Hulk Hogan and the WWE have reconciled.
“The Hulkster” was reinstated into the WWE Hall Of Fame earlier this month and issued an apology to the entire roster prior to the Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV). That apology received mixed reviews from WWE talent. While some such as Mark Henry believed the former WWE Champ was being sincere, those such as Titus O’Neil didn’t.
Regardless, Hogan is back in the WWE fold and his role with the company going forward has yet to be made aware to the public. Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently took to his podcast, The Ross Report, to offer his thoughts on the matter.
Ross admitted that he’s not all that surprised to see Hogan back with the WWE, and doesn’t know what the punishment should be for “something so stupid”:
“It’s not a surprise,” Ross argued. “Hey look, what Hogan did is just so sad, and unnecessary, and what a major mistake,” Ross said. “I think he knows that. Now, somewhere down this journey of healing, if we find out that Hogan [has] got a different agenda, well, shame on him. I don’t believe that to be true. But I believe I’m willing to stand back and let this whole process play out and see how it works at the end of the day.
“I don’t know how long we’re supposed to punish somebody for doing something so stupid. It was stupidity and ignorance. How long do you get penalized for stupidity and ignorance? It’s different now than doing bodily harm to somebody. Hey, I watch enough [Law & Order: SVU] with Mariska Hargitay to understand that. So we hope that Hogan has a nice reentry. But congratulations. I’m glad he’s back.
“Now make me proud that you’re back and do great things. He has an amazing opportunity with his influence and name identity, does Hogan, to leave lasting positive impressions on everybody, no matter their ethnicity.”
As for what Hogan’s role with WWE will be, Ross predicts more of a PR role from Hulk and doesn’t expect fans to see him competing inside the ring anytime soon:
“Without sounding like an asshole, [Hogan]’ll probably have a [WWE] Hall Of Fame role.” Ross explained, “PR, he [has] got a lot of ground to cover. He [has] got some fences to mend, some bridges to repair, but that could be done. I don’t see him wrestling again. He’s 65 years old. Now, I’m not knocking the guy. It’s not. ‘J.R., look at you!’
“I’m not Hulk Hogan. I never even played him on television. Could Hogan have a one-off somewhere? Of course he could! ‘Well, where do you do that?’ Hell, you do that in New York City at WrestleMania. That’s what you do! But is that what you really need to do? He’s 100 [%]. He’s got a bad back.
“He’s a warhorse, man. He’s been battered and beat up. So I think it’ll be more of a PR role. I’m glad that he’s back and it give him more motivation to make himself better, without a doubt.”
H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions
