Hulk Hogan‘s final appearance on television with WWE “devastated” him, according to his longtime pal. How sad!
Jimmy Hart, the late wrestler’s manager and good friend, went on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw Thursday to talk about Hulk’s final appearance on WWE Raw. The pro wrestling legend was on an episode of the Netflix live show, but the crowd did not have any Hulkamania left. In fact, they booed him off the stage.
See for yourself (below):
Damn.
Keep in mind, this was earlier this year — well after the 71-year-old’s racist comments were uncovered, not to mention his endorsement of Donald Trump being all over the internet. We mean, his own fans were making it clear where they stood! We can understand where they were coming from — it was all a result of what he did to his legacy…
Related: Hulk Hogan’s Cause Of Death Revealed
Tragically, though, he never saw the light. This ended up being Hulk’s final appearance with WWE, which Jimmy said left the wrestling legend pretty heartbroken. While acknowledging the WHOLE crowd wasn’t booing Hulk in the video, his manager said the majority that were really knocked him off his feet:
“We go out, it’s kind of a mixed reaction, but it’s a little bit more boos than anything. That devastated him. And when we got in the back, he said, ‘What do you think happened?’”
Seriously…? He didn’t know? Jimmy answered his question, though, stating:
“I said, ‘Hulk, it’s simple. Blue state, red state, Trump/Vance … I mean, really?’ … But that bothered him, because of [the booing]. And I said, ‘Well, surely people are going to realize what that was for’. The next week, we’re in Texas and it’s all cheers, you know. But that always bothered him, it sure did.”
We hate when people simplify it like that, to “Blue state, red state.” As if racism should just be considered a fandom thing. It’s not pro wrestling, politics is about people’s lives.
Anyway, just six months after this, the pro wrestler died. A sad end. Listen to Jimmy’s story for yourself around the 53:11 mark (below):
It doesn’t sound like the late wrestler was completely unaware of why he was being booed, though. On an episode of The Pat McAfee Show following the incident, he said he knew it was at least partly because of his politics… but he also believed it could have something to do with his involvement in the New World Order (NWO) wrestling villain group — in which he portrayed a more villainous character:
“I think the politics had a whole lot to do with it, as you said. You got to realize, last time I ran hard in LA I was a bad guy, I Hollywood Hogan, man. I was riding dirty with the boys, [Kevin] Nash and [Scott] Hall, we were spray-painting people and crotch-shotting everybody and started out the ‘Too Sweet’ stuff. So, the last time I was there as a heel.”
At the time, Hulk said he didn’t mind the booing because it generated a lot of engagement for him… but now, according to Jimmy, it sounds like that wasn’t the case at all.
Since his passing, the wrestler — whose real name was Terry Bollea — has been honored by WWE Raw, despite his final appearance not going as planned.
Reactions, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF (below).
[Image via FayesVision/WENN.com/Netflix/YouTube]
The post Hulk Hogan Was ‘Devastated’ To Be Booed Off Stage In Final WWE Appearance Before Death appeared first on Perez Hilton.