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What's the story?
Legendary WWE announcer Jim Ross spoke to Business Insider recently, about his recently published book entitled 'Slobberknocker: My life in Wrestling. Credits to SEScoops for the transcript.
During the conversation, he touched upon the sensitive topic of Hulk Hogan's return and said he'd be surprised if Hogan wasn't back by 2018. In fact, he said that he would encourage Hogan's return if he were still a part of WWE.
In case you didn't know...
Hulk Hogan and WWE parted ways owing to certain racist comments that the Hulkster had made, and he's not been a featured attraction in any aspect of WWE's programming since.
While Jim Ross may be the greatest man to have called sports entertainment, Hulk Hogan is probably the embodiment of what we know and love as sports entertainment.
While fans are still divided on the issue, Hulk Hogan's return is an oft-discussed topic on several wrestling forums.
The heart of the matter
Jim Ross justified why Hogan needs to return to WWE, for yet another run:
The world has an interesting way of forgiving others. The guy paid his price. He had a trial. He lost jobs. He had a court case. I don’t know what more he needs to do. And why are we his judge and jury?
Ross added that while Hogan's way past his prime, he's still in incredible shape:
I know he’s still training. He’s about my age — 64, but he’s in really good shape. He looks awesome. So, I would say that Hulk is – there’s a ticket for Hulk to punch somewhere to get back in WWE, at least on a reoccurring role-type basis, in my opinion.
What's next?
The coming weeks and months should reveal WWE's position on Hulk Hogan. The reaction upon his return should be quite interesting indeed. It will reveal if fans have indeed forgiven him.
Author's take
What Hulk Hogan did is unforgivable, but I've too many fond memories of the Hulkster from my childhood to be forever angry with the man. I'd love to see him return someday, maybe as an authority figure, when Daniel Bryan's contract with WWE expires.
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