Why Vince McMahon Allegedly Didn’t Care About Hulk Hogan Following WWE Return

Hulk Hogan joined WWE (then-WWF) in 1979 and had quite the career under Vince McMahon’s regime.

The relationship between Hogan and McMahon was described to be complex and marked by business rivalries.

One of the notable moments in their history was when Hulk Hogan testified against The Big Man in the legal case United States vs. McMahon, where the former WWE CEO was accused of providing illegal steroids to the wrestlers.

Vince McMahon had a specific reason for not caring about Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan had left WWE to wrestle in WCW, which came across as a huge blow for the company and Vince McMahon.

Hogan returned to WWE for a second time in 2002 following the demise of WCW in 2001. During the same time, Vince Russo had returned to the company as well, but for only two weeks.

Since Russo and Hogan shared a bitter history, the former head writer was concerned about how to handle the situation. While speaking to Jonathan Coachman, Russo revealed what Vince McMahon told him about Hulk Hogan.

I remember real quickly with Hulk. I’ll be really really really brief. When I almost went back to the WWE in 2002, the last time I saw Hulk Hogan was at Bash at the Beach and he sued me after that. So, after Vince hired me, the elephant in the room is Hulk Hogan. And I said, ‘Vince, how are we going to handle this?’. Vince McMahon looked me in the eye and his exact quote to me was, ‘I don’t give a sh*t about Hulk Hogan. He hasn’t drawn me a dime’. That’s what Vince said directly to me.

Hulk Hogan had made an appearance during WWE’s debut on Netflix on January 6th, 2025, but instead of cheering for him, the crowd booed him mercilessly.