Hulk Hogan is one of the most iconic wrestlers in the 72-year history of the WWE, but upon his debut at Netflix‘s “Monday Night Raw” on Jan. 6, his reception was less than welcoming.
Hogan, who was rumored to appear at the event, entered the arena about two and a half hours into the show to the tune of his classic walk-out song “Real American.” Joined by Jimmy Heart, Hogan was welcomed by a sea of boos from the crowd as he plugged his Real American Beer brand and congratulated the WWE on its collaboration with the streaming giant.
“In the past, I’ve had a whole bunch of partners down the line,” Hogan said. “I had incredible partners, like the Macho Man Randy Savage. I’ve had giant-sized partners like Andre the Giant. 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.”
One audience member, who shared a video of Hogan’s entrance on X, wrote, “Watching Hulk Hogan get annihilated with boos while trying to sell his ripoff Bud Light beer was effing IN-CREDIBLE. And I grew up a Hulkamaniac.”
Hogan has become a pariah in the WWE community since his heyday in the early ’80s. Trouble first started for Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, when a tape from 2007 emerged of him using a racial slur. The WWE cut him from their Hall of Fame in 2015 in light of the incident but reinstated him in 2018. Hogan has only made things worse since then, becoming a stark supporter of President-elect Donald Trump.
Hogan was not the only WWE legend to make an appearance at “Monday Night Raw.” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson opened the show and then reappeared alongside his cousin Roman Reigns following his victory over Solo Sikoa. John Cena came out to start his 2025 retirement tour and declared himself for the 2025 Royal Rumble, and the Undertaker came out and congratulated Rhea Ripley after her championship win over Liv Morgan. All three were welcomed with applause.
As for Monday night’s other matches, Jey Uso defeated Drew McIntyre and CM Punk defeated Seth Rollins in a brutal main event.