Tag: Hulk Hogan

The New Day Say They Won’t Associate With Hulk Hogan Until “Genuine Effort To Change” Is Made

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Kofi Kingston released a lengthy statement on behalf of The New Day in regards to how they feel about Hulk Hogan‘s apology to the WWE locker room — stating they won’t associate with the wrestling legend until “genuine effort to change” is made.

As we previously reported, Hogan met with the wrestlers backstage at Extreme Rules. According to James Ellsworth, Hogan apologized for the racial slurs he was caught saying. Hulk also reminded those in attendance that he didn’t know he was being recorded at the time.

Mark Henry has said there’s currently a divide amongst black wrestlers over the backstage apology … describing it as a 50-50 split.

Now, the most prominent black tag team in wrestling have responded by writing a statement in which they admit to being indifferent towards Hogan’s apology.

Their statement can be read in full below:

To the WWE Universe and whoever else it may concern:

This will be the only statement we will make regarding Hogan’s reinstatement into WWE’s Hall of Fame. We do not wish to spend the energy debating the point, because between our kids, our external ventures, and this job, our energy is spread thin enough already, lol.

We are only writing this simply to provide an answer to the many who have bombarded us with questions on where we stand on the issue.

We preface this statement by emphasizing that this is our own opinion and may not necessarily reflect the opinion of anyone else affected.

How do we feel? Indifferent. We are not happy, or sad, angry or resentful. Who WWE puts into the HOF is totally and completely up to the company and from a career standpoint, there is no argument on whether or not Hogan should have his place. We have no problem with his re-induction in the slightest degree. It is impossible to even begin to mention the history and evolution of the business without mentioning his name and accolades.

On a personal level, when someone makes racist and hateful comments about any race or group of people, especially to the degree that Hogan made about our people, we find it difficult to simply forget, regardless of how long ago it was, or the situation in which those comments were made. But we also do not respond with more feelings of hate. Instead, we just do not associate with the people who convey or have conveyed this negative and hurtful mindset. This instance will be no different. Perhaps if we see him make a genuine effort to change, then maybe our opinion will change with him. Time will tell.

Through the course of our lives, people have used racist comments towards us and it doesn’t feel good. But if we stopped moving forward every time we were met with prejudicial hatred, then we would have never achieved our current accomplishments.

We know we are worth it, we know our kids are worth it, and most importantly, we know that
people that look like us are worth it and always have been. There isn’t a person on this planet who will be ever be able to say anything to make us think otherwise because we believe in ourselves as a people and don’t need anyones approval on that, regardless of who they are.

Having said that, his reinstatement won’t change anything for us. It will have zero effect on our ability to perform or the level of effort we will put into doing what we love to do, and that is: To deliver an entertaining product each week for our fan base.

Sincerely,

– The New Day

“Never trade your authenticity for approval.”

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Hulk Hogan Reinstated To WWE HOF, Backstage At Extreme Rules, Has Not Signed New Deal

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WWE announced after a three-year suspension Hulk Hogan has been reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame. Below is WWE’s full announcement:

“After a three-year suspension, Hulk Hogan has been reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame. This second chance follows Hogan’s numerous public apologies and volunteering to work with young people, where he is helping them learn from his mistake. These efforts led to a recent induction into the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame.”

According to PWInsider, Hogan was backstage at WWE Extreme Rules and made a formal apology to the WWE locker room for his comments in 2015. Sources who were present for the meeting noted Hogan apologized for embarrassing himself and the company, and told the wrestlers to be careful what the say as they could be recorded withing knowing it. He received a big reaction afterwards with a number of wrestlers shaking his hand and hugging him. Hogan was said to be very emotional during this meeting.

Hulk Hogan then made his first statement on Twitter, looking to acknowledge that same meeting.

https://twitter.com/HulkHogan/status/1018589061852917766

Before the meeting with the WWE locker room, Hogan met with a number of WWE officials and “the feeling backstage is he’s back on board with the company.” However, another report from PWInsider does note that he has not signed any kind of contract with WWE, despite showing up backstage.

The report also said he might be at this week’s TV tapings, but that’s not set in stone as of right now. Hogan hasn’t appeared for WWE since being fired by the company in 2015 shortly before a tape containing him making racist remarks was made public.

Update: Bryan Alvarez of F4Wonline.com noted on Twitter that Hogan’s meeting with the roster was filmed for an upcoming WWE Network special. Hogan reportedly said his goodbyes during Extreme Rules and was headed back home to Florida.

Regarding Hogan’s WWE future, Hogan will not be on this week’s TV shows and there’s no word yet on when he might be back. There was some speculation on Hogan being backstage for RAW and SmackDown but PWInsider reports that Hogan is not booked for this week’s episodes. It was also noted that Hogan has not signed a new contract of any kind, as of Sunday. The feeling at Extreme Rules was that Hogan is back with the company and Charly Caruso noted on the Extreme Rules Kickoff pre-show how everyone was excited for Hogan to be back with the WWE family.

