The wrestling world has been buzzing about the loud boos Hulk Hogan received during his appearance on the RAW Netflix premiere last week. Former WWE Champion Rob Van Dam addressed the moment on his 1 Of A Kind With RVD podcast, sharing his perspective on why it’s garnered so much attention.
“I did see video of Hulk Hogan’s part of the show on every single website and news platform that there is online. Everybody picked that up, and they still are. Why is that such big news? ‘Pro Wrestler is booed at a wrestling event.’ I understand why it’s so hot. I mean, Hogan, he’s controversial and quite possibly the most recognizable celebrity on the planet, so I get where that’s hot,” RVD said.
Discussing Hogan’s fluctuating reputation, RVD noted, “They light him up, and they let him cool down, light him up, lights himself up, he cools down. He goes through cycles always and always seems to dig himself back out mostly and then bury himself again. This one, I’m trying to figure out why is everybody so into this moment that Hulk Hogan got booed.”
RVD suggested fans might be overanalyzing the situation. “I think maybe one factor that I suspect, but I don’t know, everybody wants to fake-ify wrestling so much. People don’t like to feel like they don’t understand something, but they want to believe that they do have an understanding of how everything works. I think that people, maybe one of the reasons that it’s such a big topic is because people are thinking, ‘This wasn’t their plan. WWE didn’t want people to boo him. Hulk didn’t want people to boo him. He was supposed to get big cheers, and the people doesn’t like him, so they booed him.’”
He continued, “Maybe that’s part of the interest is they’re trying to fake-ify and set up instead of just going with the roll. Roll with it, and hey, guess that? That happened. Any other promo, Hulk would have just turned with them. ‘We gotta change some things, brother.’ I don’t see how it’s that big of a deal. I’m confused by it a little bit.”
RVD explained why this instance felt different despite Hogan being booed before. “It’s not the only time he’s gotten booed, but it is an authentic boo; it’s not an entertainment part of the show boo; it’s more like a, ‘Hey, nah, f**k that, we don’t want to see you. Get the hell out of here,’ kind of boo. That seems to be clear [laughs],” he remarked.
Reflecting on Hogan’s polarizing legacy, RVD concluded, “Everyone has their own stance, and people draw lines at different levels regarding the behaviors and views of others.”
Hogan’s boos may not be unprecedented, but as RVD highlighted, this time felt more personal. Whether it’s his controversies, his legacy, or the crowd expressing their frustrations, the moment has left fans and insiders talking.
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