Shawn Michaels Replacing Hulk Hogan On WWE's Australia Tour
HBK is now going Down Under as WWE continues to scrub Hogan from WWE.
WWE has announced that WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels will replace Hulk Hogan during next month's tour of Australia. The Hulkster was set to act as General Manager for three live events, however, WWE terminated his contract on Friday in light of his 2006 racist tirade being made public. The company roll into Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney between the 6th and 8th of August. With WWE's domestic business and live event attendance declining, international tours are becoming increasingly important revenue streams. Hogan was featured heavily in the promotion for the Australia tour, with his appearance being pushed as a main selling point. The Sydney Morning Herald are reporting that many fans are outraged and are calling for refunds on tickets. Some fans reportedly paid up to $350 for premium tickets, whilst others dropped $995 on meet-and-greet VIP packages. The tour is a sellout, and many disgruntled fans are taking to social media to remind WWE that Hogan was the reason they paid for a ticket. Hogan has responded on Twitter, replying to a downtrodden fan who was attending the Melbourne event, saying:
I'm so sorry Australia I will miss u and really wanted to be there 4 u as the WWE general manager,I will be back soon,only loveHHHulk did wrestled on the Hulkamania: Let The Battle Begin four date Australia tour in late November 2009, defeating Ric Flair in headline matches. Despite being the first time Hogan had performed in Australia, the shows drew poorly, attracting crowds of around 5,000 fans. Hogan was paid $250,000 per match. By drafting in Michaels, WWE are trying to make the best of a bad situation.