Triple H knows the public discourse about Hulk Hogan is a controversial subject. However, he can only speak from his experiences with the late Hall of Famer.
Mark Pougatch of The Sports Agents spoke with Triple H ahead of SummerSlam. During the conversation, Pougatch asked Triple H about his thoughts on Hogan as a public figure. The WWE CCO said that Hogan “had a presence and a character and a charisma that could not be denied.”
“His contributions as a performer to this industry are second to none,” he added.
Pougatch then asked Triple H what Hulk Hogan was like to deal with in the wrestling business. Triple H said that he can’t speak to everything Hogan has done, only his interactions
“Look, with anybody that’s going to have criticisms of people and I can’t state the human being aspects at all of his life. I can only talk about how he treated me, really. And he was always great to me. He was very business-minded. He was steadfast in his beliefs of business, but was professional and easy to work with and a great person to be around,” Triple H said.
“For me personally, for how he dealt with me, I don’t have anything negative to say,” he continued. “I understand for a lot of people it’s complicated, but that does not take away from his contributions to an industry.”
Why is Hulk Hogan’s legacy complicated?
Triple H alluded to the fact that a large group of fans did not support Hogan after he was caught on tape using racist slurs against Black people in 2015. Hogan was effectively blackballed from the pro wrestling business for some time, but WWE eventually welcomed him back.
However, Hogan drew a considerable amount of press (and criticism) due to his links to Donald Trump during the 2024 Presidential Election and campaign trail. This includes his appearance at the Republican National Convention in support of Trump. Politics has been a polarizing topic in recent years. However, many fans also took issue with Hogan’s lack of remorse for using such hateful language.
One WWE performer recently took issue with celebrating Hogan despite him using slurs in the past. Mark Henry is one notable name who said that Hogan wanted his problems to go away without fixing things, which didn’t do him any favors. Matt Hardy also recently said that Hogan’s lack of accountability has gone a long way in damaging his legacy.
Read More: Jimmy Hart: Hulk Hogan Was ‘Devastated’ Over Being Booed At WWE RAW
