is coming and it’s going to be 2 sweet brother – Hollywood HH
Save the date, October 27th.”
Hogan also addressed his reinstatement into the WWE Hall of Fame during his speech.
“There’s a lot of stuff going on. WWE put Hulk Hogan back in the Hall of Fame,” Hogan said to a rousing ovation.
“That means I get to go back and beat Vince McMahon up one more time.”
– WWE.com has added a profile on the newest member of NXT’s broadcast team, Sarah Schreiber.
Schreiber began working for WWE in April at WrestleMania Axxess and quickly became a fixture at NXT live events in Florida as she often serves as a ring announcer and host. She recently began appearing on NXT television in a role similar to Renee Young.
Rousey and Bayley’s banter is in reference to a simmering rivalry between WWE’s Four Horsewomen (Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Sasha Banks) and the Four Horsewomen of MMA (Rousey Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke). Both groups had a confrontation behind the scenes at the Mae Young Classic last year (sans Sasha, who was doing a media tour in Australia), but WWE didn’t follow up on it.
– On Saturday, it was exactly 21 years ago Lex Luger beat Hollywood Hogan on WCW Monday Nitro, making “The Total Package” the first WCW competitor to defeat the nWo’s leader for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
Earlier this month WWE reinstated Hulk Hogan back into their Hall Of Fame.
Hopgan had his contract with WWE terminated after a leaked sex tape revealed some racist comments from the former WWE Champion. WWE essentially black-listed Hogan from the company up until earlier this month.
WWE made the decision to reinstate Hogan into the HOF before the Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV). He was also backstage at the PPV and delivered an apology to the entire roster.
Yesterday RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss joined AM 790 The Ticketto promote Monday Night RAW in Miami. She offered her thoughts on Hogan being reinstated into the Hall Of Fame:
“I think it’s great. You know he has built such an empire for himself in WWE and is such an icon in WWE. And, you know, I feel like it’s great that he’s back in WWE family – because that’s what we are, we’re a family.
“Everyone loves everyone, we’re just this big dysfunctional family, so when someone leaves it’s obviously upsetting. But you know, time heals all and people are very happy when people come back and I think with such an icon I think it’s a good thing.”
Hulk Hogan had professional wrestling fans on the edge of their seats again last night.
Several hours before Monday Night RAW, Hogan was spotted in Miami, Florida. This is the same location that last night’s show from the AmericanAirlines Arena went down. Fans speculated that Hogan could be making his official TV return for WWE at the event.
As we all know now, Hogan did not appear on last night’s episode of RAW. So why was Hogan in Miami? It turns out “The Hulkster” was filming a music video with DJ Cedric Gervais.
Hogan had his contract with WWE terminated several years ago after some racist comments of his came to light when his sex tape leaked out online. WWE essentially black-listed Hogan from the company up until earlier this month.
Hogan was officially reinstated into the WWE Hall Of Fame shortly before the Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV). He was also was backstage at the PPV and delivered an apology to the entire WWE roster.
In regards to Hogan’s apology, the WWE locker room shares mixed feelings about it. In fact, some wrestlers have been very vocal on the issue lately. It should be interesting to see Hogan’s role with the WWE moving forward. Also, it should be interesting to see if Hogan is ever a part of a WWE TV event again.
There is some speculation regarding a big name potentially appearing on tonight’s episode of WWE RAW.
That big name is Hulk Hogan, whose saga with the company continues, as the latest development in his road to returning to WWE is the fact that on Monday morning (July 30, 2018), Pwinsider.com reported that Hogan and his wife have been spotted in Miami, FL, which is the site of tonight’s WWE RAW at the AmericanAirlines Arena. It should be noted that Hogan does live in Florida.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on if Hogan is in town for WWE obligations or personal reasons as it has been reported that Hogan is not under contract with the company.
If you recall, earlier this month, the company announced that Hogan had been reinstated as a Hall of Famer after being suspended for three years and then decided it was a good idea to fly him to the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event where he held a backstage meeting with Superstars to talk to them about privacy as a celebrity and the incident that got him shunned from WWE for years.
Hogan was fired from WWE in the summer of 2015 after racially charged comments from a sex tape came to light. Gawker alleged that Hogan only filed a lawsuit against them to prevent the racial statements from being released. Hogan’s WWE return has depended on the company being reasonably sure that bringing him back won’t cause a big backlash due to his racist comments.
What are your thoughts on Hogan potentially appearing on the show? Sound off in the comment section.
