Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair Set for 'WWE Raw' 30th Anniversary Despite Scandals

By Brian Jones

Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair will make their return to WWE tonight. WWE is celebrating the 30th anniversary of WWE Raw, and the show will feature legendary Superstars who made Raw what it is today. WWE announced Hogan and Flair will be attending the event along with The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg, X-Pac, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Teddy Long, Ron Simmons and Kurt Angle.

Flair spoke about the 30th anniversary of Raw last week and announced that Hogan was coming before WWE confirmed it. "Hulkamania is coming," Flair said on his To Be the Man podcast, per Ringside News. "He confirmed to me last night that he's coming." Both legends have dealt with their share of scandals over the last few years. Hogan has been booed by WWE fans for his racist language. Flair was accused of sexual assault against a flight attendant, an accusation documented on Dark Side of the Ring. 

Raw was launched on Jan. 11, 1993, and spent the majority of its time on the USA Network. It's considered one of the two WWE flagship shows with the other being WWE SmackDown which airs every Friday on Fox. Raw airs every Monday and lasts for three hours. WWE recently ranked the 30 greatest moments in Raw history, and the No. 1 is Mick Foley defeating The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) to win the WWE title. 

Hogan was the face of WWE in the 1980s and early 1990s. When Raw was launched, Hogan was on his way out of WWE and was a wrestler for WCW from 1994-2000. He returned to WWE in 2002 and had some memorable moments on Raw with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. Hogan joined WWE again in 2003 but left in 2005 to spend time in other professional wrestling promotions. Hogan would once again return in 2014 but was released in 2015 for saying a racist slur on a leaked sex tape. WWE reinstated him in 2018. 

Flair was with WWE when Raw was first launched but left one month after the premiere. After spending eight years in WCW, Flair return to WWE and was seen having various roles on Raw and SmackDown. He spent nine years in WWE before returning in 2012. In 2021, Flair asked to be released from his WWE contract.  

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