• Cody Rhodes Says He Felt Disrespected In AEW
During an interview on the Bill Simmons podcast, Cody Rhodes addressed his AEW departure ahead of his WWE Championship rematch against John Cena at SummerSlam 2025:
“There’s clearly bad blood, but there’s also clearly respect and love. In the end, the way I see it is, if I felt disrespected ever at WWE, that’s one thing. That’s a company that was built… that’s the Yankees. That’s the flagship of it all. If I ever felt (at WWE) that I was a number on a sheet, maybe, but feeling disrespected at something I built with my friends. That we built. Feeling disrespected there, I wouldn’t stand for it.
Brandi and I both, I’m so blessed to have her. It was one of those where it was, f**k it. ‘I did way more here than you think, and you’re going to find out the moment I’m out the door.’ I don’t believe in the cold-hearted backstabbing type of revenge. The greatest revenge on Earth is success.
I felt like we were sitting on something wonderful. Something great. A huge, potentially, what I was doing with The American Nightmare, as a bad guy, as a good guy, something in between. We’re sitting on some magic. If I’m not going to do it in the house that I literally, with Matt, Nick, and Kenny built, then buddy, I’m going elsewhere.”
• Attitude Era Legend Says Hulk Hogan Was His First Wrestling Hero
Chris Jericho issued the following statement on Hulk Hogan’s death: “When I started in WCW, I had the pleasure of meeting one of my childhood heroes, then years later in WWE, I had a blast with him entertaining millions… the same way he had entertained me for many years. Thank you for everything Hulkster…you paved the way for all of us. Please say your prayers and eat your vitamins everybody…you just never know.”
During an interview with Howie Mandel, Jericho was asked who was his first wrestling hero. Jericho replied:
“Probably Hulk Hogan… in AWA, which was the Minneapolis promotion. That’s where Hulk Hogan started. He was the first that I can remember, just being totally into Hulk Hogan. And then he suddenly one day just showed up in the WWF and now we’re watching WWF every week.”
• “I lost everything” – Controversial Personality on Hulk Hogan’s Leaked Tape
On Piers Morgan Uncensored, Bubba the Love Sponge opened up emotionally about the infamous $ex tape scandal that ended his longtime friendship with Hulk Hogan, revealing deep regret over the incident and clarifying that Hogan always knew he wasn’t behind the tape’s leak. “I attempted a couple times to try to reach out to him, but… I don’t think he was interested,” Bubba admitted. “I think that he thought that if we were to be friendly in his latter years that people would think that the $ex tape was a work, and that him and I were in on it – and that truly wasn’t how it went down.”
Bubba also shared that he never got to reconcile with Hogan before his death. “No, I didn’t get an opportunity… like I wish I could.” Despite public perception, Bubba insisted that Hogan never believed he leaked or profited from the tape. “Oh, absolutely. He absolutely believed me,” Bubba said. “There’s court documents… the FBI did a big sting… and Terry knew for a fact that I did not distribute it or try to benefit from it.”
He added, “I take ownership of it all. He was an innocent bystander that got caught up in a radio war. He made a lot of money from it. I lost everything.”
• Brooke Hogan Reacts To Getting Heat For Not Attending WWE’s Tributes To Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan’s son Nick Hogan attended his father’s tribute on this week’s RAW. Hulk’s daughter Brooke didn’t attend any of the 3 tributes that WWE did on SmackDown, RAW and NXT.
Brooke issued the following statement about this: “For those of you giving me crap for not attending my Dad’s tributes, WWE did not extend an invite.”
As reported yesterday, sources close to Brooke tell TMZ that in 2023, she made the decision to remove herself from his will entirely. The reason for this move was that she didn’t trust anyone around Hulk and wanted nothing to do with the financial chaos she feared would follow his passing.
“She didn’t want to get caught up in a financial battle,” a source revealed, explaining that Brooke had grown increasingly concerned about the people surrounding her father. Despite years of trying to protect him from what she believed were manipulative influences, Brooke eventually stepped away, contacting his financial manager directly to take her name off the will.
“She’s saddened he didn’t trust her to have his back,” the source continued, “but Brooke’s never been about money, and she’s totally okay with not receiving anything from the estate.”
Still, Brooke will receive a modest amount through a small life insurance trust that Hulk Hogan had established, where she is listed as one of the beneficiaries. She reportedly plans to use that money for her children’s college funds.
As for Hulk Hogan’s massive estate – which includes trademarks, intellectual property, and other significant assets – it remains unclear who the primary heirs will be.
Brooke’s decision to distance herself from the legal and financial aftermath reflects what those close to her say has always been her priority: love over legacy, and peace over profit.
LATEST: “I never got over him. It hurt when he cheated” – Linda Hogan Issues Statement On Hulk Hogan’s Death