Source: WrestlingINC

Update: According to a rep from WWE, Hogan’s meeting with the roster was not filmed by a camera crew. This was confirmed by WWE according to Pro Wrestling Sheet.

Mark Henry, who was present at the meeting, talked about it on Busted Open this week. “He [Hogan] made an announcement, he apologized, he’s done a lot of stuff with the Boys and Girls Club. But I didn’t want to lose track of the fact that there’s more work to be done,” Henry stated.

Mark also told TMZ Sports there’s currently a divide amongst the black wrestlers over the backstage apology, describing at as a 50-50 split … with some saying “to hell with him.”

Hulk Hogan Says WWE Return Talks Are Moving ‘Quite Quickly’

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Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair appeared together at the “Legends Of The Ring” event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL last night. WSVN-TV Entertainment Reporter Chris Van Vliet interviewed Hogan and Flair at the event, which you can watch in the video above. They sent us these highlights from Hogan:

Returning to WWE:

“Things are moving in that direction quite quickly. It’s all about execution and timing and the right place and the right time but things are good.”

Why he never faced Ric Flair at WrestleMania:

“We don’t know. We were on fire. We did some house shows in Chicago, Milwaukee, three or four shows in a row we set all kinds of records all over and we were pushing real hard towards that WrestleMania time and for me I have a personal opinion, the chemistry was so powerful between Ric and I, I hate to say anything bad about any of the other wrestlers, I hate to say anything bad about the company but with Ric and I heading into WrestleMania it kind of took over everything. If we would have wrestled at WrestleMania, we would have taken so much of the focus because there would have been the rematch and the cage match, the title would have dropped and hopefully I would have won it back and back and forth. I think that Vince knew that this was such a powerful turbulence between the two of us he could conquer and divide and make it work even better and pretty much that’s what he did. He sent me off in one direction and him in another and we drew money in both directions.”

Source: WrestlingINC

Hulk Hogan Reportedly Closing In On A WWE Deal, WWE Issues New Statement On Hulk Hogan’s Status

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The rumors of Hulk Hogan returning to WWE have been swirling for some time now, but TMZ Sports is reporting Hogan and WWE have been in contact and the talks have been “positive.” Thanks to the Greatest Royal Rumble, Hogan was apparently one of the talents requested to appear at the event. Hogan didn’t make the trip, but it got the two sides talking for a potential reunion.

TMZ was told WWE wants to bring him back and Hogan is ready, but they want to make sure it’s done “the right way” and be sensitive to those who were offended by his past rant that initially cost him his WWE gig. Hogan hasn’t appeared for WWE since being fired by the company in 2015 shortly before a tape containing him making racist remarks was made public. Hogan, who was upset with his daughter Brooke dating a black man, used the n-word several times in the tape and said, “I guess we’re all a little racist.”

In March, Hogan made an appearance at the HBO/WWE Andre the Giant documentary premiere in Los Angeles, California. At the time, WWE wanted to make it clear Hogan was not in the fold by putting out the following statement:

“Hulk Hogan is an important part of Andre the Giant’s history, however his appearance at tonight’s HBO premiere of the documentary and his plans to help others learn from his mistakes does not mean WWE is rehiring him. Hogan is not scheduled to be at any upcoming WWE events.”

WWE has been paying close attention to how Hogan’s speech went yesterday after he was inducted into the Boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame. He mentioned wanting to help educate kids to not use language like he did, which received an ovation from the crowd.

https://twitter.com/BoysGirlsClubGA/status/991919889727111168

In March, Mark Henry spoke about Hogan’s potential return and said he wasn’t sure he’s ready for that return. Hogan was asked about Henry’s comment and responded:

“I just heard [Henry] made a comment on TMZ about it and that I should apologize,” Hogan responded. “I totally agree, but not to black wrestlers, to all the wrestlers. Yeah, what I said was way out of line, I’m forever sorry for that, but I never heard Mark Henry say that, he’s my boy, man.”

WWE issued the following statement in response to the report this afternoon:

“WWE applauds the work Hulk Hogan is doing with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to turn what was a negative into a positive by helping young people learn from his mistake. While he has taken many steps in the right direction since we parted ways, Hogan is not currently under contract to WWE.”

Source: WrestlingINC

WWE Confirms Recent “Discussions” With Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan has reportedly been in talks with WWE about making a return to the company and a statement has been released confirming their discussions.

Talks between the two sides began several weeks ago, according to PWInsider, however it’s unclear what role WWE officials would like him to fill.

WWE’s statement says, “We have had discussions with Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan) about how he can help others learn from his mistakes, however, he is not under any contract with WWE.”

Hogan’s WWE contract was terminated in July 2015 after he was heard saying the n-word and admitting he was racist “to a point” in a leaked conversation published by the National Enquirer.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Hillbilly Jim Wants Hulk Hogan To Induct Him Into The WWE Hall Of Fame

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After being announced as one of the inductees into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018, Hillbilly Jim said he wants Hulk Hogan to do the honor of inducting him.