“The Big Guy” Ryan Reeves aka Ryback has made his opinion known of Hulk Hogan recent Hall of Fame reinstatement.
The Wrestling Community And Their Reaction
He has done all of the right things. That is not an easy thing to overcome — to deal with all of the scrutiny and criticism, and again, you can’t defend any of that by any means. It was a huge mistake on his part. I think if you take any of us in our private moments and private lives anyone can judge anyone at any given time, and granted that was as bad as it gets. There is nothing you can say to defend that, but all you can do is know that you are wrong and realizing your mistakes, and is now going out and helping other people make betterdecisions to not go that road, so that if somebody has a private conversation you just raise awareness to be a better human being. It was a horrible incident and I think him being back in WWE makes all of the sense in the world.
Reaction To The News
I listened to Mark Henry’s interview on TMZ; Mark is a very intelligent human being. Mark Henry loved and adored Hulk Hogan growing up, as did everyone, and I am sure he was deeply hurt by the situation, and just from the standpoint that it was one of his childhood heroes,” Ryback said. “But as stated, he is a human being, which people tend to forget about wrestling in general, but somebody of that magnitude he has created so many amazing moments in people’s lives, and kids’ lives that are now adults and what not that it is easy to forget when you put these people on pedestals up on higher levels but we forget that at the end of the day they are humans and they do everything as everyone else does, including making mistakes so I think it is a good thing that he is back. That doesn’t mean that everyone is going to forgive him, but all he can do is live a better life for his fans and for everyone that supports him
The news of Hogan’s WWE Hall of Fame reinduction is a popular topic among the African American wrestling community. Former WWE superstar Elijah Burke is the latest to announce his opinion on the matter.
Burke is among many in the African American Wrestling community to forgive Hulk Hogan. Mark Henry and Booker T are among the many African American wrestlers who generally seem to forgive Hogan, but controversy seems to hover over full-timer Titus O’Neil who has gone on record to say that Hogan’s apology wasn’t “genuine”. More on that here.
Titus O’Neil has released further comment in regards to Hulk Hogan’s apology to the WWE roster on Sunday. O’Neil had earlier expressed support for the statement released by the New Day but has now released further comment.
The reports and rumors concerning my boycotting “Extreme Rules” in Pittsburgh is false and inaccurate. I was not scheduled to attend or be a participant in the Extreme Rules match/production and was otherwise not booked for the show.
The talent present in Pittsburgh, which I was a part of, was asked to attend a mandatory meeting in which Mr. Terry Bollea addressed everyone and informed the same that he would be reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame. At no point during, after or otherwise, did I make any scene concerning Mr. Bollea’s communication to the talent. In addition, let it be known that I did not refuse to shake Mr. Bollea’s hand; we did not have any type of one-on-one interaction whatsoever that would or did necessitate any exchange between us individually.
As to the reinstatement of Mr. Bollea, I can only communicate that I am a proponent of second and even third chances for individuals that show true remorse, acknowledgment of wrongdoing, fulfill their punishment, if applicable, and otherwise put forth sincere efforts to correct the issues.
Unfortunately, I must echo the sentiment and dissatisfaction expressed by many of my fellow contemporaries concerning Mr. Bollea’s apology and its lack of true contrition, remorsefulness and a desire to change. Mr. Bollea’s apology “that he didn’t know he was being recorded” is not remorse for the hateful and violent utterances he made which reprise language that has caused violence against blacks and minorities for centuries.
I stand firm in my position that Mr. Bollea is entitled to reinstatement; he was and is a role model, hero and icon to countless people. I hope that Mr. Bollea’s missteps in communicating to the WWE talent in Pittsburgh are not repeated to his fans and I expect that he shall pursue an agenda that clearly communicates to all third parties that his language was inappropriate, wrong and should not be tolerated in a civilized and inclusive society.
As the father of two young Black men, I have spent their entire life and the majority of my adult life with a singular focus; being a role model for my children and young black boys and girls. I take tremendous pride in my charity work and the community outreach programs that I have fostered via the platform I have been given. I teach my sons love and tolerance for everybody, but I also teach them to operate in truth and respect.
I hope this clears up any confusion. I, like New Day, will continue to use my platform to positively affect, entertain, embrace, celebrate and love people from all backgrounds both inside and outside of the WWE Universe.
Titus O’Neil has released a statement in response to Hulk Hogan’s reinstatment into the WWE Hall of Fame. He is stating that he agrees in full with a statement released earlier by the New Day.
O’Neil has been the subject of several unconfirmed reports in recent days regarding the Hogan situation. He is denying those reports and is expressing support and agreement with the statement released by New Day earlier.
