On what was a momentous day for WWE, it only made sense for arguably its biggest star ever to appear. It was Jan. 6, the Netflix debut of Raw, and inside of the Intuit Dome, “Real American” hit the speakers.
For nearly 40 years, the song and emergence of Hulk Hogan generated one of the biggest pops in wrestling, getting everybody in the crowd on their feet and rocking.
On this day, people were on their feet, but it was far from a warm welcome. It was booing, drowning out everything coming from the WWE Hall of Famer’s mouth. He thanked the fans for supporting him his entire career. It didn’t change the negative reception.
That wound up being Hogan’s final WWE appearance before his death on July 24. Should it have ended like that? No. But can you blame them? No.
There isn’t a way to measure what Hogan meant to wrestling. It might not be a worldwide phenomenon if it wasn’t for him. He was a real-life Captain America, a larger-than-life inspiration and role model for the youth that if they ate their vegetables, took their vitamins and did the right thing, they too could be a superstar like him. He transcended the wrestling ring and paved the way for people like Dwayne Johnson and John Cena to find careers outside of the business.
If there was a Mount Rushmore of wrestlers — just on their contributions to the business — there’s no doubt Hogan would be there.
But that’s the thing; Hogan’s career can’t be viewed as just what he contributed to wrestling. It has to include the things that tainted his legacy, largely because of himself.
It’s no secret steroid use was rampant in the early days of WWE. But for years, Hogan denied using performance enhancements. How could the perfect role model cheat his way to the top?
The mystique all came crashing down in 1994, when Hogan testified in United States v. McMahon, under immunity, he did take steroids. His admission came as he saved WWE founder Vince McMahon from prosecution.
It should’ve been known it was the start of decades of countless lies and fabrications. For as big as Hogan was, his ego might’ve been larger. He was constantly feeding lies, trying to make himself look like the greatest thing to walk this planet. Whether it was saying Metallica wanted him as a bassist or MLB teams scouted him, Hogan wasn’t afraid to lie.
It even came at the expense of other wrestlers. He claimed The Undertaker hurt him at Survivor Series 1991, and the eventual WWE Hall of Famer wasn’t fired only because video evidence saved him.
Those lies within wrestling also came with him flexing the power he gained. Do you remember seeing Hogan lose? It was as rare as him telling the truth. He buried so much talent for his own personal gain, whether it was in WWE or WCW. So many stars left in the clutches of a man that couldn’t envision anyone else being bigger than him.
If it happened, there was a bus for Hogan to throw them under. It was so common, there’s a meme in the wrestling community when a veteran wrestler beats younger talent, their name becomes (first name) Hogan. What a way to stay relevant.
However, there’s no greater negative impact Hogan had on wrestling than stopping the unionization of it. All Jesse Ventura’s vision needed was Hogan’s support. Instead, Hogan told McMahon of the plans, putting an end to wrestler’s rights and leaving McMahon in the control of WWE.
All that, and we haven’t even touched what’s happened outside of wrestling.
What happened in 2015 ended any chance of Hogan being remembered in a positive light. The extremely racist rant — all done in a sex tape, mind you — showed not just who Terry Bollea was, but who Hogan is. He admitted in the clip he was racist.
A real American, fighting for the rights of every man? Let me tell you something brother, that’s far from the truth — but that’s just on par for Hogan.
With a legacy so tarnished, it made sense Hogan decided to go full-send on becoming a mascot for President Donald Trump during the 2024 election. And just in case we forgot about his views, he made sure to openly question former Vice President Kamala Harris’ race and joke about wanting to body slam her, making sure we all knew exactly who he was up until the end.
For those that used to be wrestling fans and remember watching Hogan be remarkable, the news of his death was likely a sad one. Spending time watching old clips, overcoming heels, reminiscing on how cool he was to watch and how ingrained he was in their childhood.
But for those still following wrestling know it’s a complex day that can’t just celebrate and honor Hogan. His final WWE appearance is proof he damaged his reputation so much, it was impossible for him to be known as “the immortal” Hulk Hogan again.
While the chorus of boos rained in the arena and Hogan looking at the crowd for what ended up being the last time, commentator Michael Cole said something undoubtedly true.
“If it wasn’t for Hulk Hogan, we would not be here tonight,” he said.
It’s a shame it can’t be his full lasting legacy.
“Hulkamania” indeed ran wild, and that might have just been the problem.
