The stars were out on the first Netflix episode of WWE "Raw," but there was one in particular that fans made clear they simply didn't want to see shine. Whatcha gonna do?
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00:00The stars were out on the first Netflix episode of WWE Raw, but there was one in particular
00:05that fans made clear they simply didn't want to see shine. Whatcha gonna do?
00:10WWE brought its January 6, 2025 Netflix premiere of Raw to the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles,
00:16and that meant lots of shots of celebrities taking in the action. Among them were comedian
00:21Gabriel Iglesias decked out in a WWE and Netflix shirt, Vanessa Hudgens repping Rhea Ripley,
00:28Ashton Kutcher, Travis Scott, and many more.
00:31Some of WWE's biggest part-time stars and legends made appearances, too. After an opening
00:36speech from Triple H, The Rock came out to ask the crowd if they smelled what he's cooking.
00:41The Undertaker made a surprise appearance in his biker persona after Ripley's women's
00:45title win. John Cena declared himself for the Royal Rumble.
00:49And then there was the part of the show that didn't go as planned — Hulk Hogan's segment.
00:54About two and a half hours into the three-hour show, Hogan's theme music blared throughout
00:58the arena, and he walked out with longtime manager Mouth of the South Jimmy Hart, who
01:02was carrying an American flag. After some initial mild cheers, booze quickly started
01:07to rain down on the Hulkster.
01:08You guys, you're stuck with me. You're thick and thin, dudes.
01:13Hogan was decked out in a shirt for his beer brand, Real American Beer. He was there to
01:17promote WWE's multi-year sponsorship deal with the brand, which includes WWE becoming
01:22a minority owner of the company.
01:24There were even Real American Beer logos on the ring, along with several other logos
01:28for other sponsors throughout the show. The crowd did not seem to care much about any
01:32of that, though. Or if they did, all they wanted to do was express their distaste for
01:37it.
01:38Despite the commentators trying to save the segment — at one point, Michael Cole stated
01:41that WWE as it is today wouldn't exist without Hogan — the crowd was not having it. It
01:46got so bad that even Netflix's closed captioning read,
01:51Perhaps sensing that the tide was not going to turn in his favor, Hogan did his trademark
01:55shirt rip to reveal a Netflix shirt underneath, then quickly got out of there. His awkward
02:00walk-off included his ripped shirt hanging down by his sides.
02:04Some might conclude that the crowd's animosity toward Hogan was political. Los Angeles is
02:08a Democratic stronghold, after all, and Hogan notably spoke at the 2024 Republican National
02:13Convention. He also ripped his shirt there, where he revealed a shirt with the names of
02:18President-elect Donald Trump and running mate J.D. Vance.
02:21What you gonna do when Donald Trump and all the Trumpamaniacs run wild on you, brother?
02:29But The Undertaker is another vocal Trump supporter. Taker hosted the then-candidate
02:34on his podcast in October 2024, and heartily endorsed his candidacy. The crowd did nothing
02:39but cheer The Undertaker's appearance, so that can't be the only factor.
02:43Fan animosity toward Hogan isn't really anything new, either. An even bigger crowd was seen
02:47similarly unkind to the Hulkster when he co-hosted WrestleMania 37 in Tampa in 2021.
02:54It's hard to pinpoint exactly when the WWE audience turned on Hogan, but it's more than
02:58likely true that many fans haven't forgiven him for the racist rant from 2007 that was
03:03revealed during a 2015 libel case against the website Gawker.
03:07The recorded remarks, which included Hogan using the N-word, led to WWE terminating his
03:12contract and his temporary removal from the WWE Hall of Fame. WWE eventually forgave the
03:18Hulkster after a lengthy apology tour, restoring him to the Hall of Fame in 2018. But many
03:23fans clearly haven't, and maybe they never will.
03:26It doesn't help that racism accusations keep popping up, with at least one revolving around
03:31real American beer. In July 2024, a social media influencer posted two TikToks accusing
03:36the company of firing her as a brand ambassador because she was Black.