Special Issue: Why Hulk Hogan was booed & modern politics in Pro Wrestling

Not just about Trump

Folks, we are doing something really different today! We are talking about Pro-Wrestling. Now you may be asking “omg why Matt?” Well its simple - politics and wrestling are all over the news thanks to Hulk Hogan being BOOED out of the building at a big WWE Wrestling event on Monday.

At the Monday Night RAW debut on Netflix, in the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, Hogan came out to do a promo and promote his “Real American Beer” - which World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) have a partial ownership in. Despite being a legendary performer that helped make pro-wrestling a nationwide phenomenon in the 1980s and 1990s, Hogan was mercilessly booed the entire segment. As the man tried to do the promo, fans rained down louder booes. Quickly the incident became a major news story.

Hogan had made news back in 2024 when he endorsed Donald Trump and spoke at the RNC convention. The booing was celebrated by many wrestling fans while conservatives were furious. Many laid the blame on the location of the event and insisted it was all petty politics. However, those who have long been in the wrestling community have pointed out that it is a bit more complicated than that.

Indeed the story is more complicated than that. As a longtime wrestling fan than began watching in earnest in 2000, I have some pretty good insight into why Hogan was booed. Why I’d be booing him. And no, its not just politics. But don’t worry, we are ABOLUTELY going to talk about politics.

So enjoy this wrestling education - as we are gonna talk about the modern wrestling fans, why Hogan is so despised, and how wrestling is more liberal than you think.

Modern “Smart” Fans

For most non-wrestling fans, the notion that Hogan is the subject to great controversy in the wrestling fandom may come as a surprise. Former wrestling fans, people who grew up with Hogan, but have not kept up with wrestling, likewise have little knowledge of the controversies that predate the 2024 election. To get a better understanding of why this booing happened, I think its important to make it clear to outsiders that the wrestling fandom operates very different from decades in the past.

Before the late 1990s, as is well documented, wrestling revolved around maintaining “kayfabe” - aka that the stories and feuds were “real.” This history of course leads to people to this day saying “you know its fake right?” to anyone who says they are a pro-wrestling fan. However, wrestling largely abandoned any notion of kayfabe by the end of the 20th century. By the time I was becoming a wrestling fan, pro-wrestlers were writing autobiographies that clearly talked about how the business was scripted.

The breaking of kayfabe and the rise of the internet has led to a fanbase that is more tuned in with the private lives and backstage details of wrestlers more than ever before. Just like how football, baseball, or basketball players may develop a scandalous reputation for personal issues, Hogan has followed in this same footprint.

Hogan’s Many Controversies

With the breaking of kayfabe, few wrestlers have seen their standing with the wrestling fandom fall more than Hulk Hogan. While there is one BIG controversy that I will discuss in a moment, Hogan has been constantly subject to attack and scrutiny for the sins of his past.

Many of Hogan’s controversies within wrestling revolve around his conduct in the business itself. His reputation for backstage politics - in this context meaning angling to promote himself over others - is legendary. While wrestling has historically been a cutthroat business, especially when your place on the show could dictate your pay, Hogan’s backstage antics have aged very poorly with time. Incidents have been shared across news articles and in the expanding wrestling podcast scene.

If you aren’t familiar with broad wrestling history, many of the backstage politics stories about Hogan won’t mean much to you. But trust me when I tell you some of these stories matter a great deal to wrestling fans who shell out money for tickets. Just a few big ones are….

• Backstabbing Jesse Ventura when he told WWF owner Vince McMahon about Ventura’s efforts to form a pro-wrestler union.

• Refusing to drop the WWF title to Bret Hart before leaving the WWF, claiming that losing to such a small guy would make him look bad.

• Refusing to cleanly put over Sting at the WWC 1997 Starrcade Event and lobbying to get the title back just months later - ruining a year-long storyline.

• Refusing to lose at the 2000 Bash at the Beach event, leading to a chaotic storyline that had mixes of story and shoot (non-scripted) comments.

• Going to TNA Wrestling, a secondary company to WWE, and doing little to help build the company, instead widely viewed as just a paycheck and effort to stay in the spotlight

The perception of Hogan from a wrestling standpoint is that he is greedy and power-hungry. However, these smaller issues, along with many others, pale in comparison to the scandal that hit him a decade back.

