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There have been reports over the last 24 hours that WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has been spotted on a flight into Cleveland, Ohio, raising questions about a potential appearance at Extreme Rules.
The Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is a two-hour drive from the PPV venue – the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – and Hogan is not currently advertised to make any wrestling appearances in the area over the next few days.
The 64-year-old was fired by WWE in July 2015 after audio emerged of him using racial slurs in a recording from 2007. However, he has confirmed in multiple interviews this year that he has been in talks with the company about a return.
So, are these sightings simply a coincidence and is Hogan in the area for some other business? Or has he finally patched things up with WWE and is he set to make his long-awaited comeback at Extreme Rules?
Without further ado, let’s live in the land of fantasy booking for a moment and take a look at five ways that “The Hulkster” could appear at Extreme Rules.
#5 New SmackDown Live Commissioner
On paper, two babyface authority figures on the same brand shouldn’t really work. However, in execution, the duo of Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan worked quite well together in the early stages of SmackDown Live, while Shane and Paige were involved in some entertaining segments after she was named the show’s new GM.
For the last three months, Shane O’Mac has been off television and Paige has been the only on-screen character running the blue brand, leading many people to believe that there could be a new Commissioner to replace Shane in the near future.
If WWE does decide to go down that route, is there anybody better than Hulk Hogan to take his place? The veteran previously worked with Paige on Tough Enough in 2015, so perhaps the former Divas champion could announce his return at Extreme Rules to form the next babyface authority duo on Tuesday nights.
#4 Promo segment with Elias
Last Monday, Raw took place in Boston, Massachusetts – the hometown of Sasha Banks – but WWE missed an opportunity by not having “The Boss” appear in front of the live audience.
This Sunday, the Extreme Rules event takes place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – the hometown of Kurt Angle and Elias – but neither one of the Raw roster members are certain to make an appearance in front of the crowd.
In Elias’ case, he has sung in front of the Pittsburgh fans before, receiving cheers at the start of the segment before getting roundly jeered when he made derogatory remarks about why he left the area in the first place.
With no match currently planned for Extreme Rules, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if Elias was involved in a similar segment on Sunday. The difference this time? Perhaps he could be interrupted by the returning Hulk Hogan, who could roll out his classic catchphrases before throwing "The Drifter" over the top rope.
#3 Swerve! He’s only at Extreme Rules to hold talks backstage
We’ve heard on several occasions in the past that The Undertaker has been in town for a WWE pay-per-view, yet he doesn’t go on to make an appearance on the show and we later find out that he was only there to watch the event backstage.
Well, as interesting as it would be to see what plans WWE could potentially have for Hulk Hogan in an on-screen role, there’s a chance that the veteran is only going to the Extreme Rules event to hold further talks about his eventual return to the company.
Multiple reports after WrestleMania 34 claimed that Brock Lesnar’s new WWE contract was finalised by Vince McMahon during the show, so perhaps a deal could be struck between Vince and Hogan at Extreme Rules.
#2 Curt Hawkins match!
Having undergone several back surgeries during his career, there’s little-to-no chance of a 64-year-old Hulk Hogan being cleared to compete in a meaningful match at WrestleMania or any other event ever again.
However, in the crazy world of WWE, some matches can be over before you know it, as we saw at WrestleMania 32 when The Rock defeated Erick Rowan in six seconds.
Right now, the only person who Hogan could realistically defeat in an impromptu squash match is Curt Hawkins – WWE’s serial loser who is on a winless run that stretches back 208 matches.
Would a less-than-10-second victory over Hawkins mean anything? Absolutely not, so it’s probably the most outlandish suggestion on this list, but it would still be a cool moment for both guys and the fans in attendance!
#1 Host of SummerSlam 2018
Every once in a while, WWE announces somebody as a host for one of their PPV extravaganzas. The most recent high-profile example came at SummerSlam 2015 when Jon Stewart hosted the event, while Hulk Hogan, The New Day and The Rock have all been hosts of WrestleMania in the last decade.
While it would probably be more entertaining to see Hogan appear at Extreme Rules in one of the other scenarios we suggested on this list, his most probable first role back in WWE would be in a hosting capacity – just like in 2014 when he returned as the host of WrestleMania 30.
WWE often airs new adverts on the WWE Network between matches at PPV events, so perhaps there will be a clip at Extreme Rules advertising Hogan as the host of this year’s “Biggest Party of the Summer”.
