Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan greets the crowd during the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Crown Jewel pay-per-view at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on November 2, 2018. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP) (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images) KofiMania is expected to run wild near the end of WrestleMania 35, but the WWE made a weak attempt at reviving Hulkamania as the show opened. WrestleMania is always an event where the WWE tries to bring back aging stars to pop some nostalgia for the crowd. There’s arguably not a bigger nostalgia act in the company than Hulk Hogan. Despite all his faults, the company trotted him own to solid cheers to open WrestleMania 35. Hogan was suspended for three years by the company after a sex tape featuring racist language was released in 2015. He was reinstated to the company on a limited basis in July of 2018. He’d made appearances in other countries and during Hall of Fame proceedings prior to showing up on stage with Alexa Bliss, but his WrestleMania 35 appearance marked his first return to a live WWE ring inside the United States. The MetLife Stadium greeted Hogan with cheers, but it certainly wasn’t the type of ovation he received in previous years. There were no audible boos, and perhaps the WWE will be satisfied with that sort of reaction for their Hall of Famer. The real question is why WWE chose the biggest show of the season to bring Hogan back. Perhaps they did it because they could count on fans to pop for Hogan given the optimism surrounding the rest of the card. Trotting Hogan out in front of a smaller crowd would have risked the chances of the crowd turning on him. The unfortunate truth is that the WWE was always going to bring Hogan back. The fact that they did it without forcing him to really apologize to the WWE Universe is a real disappointment. Hulkamania will never run wild as it once did. Perhaps that’s a sign of maturity for WWE fans in the year 2019.<doc-sep>What's the story? Hulk Hogan returned to WrestleMania at WrestleMania 35 as he kicked off the main show, alongside WrestleMania 35 host, Alexa Bliss. It was a brief segment for Hogan, but he did get in his trademark catchphrases as well as his poses, which Bliss performed as well. But they were rudely interrupted by Paul Heyman, who went on to the stage to make an announcement. Now, there's some backstage details on the segment. In case you didn't know... Hogan was introduced by Bliss to a raucous response from the MetLife Stadium. After Hogan and Bliss introduced the show, even as Hogan's music hit for him to head backstage, Paul Heyman, the advocate of Brock Lesnar, walked down purposefully down to the ring. Heyman was unhappy that his client's match was not the main event of WrestleMania 35, and said that if his client's match wasn't going to happen immediately, they would go to Las Vegas, alluding to UFC, and not face Seth Rollins. The match did happen and Rollins won the Universal title, defeating Lesnar in under three minutes, and winning the Universal title for the first time. The heart of the matter Wrestling Observer Radio's Dave Meltzer has revealed that the decision to put the Rollins vs Lesnar match was not made until 5:30pm ET, which was just one and a half hours before the main show started. The report reveals that Hulk Hogan did not know why Heyman appeared during his exit and that he wasn't informed that the Universal title match would happen first, which explains the puzzled look on his face. What's next? Brock Lesnar did not make an appearance on the RAW after WrestleMania, and it seems like he will be away from the WWE for a while, with rumours of his UFC match picking up speed.<doc-sep>Hulk Hogan’s legacy has been tarnished in recent years. He’s mended fences with WWE but not necessarily with every superstar. Shortly before the beginning of WrestleMania 35, Big E tweeted that he supports redemption and mentioned that he talked to Hogan. I’d like to think everyone deserves a path to redemption. I appreciate @HulkHogan taking the time to apologize & hear my position today. — Ettore “Big E” Ewen (@WWEBigE) April 7, 2019 This development came just before Hogan kicked off WrestleMania alongside Alexa Bliss. It might just be one step, of many, in Hogan’s redemption. Still, this marks good news for Hogan fans. RELATED: WWE WrestleMania 35 Results (4/7/19)<doc-sep>
It sounds like any potential issues between Big E and WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan were cleared up backstage at WrestleMania 35 on Sunday. Big E took to Twitter during WrestleMania and wrote, “I’d like to think everyone deserves a path to redemption. I appreciate @HulkHogan taking the time to apologize & hear my position today.” Big E is likely referring to how The New Day took issue with Hogan’s apology issued to the WWE roster last year. We noted back in July 2018 how The New Day had issued a response to Hogan being reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame. The statement was issued after Hogan met with WWE talents backstage at Extreme Rules to apologize for the racist comments he made a few years ago. In The New Day’s statement, which can be read at this link, they wrote in part: 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 difficult to simply 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 negative and hurtful mindset. This instance will be no different. Perhaps if we see him make a genuine effort to change, then maybe our opinion will change with him. Time will tell. Big E’s statement from Sunday indicates he has forgiven The Hulkster. You can see Big E’s full tweet below: