On the “Outta Pocket with RGIII” podcast, Seth Rollins offered a nuanced, critical perspective on wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, distinguishing between respect for Hogan’s professional legacy and disapproval of his personal conduct and perceived lack of growth.
Rollins acknowledged his past fandom and positive personal interactions. “Hogan’s always been great to me. He was a guy who I was a fan of when I was growing up. He’s always been personally good to me,” Rollins began. However, he quickly pivoted, “but I’m not stupid. I see everything that’s out there.”
He described Hogan as potentially unaware of how his actions affect others, possibly due to his immense fame. “He’s someone who is, I think, a victim of his own ego a little bit, and he just doesn’t see, he doesn’t understand how what he does affects people around him,” Rollins theorized. “I think he just lives in this space that he’s created for himself… this is how he’s going to see things.”
Rollins stated his personal standard for association, implying it’s one Hogan doesn’t meet due to past controversies, including racist remarks that surfaced years ago. “If you’re going to be like that, people are going to treat you accordingly… dude, if you’re not a good person, and it’s in your moral ethic to not treat everyone with the same respect, regardless of what they do or where they come from or the color of their skin, I got no time for you,” Rollins declared.
He made a clear distinction: “I have respect for everything you’ve done for my business. I really appreciate that, but as a person, we’re probably not gonna hang out.” Rollins questioned whether Hogan has truly changed or made amends: “Whether he hasn’t changed his personal beliefs or he hasn’t taken the time to honestly make amends for some of the things he said and done, I don’t know which one it is… Maybe it’s both.”
Rollins concluded bluntly, “You put those two things together, I just go, I mean, you kind of have dug your own grave, man, and if you don’t feel like you want to make that progress in your life with the people around you, then that’s just not the kind of person I want to associate with.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Outta Pocket with RGIII with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
