WWE reinstates Hulk Hogan into Hall of Fame, rumors running wild on return
By Luke Norris
Hulk Hogan has been reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame and his return to the company seems imminent.
Hulk Hogan is back in WWE…well, sort of.
Just hours ahead of Sunday night’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view, the company announced via WWE.com that arguably the biggest name in the history of professional wrestling has been let back into the WWE Hall of Fame following a three-year suspension.
"“After a three-year suspension, Hulk Hogan has been reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame. 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.”"
Hogan, a six-time world champion in both WWE and WCW, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame just before WrestleMania 21 in 2005. Following matches at consecutive SummerSlams in 2005 and 2006 with Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton, respectively, Hogan took a long hiatus from the company but returned in 2014 as the host of WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans.
He then inducted long-time friend, partner and rival Randy “Macho Man” Savage into the Hall of Fame the following year and made a brief appearance during the Sting vs. Triple H match at WrestleMania 31.
Hogan was released from his Legends contract on July 24, 2015, when a controversial sex tape surfaced that included him making anti-black rants when discussing his daughter being romantically involved with a black man and using a racial slur on multiple occasions. WWE also removed all traces of Hogan on their official website, including his profile in the Hall of Fame section.
In the years that have followed, Hogan has attempted to make amends and rumors of his return to WWE have been swirling for months with the thought that he was going to be brought back sometime before WrestleMania 34. African-American WWE Hall of Famers Booker T and Mark Henry have both said that Hogan would be welcomed back to WWE with open arms if he would atone for what he had done and it seems that’s what happened on Sunday afternoon prior to Extreme Rules as The Hulkster took to Twitter to discuss meeting with the entire WWE locker room.
Just met with the @WWE Superstars and on all levels the volume of love and support was overwhelming. I’ve been praying for this day and I finally feel like I made it back home. Only Love 4 the #WWEUNIVERSE brother HH
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) July 15, 2018
PW Insider has reported that Hogan spent a great deal of time in the locker room with the current WWE superstars and staff, apologizing for his remarks and his embarrassment of the company. The reaction is said to have been very positive with Hogan getting very emotional.
Naturally, the return of Hulk Hogan to the WWE Hall of Fame is fueling all kinds of speculation about his return to the company. Rumors are running wild he has signed some sort of a new deal with WWE but nothing has been confirmed to this point. There are some saying he’ll make some sort of appearance at Extreme Rules and others saying he’ll make an appearance on Monday Night RAW and/or SmackDown Live over the next couple of days.
All we can do now is wait.
Next: 10 who deserve to be in the WWE Hall of Fame
What are your thoughts on Hulk Hogan being reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame? Do you want to see him back in the company? Please feel free to join in the conversation in the comments section below.