Hulk Hogan BOOED As WWE Raw Return Backfires

WWE Raw crowd soundly rejects Hulk Hogan in Netflix premiere FLOP.

by Andy H Murray
Hulk Hogan Jimmy Hart
WWE

Hulk Hogan was booed heavily during WWE Raw's Netflix premiere last night, despite pandering to the Los Angeles crowd.

Hogan appeared towards the show's end with his legendary manager, Jimmy Hart. The Intuit Dome did not receive the Hall of Famer positively, showering Hogan with jeers from the moment he walked down the aisle. Only announcer Pat McAfee appeared excited to see the 71-year-old, who appeared taken aback by the first big round of boos after 'Real American' stopped playing.

"The greatest part of my life was being part of this great WWE, guys," said Hogan, drawing rejection. When he attempted to alleviate the situation by calling the fans his greatest team partner ever - and thanked them for always sticking with him - it got even worse.

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Hulk promoted his Real American Beer brand on the day WWE had announced a long-term sponsorship agreement with the beverage. To close, he put the WWE/Netflix partnership over, tearing off his Real American Beer tank top to reveal a 'Netflix Gets Raw' shirt below.

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This is not the first time WWE audiences have rejected a Hogan appearance. At WrestleMania 35, there were smatterings of jeers as Alexa Bliss introduced him. Then, at WrestleMania 37, Hogan was booed again despite standing next to perhaps the most well-liked man in WWE, Titus O'Neil.

Clearly, a large portion of WWE's fanbase is done with the Golden Era icon.

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Hogan, of course, used racist language in a 2007 sex tape released in 2015. Although WWE severed ties with him in the aftermath, they brought him back three years later.

After being removed from the WWE Hall of Fame, Hogan told PEOPLE:

“Eight years ago I used offensive language during a conversation. It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it. This is not who I am. I believe very strongly that every person in the world is important and should not be treated differently based on race, gender, orientation, religious beliefs or otherwise. I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs.”

One could be forgiven for questioning if Hulk actually learned anything from the situation, however:

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.