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Following the revoking of his suspension, Hulk Hogan could appear on Raw on July 16. The show emanates from the Keybank Center in Buffalo, New York. It is the follow-up show to the Extreme Rules that took place on July 15 in Pittsburgh. The WWE has officially advertised that Kurt Angle had issued an “ultimatum” to Brock Lesnar, ensuring that the one-time UFC star must show up at Raw. There is no mention of Hulk Hogan in the Raw preview.
TMZ reports that WWE star Mark Henry believes black wrestlers at the company are split “50-50” over Hogan’s return. Henry told TMZ, “I’ve talked to guys that were like, ‘Man, the hell with him.” Henry added that he felt Hogan’s apologies are sincere saying, “I do feel like he genuinely wants to clear his name.” While Wrestling Sheet’s Ryan Satin tweeted, “A reliable source confirmed that Hulk Hogan’s apology to the roster yesterday was filmed for a possible WWE 24 in the future. Doesn’t that make the whole thing seem incredibly disingenuous?” Hogan made an apology to the WWE roster at the Extreme Rules prior to the show, according to What Culture.
On July 15, WWE announced in a statement that Hulk Hogan had been reinstated with the company following a three year suspension. The release said, “This second chance follows Hogan’s numerous public apologies and volunteering to work with young people, where he is helping them learn from his mistake. These efforts led to a recent induction into the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame.” WWE exec Triple H had earlier expressed his wish that Hogan would one day return to the company. That was despite Hogan being recorded saying “n******” several times prior to having sex with his friend’s wife. That tape was the source of Hogan’s Peter Thiel backed lawsuit that resulted in the death of gossip website Gawker in 2016. Hogan also said in the tape that he was dismayed at the idea of his daughter dating a black man.
It was later reported that Hogan had used the term “n*****” several times during a prison phone call with his son Nick. Hogan was also said to have told his son that he hoped the pair would not be reincarnated as black men.
In August 2015, Hogan gave an interview to ABC where he said that his use of racial epithets was due to his upbringing where the term “n*****” was common in his neighborhood. Later, residents of Hogan’s South Tampa neighborhood told 10News they were dismayed at Hogan’s national portrayal of their neighborhood. A neighbor of Hogan’s growing up, Linda Bryant, also said that Hogan had done little to use his fame to help the neighborhood he grew up in.