The BIG Racism Controversy

This controversy actually stemmed from a different scandal, but one that Hogan at first seemed to have passed. Back in 2012 it was revealed that Hogan had been secretly recorded having sex with Heather Clem, the wife of his then friend, radio host Bubba the Love Sponge. The incident was not an affair, but rather Bubba allowing the tryst. However, Hogan was unaware they had recorded the hookup to use for money down the line if they ever needed it. The website Gawker posted a 2-minute clip of the encounter. Hogan’s lawsuit of Gawker, funded by Peter Thiel, led to the site’s eventual closing.

The full sex tape, as best I know, was never released. Only select clips ever surfaced online. The incident was embarrassing for Hogan, but by definition he was more of a victim here. However, in 2015, new information from the unreleased tapes would surface, and those destroyed his reputation for good. A full write-up is here.

In the videos, Hogan, who is talking with Heather, began to express frustration with his daughter, Brook Hogan. These frustrations revolved around her music career and her dating life, with him saying that she was making bad decisions. What were these bad decisions? Well he was upset she was not sticking close with his celebrity and venturing out on her own. He complained about a "black billionaire guy" offering to fund her career and speculated "I don't know if Brooke was fucking the black guy's son."

Then, and this is where it gets really bad, Hogan said at two points - and warnings here….. I am going to censor it, but he uses the full n-word…

"I mean, I don't have double standards. I mean, I am a racist, to a point, fucking (n-word)s. But then when it comes to nice people and shit, and whatever."

"I mean, I'd rather if she was going to fuck some (n-word), I'd rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall (n-word) worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player!

He closed it out with

"I guess we're all a little racist. Fucking (n-word)."

The reaction to all of this was swift. Hogan was fired from his legends contract with the WWE and references to him were removed. He was even removed from the Hall of Fame for a time. Here a generational divide notably emerged. Many wrestlers who worked with Hogan did defend him as not being a true racist, even as they attacked his words. However, younger wrestlers were much more resistant.

In 2018, WWE began to try and re-engage with Hogan, something met with mixed reaction from wrestlers and fans. Trios-group The New Day did not respond with anger but in a statement made it clear things were not all forgiven. This sentiment was shared by many wrestlers who were not thrilled with Hogan returning to the fold.

"On a personal level, when someone makes racist and hateful comments about any race or group of people, especially to the degree that Hogan made about our people, we find it simply difficult to forget, regardless of how long ago it was, or the situation in which those comments were made. But we also do not respond with more feelings of hate. Instead, we just do not associate with the people who convey or have conveyed this hurtful mindset. This instance will be no different. Perhaps if we see him make a genuine effort to change, then maybe our opinion of him will change with him. Time will tell."

Hogan was sparingly used in the WWE for the next several years, with him making select appearances. Every appearance would have plenty of nay-sayers in the wrestling fandom online and in person.

In April of 2021, Hogan’s appearance at WrestleMania 37 saw boos emanate from the arena. The show was coming from Tampa, Florida - Hogan’s home base. The reality was, before 2024, Hogan already had a solid bastion of detractors. He’d only grow this with his backing of Donald Trump.

Going all-in for Trump

For a chunk of 2024, Hogan largely stayed out of politics. However, he endorsed Trump shortly before the Republican National Convention, which he spoke at in July. At the convention, he tore his shirt off to reveal a Trump/Vance short underneath.

The running joke in many wrestling circles was amusement that Hogan was going to the only political side that wouldn’t shun him for his past comments. It was classic - “I’m a Republican because of cancel culture…. BROTHER.”

Hogan had also recently announced the formation of REAL AMERICAN BEER - and it was also widely speculated he saw the right-wing as far more willing to be conned into buying novelties. After all, this is the side that bought $60 “Trump Bibles” despite the fact Donald Trump hasn’t read a fucking Bible in his life.

The endorsement was whatever, but Hogan got far more negative attention for comments he made in August. At an Ohio event for his beer he joked about body slamming Kamala Harris.

“Do you want me to drop the leg on Kamala…Do you want me to body slam Kamala Harris?”

This also came as he mocked her heritage, following Trump’s racist attacks on her mixed Black/Asian lineage. Hogan said at the event “Is Kamala a chameleon? Is she Indian?” Hogan even commented at the event, claiming to be tipsy from the beer, that he was going to get heat for his comments. All of this further ate into any remaining good will Hogan had. Notions that he was actually sorry for his previous comments seemed less and less believable.