 Jim said Saturday in an interview with TMZ Sports that it would be “as great as it could be” if Hogan inducted him.

Jim described the impact Hogan had on his wrestling career, saying, “When I first came into the business, to get brushed up against the guy that was the most popular wrestler on Earth … it was wonderful what he did for me.”

He added that being inducted by “The Hulkster” would be “cream on top of this thing.”

When Jim first appeared in the World Wrestling Federation in late 1984, he was portrayed as a fan known as Big Jim who routinely sat in the front row of live events who decided to try his hand at wrestling himself. After appearing as a guest on Piper’s Pit, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper offered his services to train him. Jim, however, chose to be trained by WWF Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan instead of the villainous Piper. A series of vignettes then aired on WWF programming in the early weeks of 1985, showing Hogan training Jim and providing him with his first set of wrestling boots for his in-ring debut.

WWE’s video package on Jim going in the Hall of Fame highlights their storyline connection, saying that Hogan took Jim under his guidance and turned him from a fan into a WWE Superstar.

Hogan honoring Jim may not be possible since WWE terminated the wrestling legend’s contract in July 2015 and he has not appeared for the company since. The termination coincided with the publication of a racially insensitive video in which Hogan is heard expressing disgust with the notion of his daughter dating any black man. Hogan also admitted to being “a racist, to a point.”

In a statement to The Associated Press in January, WWE reiterated its stance on Hogan, saying, “At this time, WWE remains committed to its decision.”

Source: WrestlingINC

Hulk Hogan Claims He’s Not Booked For ‘Raw 25’ Anniversary Show

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Raw 25 is STACKED with returning talent, but Hulk Hogan claims he’s not booked to appear with everyone else during the big anniversary episode.

Hulk replied to a fan on Twitter who asked if he’d be there and said, “I will be home watching and cheering on my friends next Monday on Raw brother.”

The WWE Hall of Famer was released from the company back in 2015 shortly before the National Enquirer reported that he had been captured on tape repeatedly saying the n-word while an unauthorized sex tape was being filmed without his knowledge.

Since the incident, he’s repeatedly asked for forgiveness. He also sued Gawker for releasing the sex tape without his consent and was awarded a landmark win over the publication.

Despite Hulk’s tweet, don’t forget the famous saying in wrestling … “never say never.”

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

WWE Return For Hulk Hogan Recently Discussed

The idea of a return by WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan was recently discussed by company officials, according to Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

As has been the case since his controversial issues from the past few years, the return comes down to the same thing – the feeling of whether sponsors would be OK with Hogan working with the company, and if there would be a media backlash where Hogan’s racist comments were brought up again.

Hogan was reportedly in recent talks with another promotion about a return to the business, with a potentially huge angle, but it’s not happening as it would not have made economic sense.

Source: WrestlingINC

Hulk Hogan Feuding With Former Best Friend (Brutus Beefcake) On Twitter

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Former tag team partners and friends Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake are engaged in a heated Twitter feud. Beefcake, born Ed Leslie, debuted alongside Hogan in 1977 and they worked together as both allies and rivals throughout their careers.

It all started when Beefcake replied to a fan on Twitter and said he is upset with Hogan for spending time with his ex-wife.

Beefcake then said he’s writing a tell-all book, using language that suggests it will have some revealing information about Hogan, to which Hogan responded saying he was going to sue.

Beefcake responded to Hogan’s threat by saying he’s paranoid, so it’s possible the book might not be about Hogan.

Hogan wasn’t hearing it and sub-tweeted Beefcake before saying he’s done with the argument:

Beefcake responded with a screenshot of an email from his ex-wife saying she was with Hogan and he badmouthed Beefcake. He followed up with some more tweets about Hogan and implied that there was an incident between Hogan and his current wife:

Hogan then ended his silence and addressed the situation, to which Beefcake responded with a slew of tweets:

Beefcake posted a screenshot of a message from his ex-wife saying Hogan was spending time with her because he’s the the godfather of her daughter with Beefcake. But Beefcake accused Hogan and his ex-wife of “brainwashing” his daughter and alienating him from her life.

Beefcake reaffirmed that his wide turned Hogan down when he made a pass at her, and that’s why he hates her. He also posted a picture of his ex-wife with Hogan.

Source: WrestlingINC

Hulk Hogan Finally Returning To Work For WWE Soon?

There has once again been lots of talk within WWE about Hulk Hogan returning to work for the company, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Coming out of the racist comments debacle from 2016, Hogan’s WWE return has depended on the company being reasonably sure that bringing him back won’t cause a big backlash. It’s possible he’s re-hired for some sort of Ambassador role in the near future.

A Hogan poster was recently featured in the WWE Kids magazine, which is released internationally but not in the United States. Hogan has also said he and Vince McMahon have had talks about a return.

Source: WrestlingINC