'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What's the story?
Hulk Hogan may not be in the good graces of WWE anymore, but we all know that once he was the beloved face of the company. At Royal Rumble 1992, he was eliminated by Sid Justice and the New York crowd cheered his elimination. Of course, the live reaction of the crowd was changed in later editions, but Sid Justice just revealed to Hannibal TV, how Hogan confronted McMahon in the back, following his elimination. Sid added that it was one of the reasons that led to his departure from the company too.
In case you didn't know...
Royal Rumble 1992 is considered by many to be the best Royal Rumble event in history. It was the only Royal Rumble contested for a vacant WWE Championship, eventually won by the 'Real World Champion', Ric Flair. The final four men in the Rumble were Flair, Justice, Hogan and Savage. Sid's elimination of Hogan resulted in the crowd popping big, because the audience was tired of his 'American Hero' gimmick. Hogan did not take kindly to the audience's change of heart.
The heart of the matter
According to Sid, Hogan was a vicious man when he arrived backstage, taking his frustrations out on the WWE boss:
So he comes back, and I'm not kidding. I'm not trying to be mean to him or anyone. He is putting on like a woman. He is screaming in the backing going, 'Vince you *&*^*^.' Like Vince planned for him to get booed. And I went to Vince's office and I said, 'Vince. I can't work in a place where a grown man acts like this.'
McMahon asked him to hang on till Wrestlemania, and Sid agreed to stay put until the mega event. Of course, he took on Hulk Hogan in the main event, losing by disqualification in the match.
What's next?
Hulk Hogan sits on the sidelines for his racist comments, forgotten in WWE's history books by all and sundry. Who knows if he'll come back to the company.
Author's take
Roman Reigns can take consolation in the fact that he's not the only babyface in history whom the crowd turned on, during a Royal Rumble match. The WWE has always preferred characters with an edge as compared to white meat babyfaces, and McMahon should take a cue from that. As for Hogan's tantrums, top guys are known to be temperamental, so we cannot say we are really surprised.
