WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan made a surprise appearance at the January 6, 2025 Netflix premiere of WWE RAW, joining longtime manager Jimmy Hart to cut a spirited in-ring promo. The two hyped up the historic launch and plugged Hogan’s Real American Beer brand. However, despite expressing his appreciation for the fans in attendance, the reaction from the crowd was far from unanimous, as Hogan was met with a chorus of boos throughout the segment.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Hogan opened up about his reception and the ongoing scrutiny he faces from the public. While reflecting on his controversial image and decades in the spotlight, the wrestling icon spoke candidly about the reality of being a polarizing figure.

“Well, they’re still nipping at my heels. I can go out there and get booed. That’s just the last time I was in LA. I was Hollywood Hogan with a black beard and doing the bad guy thing. I can go out there and get booed in LA, or The Rock can get booed in LA, or John Cena gets booed in LA. But when I get booed, there’s a whole different reaction media-wise," Hogan explained.

He continued, emphasizing that the attention, both good and bad, signals continued interest in what he brings to the table.

"For some reason, I believe some type of groundwork that people are still interested in what I’m doing. And so for those that are on the team and are riding with a train to the station, that’s great. For those that are the haters and still have a problem with me, there’s nothing I can do to fix that except just keep proving by my actions that I’m still in the game, I’m still pushing hard. I took a lot of time off because I had 25 surgeries, and I was down for a long time. I’ve always loved the hunt. I’ve always loved to get back in the game."

Hogan also touched on the pressures of maintaining his legendary status and how being at the top has always made him a target.

"My whole career, I had that top spot no matter what it was. Even through the ’80s, it was the fastest draw. During the ’80s, it was just a situation where everybody was knocking me. Everybody was trying to knock me off that top spot. I’ll trade that for not being on the bottom of the card, if you know what I’m saying, or being on the bottom of the pile of life."

Despite the criticism, Hogan remains unfazed and sees value in the buzz that surrounds him.

"It’s like when you get booed and then you get 3.2 billion engagements all of a sudden, and then you rock that whole world in LA with how much interaction there was on the Internet. I’ll take it.”

He also responded to feedback from within the industry and from fans, saying reactions to him have never been one-sided.

“There are certain people that boo the character. There are certain WWE superstars that had an opinion, and they had advice for me. But I would like to ask those same guys when I go to New York or Chicago and the people cheer out of the rooftops. I would like to know what their advice is then and what their opinion is."

Hogan reflected on how the mixed reactions reflect every facet of his life, personal, professional, and everything in between.

"It’s a double-edged sword with me. And it’s always been at least part of the character, it’s part of me personally, it’s part of my professional life, it’s part of my personal life. It’s all the above. And at the end of the day, I’m just like an old scarred up seal with a bunch of scars on me. And I’m really relatable to most normal people because a lot of people have been through a lot of stuff I have professionally. A lot of people have made the same, not the same mistakes, but personally made mistakes. And I’m still relatable to so many people. If they boo me, fine. If they’re on the team lead, that’s great, too. So not hate on anybody, brother. I’m still here. I’m still moving forward.”

Hulk Hogan is asked about being booed on Monday Night Raw in Los Angeles.#HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/LLWgZQoc6k

, Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) May 12, 2025