WWE confirmed the news of bringing back Hulk Hogan on their flagship show, a couple of days ago. It was indeed huge since this particular return was always controversial. Fans still very much remember the racism scandal that broke out four years ago. It took the pro-wrestling world by storm and kept the legendary wrestler away.
Although the court declared that he was not guilty, the fan backlash continued. He was still banned from WWE Raw for the last couple of years until the officials decided to give it a second thought. They finally brought him back at Crown Jewel which took place outside the USA zone. This was experimentation that did not give much negative feedback.
This is why they finally called him back on WWE Raw. Chances of another fan backlash were less since he returned for a noble cause. Hulk Hogan resurfaced to honor Mean Gene Okerlund who passed away on last Thursday night. These two shared the closest bond which is why the Immortal One was the perfect one to pay homage to the legend.
WWE aired a vignette showing the social media roundup celebrating the legacy of the late great “Mean” Gene Okerlund. We also received a ten-bell toll for the greatest interviewer to step foot in the pro-wrestling industry. Thereafter, Hulk Hogan entered with his iconic music. The Orlando crowd gave him a thunderous reaction that wiped out all the doubts of any potential backlash. Perhaps, the ovation got doubled since it happened in his hometown.
They broke into a ‘Hogan’ chant which the Hall of Famer enjoyed. But he was quick to do his job of paying homage to Mean Gene Okerlund. This man always wanted to entertain everyone in the WWE Universe. He seemed thankful for spending some wonderful times with the veteran. A “Thank you Mean Gene!” chant broke out on WWE Raw that gave goosebumps.
Hulk Hogan even uttered “Lemme tell you, Mean Gene…” talking us back to the memory lane. He made us remember that Mean Gene Okerlund broke the fight between Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby “the Brain” Heenan. He also mentioned the context of Fabulous Moolah or Mae Young. Gene was extremely fond of them and now reached close to them in heaven. He closed the promo asking the crowd what they are going to do when Mean Geneamania runs wild on them in his iconic style. Overall, the eulogy could not have been better than this segment that Hogan pulled off smoothly.