Vince McMahon has spoken about the Hulk Hogan racism scandal while remembering the late WWE Hall of Famer.
Following the passing of Hulk Hogan at 71 back in late July, a new documentary aired on August 12 that saw a number of talking heads speak about the life and career of Hogan, including McMahon. One of the topics covered in the show was Hogan’s 2015 sex tape scandal that also saw the former World Champion use racist language, including Hogan admitting that he was racist “to a point.”
The backlash from the language used saw Hogan removed from the Hall of Fame for multiple years and was barely referenced on TV. While Hogan was welcomed back into the company in 2018, multiple reports have noted that his apology to the locker room was more about Hogan apologising for being caught as opposed to the language he used.
Speaking in the documentary that was produced by TMZ and aired on Fox, McMahon stated that he was shocked by what had happened:
“It was unforgivable, and I was like, aghast. What happened? And when those things occurred, that’s not like him. What is God’s name is going on? As soon as it happened obviously, the company didn’t have anything to do with him anymore. We took him out of the Hall of Fame. You just don’t do those things,” he said.
Vince McMahon Believes Hulk Hogan Was Not Racist, But “Said Some Racist Things”
Later in the show, McMahon defended the decision to welcome Hogan back into WWE and have him make appearances on programming, stating that Hogan was not a racist, adding “we all make mistakes”:
“I knew he wasn’t a racist, I’ve been with him for so many years,” he said. “He wasn’t a racist. 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 they felt, well wait a minute, this guy, he doesn’t act like a racist. He’s not a racist. We all make mistakes. That was a big one, but he wasn’t a racist.”
The interview was also the first time that McMahon has spoken to media since his resignation back in 2024 following allegations of sexual assault and trafficking.
Featured image: WWE
