10 Fascinating WWE Facts About WrestleMania 35

7. Hulk Hogan's First WrestleMania Appearance Following His Controversial Return

Kofi Kingston title win
WWE

Hulk Hogan tarnished his legacy forever with the racist remarks he made back in 2007 that came to light in 2015.

WWE decided there was no place for him anywhere near the branding, removing him from all typical ambassadorial spots, whilst making the decision to take him out of the Hall Of Fame. This was the right call, but in a rarity for WWE also smart from an optics perspective. Sadly, only the latter proved to be of any pressing concern.

Hogan was set to worm his way back in, but WWE effectively soft-launched his return. The omni-gross Crown Jewel 2018 was the perfect place to hide an official comeback promo for 'The Hulkster', as was - for entirely different reasons - the January 7th 2019 edition of Raw following the passing of Mean Gene Okerlund.

Appearing unannounced at the start of WrestleMania 35, this was yet another way to try and sneak him back onto shows. The surprise nature of his arrival drew a pavlovian pop before the boos started creeping through. It was the first 'Show Of Shows' back, but the last one where this strategy worked - he was jeered during his promoted performances at WrestleMania 37 two years later.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett