AEW Under Fire for Ignoring Hulk Hogan’s Passing

AEW is taking heat online after completely ignoring Hulk Hogan’s passing, with fans calling out Tony Khan and TNT for not paying tribute to the WWE Hall of Famer. While nearly every major wrestling company, including WWE, TNA, NWA, and GCW, honored Hogan’s legacy, AEW has stayed silent—and fans aren’t having it.

The backlash comes as many recall AEW President Tony Khan’s 2020 decision to publicly ban Hulk Hogan from all AEW events. At the time, Khan made his stance clear, citing Hogan’s past racist remarks and a lack of a genuine apology.

“What he said on the tape, long before George Floyd, I’ve told people I can’t work with Hulk Hogan… how can I look my black friends, football players, employees in the face or myself in the mirror after the things [Hulk] said and has never given an adequate apology for? He can’t blame what he said on tape on the dangers of social media.”

The controversy traces back to leaked court-sealed tapes that captured Hogan using racial slurs—tapes that surfaced during a high-profile lawsuit involving Gawker. The fallout led to Hogan’s 2015 WWE contract termination and a major stain on his legacy.

Despite AEW’s refusal to engage, fans are demanding a basic level of respect be shown. One fan blasted TNT’s silence:

“@tntdrama pretty classless not to mention the passing of Hulk Hogan considering what he did for your network in the 90s.”

Another fan addressed Khan directly, insisting that personal feelings should be set aside:

“No graphic about Hogan? You wouldn’t be here today if he didn’t pave the way, regardless of what you think of him as a person. Be bigger than that @TonyKhan.”

A third fan went even harder, accusing AEW of cowardice:

“Still waiting for y’all to pay your respects to Hulk Hogan stop being f***** cowards.”*

A longtime AEW supporter shared their disappointment:

“Not acknowledging The Greatest of all time Hulk Hogan is absolutely CLASSLESS and I’ve been following AEW since day one. Pull your head out of your ASS.”

Khan’s issues with the Hogan family don’t stop with Hulk. In June 2020, during the Black Lives Matter protests, Linda Hogan tweeted a comment blaming African Americans for looting. Khan responded swiftly:

“You’ve now joined your husband in being banned from all AEW shows. Congratulations.”

AEW has earned praise in the past for offering platforms to underutilized WWE talent—Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Adam Copeland, and Swerve Strickland among them—but their cold shoulder toward Hogan is drawing a new level of criticism.

While Tony Khan’s commitment to AEW’s values is firm, the wrestling world is watching closely to see if he eventually acknowledges the man who helped shape the industry as we know it.

Wrestling fans are divided—some back Khan’s stance, while others think it’s time to separate the performer from the controversy, even if just for a moment of respect.