Whispers of WWE ending Hulk Hogan’s banishment have reportedly turned into full conversation and it may be time to start an official countdown for the Hulkster’s return.
A report from TMZ asserts Hogan and WWE have had positive talks as of late, even discussing an appearance at the Greatest Royal Rumble when someone within the Saudi Arabian royal family requested Hulkamania run wild in Jeddah.
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That obviously didn’t happen, but it does mark the continuation of WWE aiming for a good spot or Hogan to make his sure-to-be polarizing return. Per TMZ, both Hogan and WWE want things to happen “the right way.” We’re not exactly sure what that means, but we think it translates to timing.
It’s been over two and half years since WWE excommunicated Hulk Hogan after his racially charged tirade in 2015. Hogan was unknowingly recorded tossing around the n-word during a pillow talk segment of a sex tape. When the footage went public, WWE fired and subsequently deleted Hulk Hogan from their history. Their swift justice felt like Christianity hitting backspace on the New Testament but as a publicly traded company, WWE had no other choice than to execute Hulkamania.
However, the Hulkster has been implicated in several rumors as of late, and it appears WWE is warming up to the idea of Hulkamania making a prodigal return.
WWE has released several statements regarding Hogan’s exile, but a recent official comment left room for Hogan to wiggle his way back into the company:
“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,” WWE said in a statement.
Then, when HBO launched their Andre the Giant documentary, WWE made yet another preemptive 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,” a WWE rep told Satin. “Hogan is not scheduled to be at any upcoming WWE events.”
However, there’s still a wall of reluctance surrounding any Hogan comeback.
Mark Henry, who was announced for the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018 last week, discussed the possibility of having Hogan come back into the fold in an interview on Busted Open Radio.
“He’s a public figure,” Henry said, discussing Hogan’s involvement in the upcoming Andre The Giant HBO documentary. “It doesn’t mean that everything that he’s done is forgiven, you just gotta take the good with the bad and see how you could help the situation. I’m sitting on the chair of the delegation and they’re not ready. I’ve had many talks, with dozens of guys, and the consensus is there’s a lot of work to be done to heal that wound and to fix that wall.”
By delegation, Henry was referring to African American wrestlers who compete in wrestling promotions across the world. Henry said more has to be done on Hogan’s end if he and other wrestlers are willing to accept him back.