In FULL AGREEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EVERYTHING SAID IN THIS STATEMENT. MY additional response to this from to follow as there have been NUMEROUS ERRONEOUS reports on my Views and Response-to this situation. https://t.co/jCjtAusYW9
Mark Henry recently commented that the WWE locker room is split 50/50 on the issue.
“The first thing I thought was I’m hoping he is able to address everybody and voice some concerns. He made an announcement. He apologized. He’s done a lot of stuff with the Boys And Girls Club,” Henry said. “But I didn’t want to lose track of the fact that there’s more work to be done and I think that’s going to happen.”
Booker T is one wrestler who has had Hogan’s back for some time now. He credits Hogan with helping his career when both were in WCW.
“I talk about Hulk Hogan being in my corner, back in the day and a lot of the boys they may look at me and say, ‘Why is Booker T talking to [Hogan]?’ Booker said on his podcast back in May.
“Back in the day, Sister Sherri was an intricate detail to Harlem Heat, and our success, and it was all because of Hulk Hogan. Saying ‘Hey man, those are the guys you need to put your money behind.’”
“Everybody deserves a second chance,” Booker T told TMZ Sports. “It’s what life is all about.”
WWE personality James Ellsworth appeared on The Wrestling Perspective Podcast this week and revealed new information about Hulk Hogan’s backstage speech to the WWE roster before Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
According to Ellsworth, Triple H began the talent meeting by telling the roster that Hogan has been reinstated and warning everyone about the dangers of social media. He explained that when you’re a WWE Superstar, you need to be very careful about your conduct because everyone has a camera on them these days and a gaffe can spread around the world within minutes .
Hulk Hogan then delivered his speech and apologized for his racist comments. Hogan said that he did not know he was being recorded when he said vile, inexcusable things about black people (on multiple occasions), which is just mind-boggling on many levels.
The talent meeting ended with Mark Henry offering support to Hogan.
Ellsworth said most of the WWE Superstars appeared to be accepting of Hogan’s apology. He feels that Hogan is sincere in his apology and regrets saying things like “f*** n****rs” and “I’d rather if [my daughter Brooke] was going to f*** some n****r, I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall n****r worth a hundred million dollars. Like a basketball player.”
You can listen to James Ellsworth appearance on the Wrestling Perspective Podcast here:
The members of New Day have released a statement regarding Hulk Hogan’s reinstatement into the WWE Universe. The statement was released through Kofi Kingston’s Twitter account early this morning.
“To the WWE Universe and whoever else it may concern:
This will be the only statement we will make regarding Hogan’s reinstatement into WWE’s Hall of Fame. We do not wish to spend energy debating the point because between our kids, our external ventures, and this job, out energy is spread thin enough already, lol.
We are only writing this simply to provide an answer to the many who have bombarded us with questions on where we stand on the issue.
We preface this statement by emphasizing that this is our own opinion and may not necessarily reflect the opinion of anyone else affected.
How do we feel? Indifferent. We are not happy, or sad, or resentful. Who WWE puts into the HOF is totally and completely up to the company and from a career standpoint, there is no argument on whether or not Hogan should have his place. We have no problem with his re-induction in the slightest degree. It is impossible to even begin to mention the history and evolution of the business without mentioning his name and accolades.
On a personal level, when someone makes racist and hateful comments about any race or group of people, especially to the degree that Hogan made about our people, we find difficult to simply forget, regardless of how long ago it was, or the situation in which those comments were made. But we also do not respond with more feelings of hate. Instead, we just do not associate with the people who convey or have conveyed this negative and hurtful mindset. This instance will be no different. Perhaps if we see him make a genuine effort to change, then maybe our opinion will change with him. Time will tell.
Through the course of our lives, people have used racist comments towards us and it doesn’t feel good. But if we stopped moving forward every time we were met with prejudicial hatred, then we would have never achieved our current accomplishments.
We know we are worth it, we know our kids are worth it, and most importantly, we know that people that look like us are worth it and always have been. There isn’t a person on this planet who will ever be able to say anything to make us think otherwise because we believe in ourselves as a people and don’t need anyone’s approval on that, regardless of who they are.
Having said that, his reinstatement won’t change anything for us. It will have zero effect on our ability to perform or the level of effort we will put into doing what we love to do, and that is: To deliver an entertaining product each week for our fan base.
Yesterday, it was reported that Hulk Hogan’s apology to the WWE roster was filmed for an upcoming WWE Network special. The news was first reported by Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
A WWE representative has denied that the segment was taped for a special to eventually air on the WWE Network.
