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What's the story?
Hulk Hogan and WWE have been separated for a while but there's always hope that he will eventually come back. Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter says Hulk Hogan's return might be on the way and The Hulkster could be using some pretty clever tactics to make it happen.
In case you didn't know...
There was an unfortunate incident where Hulk Hogan was filmed without his permission while participating in explicit consensual adult activities. What didn't help was that there was an audio tape released later of a private conversation of his which involved him going on a racial rant about his daughter's boyfriend. It wasn't a good time for anyone and although Hogan won his lawsuit against Gawker in a big way, he lost his place in WWE history because of what he said.
The heart of the matter
There is no excusing what Hulk Hogan said in that illegally obtained audio but that won't stop his Hulkamaniacs from wanting to see his WWE return. After all, it's been a long time since fans saw The Hulkster since he was pulled from his gig as a judge on Tough Enough in the middle of the season.
Dave Meltzer said in The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the idea of Hulk Hogan returning to WWE is once again being revisited. Of course, it's been an idea for a while now but it always comes down to the same concern.
WWE doesn't know how sponsors would react to bringing back Hulk Hogan and there is a slight concern about a media backlash as well.
However what makes this new report so interesting is apparently Hulk Hogan was in talks for a return to pro wrestling of some kind but it wasn't with WWE. The company's name wasn't disclosed but it was reported the angle would have been huge. However, it was scrapped because it "wouldn't have made economic sense."
The thought is if Hulk Hogan were to go anywhere rather than WWE it might only be a tease to get Vince McMahon to bring him back. After all, he's done that kind of a thing before.
What's next?
If Hulk Hogan teases a return to another company and then doesn't really go through with it, then you can really expect the wheels to get moving on bringing him back to WWE. After all, WrestleMania is closer than you'd think and everyone loves a big WrestleMania Moment, especially if it's a redemption story.
Author's take
Hulk Hogan was never my favourite wrestler growing up because I always loved the heels which is why I loved him in WCW as a member of the nWo. Of course, that changed soon enough as well when the nWo became a mismanaged cluster.
But Hogan really does need to come back to WWE. Paul Heyman name dropped him during a promo on Raw a couple weeks ago when listing great Champions of the past. So that's something, after all, Paul Heyman was probably fed that name to insert in that list which could have been a sign WWE is testing the waters ever so slightly for a Hulk Hogan return.
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