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Hulk Hogan returned to Monday Night RAW earlier this month to honor his friend the late “Mean” Gene Okerlund. He spoke with People regarding the return, as well as a host of other topics.
Hogan spoke on trying to move on from the racist comments he made years ago, as well as if he will ever lace up his boots and return to the ring.
On Gene Okerlund’s Death
“It felt like my Adam’s apple went backward or something, I couldn’t catch my breath. I guess my wife thought I was having a heart attack. It hit me so hard cause I just talked to him a couple weeks before about getting together the weekend when I came back from New Years.”
On WWE RAW Return
“The reception from the crowd was unbelievable,” he recalls of the appearance. “All of the talent in the back were really, really cool and nice. Everybody expressed their sympathy.”
If He Will Ever Return To The Ring
“I’m too old to wrestle. I embarrassed myself enough out there by moving too slow, so I don’t want to get back in there again. I don’t think I could. I could probably wrestle somebody like John Cena or Vince McMahon, but as soon as I’d be done they’d be taking me straight to the hospital to fix something … the body’s too worn out for that.”
Trying To Move Past Racial Comments Scandal
“People are all human and they make mistakes, so it’s about forgiving people and learning and growing, I’m definitely not in the same place I was 12 or 13 years ago, you know, when I said such stupid words, what came out of my head. That’s not who I am.
People learn from their mistakes, and people generally have a good heart. There’s a lot of good people in this world. You’ve gotta learn to forgive, and move forward.”