Hulk Hogan Faces Mixed Reception During Final WWE Appearance

Hulk Hogan's farewell to WWE on January 6 unfolded at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, but it was not the triumphant send-off many anticipated. Instead, the legendary wrestler encountered a chorus of boos during the premiere of Raw on Netflix.

Jimmy Hart, Hogan's longtime friend and wrestling manager, joined him onstage that night and expressed surprise at the crowd's reaction. “We go out and we had a mixed reaction. You can have 500 people cheering you and one person booing you, but I’ll be darned if that one person doesn’t outshine [the people cheering],” Hart remarked during a podcast episode on July 31.

Hart elaborated, “It’s a mixed reaction, but it’s a little bit more boos than anything. That devastated him. That bothered him.” The emotional weight of the moment was palpable, as Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, had hoped for a more celebratory atmosphere.

His appearance was intended to commemorate Raw's transition from the USA Network to Netflix and to promote his Real American Beer brand. “In the past, I’ve had a whole bunch of partners down the line,” Hogan stated amid jeers. “But the greatest partner the WWE has ever had is the fact that tonight, we’re making history, and the WWE has tag teamed up with Netflix, the greatest tag team partner of all time.”

Hogan passed away at 71 on July 24 due to acute myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack. His death came after a tumultuous decade marked by controversy, including a racism scandal in 2015 that led to his temporary dismissal from WWE and removal from the Hall of Fame.

In a July 2015 statement, Hogan acknowledged his past mistakes, stating there was “no excuse” for his language in leaked audio recordings. “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,” he