hulk hogan at the RNC
(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Hulk Hogan’s Absurd RNC Speech Isn’t Surprising

Well, are you surprised that the guy who rips his shirt as part of his “thing” was at the Republican National Convention? We’re seeing a lot of people showing up for the RNC this time around (while people are wearing bandages on their ears like Donald Trump is Regina George).

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One that was not surprising at all was Hulk Hogan. Hogan, who had his contract with the WWE terminated after he used the N-word but is back in the WWE Hall of Fame, took the stage to talk about Trump. Calling him his “hero,” the former wrestler said that Trump could bring America back “one real American at a time.”

Hogan’s real name is Terry Bollea, but he is more famous for being Hulk Hogan. “Hulkamania” was a phrase often associated with him, and he is known for wearing the slogan on shirts he then rips off—which he did at the RNC, taking the whole thing even further into self-parody. This time, the maneuver revealed a Trump shirt underneath. Wonderful.

“As an entertainer, I try to stay out of politics,” he said at the RNC, wearing his typical bandana on his head. “But after everything that’s happened to our country over the past four years, and everything that happened last weekend, I can no longer stay silent.”

Guess he’s back to his old ways

Hogan has tried to make strides to change his public image since 2015. When footage of him using the N-word surfaced (along with Hogan saying, “I guess we’re all a little racist”), the WWE completely cut ties with him. But he has since been working with younger people to try to change, supposedly. Even his daughter talked about how much he was growing and now he’s … at the RNC ripping his shirt open. So that must not have stuck!

The WWE let Hogan back in after they thought he had changed. I don’t see the WWE changing that again now that he simply appeared at the RNC, but it doesn’t really shout “I’m a changed man” to me.


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Rachel Leishman
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Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.