Hulk Hogan has been the center of attention ever since his wrestling career shot him to global fame. Hogan became one of the most loved and popular celebrities to come from the wrestling business.
His legacy and impact will endure in the industry for a long time. However, over the years, Hogan’s reputation has taken a hit due to certain incidents outside the ring. In 2015, the WWE legend was in the firing line after his alleged racist remarks resurfaced in a leaked clip.
This led to WWE immediately terminating its contract with the Hulkster and him facing severe fan backlash. Another WWE icon, Dwayne Johnson, once shared his views on this incident when he spoke to the media.
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The Rock and Hogan defined success in WWE in different eras. Moreover, the fans got to see them clash in the ring in an epic match at WrestleMania X-8. After Hogan’s firing from WWE due to the racism incident, DJ spoke about Hogan’s unsavory remarks and shared his opinion.
Dwayne Johnson said Hogan paid the price
Hulk Hogan saw himself in the middle of controversy after a recording of him using racial slurs was leaked online in 2015. The transcript of the recording went viral where Hogan had used racist language.
This led to fan outrage and WWE had to cut ties with its biggest star. The company fired Hogan and even removed him from their Hall of Fame.
Dwayne Johnson idolized Hulk Hogan as a wrestler growing up. He even got to share the ring with his idol and has a good bond with him that goes back decades. After Hogan’s big controversy, many former wrestlers shared their take on the incident.
During a press tour of his HBO series Ballers, a critic asked DJ about Hogan’s firing and the whole situation. He said he was disappointed by what he heard and he had not known Hogan to be a racist.
The Rock stated, “I was pretty disappointed at what I heard. I’ve known [Hulk Hogan] for a lot of years. My dad helped him train in Florida in the ’70s when he was breaking into the business. My uncles helped him train as well. So I’d not known him to be racist.”
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The former WWE Champion further added that Hogan was paying the price for his actions. He continued, “It’s funny, it’s one of those things where – I’m not justifying what he said- but we’ve all talked trash. Especially in private. He said what he said and now he’s paying the price.”
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In the aftermath, Hogan apologized for his remarks. He also appeared on Good Morning America and offered an apology to the fans. In 2018, WWE reinstated Hulk Hogan into the Hall of Fame after a three-year suspension.
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