While the endorsement of Trump no doubt aided in his negative image with the fans, it cannot be the only reason for the booing. You see, as the same show that Hogan was booed at, Mark Calaway, famously known as The Undertaker, made an appearance. Calloway was ALSO a Trump backer in 2024, and had actually hosted the former President on his wrestling podcast. Taker’s (that’s what he’s often called) politics were something a vast majority of that audience likely disagreed with. However, he was shown nothing but love. This again points more toward the issue being Hogan’s collective sins.

But, as I promised, there is a political angle to this. While Taker wasn’t booed, he very likely would have been if he came out in a Trump cap or something of that vein. That, btw, isn’t because of the arena, its because of what a modern wrestling fanbase looks like.

A More Liberal Fandom Than You Think

While many commentators and angry Hulk defenders put the booing of Hogan squarely on the fact the show emanating from California, this glosses over an important distinction for wrestling fans. In the modern era, pro-wrestling fans skew more liberal than the national average. Varied studies have been conducted on sports viewership and politics, and these have routinely found that wrestling fans are several points to the left of your football, baseball, or NASCAR audiences.

Also note the definition of “conservative” here is always a matter of whatever the person answering a survey feels they are. There is a whole other article to be written on the self-ID of voters and how it matches with their actual policy positions. Btw wrestling is the “W” - which is the WWE’s current logo.

The full study can be seen here.

If this is a surprise to you, then I don’t blame you. Broadly the sentiment has been that wrestling must be conservative - something that largely stems from a perception it is still a southern sport (old WWF aside). The fact that Donald Trump has been involved in pro-wrestling off and on for decades, as well as Vince McMahon being a steadfast Republican, have led to many to just assume its a right-wing fanbase.

However, if you have been watching pro-wrestling for the past 24 years like I have, you know that is not the case. Wrestling has an eclectic mix of fans - with an arena show being where a die-hard football fan will sit in a seat next to a comic geek who couldn’t tell you what a 1st down means. Wrestling’s embrace of soap opera and showing spectacles - firmly away from its more grappling roots of decades past - means its hardly a “redneck” sport.

Hogan entering a WWE arena will likely be subject to booes regardless of the town or state. Send him to a show in Texas, and he’s still going to be in an arena filled with people who voted decidedly left of the state. Maybe if you send him to Wyoming you will only get 50% of the crowd boing him.

The fanbase being more liberal these days also matches with the fact that when pro-wrestlers reveal their politics, it often comes out more on the left than on the right.

Dave Bautista, who was a main event wrestler through much of the mid 2000s before transitioning to acting, has long been an outspoken lefty. In the 2024 election, he did an excellent bit on what “real masculinity” is.

Many modern and past wrestlers are openly Democratic or just broadly left-leaning. This can often come from shocking names - even from the older generations. Folks like Jim Cornett, a brash southern veteran from the 1980s who hails from Kentucky, is notoriously anti-Trump and anti-Republican. Kevin Nash, a major player back in the 1990s with the NWO storyline, has been a surprising consistent left-leaning voice when it comes to politics. He’s long pushed Democratic Party support on twitter and in 2024 said he’d be proud to have Kamala Harris as his President. Mick Foley, another veteran wrestler, has long been a Democratic-minded and left-wing voice in wrestling.

Modern wrestlers are hardly afraid to talk about their politics or show support for left-wing issues. In the wake of the 2020 murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests to follow - The New Day paid tribute to Floyd on a show, and were part of a WWE-produced documentary about the issue of racial justice.

When Roe v Wade was overturned, Becky Lynch, who made history in 2019 by winning the first women-led main event of WrestleMania, responded to conservative men celebrating the repeal.

Lynch and her husband, fellow mainstream wrestler Seth Rollins, have shown their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and other progressive causes.

Broadly the most outspoken wrestlers are pressing liberal views. Known conservatives like Chris Jericho rarely let their politics openly get discussed. You can claim this is like Hollywood - with “conservative voices being silenced” - but this also reflects the fact wrestlers understand their audience leans liberal. That said, the fact that so many veteran wrestlers, long out of the business, support liberal views, does show that the industry attracts more lefties than one may think.

Industry of LGBT Allies

Again something that would likely shock many is how pro-LGBT the modern wrestling community is. While plenty of storylines from past decades don’t age well, the modern product never strives to make LGBT people the butt of a joke. Several openly gay, lesbian, non-binary, and transgender wrestlers perform for the major companies and independent scenes. All Elite Wrestling’s second women’s champion, Nyla Rose, is transgender. Sonya Deville, who became WWE’s first out female wrestler, is a former tag team champion and his a major ambassador for the company. Anthony Bowens of AEW even pointed out being gay on a promo, leading to cheers from the audience and a “he’s gay! he’s gay!” chant - seriously in a positive/loving way.

In addition, many wrestlers are outspokenly pro-LGBT. Wrestling has also seen a growing fanbase of LGBT people. While there has always been more LGBT fans than you might expect, the community has grown online as a unique part of the fandom. The broad notion of “Wrestling is for everyone” has become a major mantra in the wrestling community broadly. This is the sport never given full respect by mainstream media and sports fans - so why not embrace a fanbase of people who have long felt disrespect from society as a whole.

Especially in recent years, as attacks on the LGBT community rapidly accelerate, many wrestlers have shown their support for the community. One longtime LGBT ally has been CM Punk; who famously clashed with anti-gay “fans” on social media back in 2012. Just a few years ago, while he worked for AEW Wrestling, he paraded an LGBT sign from a fan. In this moment, which occurred after the taped show but was circulated widely online, Punk spoke to the crowd, articulating well why the LGBT community mixes so well with the wrestling community.

“The reason I support trans kids, trans grown ups, gays, straight, lesbian, whoever is because I know, when I was growing up I didn’t fit in anywhere. But it was because of the clothes I wore, what my hair looked like, the music I listened to. Those are all things I could rectify. I could cut my hair, I could listen to jazz — I don’t know what.

“But to be somebody who’s gay, lesbian, or especially trans, I don’t know what it feels like to be trapped in a body I don’t feel I belong in. That is why I support them. Because I know I didn’t fit in anywhere until I found pro wrestling and all the freaks and geeks in the locker room who were just like me. Maybe some of them were a little psychotic and they couldn’t hold onto a real job, but that’s another story.

“Support trans kids. Support gay and lesbian rights. I want everybody to be themselves — just do no harm to anybody else.

“Thank you. I love you.”

The reaction to this within the wrestling community was heavily positive. Nay-sayers were quickly shouted down. No better example of this was when Dutch Mantell, a veteran manager and booker from decades past, questioned if it was “wise” to inject such a “political issue” into wrestling. Brody King, a current wrestler and heavy metal signer had nothing nice to say to Dutch.

Btw, if you take issue with Brody not respecting the veterans. Feel free to give THAT DUDE a piece of your mind. Though believe it or not, Brody King is actually a massive sweetheart. Any wrestler or fan will tell you that. That is, as long as you aren’t throwing LGBT people to the wolves.

Later that year, when AEW held its “All In” PPV from Wembley Stadium in the UK, Punk posed with a fan holding a transgender rights flag.

The moment got a big cheer from the crowd and positive praise from the announcers.

Punk and King aren’t the only wrestlers to show support for the transgender community. Kenny Omega, one of the biggest wrestling stars in America and Japan, gave his endorsement to a fan holding a “protect trans kids” sign at an AEW show.

In March of 2022, as the “Don’t Say Gay” debate in Florida was raging, AEW held a PPV in the state. In the main event, Champion Hangman Adam Page, an outspoken progressive, added LGBT colors to his ring attire.

Page is not the only one to take digs at Florida for its “Don’t Say Gay” law. In January of this year, Chelsea Green, who now is the Women’s United State’s Champion for WWE, came out for the Royal Ruble in a massive rainbow skirt; which she said was a direct show of support for LGBT people. At WrestleMania 34, Finn Balor had a massive entrance highlighting his pro-LGBT “Balor Club is for everyone” shirt and motto.

In February of 2024, Cody Rhodes, easily one of the top stars in the WWE, posed with a fan and their customized Cody/transgender flag.

The moment was discussed by the fan here. It came as Cody was on his way to main event WrestleMania 40. He current is the WWE Champion and easily the top guy in the company right now. Cody has long been an LGBT ally, telling an anti-gay “fan” on twitter that they could “kiss his ass” when they complained about him defending a title against Sonny Kiss, a gender-fluid wrestler, back in 2020.

The message is clear - wrestling is for everyone!

Final Thoughts

Well I hope you’ve enjoyed my lesson on wrestling fan culture and why everyone hates Hulk Hogan now. Long story short - his Trump endorsement isn’t popular with wrestling fans - but its only the latest in a long list of offenses. Wrestling is likely to remain for the near future a product and fanbase that leans left, and especially leans left on social issues. The era of the old, rural conservative wrestling is long gone.

With that, I think we can close this out with a final message to Hulk Hogan and man he endorsed for President.

BTW that Hogan beer sucks ass. I’ll take whatever STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN was having.