Vince McMahon Defends Hulk Hogan’s Legacy, Says The Hulkster “Wasn’t A Racist” News24 –

The bond between Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan spanned decades, shaping professional wrestling into the global spectacle it is today. But in a candid conversation with TMZ, which aired on Fox on Tuesday, August 12, the former WWE Chairman opened up about one of the most controversial chapters in Hogan’s life and why, despite it all, he never believed the Hulkster was a racist.

“It was unforgivable, and I was like, aghast,” McMahon recalled of the 2015 incident that saw Hogan scrubbed from WWE history after leaked audio revealed him using racial slurs. “That’s not like him. What in God’s name is going on?”

When the scandal broke, WWE swiftly cut ties, even removing Hogan from its Hall of Fame. “You just don’t do those things,” McMahon admitted. “I knew he wasn’t a racist. I’ve been with him for so many years. He said some racist things, and he should pay for that and he did. But in the end, I think everyone saw the real Hulk Hogan, Terry Bollea, and realized, he’s not a racist. We all make mistakes. That was a big one, but he wasn’t a racist.”

The fallout was long-lasting. Even after WWE reinstated him to the Hall of Fame in 2018, Hogan remained a polarizing figure. That stigma followed him right up until his passing on July 24, 2025 – a decade after the scandal – when fans at his final WWE appearance, the Netflix premiere of Monday Night Raw, booed him heavily.

According to McMahon, that moment cut deep. “I was angry because we’ve known each other for a lifetime,” he said. “You don’t just let him walk out there like that. He deserved something very, very special. More than anyone, they owe him. I got angry because that’s not the way I would have done it, and he deserved much more.”

McMahon was among the speakers at Hogan’s funeral, where he made what was described as a “Wizard of Oz-esque appearance,” a fittingly theatrical tribute to a man who helped build WWE into an empire.

Love him or loathe him, Hulk Hogan was more than just a wrestling icon – he was a cultural force. And for Vince McMahon, the man who helped craft that larger-than-life persona, Hogan’s mistakes will never erase the impact he had on the business.