Hulk Hogan Reinstated
Earlier this year, Mark Henry stated he didn’t feel Hogan was ready for a return to WWE. Henry said he felt Hogan needed to complete more community work but did not rule out giving the legendary wrestler a second chance.
“There is going to have to be more community service and outside work, support for programs and even create a program that deals with diversity in the workplace,” Henry said on Busted Open radio. “There is going to have to be more community service and outside work, support for programs and even create a program that deals with diversity in the workplace”.
Henry also spoke on how he sits on a delegation of African American wrestlers. “The delegation is pretty much all of the established African American wrestlers in the country and in the world, for that matter. Every promotion,” Henry said. “There is not a wrestling promotion that does not house someone from the delegation”.
Henry appeared on TMZ Sports earlier this week and said he’s been meeting with Hogan and believes he is genuine.
“He [Hogan] made an announcement, he apologized, he’s done a lot of stuff with the Boys and Girls Club. But I didn’t want to lose track of the fact that there’s more work to be done,” Henry stated.
Hulk Hogan was officially reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame over the weekend.
Hulk Hogan has been reinstated into the WWE Hall Of Fame.
Last night (Sun. July 15, 2018) Hogan was backstage at the WWE’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV). He issued out an apology to the entire WWE roster about his racially insensitive comments from several years ago that got him released from his WWE deal and the Hall Of Fame.
According to TMZ Live, WWE Hall Of Famer Mark Henry has been speaking to Hogan regularly in the lead-up to his WWE reinstatement. Henry said that he believes Hogan is being genuine in his remorse for his comments, but noted the locker room is split 50/50 on Hogan.
Allegedly some Superstars don’t believe Hogan’s apology is genuine and think he only did it because he wants to collect a paycheck. No names were given as to what Superstars do and don’t believe Hogan’s apology. It should be interesting to see if and when Hogan returns to WWE TV.
“I do feel like he genuinely wants to clear his name. He sees people that used to respect him, they look at him different. And it hurts. And he brought that on himself. But, he’s trying his best to clear that up,” Henry said.
“It’s 50-50. I’ve talked to guys that were like, ‘Man, the hell with him,'” Henry said of other black WWE wrestlers. “And I had guys that were like, ‘You know what, man, if you’re willing to make a change and try to help out and go and speak up and be a part of the answer rather than a part of the problem, then it’s all good.'”
You can watch Mark Henry’s comments about Hulk Hogan’s return to WWE here, courtesy of TMZ Sports:
One of the biggest news pieces over the weekend is the reinstatement of Hulk Hogan into the WWE Hall Of Fame.
Hogan was released from his WWE deal and from their Hall Of Fame back in 2015 when some racially insensitive comments were made by “The Hulkster” in a leaked sex tape. Last night (Sun. July 15, 2018) it was reported Hogan was backstage for WWE’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV) to apologize to the entire WWE roster. He was also reinstated into the WWE Hall Of Fame.
Fellow WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler was recently interviewed on The Roman Show during the annual Florida Supercon. He believes the entire situation was blows out of proportion:
“I am not shocked at all. I was shocked while he wasn’t in the WWE Hall of Fame. I think the whole thing was blown out of proportion. I’ve known Hogan his entire career and for the claims of him being a racist, there was never not one ounce truth to that at all. Like I said, I’ve known the guy my whole life and he is a really good guy and I felt it was an overreaction. I think we go overboard being politically correct.
“I am happy he is back. I am hoping they (WWE) renew a working relationship. Let’s face it, without a doubt he is the most popular WWE Superstar of all time. It’s only right he should still be in the Hall of Fame and working in the WWE.”
Wrestling legend is officially back in the fold with WWE. Word broke on Sunday afternoon that Hogan was reinstated into the WWE Hall Of Fame. It later came out that Hogan was backstage at Extreme Rules and addressed the WWE locker room about his past indiscretions and his return to the company after a 3-year hiatus.
Just met with the @WWE Superstars and on all levels the volume of love and support was overwhelming. I’ve been praying for this day and I finally feel like I made it back home. Only Love 4 the #WWEUNIVERSE brother HH
According to a report by PWInsider, the entire WWE roster was told to be on hand for Extreme Rules for an important meeting. That meeting turned out to be Hogan’s apology.
For those wondering, Hogan left mid-way through the pay-per-view and at no time were there plans for him to appear on television.
We’ll keep you updated in regards to when Hogan could make his return to WWE TV.