WWE veteran Shelton Benjamin has issued a sharp rebuke to Hulk Hogan following recent comments where Hogan misidentified him. Benjamin’s strong reaction traces back to his disdain for Hogan’s handling of his 2015 racism scandal.
While promoting his new Real American Freestyle Wrestling venture with TMZ, Hogan mentioned wrestlers who transitioned from amateur to pro wrestling, citing “Benjamin Shelton, all these different guys that I’ve had the opportunity to see adapt to our business.” Hogan was clearly referring to Shelton Benjamin.
Benjamin took to social media to correct Hogan and express his disapproval, referencing the controversial speech Hogan reportedly gave to the WWE locker room after being reinstated following his racist remarks.
Hogan reportedly advised talent to be careful not to be recorded making offensive statements, rather than offering a more contrite message. This was after Hogan was fired by WWE in 2015 when leaked audio revealed him repeatedly using racial slurs. He was reinstated three years later.
Benjamin stated: “You lost me forever with your “don’t get caught” …or as you would call it “apology” speech. So rather than screw up my name and pretend we ever had any sort of camaraderie which we never had. Please do me a favor &”
Message to @HulkHogan. You lost me forever with your “don’t get caught” …or as you would call it “apology” speech. So rather than screw up my name and pretend we ever had any sort of camaraderie which we never had. Please do me a favor & pic.twitter.com/4ccA4I9Qef
— Shelton J. Benjamin (@Sheltyb803) May 6, 2025
