On a special tribute episode of Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart shared a detailed, behind-the-scenes story about Hulk Hogan being left “devastated” by the negative crowd reaction during the debut episode of Monday Night Raw on Netflix in January 2025.
Hart, who was by Hogan’s side for many of his most famous moments, explained that he was not a political person himself, but he always supported his friend. “I’m not a Democrat or Republican. I’m just a jabroni. Hulk knew that,” Hart said. “So I didn’t go with him to the Republican convention or anything… not because I wanted to hide or get one for Trump or wasn’t for Biden or anybody. I’m just like I said, a jabroni.”
A “Mixed Reaction” in Los Angeles
The negative reaction to Hogan happened on the first episode of Raw on Netflix at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Hogan’s appearance at the event came after he had been very public with his support for Donald Trump. Hart recalled being nervous about the potential reaction from the Los Angeles crowd.
“We were going to Los Angeles now… and I kind of told Hulk, I said, ‘Wow… blue state, red state,'” Hart recalled. “He had a Trump-Vance t-shirt on, which he did some pre-publicity, right? I’m going, ‘Oh my gosh, this is going to be good’… So we come flying into LA, baby… he’s got that Trump-Vance t-shirt on. We get out, man, we go, and all of a sudden I hear a few of the people like, ‘Booo.’ I’m going, ‘You know what, this doesn’t feel right.’ [Hogan said] ‘Jimmy, don’t worry about it.'”
Hart’s job that night was simple: “My job is just to wave the flag, brother… Don’t let it hit the ground.” But the reaction from the crowd was impossible to ignore. “We go out, we kind of get a mixed reaction,” Hart said. “And you know this, you can have 500 people cheering you and one person booing you, but I’ll be darned if that one person booing don’t end up outshining the 500 cheering… it’s a little bit more boos than anything.”
A Devastated Hogan
The negative reaction, according to Hart, deeply affected the legendary superstar, who had built his career on being a beloved hero. “But that devastated him,” Hart revealed. “And we got in the back and he said, ‘What do you think happened?’ I said, ‘Hulk, it’s simple, blue state, red state. Boom.’ I said, ‘I mean really… I’m okay with it.’ He goes, ‘What do you think?’ I said, ‘I’m okay. I felt like I was managing the Hart Foundation against the British Bulldogs or the Killer Bees or somebody.’ So I didn’t, you know, I’m like, ‘Whoa, I’m waving that boy, they booed.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah!'”
“But that bothered him because of that,” Hart continued. “And I said, ‘Well, surely people are going to realize what that was for.’ Then the next week we’re in Texas, and it’s all cheers, you know, but that always bothered him. It sure did.”
Despite the backlash, Hart said Hogan never wavered in his political convictions. He was adamant that supporting his chosen candidate was the right thing to do, regardless of the personal or professional consequences.
“He said, ‘Jimmy, I have to do it. He said, I just have to do it. I think this is the right thing,'” Hart recalled Hogan telling him.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
