Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan was left 'devastated' by the boos he received from the audience during his final WWE appearance, six months before his death at the age of 71. The star, real name Terry Bollea, died from acute myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, on July 24 at Morton Plant Hospital in Florida.
During a guest appearance on Netflix's WWE series Raw at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, Hogan faced a mixed reaction from the crowd. His longtime friend and manager, Jimmy Hart, revealed that the negative response 'bothered him' and 'devastated' the wrestling icon.
Speaking on the Stories With Brisco and Bradshaw podcast, Hart said: 'We go out and we had a mixed reaction. You can have 500 people cheering you and one person booing you, but I'll be darned if that one person doesn't outshine [the people cheering]. It's a mixed reaction, but it's a little bit more boos than anything. That devastated him.'
Hart suggested the boos were linked to Hogan's support for former US President Donald Trump, whom he backed at the Republican National Convention. Hart added: 'We got in the back and he said: “What do you think happened?” I said: “Hulk, it’s simple, blue state, red state. Boom.” But that bothered him because of that... Then the next week we’re in Texas, and it’s all cheers, you know, but that always bothered him. It sure did.'
During the appearance, Hogan told the crowd: 'In the past, I've had a whole bunch of partners down the line... But the greatest partner the WWE has ever had is the fact that tonight, we're making history, and the WWE has tag teamed up with Netflix, the greatest tag team partner of all time.'
Hogan's death was confirmed by WWE, who posted on X: 'WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away. One of pop culture’s most recognisable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s.' His last WWE match was against Randy Orton at SummerSlam in 2006.
