In 1996, he ushered in a new world order in wrestling. Nearly 30 years later, fans saw Hulk Hogan booed out of the building during his Netflix debut. This historic WWE Monday Night Raw has been widely touted as the “Netflix era,” with the promotion’s flagship programming now being exclusive to the streaming giant and available at any time to a staggering amount of fans, new and old.
What it really is, and was destined to be from the moment the deal was announced, is another new world order in wrestling. Like the last one, some of the most revered relics of the past will fade into obscurity. This includes the architect of the first and once lovingly deemed immortal, Hulk Hogan.
Hulk Hogan as The Light Beer Salesman
This episode of Raw was a massive commercial for the concept of wrestling and, of course, for Netflix. Stars under Netflix contracts were in attendance. Some of them, like Richard Gadd, seemed to be there only due to his contract.
WWE brought out lots of old stars to really sell the show. John Cena started his retirement tour by declaring for the Royal Rumble.
The Undertaker gave the new Women’s Champion, Rhea Ripley, his endorsement. Only two of WWE’s icons, The Rock and Hulk Hogan, didn’t appear in support of a current star or story. The Rock did his actual job.
Hogan tried to sell his new “Real American Beer” after it became an official sponsor of WWE. That is the segment where Hulk Hogan was booed.
BIG NEWS, BROTHER! We’re officially part of the WWE family. For the first time, WWE Raw will go global on Netflix, and Real American Beer will be right there for every leg drop, body slam, and high-flying moment. Stay tuned for more on this epic partnership! @WWE @netflix… pic.twitter.com/XhxO4w3Emo
— Real American Beer (@realamerbeer) January 6, 2025
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a famous pro wrestler. He is also a member of the TKO Board of Directors and just received even more stock in the TKO Holdings Group, which is now worth a total of $41 million.
This is to say that he is the most public face of the company, even in the character role of the evil boss on television. His promo did create some potential issues for future programming, but spokespeople have to speak to investors.
Hulk Hogan did not need to talk to a live audience about his beer. It added nothing to the show but a 2-minute bathroom break and an admittedly catchy entrance theme. Social Media and commercials would have been more than enough to sell his fans on the partnership and his beer without the need to cut into WWE programming.
Why Might Hulk Hogan Get That Reaction?
The story is live on several sites, even those with limited wrestling coverage. Many of those stories point to Hogan’s strong endorsement and eventual campaign surrogacy of WWE Hall of Famer and President-elect Donald Trump in the 2024 elections.
It isn’t a bad thought, either. Picking a side politically is a recipe for about half of a room to hate you. Especially if the room is representative of the country at large in any way. Raw is also not the first time the ageing Hogan has appeared on WWE shows.
While his days of commanding massive applause are gone, the booing has never been this loud, and some cheers are usually audible if he isn’t met with silence. This includes an embarrassing number of appearances after making racial remarks on two occasions, including in a leaked sex tape.
While it seems like the political element is the only one to have changed, it doesn’t explain the reaction. The Undertaker was not booed and endorsed the same candidate in the same election, even hosting him on the Six Feet Under podcast.
WWE’s Head of Creative, Triple H, has a mother-in-law who will likely be a United States Cabinet Secretary.
The founder of WWE is also a political donor, in addition to being under investigation and enhanced scrutiny for harassing and assaulting a subordinate while fostering an unsafe work environment. The reason Hogan specifically isn’t welcome back today is less about what he has done and more about how he has done it.
Fans of Hulk Hogan Booed Him Too
In this writer’s opinion, using Hogan’s real name, Terry Bollea is a misnomer. Bollea ruined one of the greatest names in wrestling history on the industry’s biggest night in decades.
I could be wrong; I often am, but I do know that WWE fans have broadly forgiven racism, sexism, harassment, and even some criminality. Some people probably still forgive that, although they certainly did not go to the Intuit Dome. Even Pat McAfee, who works for WWE, took a shot at Hogan.
No, I believe the fans booed him for his unoriginality and his crass abuse of a beloved Hulk Hogan brand. He speaks at political rallies like Hogan, down to the shirt rip. He sells beer like Hulk Hogan, down to the shirt rip.
He even talks about his faith like Hulk Hogan, with an occasional shirt rip. Everything Bollea does is hidden behind the Hulkster.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN..
WE HAVE A LIVE PRESS CONFERENCE WITH THE HULKSTER 😂😂 #PMSLive https://t.co/xz3J0tJU2f pic.twitter.com/3obbAaZOG0
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 7, 2025
At some point, every fan, even younger fans like myself, watched Hogan’s matches—not just the good ones, either, but all of them and sometimes even in order. Hulk Hogan was and is a name still synonymous with pro wrestling, but Terry Bollea is not.
Having no credentials or meritorious attributes, he has co-opted Hogan. He used this character, which belonged to fans and history, to enrich himself and espouse his beliefs. Rick Derringer proclaims that the “Real American” Hulk Hogan “fights for the rights of every man.”
Hogan himself told kids to eat their vitamins, say their prayers, and tell the truth. A historically prolific liar, Hogan is now selling you vitamins and products, telling you the prayers to say, and, yes, deciding whom every man applies to.
Life after Hulk Hogan for WWE Fans
Anyone being honest will say that WWE has never been better. Many people would say that it is the best overall wrestling product available, although that depends mainly on personal preference.
Nobody five years ago would have thought that a Vince McMahon-less WWE would survive. Sure, there was a secret hope, but it was always entirely plausible to most fans that as Mr. McMahon went, so went the WWE. Thankfully, that has not been true.
In part, it is because we didn’t lose Mr. McMahon, a clearly different entity than Vince. The evil boss isn’t the same as the person bombarded by allegations. People may not like Undertaker’s beliefs or his Hot Ones appearances, but Undertaker doesn’t do that; Mark Calloway, the retired wrestler, does.
Fans want this new era, the new world order of wrestling, to leave those men behind but not their place in the broader WWE history we still care for. Nostalgia as a draw is waning, but that doesn’t mean older fans want to forget what they loved as kids. Hulk Hogan is, like all of us, a flawed human. He is incredibly flawed, but the sentiment stands.
When he removed who he was and co-opted his character, he enraged, over a decade almost, a fan base that had been calling for change. Bollea made a bet that those fans needed Hogan more than he did. He wanted to come along for the ride as a package deal. I speak for myself, and I bet a fair number of fans from the Los Angeles area when I say that doesn’t work for me, brother.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – WWE – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out WWE programming on Netflix (Raw), USA Network (SmackDown), The CW (NXT), and Peacock (archives and premium live event streaming). You can follow WWE on social media and relive top moments on YouTube.
