Jimmy Hart Says Hulk Hogan Was “Devastated” by LA Boos at WWE RAW But Hogan Told a Different Story Before His Death

Hulk Hogan’s appearance at the WWE RAW Netflix debut in January didn’t go exactly how he hoped—and according to his longtime manager Jimmy Hart, the negative reaction from fans really hit The Hulkster hard.

Speaking on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart broke down what happened when Hogan walked into a politically charged Los Angeles crowd wearing a Trump-Vance shirt. Hart, who accompanied Hogan at the event, said he warned him beforehand.

“We were going to Los Angeles. Now, going in there—which I kind of told Hulk—I said, ‘Wow. You know, blue state, red state,’ I said, ‘Woo!’ You know, he had a Trump-Vance T-shirt on, which he had done some pre-publicity in. I’m going, ‘Oh my gosh, this is gonna be good.’”

According to Hart, the crowd’s response wasn’t overwhelmingly hostile—but it wasn’t what Hogan expected either.

“We kind of get a mixed reaction. And you know this—you can have 500 people cheering you and one person booing you, but I’ll be darned if that one person booing doesn’t outshine the 500 cheering for you. So we go out—it’s kind of a mixed reaction, but a little bit more boos than anything. And that devastated him.”

Hart recalled that Hogan was shaken backstage after the segment.

“We got in the back, and he said, ‘What do you think happened?’ I said, ‘Hulk, it’s simple. Blue state, red state, Trump fans. I mean, really!’ But that bothered him because of that.”

Despite the setback, Hart noted that the very next week, Hogan was met with massive cheers in Texas.

“Then the next week, we’re in Texas—and it’s all cheers, you know? But that always bothered him.”

Despite Hart’s version of events, Hogan gave a much different impression about crowd reactions in one of his final interviews before his death. While speaking to Alfred Konuwa, Hogan was asked about being booed and whether he felt the need to “fix his image” for those who don’t support him. Hogan downplayed any concern and chalked it up to the nature of wrestling and changing crowds.

“Well, it’s kind of weird, because a lot of people forget that professional wrestling is a work. And so, I’ve seen The Rock in Vegas. I love him to death. I’ve seen The Rock in Vegas, I’ve seen The Rock in LA, and they booed him out of the building. Hulk Hogan goes to LA, they boo him out of the building and everybody, bam, what is it? 3.2 billion interactions or something? Just crazy numbers.”

He also dismissed the idea that he needed to change, especially since reactions vary by city.

“A lot of people have advice and a lot of people have opinions about why I got booed or stuff that I should fix or not fix. But then I’ll go to New York or I’ll go to Chicago and they’ll cheer me out of the building, and I should probably turn to those same people that gave me advice before and ask them, ‘What do I do about people cheering me now?’”

For Hogan, silence—not boos—was the real problem.

“So, I’m so used to being cheered or booed, it’s kind of like if you don’t get a reaction, there’s a serious, serious problem… if they weren’t nipping at my heels, I wouldn’t feel alive or wouldn’t even feel relative. So I’m really kind of used to it. My whole career has been like this.”

So, while Hart recalled a man “devastated” by the LA heat, Hogan’s final public words suggested he saw the boos as just another chapter in a career defined by extreme reactions.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.